Toys R Bowmac
Vancouver had its neon hayday over 50 years ago, and with all the effort that went into dimming the glow, decades later there are those that are fighting to preserve some of the city’s urban history. One look up and down Granville Street downtown and you can see hints of its flashy past. I’m constantly reminded of such when I head to work these days, down Granville and along Broadway. One sign that I pass daily, aside from the Orpheum or Vogue, is the Bowmac.
In 1958, the Bowmac car dealership on West Broadway erected a 29-meter-high orange sign, replete with red neon, over 1,200 incandescent light bulbs, and a kinetic Las Vegas-style marquee base. The decision was a response to heavy competition on what was then Vancouver’s Auto Row. Car dealerships battled for attention with signs expressing capitalist prowess through size and complexity. The Bowmac sign was, at its time, the largest freestanding sign in North America. It could be seen 18 miles away, and was a culmination for Vancouver’s thriving neon light industry, a brilliant display of technology, artisanship and commercial spirit. [Read Arcade Journal for more information]
A lot of people probably wonder why the vintage beacon is covered with “Toys R Us” sign which is almost as high and more colourful. The City of Vancouver Heritage Commission drafted an agreement [COV] to preserve Bowmac sign although they reduced its lighting and allowed the new owners of the building on the property to put up their display. The compromise was that Toys R Us could take up 3/4 of the Bowmac sign, which it something but still - it’s pretty darn funny lookin’.
I have to admit, I’m a fan of all the neon that seems to be making a comeback along Granville. Many signs have gone but more are being erected in their place. I like the retro-ness of it all, it makes it seem as though Vancouver’s history as a buzzing city really does exist. It also brightens up a street that at times, can seem so dark.
(Photo is property of photocat62 on Flickr)
I pass by that sign most days as well. I figured it was something like that - a compromise between city heritage and current business needs. It did take some getting used to, but I think it wasn’t a bad deal for either side.
Local band Young and Sexy mentions this in my favourite song by them, “The City You Live in is Ugly.”
“They covered up the Bowmac sign
with Toys r Us
You didn’t raise a fuss”
That sign is an abomination. It was an ill-conceived heritage compromise.
Everyone involved should have just admitted reality: Bowell Maclean is gone, and aren’t coming back. They should have taken down the old sign and let Toys R Us put up their sign, which actually looks pretty good except for the unlit, decaying, contextless BOW MAC behind it.
C’mon, how many of you even knew what it stood for before I said?
If anyone hasn’t yet seen the Fred Herzog exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery, it’s a fun wander through Vancouver’s neon heyday.