Vintage signage in Toronto redux

A couple of months ago I put together one of my favourite posts in our history of Toronto series. A mixed bag of vintage signage in Toronto, it featured some fantastic archival photos of places like William Davies' butcher shop, the Scholes Hotel, the Lux Burlesque, and Honest Ed's (before the current sign was installed). All great stuff — but also just the tip of the iceberg.

As seems to happen quite often, in the days immediately following the publication of that post, I came across a wealth of additional photos that surely deserved inclusion. Instead of tacking them onto the existing post, I instead renewed my digging efforts and have put together a second collection that I hope will rival the first for its mix of streetscape nostalgia and aesthetic curiosity.

PHOTOS

In the Ward, 1909

Hickman Herbalist, 1909

Red Mill Theatre, 1910

Sign on News Building, 1911

Charter member of the Toronto Public Space Committee? (1920)

Grand Opera House, 1922

Front & York streets, 1924

Teck Theatre, 1932

Avenue Theatre, 1932

Buick Dealership, 1950s

Yonge south of Gould, 1950

Guns! (Yonge north of Gould, 1950)

Orange Crush (awesome), 1950

Olympia Bowling, 1950

Girdles (with Lyrcra!), TTC 1950s

Export cigarette ad, TTC 1950s

Player's cigarette ad, TTC 1950s

Stores on Bathurst St, 1951

The Flame Restaurant, 1953

Good Rice Restaurant, 1954

Roach's drugstore, 1956

Long Branch Tile, 1957

Loblaws on Avenue Road, 1959

Hogan Pontiac, 1950s

Odeon Theatre (Yonge & Carlton), 1972

TTC sign, 1965

The Sword Restaurant, 1967

$1 maximum at University and Adelaide, 1967

Dominion Coal, 1970s

Yonge & Temperance, 1970s

The Uptown, 1970s

Yonge north of Dundas, 1980s

Holiday Tavern, 1980. Photo by Patrick Cummins

Unity Grill, 1980 by Patrick Cummins

Canaray Restaurant in 1998 by Patrick Cummins

Photos from the Toronto Archives unless otherwise noted.