Iconic Sam the Record Man sign to shine over downtown Toronto square this fall
TORONTO — A restoration project is underway on a giant neon sign that once drew visitors to Toronto’s landmark Sam the Record Man store in the city’s downtown, with plans to have the flashy installation on display by the fall.
The sign, composed of two enormous spinning discs on a red background, used to be a familiar sight near the city’s busy Yonge and Dundas square, flashing above the business owned by Sam Sniderman, who was a major promoter of Canadian music.
Sniderman’s entire store received heritage status from Toronto in 2007 to preserve the cultural value of the signs. The store closed that year and the property it was on was bought by Toronto’s Ryerson University a year later.
Ryerson acquired the famous sign along with the property and initially said it planned to showcase it on a new building planned for the site.