Toronto residents who worried that the iconic Honest Ed's sign will be lost to the city's landscape forever can take heart. A portion of the sign will be saved and added to the exterior of the Ed Mirvish Theatre.
Mirvish Productions made the announcement in a news release issued Wednesday morning.
The company explained that the final iteration of the sign that was on the exterior of the store when it closed on Dec. 31 was actually an amalgam of more than a dozen different signs (in addition to 23,000 light bulbs).
It's one of the most recognizable parts of the sign, the one the company describes as done "in the style of early Las Vegas," that will be preserved and moved.
The sign, which measures nine metres tall by 18 wide, will be moved from the building exterior at Bloor and Markham streets to a warehouse, where it will be restored. Meanwhile, a new steel support structure will be added to the Ed Mirvish Theatre's Victoria Street entrance, before the sign is installed.
"It is fitting that a sign from the original store that made it possible for my father to become involved in theatre will now grace the venue that is named for him," David Mirvish said in the statement.
"I'm sure he would be delighted to see two of his great passions — Honest Ed's, which in many ways was a theatrical setting for a grand parade of humanity, and the theatre world, which he loved — finally be joined together."
The plan is a joint agreement between David Mirvish and the Westbank Corporation, the new owners of the Honest Ed's building.
The city will have to approve the move before the sign can be installed at the theatre, which has had many names, including the Canon, Pantages and the Imperial. If the plan is a go, the company will then reveal a timeline for the restoration and unveiling.
Sam the Record man sign announcement coming 'this year'
The fate of the Honest Ed's sign brings up questions about another iconic retail sign that was supposed to be preserved for public display.
The Sam the Record Man sign that was taken down from the shop's former flagship on Yonge Street just north of Dundas was supposed to be put on display by Ryerson University.
Following public consultations, the university decided back in 2014 to mount it on the facade of 277 Victoria St., viewable from Yonge-Dundas Square.
Ryerson brass are "still working to select a vendor," communications director Michael Forbes told CBC Toronto on Wednesday.
"We will be making an announcement this year, for sure," he said.
A new village
The fate of the site that's been home to Honest Ed's for 68 years has been a hot topic of debate in the city, with calls to preserve the building as a heritage site and concerns about the fate of the bright orange sign.
Last month, the developer, Westbank, submitted revisions to the plan for the site. The new batch of revisions included plans to save more heritage buildings and to develop a larger public park.
A park was not included in the original plan submitted by the developer, and only 15 heritage buildings were safe from demolition.
At this point, 23 of the 27 listed heritage buildings on the site, which is bordered by Bathurst Street, Markham Street, Bloor Street and Lennox Street and also includes some parts of the west side of Markham Street, will be saved. The park is set to be 1,150 square metres.
Vancouver architect Gregory Henriquez, who is leading the design team, told Matt Galloway on CBC Radio's Metro Morning last month that the plan is to "build a series of smaller buildings that together form a new village" rather than "one large mega-complex, which is what you see a lot of in Toronto."
In all, the proposal is to build 47 buildings, some of which will be mid and high-rise. Once completed, it will have 804 residential units and 15,000 square metres of non-residential space.
Iconic Honest Ed's sign will live on ... at Ed Mirvish Theatre
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