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email: roadarch@outlook.com |
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| Canadian Signs (page 1): British Columbia |
(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)
| Me-n-Ed's Pizza Parlor Burnaby, BC |
Me-n-Ed's Pizza Parlor Coquitlam, BC |
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| The Me-n-Ed's Pizza Parlor chain was established in Sacramento, CA in 1958. The first Canadian location opened in Burnaby in 1969. This sign appears to be from then. The Coquitlam sign was probably built soon after that. The other three Canadian locations have modern signs. There are about 60 locations in California. However, I believe only the one in Fresno has a vintage sign. [Burnaby map]; [Coquitlam map] |
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More Burnaby:
Eagle Motors Helen's Children's Wear Chilliwack:
More Coquitlam:
Kamloops:
Ladysmith:
Nanaimo:
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| Cap's Bicycles New Westminster, BC |
Round Up Cafe [gone] Surrey, BC |
Rickshaw Chinese Food Surrey, BC |
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Cap's Bicycles was established in 1932. This sign appears to be from the 1960s. [map]
The Round Up Cafe opened in 1949. This sign might have been from then. The restaurant closed in 2021 and this sign was gone by 2023. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. The Rickshaw Chinese Food restaurant sign is probably from the 1950s. It was originally animated. The driver's legs moved and the wheel spun. There was an identical sign at a Vancouver location. There was also another Vancouver location with a similar sign. For more, see this website. [map] |
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Penticton:
Elite Restaurant [gone] Squamish:
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| Magee Grocery Vancouver, BC |
Only Seafoods Cafe [gone] Vancouver, BC |
Blue Eagle Cafe [gone] Vancouver, BC |
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The Magee Grocery opened in 1944. This sign was from 1948. This photo is from 2015. The building was demolished later that year. The sign was restored and installed inside the new building. For more, see this website. [map]
The Only Seafoods Cafe was established in 1916. The name was based on the fact that when the restaurant opened, it only sold seafood. Locals refer to the restaurant as simply "The Only". This sign was built in 1951. It is about eight feet wide. The restaurant closed in 2009 and the sign was removed in 2010. The sign was restored and reinstalled in 2011. The Portland Hotel Society planned to open the restaurant as a training facility for local residents. However, I don't believe that ever happened. By 2013, the sign had been removed again and put in storage. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. The Blue Eagle Cafe opened in 1944 and this sign was built a few years later. The plastic portion was probably added in the 1970s. The restaurant closed in 2000. The sign remained in place until 2010 when it was donated to the Vancouver Museum. There are plans to restore the sign. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| BowMac Vancouver, BC |
Ovaltine Vancouver, BC |
Ted Harris Paint and Wallpaper Vancouver, BC |
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The BowMac sign was built in 1958 for the Bowell McLean car dealership. At the time, it was the largest freestanding sign in North America. The sign had red neon and more than 1,200 light bulbs. The sign was nearly demolished in 1997 before it was declared a landmark. Toys "R" Us was allowed to build a sign over the BowMac sign. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]
The Ovaltine Cafe opened in 1942. The sign over the doorway was created in 1943. The projecting sign over that is from 1948. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map] Ted Harris Paint and Wallpaper opened in 1920 and closed in 2009. The store is still vacant and the sign remains. For more, see this website. [map] |
| City Centre Motor Hotel Vancouver, BC |
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| The City Centre Motor Hotel sign is probably from the 1950s. There was a pole sign which is gone now. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map] |
| Patricia Hotel Vancouver, BC |
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| The Patricia Hotel opened in 1914. The vertical sign was there by 1958. The canopy sign was installed at some point after that. Although it is now operating as a Budget Inn, the Patricia Hotel signs remain. For more, see this website. [map] |
| Yale Hotel Vancouver, BC |
Astoria Hotel Vancouver, BC |
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The Yale Hotel was built in 1889 as the Colonial Hotel. It was renamed the Yale Hotel in 1907. I believe this sign is from the 1950s. The saxophone sign above it is modern. For more, see this website. [map]
The Astoria Hotel sign is probably from the 1950s. It was restored in 2008. For more, see this website. [map] |
| Grandview Smokeshop Vancouver, BC |
Woodward's Building Vancouver, BC |
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The Grandview Smokeshop sign is probably from the 1940s or 1950s. [map]
The Woodward's Building was built in 1903 for the Woodward's Department Store. The Eiffel Tower was built in the 1920s. In 1944, the original "W" sign was installed on the tower which projected from the building. It was later moved higher, to the top of a steel support installed on the tower. Woodward's closed in 1993 and the building was demolished in 2006. The sign was removed before the demolition and replicated for the new building which was built on the site. The new sign was built with LED bulbs and tubing instead of neon and incandescent bulbs. The new sign was installed in 2010. The original "W" sign is displayed next to the GPO Bar & Kitchen which is located in the new building. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map] |
| Save-on-Meats Vancouver, BC 2008: |
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| 2015: | |||||
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| Save-on-Meats opened in 1957. The revolving vertical text portion of the sign was installed in the 1940s for the previous tenant, Jones Tent and Awning. The revolving pigs were added and rotate in the opposite direction from the text portion of the sign. The neon under the canopy flashed in a pattern leading the eye towards the store. Save-on-Meats closed at the end of 2008. In 2011, it was announced that the store was reopening. The horizontal neon letters under the sign were replaced with backlit plastic letters. The upper part of the sign was refurbished. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map] |
| Canada (page 2) | Canada (page 3) | Main Signs Page |
| RoadsideArchitecture.com |
Copyright. All photos at this website are copyrighted and may only be used with my consent. This includes posting them at Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, other websites, personal use, etc. Tips & Updates. If you have suggestions about places that I haven't covered, historical info, or updates about places/things that have been remodeled or removed, I'd love to hear from you: roadarch@outlook.com. |