Augustus "Gus" Modjeska started his business in Kingston making hand-painted window and display signs for local department store Rose-Gorman and movie and vaudeville show posters for Kingston theaters. By the late 1920s, Modjeska opened a studio in the basement of Midtown's Broadway Theatre.
Following advertising developments of the times, Modjeska Signs expanded its product offerings to include storefront signs, wall advertising, truck lettering, billboards, war monuments and neon signs. In 1944 the studio relocated to Thomas Street. In the 1950s Modjeska's sons Paul and Carl joined the growing business which eventually employed twelve workers producing signs for businesses located in the Catskill Mountains and surrounding counties. Large billboards along the New York State Thruway were also part of their product line.
The images and memorabilia featured in this exhibit illustrate an important era in Kingston's commercial and economic history.
