10/28/2026
Rescued, restored and relit, the sign that first hung over Main Street in the early 1900s is shining over Naples once again
NAPLES, N.Y. (October 26, 2026): For the first time in about 40 years, the original “Hotel Naples” neon sign is glowing over South Main Street. The fully restored sign, which hung above the front porch of The Naples Hotel beginning in the early 1900s, is back on the building where it belongs, thanks to owners Tom and Destiny Salviski and a handful of local craftsmen.
The sign’s return caps a story that began at one of the hardest moments in the hotel’s 131-year history. Tom and Destiny Salviski closed on the purchase of The Naples Hotel in March of 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was shutting down bars, restaurants and travel across the country. The building was shuttered and vacant when they took the keys, and their plans for a quick reopening were put on hold.
“We bought a hotel the same week the whole world stopped going out,” said Tom Salviski. “People were wiping down their groceries. Hand sanitizer and social distancing were part of everyday life, and anyone who coughed or sneezed was treated like an outcast. Nobody was traveling. It was a strange time to start.”
Not long after taking possession of the hotel, Salviski got a call from Wayne Buchar of the Naples Historical Society. Buchar said he had something to share with the hotel and asked to meet. When he arrived, he opened his enclosed trailer to reveal the original Hotel Naples sign, the very same one that appears in many of the building’s historic photographs, once hanging proudly above the front porch.
“I knew that sign from the old pictures,” Salviski said. “Seeing it in person, and having the Historical Society trust us with it, was one of those moments you don’t forget. It told me this town wanted the hotel to make it.”
The sign measures about five feet long and nearly four feet tall. It was originally outlined in neon, with glowing tubes tracing both its border and its “Hotel Naples” lettering. By the time it came back to the hotel in 2020, the neon had been smashed and removed, and the sign was in rough shape. “It was just a peeling shell,” Salviski said.
Salviski took it to Crystal City Signs in Henrietta, where craftsmen spent the next couple of years bringing it back. They rebuilt all of the neon, repainted the sign and restored it to full working order. Salviski took possession of the finished sign in late 2025.
Getting it back on the roof called for one more local craftsman. Salviski hired Gerry Hoppough, a welder from Cohocton, N.Y., who designed and fabricated a custom steel bracket so the sign could hang from the hotel’s roof just as it did a century ago. On installation day, Salviski and the hotel’s bar manager, Michael Farms, hoisted the sign onto the roof and mounted it permanently in place. Salviski then installed each piece of neon glass himself and connected the power supply. “I waited six years to see this sign lit up on this building,” he said. “I wanted to be the one to put the glass in. Seeing it glow over Main Street again after 40 years dark was worth every bit of the wait.”
The Naples Historical Society, which had kept the sign in its warehouse alongside its collection of local artifacts, is just as pleased to see it home.
“It’s a special thing to take an artifact out of our collection and return it to people who will protect and restore it,” said Buchar. “The Naples Hotel has been here for more than 131 years, and it’s better than it’s ever been. We’re thrilled to see this sign go from our warehouse to a glowing beacon above the hotel once again.”
See it for yourself - The sign is lit each evening at The Naples Hotel, 111 South Main Street, Naples, NY 14512. Stop by, snap a photo, then come inside and raise a glass to it.
About The Naples Hotel:
Established in 1895, The Naples Hotel is Ontario County’s oldest continuously running hotel. The historic building offers 10 restored suites on its second and third floors, a full-service restaurant and taproom on the first floor, and a lower-level party and event venue. The hotel is located at 111 South Main Street in the heart of Naples, in New York’s Finger Lakes region. Learn more at www.napleshotelny.com.
