The sign was produced by Federal Electric. Each letter is a separate modular unit and is illuminated with bulbs. What makes this sign unique is its red letter panels. Federal Electric advertising from the early 1920s makes no mention of anything but royal blue sign panels with white letters. It recommended this color combination to customers as providing the greatest contrast and readability. By the mid-1920s, the company began producing sign panels in green and a splattered mix of blue and green ("mottled blue-green"). However, there is no evidence that Federal Electric produced sectional signs in these colors. Therefore, the red panels of the Plaza Theatre sign were either custom ordered or, more likely, an example of a rare, later option.

The Plaza Theatre sign letters are lit white with static, clear bulbs. The bulbs in the starburst pattern at the top of the sign are lit sequentially from the inside to the outside of the sign panels. Those bulbs have red and yellow covers which add color to the sign at night. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]