Iconic Georgia Tech sign gets a facelift

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The letters and colors are still the same, but the design has a more classic look.

So why did they make the change?

“We are making the change because it was becoming harder and harder to find replacements for the old lighting technology,” Fenella Bryant, construction project manager, Facilities Design & Construction, said in a news release. “Also, because of how the letters were wired, we were having to replace two different strands each time a single strand went out in order to maintain color consistency and clarity.”

Tech officials have not determined what they’ll do with the old signs.

In 1918, "TECH" signs were added to all four sides of the tower, and more than a decade later, lights were added.

The sign is among the best-known images in the Midtown Atlanta skyline. Occasionally, most recently in 2014, the "T" been a target for thieves.

"We have many wonderful traditions at Georgia Tech, but participating in the 'Stealing of the T' — at the risk of life and limb and one's academic career — should not be one of them," Tech President Bud Peterson said after the 2014 theft.