There are so many ways to track how cities change over time, but one of the most remarkable is surely the signage that we encounter every day. Toronto might have more buildings and traffic than in the past, but sometimes it's the markings on our streets that are the most noticeable sign of change.
You might not notice the manner in which various typefaces and types of lighting shift over the course of a year or two, but when you expand the spectrum over the course of a decade or more, the differences are remarkable.
As far as overall trends go, you'll notice how text-heavy signs were in the first half of the 20th century. By the time the 1960s rolled around, giant neon signs dominated the Toronto streetscape. A few decades later, however, these shining beacons had mostly faded away.
Today LED signs and image-based billboards reign supreme. Along the way, the city progressively lost plenty of visual character. Contemporary signage might be more energy efficient, but it also tends to defined by corporate logos and a homogeneity that breeds nostalgia for the way things used to be.
We can't go back again, but there's plenty of photos to provide us with memory trips. Behold, the eclectic array of signage that once marked Toronto.
William Davies shop, 1908. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Sandwitches sign in 1910. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Northeast corner, Yonge and Shuter streets, 1912. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Bloor and Russett, 1915. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
511 Yonge, 1919. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Madison Theatre (Annex) in 1919. Photo via Chuckman's Nostalgia.
Cyclorama, 1922. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Ads on a Peter Witt streetcar, 1924. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
York and Front streets, 1925. Photo via Chuckman's Nostalgia.
Sign at horse racetrack, 1930s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
696-702 College Street, 1939. Photo via Chuckman's Nostalgia.
Markham and Queen streets, 1940. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Fruit and vegetable store on Coxwell, 1940. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
CN Telegraph office, 1941. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Christies billboard, 1942. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Scholes Hotel, 1945. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
North side of college, near Bellevue in the 1950s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
111 and 113 Queen West, 1952. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Power Grocery Store, Danforth 1953. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Variety Store on Carlton, 1956. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Lux Burlesque, ca. early 1960s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Victory Burlesque, ca. 1960s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Maple Leaf Stadium, ca. 1960s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
TTC bus ads, 1960s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Steinberg's grocery store, ca. 1960s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
The Yonge Street strip, 1970s.
The old Dundas Square and Yonge St, ca. 1970s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Yonge Street, Imperial theatre 1972. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
The intricate A&A Records sign at Yonge and Elm in the 1970s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Zanzibar and Company on Yonge St. in the 1970s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
The old Coronet Theatre at Yonge and Gerrard in the 1970s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Edgewater Hotel (at Roncesvalles and Queen), 1970s.
St. Patrick's Market (Stork and Sons), early 1980s. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
Queen & Bay, 1980. Photo via the Toronto Archives.
The Eaton Centre Cineplex, ca. 1990s. Photo via Silent Toronto.
by Derek Flack via blogTO
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