RAPID CITY, SD — Onlookers to Rapid City’s Baken Park shopping center may have noticed a difference in the skyline of the complex within the last several weeks– namely, that the historic sign which Baken Park has become known for has been slowly coming down.
“The High Rise Baken Park sign had little to no effectiveness with today’s technology of trying to locate any retail business, it also was a hindrance for traffic flow, and it did not complement the new remodeled Baken Park,” said Tanner Pruess, executive assistant for MG Oil, the owners of Baken Park. The sign, which has been a mainstay for the Center before the 1972 Rapid City flood, and whose origin likely dates back to the 1950s is also slated for replacement as part of recent renovation efforts, Pruess said, “We wanted to clean up the landscape and plan on having a new modern Baken Park Sign”.
And what for the old sign? Exact details are unclear, however Pruess stated that the sign may be available for purchase in the future.
