Nick's English Hut sign could be taken down

Patrons of Nick's English Hut might notice a subtle change in the coming months. Soon the landmark cream and crimson Nick's sign might be missing. \nThe building going up in place of the old Jiffy Treet next door to Nick's is going to block the pub's sign.\nGreg Rago, the managing owner of Nick's, said he's been talking with Will Kreuzer of Tartan Realty Group of Chicago, the project leader of the construction next door, to try to keep the sign exposed.\n"We don't want to lose it, but he's as concerned as we are," Rago said. \nKreuzer is an IU alumnus and has been holding Nick's interests high during negotiations, Rago said. \n"He has had an agenda of concerns about our building," Rago said. "It's really not an issue because we have a really good relationship with him." \nThe sign was raised in 1979 when the "Hump Room" above the original storefront of Nick's was built. Many consider it an IU landmark and part of the Kirkwood landscape. \nCydney Pair, a server at Nick's, said the new construction efforts on Kirkwood are causing the area to lose some of its local flavor. "I think Bloomington is becoming too much of a big city and things like that are indicative of greater changes," said Pair. "I love Jiffy Treet, I'm sorry." \nThe construction over the old Jiffy Treet is one of two multi-story buildings currently being built on Kirkwood. The reconstruction of the Von Lee theater is one block from the Tartan Realty project. \n"I believe there are some things that should be immune to progress," said Dan Billick, an IU senior and server at Kilroy's Sports Bar. "To take down that sign would completely change the face of Kirkwood. I would equate it to changing the name of Kirkwood to Chipotle Avenue"\nSteve Martin, an IU alumnus who graduated in 1982, stopped in Nick's for lunch during a Bloomington visit. Martin said he noticed a lot more development since his undergraduate days but didn't see it as a threat to the Kirkwood landscape.\n"The automobile was a big change for people, but they got used to it," Martin said.