A city of signs, Montreal's vanishing icons
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Friday, May 6, 2011
Think of any major North American city and you’ll likely imagine skyscrapers plastered with logos, billboards promoting some product, and signage as far as the eye can see. Montreal is no different.
But somewhere in this sea of commercialization and promotion is part of the city’s heritage. Some signs have survived since the 1940’s despite brand names disappearing, owners changing hands, and buildings being torn down in the name of urban renewal.
The most active advocate for the preservation of Montreal’s signs is the Montréal Signs Project (MSP) headed by Matt Soar, an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Concordia University. Over the last few years the MSP has collected eight historically significant signs from Montreal’s past. “Some signs really matter to people,” said Soar.
Heritage Montreal has also stepped in to save a Montreal icon; the Guaranteed Pure Milk Bottle. “We want to keep what is significant or even what is fun,” says Dinu Bumbaru, policy director of Heritage Montreal. “It’s not a wall-to-wall dogma that says signs have to be preserved. Some are going; we lost a number of these neon signs on Mount Royal. But some others are simply essential.”
Below is a collection of significant signs across the city. Did we miss one of your favourite signs? You have extra information on the mapped signs? Let us know in the comments.
In the past few years, Montrealers have stepped in to save commercial signs that many would say have become iconic symbols of the city.
Signs like Farine Five Rose have become part of the city's identity. Two years ago, Heritage Montreal stepped in to save the Guaranteed Pure Milk Co bottle. The Montreal Signs Project has collected eight historically significant signs from Montreal’s past.
Why are these signs being threatened and removed if they're so iconic? And what sort of bond do Montrealers have with commercial signs in the city?
OpenFile is working on a project that looks at heritage signs across our six cities. On July 18th, we'll publish an interactive map of Montreal's surviving signs, featuring information about their specific sites and histories. We'll also pay tribute to the signs of the past.
But to make sure we don't miss anything, we need some help from our readers. You're invited to share your insights and opinions about heritage signs, and give us your picks for Montreal's "must-see" signage.
Do you know of a local sign that has a unique and interesting history? Which signs tell the story of Montreal to you? Which ones shouldn't we miss? Take part in the file by leaving a comment, uploading a photo, or directing us where to go. We'd love to hear from you!
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Spotted this over at Spacing Montreal...http://tiny.cc/ban3a
The University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections in Winnipeg just recently received the photos of amateur photographer Leon Handler which contain hundreds of photos of the city of Montreal, among others. Handler and his wife Toni lived in Montreal for many years before moving to Winnipeg. Many of the photos date from the early 1960s and feature signs around the city of Montreal.
Thank you for this information! Access to the photos from the Leon Handler fund was instrumental to creating our Then and now: A look back on signs of Montreal’s past article. It's great to get a glimpse at old Montreal.
On that note, for a great look at our past through archives I highly recommend the NBF filmThe Memories of Angels by Luc Bourdon.
A couple of comments... Years ago, the CN sign used to be animated. The noodle logo was in segments, which would light up one after another giving the impression of a train moving down a track. Or some such thing.
A couple of iconic signs that used to light up, but no longer do: Place Bonaventure used to have great glowing red letters on the south facade. Made for a great view when coming in on the expressway. And the airport sign on the main terminal building used to light up in a funky dark blue that was barely discernable.
I've definitely noticed the Place Bonaventure sign before and found it a bit dull. But with lights I imagine it would have been eye catching.
I went by the other day and it turns out the Place Bonaventure sign is the original one. What's left of it anyway. At some point they simply removed the neon lighting and the plastic letters, leaving just the frames behind.
Il y aurait "Chez matante Patate" sur Fleury Est, au coin de St-Michel.
C'est vrai que les vieux casse-croûte ont parfois de superbes affiches! Avez-vous une photo?
Looking forward to this story. Thanks