The Downtown Arlington Management Corporation has unveiled a new logo and brand it commissioned to help raise awareness about recent developments in the heart of the city.
On Wednesday morning, sky divers landed at the Levitt Pavilion across from City Hall. One carried a flag emblazoned with downtown's new logo. The flag was hoisted on the flag pole at the pavilion."Nobody really appreciates what downtown has to offer. For so long people thought downtown was library books and the Municipal Court," said Tony Rutigliano, executive vice president of the Downtown Arlington Management Corporation.The logo, which spells out the word downtown in a multi-colored letters in alternating typefaces, hovers over the word Arlington. Running along the bottom of the log are the words music, culture, food and shopping. The corporation spent about $30,000 on the logo and branding campaign.The new logo will be displayed on electronic billboards around the city and other advertising platforms."We are trying to create an image in people's mind that you can have fun downtown. There are a lot of cool things going on," he said.Downtown Arlington is seeing a resurgence, one that was topped off earlier this year with the opening of the University of Texas at Arlington's College Park District --which includes a $78 million, 7,000-seat arena and $80 million in retail and residential development just a few blocks from City Hall - symbolizes a 30-year effort to create community-oriented night life downtown.But even before College Park was completed, there had been millions of dollars in investment, including three privately funded multimillion-dollar apartment complexes that were built along the university's northwestern and eastern edge.Restaurants such as Babe's Chicken Dinner House, Mellow Mushroom, Grease Monkey Burger Shop & Social Club, and Fuzzy's Taco Shop have opened in recent years along with an eclectic collection of new shops.Downtown now has nearly 3,600 residents and about 400 businesses, according to census data and city documents.The Levitt Pavilion, an outdoor venue that hosts 50 free concerts a year has drawn more than 255,800 visitors since to downtown since it opened in 2008. The downtown group also is promoting the start of the Levitt's summer season, which will open on Friday with cowboy crooner Michael Martin Murphey, who is known for the song "Wildfire."The downtown management corporation is funded by downtown taxpayers, the city and UTA."It's something the business owners downtown are paying for. They see the value. The see the importance of branding downtown," said Rutigliano, who was hired late last year to head the nonprofit agency.He said the logo reflects downtown's eclectic look."Downtown Arlington has evolved over time. It's real. It is not contrived," he said.Susan Schrock, 817-709-7587Twitter: @susanschrockWhat do you think of downtown Arlington's logo?
Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
