9 Old Vancouver Neon Signs You Can Still See Today
In 1953 the sign maker Neon Products counted 19,000 neon signs in the City of Vancouver. That worked out to one sign for every 18 residents. By 2010, Heritage Vancouver counted only a few dozen of those vintage signs left.
The decline had help. Vancouver’s first neon went up in 1927, and signs were made here from the late 1920s through the 1960s. In the late 1960s city council passed rules that ended the big neon displays. A 1974 sign bylaw then cleared most of the neon out of Chinatown. Signs are still going. In 2022 the City had the Balmoral Hotel’s neon sign on East Hastings removed over safety concerns.
This guide covers the old signs you can still stand under on Granville, Seymour, Hastings, Pender and South Granville. For each one you get the story, when to go, where to stand and what to watch for. A couple are replicas or replacements, and the copy says so.
9. Stanley Theatre signs (South Granville)
Where: 2750 Granville Street, at 12th Avenue
When: Evening, especially before a show
Cost: Free from the street
Getting there: Granville Street at 12th Avenue
The Stanley opened as a movie house on December 15, 1930. Its exterior neon came later, and the dates don’t agree. The Vancouver Heritage Foundation says the cupola and neon signs were added in 1947. Another source gives 1940 and 1957.
The building came close to disappearing. Famous Players closed it in 1991 and planned to demolish it. A ‘Save our Stanley’ campaign kept it standing, and it is now the Arts Club’s main stage.
Evening is best, especially just before a show, when the street fills with people heading in.
Local tip: this is the one sign here outside the downtown core. Plan it as its own stop, or make it the last one of the night.
8. Pennsylvania Hotel sign (Gastown and the Downtown Eastside)
Where: 412 Carrall Street
When: Evening
Cost: Free from the street
Getting there: Corner of Hastings and Carrall
This is a replacement, so be clear about what you’re looking at. The building went up in 1906 as the Woods Hotel, one of the first major hotels on Hastings. Over the decades it lost its corner turret and its neon sign.
A 2008 refurbishment rebuilt the corner turret, and a replacement neon sign, modelled on the one in 1920s photos, went up the same year with a Vancouver Heritage Foundation Restore It grant. It runs vertically up the front of the building. It is a good example of how a corner can get its old look back even after the original is gone.
Evening is the best time to see it.
Local tip: the building is social housing, with 44 units according to Heritage Vancouver. These are people’s homes. Shoot from the sidewalk and keep residents out of your frame.
7. Jack Chow Insurance sign on the Sam Kee Building (Chinatown)
Where: 8 West Pender Street
When: Evening
Cost: Free
Getting there: Pender and Carrall, at the southwest gateway to Chinatown
The Sam Kee Building dates to 1913 and is famous for being extremely narrow. In 1987 it got a Guinness World Record as the world’s shallowest commercial building.
The sign tells a bigger story. Jack Chow Insurance renovated the building in 1986 and added a twinkling neon starburst. After the 1974 bylaw had stripped most of Chinatown’s neon, this was the first new neon in the neighbourhood. The company calls it a beacon at the entrance to Chinatown, and it sits right at the southwest gateway.
Go in the evening, when it’s twinkling.
Local tip: the starburst design dates to 1986. The building was restored again starting in 2013, though, and a 2014 report said the original sign had moved into the company’s office across the street at 1 East Pender, so the one outside may not be the 1986 original. While you’re standing there, look down at the glass blocks set into the sidewalk.
6. Penthouse Nightclub sign (Downtown)
Where: 1019 Seymour Street
When: Night
Cost: Free from the street; adult venue
Getting there: Seymour Street between Nelson and Helmcken
One street over, the Penthouse has been at 1019 Seymour since 1947.
The neon sign still glows at night. The club says its marquee has been stopping traffic on Seymour for nearly 80 years. Few downtown businesses can claim that kind of run at one address.
This is an adult entertainment venue. Everything here is about the view from the sidewalk, which is free and open to anyone walking past.
Local tip: read the marquee as you go by. The club is known for its joke messages.
5. Orpheum Theatre sign (Downtown)
Where: 884 Granville Street
When: Sign lit at night; tours Sat, Nov 14, 2026, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Cost: Free from the street; 2026 tour price not posted
Getting there: Granville Street entrance, about a block from the Vogue
The Orpheum was built in 1927 as a vaudeville house and later showed films. It is a National Historic Site and the home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The vertical sign out front reads simply ‘Orpheum’.
It didn’t start that way. One account says the current neon sign replaced an earlier sign in the 1940s. Other sources date the change differently, so treat the exact year as unsettled.
The sign is lit at night. If you want to see inside, Vancouver Civic Theatres runs guided tours on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. A 2026 tour price wasn’t posted when this was researched.
Local tip: tours meet at the Granville Street entrance and often fill up in advance, so reserve early. Expect walking and stairs.
4. Ovaltine Cafe sign (Downtown Eastside)
Where: 251 East Hastings Street, just east of Main
When: Cafe hours listed as Mon to Sun, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: Free to see; diner prices not verified
Getting there: Hastings Street, just east of Main
The Ovaltine opened in 1942, according to its own website. Its neon sign and diner interior have barely changed since. It is one of the best-known old signs left on Hastings.
Film crews like it for the same reason you will. The diner’s own site says it has been used in many TV, film and video productions. The sign shows up in an X-Files episode shot on location.
The cafe lists its hours as Monday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. That makes this a daytime stop, unlike most of the others.
Local tip: go for breakfast and take a booth. Afterward, cross the street to photograph the sign.
3. Vancouver Block neon clock (Downtown)
Where: 736 Granville Street, near Georgia
When: After dark, when the neon is lit
Cost: Free from the street; tower and upper floors not open to the public
Getting there: View from the west side of Granville, across from 736
Start where Vancouver’s neon started. The 15-storey Vancouver Block was finished in 1912. In 1927 its clock tower got red and blue neon on the hands and dial marks. That made it the city’s first neon installation.
The clock picked up company over the years. Starting in the 1930s, oil companies put lit logos on top of it, Union Oil’s 76 among them. The clock itself has stopped only twice, during the earthquakes of 1918 and 1946.
Come after dark, when the neon is on. The building is a working office block, not a museum. The building’s own site says the clock tower and upper floors are not generally open to the public.
Local tip: stand on the west side of Granville, across from number 736. You get the whole tower and the dial in one frame.
2. Vogue Theatre sign (Downtown)
Where: 918 Granville Street
When: After dark; Granville is busiest on concert nights
Cost: Free from the street; show tickets vary
Getting there: 900 block of Granville Street
Look up. The Vogue’s tall sign tower is outlined in neon and topped by a stylized figure of the goddess Diana. The plaque out front credits that towering neon sign with making the Vogue a landmark of the theatre district.
The Odeon chain built the Vogue in 1941. It was unusual for its time because it could handle both films and live shows. On opening day in April 1941, tickets ran 15 to 35 cents. The federal government named it a National Historic Site on November 20, 1993. It still runs as a live venue.
The sign is lit at night. Granville is at its busiest on concert nights, so pick another evening if you want room to set up a shot.
Local tip: cross to the other side of Granville and look straight up the tower. The Orpheum is in the same block and a half, so one short walk covers both.
1. Woodward’s ‘W’, original and replica (Gastown)
Where: Woodward’s building, Hastings, Abbott and West Cordova
When: Any time; night to see the replica lit
Cost: Free
Getting there: Courtyard off West Cordova near Abbott
For decades the rotating ‘W’ on top of Woodward’s department store was part of the Vancouver skyline. The store closed in 1993. When the site was redeveloped, a replica W, lit with LEDs instead of neon, went up in 2010 on a small mast shaped like the Eiffel Tower.
The original wasn’t thrown out. It now sits at street level, in a glass case in the courtyard next to the W43 tower off West Cordova. The developer says the original W was placed on the tower in 1956. Other sources give 1944, and the record hasn’t been settled.
You can visit any time. Come at night if you want to see the replica lit up high.
Local tip: you can see both versions at once here. Walk up to the old W at ground level, then look straight up at its copy.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Neon signs in the City of Vancouver, 1953 | 19,000 |
| Residents per sign, 1953 | 18 |
| Vintage signs left today | a few dozen |
A self-guided neon walk
Most of these signs fall into two clusters. Granville gives you the Vancouver Block, the Orpheum and the Vogue in a short stretch, with the Penthouse one street over on Seymour. Gastown, Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside give you the Woodward’s W, the Pennsylvania Hotel, the Sam Kee Building and the Ovaltine. The Stanley sits on its own at Granville and 12th. Walking times between stops weren’t verified, so check a map before you set out.
When to go
- Neon needs the dark. The Vancouver Block, Orpheum, Vogue, Penthouse and the replica W are all described as lit at night.
- The Ovaltine is the exception. Its listed hours are Monday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., so go during the day.
- Granville is busiest on concert nights. Pick a quieter evening if you want space for photos.
- Orpheum guided tours run Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Reserve ahead, because they often fill up.
What to bring
- A phone or camera that handles low light. Most of these look best after dark.
- Comfortable shoes for walking between stops. The Orpheum tour also includes stairs.
- An Orpheum tour reservation if you want to go inside.
- An appetite if you’re timing the walk around breakfast at the Ovaltine.
Etiquette and safety
- The Pennsylvania Hotel is a residential building, and people live there. Take photos from the sidewalk and keep residents out of your frame.
- The Vancouver Block is a working office building. The clock tower and upper floors aren’t open to the public, so view it from across Granville.
- The Penthouse is an adult venue. The sign is the draw here, and it’s best seen from the street.
- Go prepared for an evening walk: stay aware of traffic when you stop to shoot, and step out of the flow of the sidewalk.
Getting there
Every stop here is a street address you can walk up to. Drive and transit times from other parts of the city weren’t verified for any of them. The downtown signs are close enough to string together on foot. The Stanley is the outlier, at Granville and 12th Avenue in South Granville.
| Area | Sign | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Granville | Vancouver Block clock | 736 Granville St |
| Granville | Orpheum Theatre | 884 Granville St |
| Granville | Vogue Theatre | 918 Granville St |
| Seymour | Penthouse Nightclub | 1019 Seymour St |
| Gastown | Woodward’s W (original and replica) | Courtyard off West Cordova near Abbott |
| Gastown / Downtown Eastside | Pennsylvania Hotel | 412 Carrall St |
| Chinatown | Jack Chow Insurance / Sam Kee Building | 8 W Pender St |
| Downtown Eastside | Ovaltine Cafe | 251 E Hastings St |
| South Granville | Stanley Theatre | 2750 Granville St |
Vancouver went from 19,000 neon signs to a few dozen in one lifetime, and the count still drops now and then. The ones here survived bylaws, closures and redevelopment. Some are originals, and some came back as replacements. Go and look at them after dark, while they’re still up.
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Photo credits
- Orpheum on Granville Street (4825458435).jpg by Geoff Peters from Vancouver, BC, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- The fabulous commodore ballroom neon (3683353819).jpg by Ben Aston, CC BY 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Museum of Vancouver neon exhibit.jpg by Adric83, CC BY 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Save-On Meats – Some Pig – Night Neon on Hastings, Vancouver.jpg by Mike W., CC BY-SA 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- CarrallSt412.JPG by Presenthence, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized; cropped for the featured image). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Vogue Theater Vancouver 02.jpg by Xicotencatl, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2016 366 9 Saturday night (24175441462).jpg by Edna Winti, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Vancouver Block 04.JPG by Xicotencatl, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Ovaltine Cafe.jpg by jmv from New Westminster, BC, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Woodward’s Building Sign Hastings St. Vancouver.jpg by Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Sam Kee Building, 16 May 2024.jpg by 李月文, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2016 366 83 Girls, girls, girls! (25924060201).jpg by Edna Winti, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage 2025.jpg by Canmenwalker, CC BY 4.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
