As Detroit ramps up its citywide facelift for the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, the installation of the new "Gateway Sign" along I-94 is now in full swing. In a city buzzing with anticipation for the influx of 300,000 fans, a towering, Hollywood-inspired sign will soon welcome visitors, proclaiming a freshly burnished image of the once-struggling industrial powerhouse.

Set to take on the monumental task of overhauling Detroit's entrance is the Detroit-based Fairmont Sign Company, the same artisans behind recognizable marques like the Fox Theatre's. Beneath the shadow of a 10-foot-tall sign, preparations at Campus Martius and Hart Plaza are also underway, breathing new life into the city's core, as fetched by ClickOnDetroit.

The smaller but no less important siblings to the main attraction, a series of aluminum "Welcome to Detroit" signs, will demarcate the city's borders. These will be spotlighted at notable junctures including I-75 and 8 Mile, as well as I-94 at Moross Road, among others, beckoning travelers from every direction into Detroit's renewed embrace. This was highlighted in a detail reported by WWJ Newsradio.

Jessica Parker, Detroit's Deputy Chief Operating Officer, envisions a city reborn. "I want them to erase all of the old images and thoughts about Detroit," she told ClickOnDetroit, signaling a definitive break from the city's gritty, storied past. Similarly, while not reaching the grand scale of California's Hollywood Sign, security is tightened in the sight of the 8-foot-tall letters set atop a concrete foundation—a symbol of sturdiness and permanence.

With the draft's footprint extending to entertainment havens like Cadillac Square and the Monroe Street Midway, Detroit is dressing up its spaces to mirror its transforming narrative. According to WXYZ, these developments, complemented by a multimillion-dollar restoration of Hart Plaza's fountain and grounds, are poised to leave an indelible mark on guests who witness the city's metamorphosis first-hand. Once the dust settles on this monumental weekend, Detroit aims to stand not only as a host to football aficionados but as a city ready to meet its future head on.