Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal aims to protect historic signs

A Montreal borough is hoping it can preserve some of its iconic business signs.

Plateau–Mont-Royal's borough council voted Monday to protect 70 different signs within its district — meaning those signs can't be altered or removed until officials figure out exactly which ones should be preserved.

"Everything has a meaning and everything is telling a story about the borough and I think this is really important for people," said Coun. Marie Plourde, who, long fascinated by old signs, spearheaded the initiative.

The borough had already been drawing up a new regulation to protect signs when councillors heard a 100-year-old jewelry store on Mont-Royal Avenue was closing up shop.

"There was a sense of emergency," said Plourde, citing the loss of the store's blue-tiled storefront and its large, two-storey sign.

With the sweeping regulation passed, the borough has time to fine-tune the regulation and figure out exactly which signs should be protected.

The borough is calling on experts and the public to help narrow down the choices.

Once everything is in place, future building owners will be forced to preserve and maintain certain signs the way they would a heritage building.

That's a relief for Matt Soar, who has been trying to collect and protect some of Montreal's signs for the past eight years.

The Montréal Signs Project has set up a permanent exhibition of commercial and civic signs at Concordia University's Loyola campus.

"For a lot of us who are interested in heritage signs, it might be 10 or 20 years too late because we've already lost an awful lot," Soar said. 

"But as an initiative, I am thrilled and I am hoping I can be of assistance."

A reminder of family history

As for the jewelry store, J. Omer Roy et fils​​​​, it got its start in the neighbourhood in 1919 and has been just west of Papineau Avenue since 1921.

The sign out front has survived neighbourhood fires and a changing urban landscape. 

But something new has been added to its aged storefront — a bright red, going-out-of-business banner touting discounts of up to 70 per cent. 

Its owner, Normand Roy, said he is relieved that his family's sign may stay in place.

"It's going to be a nice reminder of the history of our business," he said.

"Every time we'll pass by on the corner of Papineau and Mont-Royal, I will turn my head to the right, to the sign, and it reminds me of a lot of [memories]."