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Sam's Sign and the Yonge Street Heritage Zeitgeist

I love how KWT is quoted as saying Sam didn't think the sign was a big deal and would be pretty apathetic to the recent revelation....

yet his son is quoted in the Star today as being outraged, and also insisted Sam would be outraged as well.

Nice try KWT.
 
Roy G Biv said:
I love how KWT is quoted as saying Sam didn't think the sign was a big deal and would be pretty apathetic to the recent revelation....

yet his son is quoted in the Star today as being outraged, and also insisted Sam would be outraged as well.

Nice try KWT.
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Typical arrogance from KWT! Miss know-it-all doesn't think that the sign is worthy of preservation because there is a whole generation that does not recognize the brand.


“We have to celebrate our history and we need to do it in a way that is appropriate,†she said. “There might be a whole generation — the millennials, the young folks — who may walk by some spinning discs and they don’t recognize the brand.â€
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http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/201...mans_son_dismayed_ryerson_wont_hang_sign.html
 
yes, but all they see is the online quotes (which is all they reasonably should see, provided they don't live in her ward)

And remember, a politician is defined by their actions, not their personality. she may be a very kind person, but that doesn't mean people aren't allowed to criticize her politics.
 
Yeah, let's face it Peeps, for some reason you have it in for her and in your eyes, she can do nothing right. Let me guess, she leans left and your agenda is all right wing. Am I right? I certainly don't want to see a small marker or something embedded into a sidewalk but I'm not going to jump all over Wong-Tam for it. Then again, my agenda is the Sam's sign, not politics.
 
KWT is right. The only people agitating for re-instalment of the sign are those who have personal fond memories of it. No one else cares, nor should they. The sign only existed for about 40 years.

People are failing to distinguish between "heritage" and "nostalgia." They are not the same thing. One is cultural. The other is merely personal. The SAM sign is in the latter category.
 
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Mississauga Slim said:
KWT is right. The only people agitating for re-instalment of the sign are those who have personal fond memories of it. No one else cares, nor should they. The sign only existed for about 40 years.

People are failing to distinguish between "heritage" and "nostalgia." They are not the same thing. One is cultural. The other is merely personal. The SAM sign is in the latter category.
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I'm agitating for reinstallment of the sign and i don't have personal memories of it. Therefore, your statement is wrong.

Union station existed for 48 years before being designated a national historic site. Age is an arbitrary and brainless way of deciding what is of historical and cultural importance and what isn't.
 
^^ Explain to me why saving the most iconic neon art on Yonge Street, is just nostalgia? If it's not one of the best examples of commercial neon art in Toronto, then please, tell me what is? What's more iconic then the Sam's sign? If neon art has no value, why are there museums devoted to it? Why is nostalgia only valuable when it's a building or a piece of jewellery in a museum? Why can't a commercial neon sign, have heritage value too? Is there something wrong with wanting to preserve the unique character of a city? This is just a ridiculous argument. I can't believe people put so little value on the things that give this city character. Let's just bulldoze the whole city and start a new, so we can be just like the next bland city.

What great insight gives you the right to judge for the rest of us, what has value and what doesn't? Lots of people love neon art as much as I do.
 
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Tiffer24: posts which are only meant to antagonize others without adding to the discussion are considered trolling. Read the Rules of Conduct: trolling is not allowed and will trigger consequences.

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One has to wonder when this fear-of-change (ie most of the "heritage" movement) will end. It's sad, but I can actually see people opposing the burial of electric wires downtown, because the wooden poles that hold them are "heritage." Why should we desecrate one of the best looking buildings on the street to appease some people's nostalgia? If the sign truly has any historic value, it belongs in a museum, or a history book.
 
DtTO said:
One has to wonder when this fear-of-change (ie most of the "heritage" movement) will end. It's sad, but I can actually see people opposing the burial of electric wires downtown, because the wooden poles that hold them are "heritage." Why should we desecrate one of the best looking buildings on the street to appease some people's nostalgia? If the sign truly has any historic value, it belongs in a museum, or a history book.
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Your analogy about hydro poles vs. heritage is so ridiculous you should be embarrassed. There's no "fear of change", it's about respect for what came before us that worked for 40, 80 or 120 years, buildings that have pleasing or important aesthetics, buildings that have history attached. Using your ridiculous example I presume that the Elgin and Wintergarden Theatres should be torn down and more modern & efficient theatre spaces built in their place as there is a picture book that documents the place.
"Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings." - Jane Jacobs.
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
There's no "fear of change", it's about respect for what came before us that worked for 40, 80 or 120 years, buildings that have pleasing or important aesthetics, buildings that have history attached.
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Neon signs were used by advertisers/establishments/etc. to get people's attention. Don't act as if neon signs were ever a way of life or an actual part of the landscape. They were never anything more than obnoxious advertisements.
 
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