Mayor Tory took a moment out of events marking the 50th year of the Toronto clamshell City Hall today to announce that the popular light-up “Toronto” sign will stay put on Nathan Philips Square for the time being. Previously, in the immediate afterglow of the PanAm Games, he had talked of somehow moving the sign all over town. Not a good idea. Now his honour says the sign will stay where it is at least until the end of its natural life. More than that, the sign’s natural life is said to be until sometime in 2016. The matter becomes more manageable by the moment. Hey, the sign has been a pleasant source of amusement during the games but the City, like homeowners, must understand that people cannot keep absolutely everything.
CLAMSHELL 50 YEARS OLD
There are a number of excellent old photos at the Toronto Archives Twitter account. Inset is the picture of the little known Finnish architect,Viljo Revell, who won an international competition to design the new City Hall. He died in 1964 and barely saw the place finished.
