Play it again, Sam the Record Man

A Toronto landmark is shining on Yonge Street once again.

Ryerson University, the City of Toronto and the Sniderman family will host the inaugural lighting of the iconic Sam the Record Man signs atop their new home at 277 Victoria Street Wednesday, January 10. The signs return to the heart of downtown Toronto just a block southeast of their original location at Yonge and Gould.

The public event will include remarks from City of Toronto Mayor John Tory, Ryerson University President and Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Lachemi and Bobby Sniderman. The event follows a successful trial run, when Torontonians saw the familiar neon turntables lit above Yonge-Dundas Square over the holiday season.

Those turntables have been a part of Toronto since 1969, when the original Sam the Record Man sign was installed at the former music chain’s flagship Yonge Street location. After the store closed in 2007, Ryerson purchased the site, which is now the home of the award-winning Student Learning Centre.

Restoration of the signs began in June, with Ryerson covering all costs associated with the restoration, installation and on-going maintenance of the signs. In preparing the site for the installation, the city and Ryerson undertook numerous engineering and feasibility studies to ensure that the signs could be safely remounted, taking weight, wind shear and other factors into account.

The lighting ceremony will take place Wednesday, January 10, from 5 to 6 p.m. at Yonge-Dundas Square.

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