El Dorado Bar in Troy trying to get back historic sign

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- El Dorado Bar is looking to get back its historic 1980s sign that reads "The El Dorado Hotel." After it was lost for about 40 years, the sign was found and then lost again within 15 minutes.

El Dorado owner Benjamin Regen said a regular customer of the bar, a real estate broker, found the sign while showing a property. The property owners said the bar could have it back. The broker briefly took the sign home with him before planning on returning it to the bar.

The broker reportedly placed the sign alongside a fence at his Lansingburgh apartment between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursday for 15 minutes when it was taken. Regen said the person who took the sign looked like a scrapper, and he hopes the sign was not scrapped.

"I don't think it was malicious," Regen said. "We just want to bring the sign home."