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Goodbye To Toronto’s Fabulously Tacky Honest Ed’s Sign
The Bloor and Bathurst will never be the same.
Photo by Tanja Tiziana
The corner of Bloor and Bathurst just got a lot less bright.
Today, the landmark Ed Mirvish sign came down after lighting up the intersection for decades. The sign, which contains 23,000 bulbs spread out over 12 exterior signs, was installed in 1984, more than 30 years after Mirvish first opened. The discount store closed its doors last year after 68 years at the corner.
The sign will be refurbished and find a new home outside the Ed Mirvish Theatre—formerly the Canon Theatre—on Victoria Street near Yonge and Dundas streets.
The closure of Honest Ed’s and the controversial remaking of Mirvish Village is part of what many view as the “relentless gentrification of Toronto.”
The future of Mirvish Village will look very different from the artsy alleyways that provided a stage and a hub for Toronto Fringe performances. The preferred design includes the retention of the Honest Ed’s laneway.
just as impressive as the tear-down of Honest Ed's sign is the crowd of history buffs, journos & curious watching it happen (me too) pic.twitter.com/d6R3SXDrjn
— Daniel Ross (@dgrhist) May 23, 2017
Toronto takes down Honest Ed sign and somehow manages to become more shitty. more condos. less dopeness. good work ding dongs.
— BA Johnston (@BAJohnston) May 23, 2017
@thekeenanwire I like how the last old-style 1967-era Toronto street sign still stands right below the bigger, flashier, (and younger) Honest Ed's sign.
— Sean Marshall (@Sean_YYZ) May 23, 2017
Goodbye Honest Ed's! I will get confused driving now on Bloor St W without your sign, #honesteds #TheEnd pic.twitter.com/3KBCSFOz35
— Baruch Labunski (@Baruch_Labunski) May 23, 2017