Every day we share a single photo from our Flickr Pool shot by one of our faithful and talented readers (that’s you!).
Today's photo, a piece of a piece of history by bshott features the original iconic 'W' that graced the roof of the old Woodward's building for almost 50 years. Built by the Pattison Sign Company in 1958, the sign measures 7.9 metres across and five metres high, and sat upon its perch in the Vancouver skyline until June 23rd 2006 (I know this date only because I happened to notice the cranes that day and took a photo myself).
Originally this 'W' was to be re-installed atop the new Woodward's Building, but when it was lowered to the ground it was found to be in bad shape after 50 years of exposure to rain, salt air and bird-droppings. It was then decided that a replica be built - again by Pattison Sign Group and from the original design drawings - and installed in its place. The original sign used 140 meters of red neon tubing along its outer edge and 572 50-watt bulbs; the new sign uses LED technology and requires less than 5% of the energy used by its predecessor. The new sign was lit for the first time on January 15th, 2010.
This 'W' has since been installed in the courtyard of the new building and is viewable by the public, while the new one shines down from above.
Gary
