Sam the Record Man sign going up at Yonge-Dundas

By News staff and The Canadian Press

The iconic Sam the Record Man sign is closer to lighting up Yonge-Dundas Square as crews began lifting the spinning discs into place on Friday.

The sign will hang atop the Toronto Public Health building on Victoria Street, near Yonge and Dundas streets.

Crews lifted two portions of the sign overnight, securing it into place.

Workers have been installing supports for the massive signs since early last month.

The sign, composed of two enormous spinning discs on a red background, used to be a familiar sight near Yonge-Dundas Square.

It first appeared over the Sam the Record Man store on Yonge Street in 1969, before being taken down in 2008 — a year after the store closed.

The music store’s owner, Sam Sniderman, began his business with his brother by opening a small store in Toronto in 1937. Together they built a chain of Sam the Record Man stores that spanned the country.

Ryerson University acquired the sign when it bought the store’s property in 2008, and initially said it planned to showcase it on a new building being built on the site. The university said it decided later to install the sign two blocks away, overlooking Yonge-Dundas Square.

Johanna VanderMaas, a spokeswoman with Ryerson, told CityNews plans for a public re-lighting ceremony are in the works.

Bobby Sniderman, one of Sam Sniderman’s sons, told CityNews there have been some installation delays this week and the ceremony is on hold until the signs are fully installed and operational.


Related stories:

Iconic Sam the Record Man sign to shine over Yonge-Dundas Square this fall

Sam the Record Man sign coming back to downtown in 2017


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