Street Signs

[EVCco]

Not sure how I missed this one all these years...

Old school blue, no suffix, with a border; affixed to the side of the Flatiron Building

 

[can332]

Not sure how I missed this one all these years...

Old school blue, no suffix, with a border; affixed to the side of the Flatiron Building

It's not a standard city sign. I wonder if it was added privately. It might not even be that old. (Something to give an historic building that "distressed" look, as they say in the antique world.

 

[the lemur]

I think there are quite a few archival photos in which similar street signs are visible: no suffix, no apparent standard model. There's no telling whether this is vintage, unless someone knows the story behind it. It may even be old but rediscovered and attached somewhere it wasn't originally.

 

[Mustapha]

 

[the lemur]

Here's another pair of old ones - I couldn't get a decent photo without stepping on someone's lawn, so here's the blurry Google Maps view of the corner of Kenwood Ave and Louise Ave, near Bathurst & Vaughan.

I don't know if there's a way of dating these signs but this particular corner, aside from having the signs the closest together that I've seen so far, feeds into my interest in vanished street names. A look at Goad's fire atlas from a few years before World War I shows a number of differences in the neighbourhood but what struck me about Louise is that it seemed to be related to nearby Alice Ave (now Maplewood) and Frederica St (now Pinewood Ave). Louise, Alice and Frederica are names associated at one time or another with the British royal family and related monarchies.

I'm aware that these old maps don't always show what was ultimately built but it seems odd that one of the three remains and the other two were not preserved. Was it perhaps something to do with WWI sentiments (Frederica of Hanover? Prussia? Alice of Battenberg?)

 

[EVCco]

Strange that any remained! Seems like they rebranded the whole palce at some point.
No more Roach, Winston, Westmount, Clairmount, Valley, Connaught (except the Circle), or Hill Brow either.

 

[the lemur]

Strange that any remained! Seems like they rebranded the whole palce at some point.
No more Roach, Winston, Westmount, Clairmount, Valley, Connaught (except the Circle), or Hill Brow either.

I think it's one of those cases where not everything was built or named as planned. Certainly the development around Connaught Circle didn't end up as grand or as extensive as it was envisioned. On the atlas plate for the area just west of this, someone has pencilled in (obviously some years later) a street named for Vimy Ridge, as well as the start of the Rogers Rd extension.

 

[EVCco]

I find it funny that Clairmount just became Montclair, and Westmount became Lonsmount.

I know there's already a Westmount Ave nearby at Dufferin (not sure if it was already there at the time though). I wonder if there used to be another Clairmount too and they had to change it really quick?

Winston and Windley are rather close as well...

 

[Ylamja]

a pretty impressive collection

 

[the lemur]

Those old maps of Toronto where different parts of the city had not been annexed yet, or had only recently been annexed, show quite a bit of duplication in street names, but some of the other changes don't seem to have been for any obvious reason. My guess is that Lonsmount is supposed to be associated with Lonsdale.

 

[EVCco]

Came across 2 new (at least to me) Astral signs...
First, a re-do of the Gerrard India Bazaar:

And then a new name entirely - "Warrior's Way" on Lower Jarvis Street:

A commemoration of the Native contribution to the War of 1812. Further info about it here:
http://www.ammsa.com/publications/windspeaker/toronto-dedicates-street-warriors-afn-assembly

 

[EVCco]

Evidence in Scarborough that the new style signs are beginning (or, at least, attempting) to take on iconic airs...:

...much as the old acorn signs already have:

 

[adma]

Anyone remember the illuminated plastic(?) "lantern"-type street signs that characterized small-town-Ontario locales like Milton in the 60s/70s?

 

[EVCco]

^Interesting! Do you have any examples of these? I take it they're no longer around?
I don't think I've run across any in my rare journeys to 905-land.

Milton (and others), it seems, has since taken to the "acorn" style in various guises:

Georgetown, though, still has some interesting designs:

 

[Long Island Mike]

EVCco: I found the use of the classic Toronto "acorn" street signs quite interesting...

These signs are to me a Toronto classic and I especially like the Downtown Milton variation...

That Village of Thornhill cast sign is also very noteable...Is that cast steel,iron or aluminum?

These signs are much more attractive to me then newer types like what Toronto is now using...

LI MIKE