l to r: Coke statue, Sculptor Walter Yarwood (below) What’s left
Coca Cola Limited has moved the Walter Yarwood bronze statue from 42 Overlea Blvd to its bottling plant at 15 Westcreek Blvd in Brampton. The statue was part of the memorable approach to the former Coca Cola offices in Thorncliffe Park and is still owned by the soft drink company. Coke has however offered to donate the statue to the City but the circumstances of that possible arrangement seem unclear at this writing. According to a Coke source at the Brampton plant, the statue is on the property but is not accessible to the public. The statue was removed from its base and resting place of more than half a century on the Overlea property about two weeks ago. The late Walter Yarwood was one of the so-called Painters 11. These were Canadian artists who formed their relationship in Toronto in 1953. In the latest planning idea offered by Costco for their proposed store at the Overlea site, the statue would sit more or less where it had been for so many years but in a new ground-level square.
