It was originally built as a neon sign displaying a bottlecap of Grain Belt beer for the Marigold Ballroom in 1941.

[1] The 100-foot-tall structure features a bottlecap with the Grain Belt Beer logo in the shape of a diamond inside.

The top of the 52-foot-tall, 63-foot-wide sign features a letter "M" inside a circle, representing the Minneapolis Brewing Company.

[4]: 87  The sign was removed in March 1950 and was moved to its current location on Nicollet Island in June of the same year.

Located next to the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, the sign commanded a strong presence and was difficult to miss for those leaving downtown towards the east.

[1] Winthrop Eastman, owner of the sign, said he longed for it to be permanently relit; however, practicalities of refurbishing thousands of feet of neon tubes and more than 1,000 incandescent bulbs created roadblocks.