Vancouver's vintage neon signs come alive in new permanent display at The Post | Daily Hive

"Lit! Neons of Vancouver" permanent display area at The Post complex. (Kenneth Chan)

They once advertised places to eat, catch a movie, or spend the night. Now, some of Vancouver’s restored outdoor vintage neon signs are lighting up a space in Downtown Vancouver again, offering a colourful reminder of businesses and streetscapes from decades past.

Officially opening today, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, “Lit! Neons of Vancouver” brings signs from the Museum of Vancouver’s (MOV) permanent collection to The Post complex, where the public can see them for free during the building’s operating hours.

The permanent display space for the installation is a partnership between the museum and The Post, which is operated by developer QuadReal Property Group following the recent ownership change of the city block-sized mixed-use office and retail complex.

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This dedicated permanent indoor exhibition space for the neon signs — behind a protective secure glass barrier — features a rotating selection of signs from the museum’s collection.

The display occupies what were previously blank walls in a wide hallway — situated directly opposite Deville Coffee’s coffee bar. Visitors can directly access it through The Post’s Dunsmuir Street entrances or its Homer Street retail atrium.

lit neons of vancouver the post vancouver

“Lit! Neons of Vancouver” permanent display area at The Post complex. (Kenneth Chan)

As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized over the years, the partnership between MOV and QuadReal to give Vancouver’s vintage neon signs — some well over 80 years old — a permanent home at The Post has evolved considerably since the initial announcement in 2019, both in the number of signs involved and their planned locations within the building’s public common areas.

The initial 2019 announcement called for a partnership to display just three signs, while the updated partnership in 2022 called for 22 signs from MOV’s collection. Building on the 2022 announcement, the now-realized installation provides a dedicated permanent space where numerous selections from MOV’s sign collection will be displayed on a rotating basis.

These neon signs from a completely different era of the city were originally restored for MOV’s Neon Vancouver Ugly Vancouver exhibition, which first opened in 2011 to tell the story of Vancouver’s unique love-hate relationship with neon signs. After a highly successful run, the exhibition at the Kitsilano museum closed in 2022, and the partnership opened up an opportunity to provide the signs with a new home in a highly visible and public location with high foot traffic.

In the 1950s, Vancouver was the neon capital of North America, with over 19,000 neon signs — more than Las Vegas at the time. They advertised everything from neighbourhood shops to theatres and hotels, giving commercial streets a distinctly different appearance, especially at night. Many of these signs were located on Granville Street and Hastings Street in Downtown Vancouver and in Chinatown.

The previous Neon Vancouver Ugly Vancouver exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver, 2011-2022. (Museum of Vancouver)

1959: A beautiful shot of 1950s Vancouver shows it exactly as one would imagine it today, with the bright colours, cool cars, and neon lights. (Vancouver Archives)

Neon lights on Granville Street in Downtown Vancouver, 1959, looking south from Robson Street. (City of Vancouver Archives)

Neon lights of Vancouver’s Chinatown district in the 1960s on East Pender Street, looking west from Main Street. (Rolly Ford/Heritage Vancouver Society)

But the enthusiasm for neon signs was short lived.

While supporters associated the lights with an exciting, growing city, critics saw an increasingly cluttered and unattractive streetscape. Opposition grew through the 1960s, followed by a 1974 bylaw restricting new signage.

Decades later, the City of Vancouver is now encouraging a return of some of that colour and energy, particularly along Granville Street. For example, the City’s 2025-approved Granville Street Plan and accompanying design guidelines promote neon signs alongside giant video screens and digital art installations as part of efforts to revitalize Downtown Vancouver’s entertainment district and create a livelier streetscape.

Among the largest pieces now being showcased at The Post is the Aristocratic Restaurants sign associated with the former restaurant at the intersection of West Broadway and Granville Street. This sign was made in 1960.

As well, an enormous illuminated “R” offers a surviving piece of the Ridge Theatre’s sign. Dating to 1950, the letter came from the cinema at 3131 Arbutus St. (on West 16th Avenue), which was redeveloped in 2015 into a mixed-use residential and retail building with Loblaws City Market as its anchor tenant. Its exposed light bulbs and neon outline can now be viewed up close.

“Lit! Neons of Vancouver” permanent display area at The Post complex. (Kenneth Chan)

The display also includes the 1940s-made Hotel American sign from 928 Main St., as well as the Palm Ice Cream sign from 1935 to 1955 and The Cookie Jar sign made in 1952. According to MOV, Palm’s products were sold throughout the Lower Mainland, while The Cookie Jar operated multiple bakery locations in Vancouver.

One piece recreates an older sign rather than preserving the original. The neon welder, shown leaning over a bright burst of sparks, is a 2021 replica of a 1930s sign for Welding Shop and Engineering at 1600 Main St.

Together, these pieces show how businesses used oversized lettering, colourful lighting, and memorable characters to stand out on the street.

“Lit! Neons of Vancouver” permanent display area at The Post complex. (Kenneth Chan)

The Post’s public common areas in the retail atrium are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.

Today’s opening will also be followed by ticketed activities in November 2026 to celebrate the new permanent home for displaying the vintage neon signs on a rotating basis.

Neon Fun Club will hold sign-making workshops on Nov. 6 and 7 at Deville Coffee, next to the neon sign display area. Sessions run from 5 to 6:30 pm and 7 to 8:30 pm each day.

Participants will make a take-home illuminated sign using electroluminescent wire, with materials and tools supplied. No previous experience is required.

Portraits in the Dark follows on Nov. 13 and 14, from 5 to 7 pm each evening. Visitors can have their photographs taken against the historic signs. Bookings accommodate groups of up to four people, plus pets.

Ticket proceeds from both activities will support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Bookings for both activities can be made online.

These vintage neon signs also join the permanent art installations incorporated into The Post, when the redevelopment first reached completion in 2023. Many preserve or repurpose artwork and architectural elements from the building’s previous use as the Canada Post processing centre.

The nearest of those earlier installations is Paul Huba’s 1958 ceramic tile mural, “Mother and Child” — just around the corner from the neon display in the Homer Street retail atrium. The five-metre-tall mural originally overlooked a staircase in the public post office hall and was carefully dismantled, restored tile by tile, and reassembled in this new location.

mother and child paul huba 1958 the post atrium vancouver

“Mother and Child” ceramic tile mural by Paul Huba, 1958, found in The Post’s Homer Street retail atrium. (QuadReal Property Group)

The neon display adds another draw to The Post, which houses a Loblaws City Market grocery store, Body Energy Club, Oakberry, Starbucks, Hula Poke, Gong Cha bubble tea, and the Evolve Strength fitness gym, with Middle Eastern restaurant Superbaba also set to open.

Up above, the complex is also home to thousands of office workers within the corporate office spaces of Amazon and Sony Pictures Imageworks’ global headquarters. QuadReal sold the property in November 2025 to Pontegadea, the investment firm of Spanish billionaire and Zara founder Amancio Ortega, but continues to operate and manage the building.

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