Photos courtesy City of Edmonton
On February 21, 2014, the Neon Sign Museum opened in Edmonton. The first of its kind in Canada, the open-air museum showcases a collection of the city’s historic neon signs along the façade of a Telus building on the southwest corner of 104 Street and 104 Avenue.
As part of a long-term effort to revitalize 104 Street, the city’s heritage planners collected 12 iconic signs, eight of which were then restored and installed on the side of the building. The Alberta Sign Association (ASA) organized the restoration work, with a number of its member companies volunteering their time for the effort.
The following are some of the most distinctive signs in the museum’s collection:
- Canadian National Railways (pictured, left)—Salvaged from a Calgary site, donated by the Alberta Railway Museum and restored by Blanchett Neon, this sign is typical of those that used to indicate freight and telegraph services along railways in Edmonton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg.
- Drug Store (pictured, right)—This sign may have originally been installed on the Armstrong Drug Store, but the story remains unconfirmed. Armstrong opened on 103 Avenue in 1907 and remained at the location for about 90 years. The sign has been restored by City Neon
- Cliff’s Auto Parts—Restored by Advantage Signs, this sign was for a business that operated from 1959 until at least 1976, moving several times.
- Mike’s News—One of Edmonton’s most distinctive neon signs depicted a Toronto Star Weekly reader wagging his foot. It was installed in 1934 and operated until 1979, when the newsstand moved and the sign was donated to Fort Edmonton Park. It has now been restored by New Look Signs.
- X-L Furniture—Although this sign was originally rented from Blanchett Neon, it has now been restored by PM Signs. It was installed in 1961 and repainted and repaired as needed over the years, until current X-L Furniture owner Al Struzynski donated it for the museum.
While only eight signs are now up, the other four will be installed soon and there is space for up to 30 in total, in case more are donated and restored.
