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http://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Historic-signs-give-downtown-landmark-a-new-look-480380313.html

Historic signs give downtown landmark a new look


By Julie Hays | Posted: Fri 11:46 AM, Apr 20, 2018 | Updated: Fri 5:37 PM, Apr 20, 2018

WACO, Texas (KWTX) The yearlong renovation of Waco’s landmark Hippodrome Theatre includes a nod to the city’s rich history.

“The Raleigh sign is up! Our new restaurant is an ode to the Hotel Raleigh that once was across the street,” the Hippodrome posted online.

“This sign is a replica of original and hangs almost exactly diagonal from where the hotel’s did.”

The Hippodrome has been under renovation since last summer.

The project includes the addition of three more movie screens, a rooftop patio and a large banquet area and the relocation of the bar and dining room from the second floor to the first.

The restaurant will now be called “The Raleigh” and the sign installed on Thursday is almost identical to the one that hung outside the Raleigh Hotel in downtown Waco.

The Raleigh Hotel, which is now a state office building, was the product of a 1912 mayoral campaign to build “the most modern hotel in Texas.”

According to historical documents, the Raleigh was built in 1913, designed by architect Roy E. Lane, who also designed the Hippodrome.