The sign that adorned the Balmoral Hotel dated back to the 1930s or 1940s and featured an elegant design.
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After eight decades at 159 East Hastings St., the Balmoral Hotel’s iconic neon sign was removed on June 26. When and if it will be placed again is anyone’s guess.
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The sign was taken to Knight Signs in Delta, where its condition will be assessed. But there was little information coming from the city of Vancouver about what is happening.
“At this point, it is too early for us to discuss our plans for the sign, but (we can) provide you with an update once reports and consultations are complete and we have a decision,” a city spokesperson said in an email. .
The sign was removed as part of the upcoming demolition of the Balmoral, one of Vancouver’s worst slum hotels before the city forced it to close in 2017.
Now owned by the city, the building has deteriorated so much that the city has decided to tear it down rather than rebuild it.
The sign was one of the most distinctive elements of the hotel, which opened in 1912. The sign was probably erected in the late 1930s or early 1940s and shows “Hotel” at the top and “Balmoral “Cascading in a gentle curve ending with a neon clock, like a period.
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Some of the lettering is in ruby red neon, some in green, and there are light bulbs lit up and down the sides. In its day, it was truly something, one of the largest and most striking neon signs in the original downtown Vancouver.
Vancouver was once the neon capital of Canada, with an estimated 19,000 neon signs. Most have been torn down, but the Balmoral sign was one of the survivors.
The sign looked a bit rough around the edges in recent years – the tin “can” containing the neon letters was in need of a paint job.
But neon expert John Atkin said it could still be saved.
“Signs don’t necessarily disintegrate over time if they’ve been maintained,” he said.
“Traditionally, he had a maintenance contract with his sign company and they would come in regularly to repaint, check for rust, etc. Therefore, the signs were generally well maintained.
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“It appeared to be in good condition, there was no obvious rust going through the sheet metal.”
That said, “Knowing how long he was in the building without any care, there were probably some internal weaknesses and stuff.”
Even if there are problems, Atkin said he could make a reproduction, based on the original sign.
“The best thing for the sign really is to use the existing sign as a model and rebuild it as a new sign,” he said.
“Because trying to adapt it and the amount of reworking… it should be used (as) a three-dimensional drawing to build a new version.”
Atkin recently worked on a heritage project involving the Barclay Grocery neon sign in the West End.
“Water had collected inside the can, and the entire bottom of the can was basically rusty,” he said. “So structurally, the sign was not in good shape. However, the tubes were in good condition.
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“So they took the sign down and took it to the shop where they measured it and everything copied exactly. The tubes that were in good order and still lit were put back on the sign.
“In fact, I think it is a very good inheritance, because it looks good. The dimensions are accurate, the paint job is correct, even the metalwork.”
Atkin said the neon was still working on the Balmoral sign when it was lit and he thinks it should be part of any restoration because it was a rare type of neon.
“The green that was on the watch face is an exceptionally rare tube that is no longer being made,” he said. “The ruby crystal: You can’t get a ruby crystal like the one at Balmoral. So if those tubes are really in good shape, then (they could) be re-installed in the new can.”
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A private company also inquired about purchasing the sign, in case the city decides it’s too expensive to restore and reinstall on any building that replaces the Balmoral.
“I think if there’s an opportunity to restore, rebuild and reinstall the sign somewhere as public art, I think it’s an opportunity to explore,” Atkin said.
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