The glittering yellow and orange signage of Toronto's iconic Honest Ed's is no more, as demolition clears the last remnants of the building to make way for Westbank's Mirvish Village community. A series of photos shared this morning in our Forum thread for the project, document the final teardown of the last sections of signage above the Bathurst and Bloor intersection.
The removal of the main Bathurst and Bloor signage follows the earlier careful removal of the former retailer's 30-by-60 foot sign from the corner of Markham and Bloor. It is now being restored to its original look by Orillia-based Pattison Sign Group, the same company that originally installed the signage back in 1984, and will eventually live on along the Victoria Street frontage of the Ed Mirvish Theatre. Though demolition has now removed the more prominent signage at Bathurst and Bloor, sections of it are being given away to private collectors by SpacingToronto.
As of last night, the former retailer's northeast edge at Bathurst and Bloor was all that remained of Honest Ed's. Throughout the morning, crews from Rafat General Contracting carried out some of the final elements of demolition when they removed the landmark sign.
Shortly before 10 AM, the last section of the sign's Bloor Street frontage came toppling down, leaving just a small section remaining to the south along Bathurst Street. Now, all that remains of Honest Ed's is a single-storey remnant at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor, and the site should be fully cleared within the coming days.
The Honest Ed's site is to be replaced by a new mixed-use community containing five rental towers, as well as low and mid-rise buildings and public spaces by Henriquez Partners Architects with architects of record Diamond Schmitt. Upon completion, the community's five towers—at heights of 13, 19, 24, 25, and 26 storeys—will bring over 800 new rental units to the area.
Additional information and renderings of the project can be found in our Mirvish Village database file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.