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Sam's Sign and the Yonge Street Heritage Zeitgeist

Well, tell me what other neon sign in Toronto has been associated more with this city than the Sams sign? What neon sign has been used in more movies, commercials and advertisements? What sign is better known by tourists? What sign was more photographed by tourists? Do a Google search of all the famous neon signs in Toronto and let's see what gets the best results? I'd bet it's the Sams sign. That sign was photographed by probably millions of tourists for a reason. It's a great neon sign and it represented Toronto. Its red and while neon glow lit up Yonge Street, like no other sign. What other sign flashed and flickered like the Sams sign? YES, it is different than most other neon signs. (just by its size, animation, location, history and what it means to many people)

The fact that so many people on here see no value in that sign, speaks volumes about this city. It turns out, maybe Rob Ford is the perfect mayor for Toronto. In the end, greed and self interest are Toronto's real values. I'm slowly and begrudgingly coming to that conclusion.
 
What commercial or movie was that in? Did tourists take pics of it? Where is the animation in that sign? (it doesn't move or flicker) The Inglis sign, in no way, compares to the Sams sign.

Do a search on google images for the Inglis sign and contrast that to how many pics there are of the Sam The Record man sign and you will see how wrong you are. Few, if any, tourists/Torontonians know the Inglis sign. The Inglis sign pics I can count on my fingers, while the pics of the Sam's sing, are many. It's not even close and there is a reason for that. The sign meant something to people and it was a great neon sign. The numbers speak for themselves.

How can you even compare the two? It's like comparing Times Square to Dundas Square.
 
devjohnson said:
^ That hit the spot! Especially since I'm in the generation that doesn't have emotional ties to the sign. I can confidently say for my age group that the sign no way speaks for any of us.
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Are you speaking for yourself, all Ryerson students or all people of your generation? Well, I speak for ALL Torontonians in saying that is a rediculous statement. So there is nobody under 30 who loves/likes that sign and want to keep it? Funny, if you look at some of the people fighting to keep the sign, many of them look quite young. Maybe speaking for a whole generation is not such a good idea.
 
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Did anyone get up in arms when the A&A neon sign was taken down, by, if I recall correctly, Sam The Record Man? Will anyone get up in arms when the sign for the Zanzibar goes?
 
AP:

Already mentioned that hypothetical Zanzibar scenario - and the funny thing is, there is a certain degree of heritage value to it.

AoD
 
AP:

No prob - just mentioning it since I thought I was the only one perverse enough to see some heritage aspects to that garish piece of work. It will be interesting to see that one preserved in situ in a facadectomy.

AoD
 
AndreaPalladio said:
Did anyone get up in arms when the A&A neon sign was taken down, by, if I recall correctly, Sam The Record Man? Will anyone get up in arms when the sign for the Zanzibar goes?
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NO! And the point is, not all neon signs are created equal. Not all neon signs are iconic. There is a reason people fight to save certain buildings, landmarks, art works and signs. Why does anything become a landmark? Usually it's because people value it. When you see that Sams sign spinning and flashing, you know you can't be anywhere but TORONTO!


I also like the Zanzibar sign. A little bit of kitsch and flash is a good thing. A world full of flat glass, grey spandrel and cheap, plastic, backlit signs would be a pretty dull world. Pretty soon, children will have to travel half way around the world to see real neon signs or go to a museum. That will be a sad day, indeed.
 
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Personally, I would have preferred they accidentally dropped the sign when it was removed and shattered it into a million pieces on Yonge Street. To me it always epitomized the tackiness of downtown Yonge and had no value.
 
Torontovibe said:
Are you speaking for yourself, all Ryerson students or all people of your generation? Well, I speak for ALL Torontonians in saying that is a rediculous statement. So there is nobody under 30 who loves/likes that sign and want to keep it? Funny, if you look at some of the people fighting to keep the sign, many of them look quite young. Maybe speaking for a whole generation is not such a good idea.
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My age group as in 18-22, the average age group of those attending Ryerson. Think about it, the sign was taken down five years ago. The current fourth years at Ryerson moved to Toronto when the sign was already taken down. The generation under 22, and the upcoming generation will mostly be unaware of the sign. So yes, I can confidently speak for my age group.

Torontovibe said:
When you see that Sams sign spinning and flashing, you know you can't be anywhere but TORONTO!
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I certainly don't feel that way (going back to the generation discussion) because those my age and those younger than me have no emotional attachment to that sign. Just from hearing talk around campus, most students don't really care about Ryerson bringing back the sign. The only ones who are making a fuss about it are those who can't let go of the "old Yonge Street" image. Nostalgia is playing too big of a part in this argument.
 
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AndreaPalladio said:
Did anyone get up in arms when the A&A neon sign was taken down, by, if I recall correctly, Sam The Record Man?
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I'm pretty sure the A&A sign was replaced by Future Shop, not Sam's. The A&A neon/flashing bulb boards were already long gone in place of a large, unremarkable, florescent backlit sign with the A&A logo on it.
 
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