The Agency Building (Edmonton, AB)

A nighttime scene from Edmonton’s Jasper Avenue in October, 1958. The Northwestern Utilities Natural Gas sign which stood atop the Agency Building from the 1930s-1950s can be seen in the distance. (Provincial Archives of Alberta/Flickr)

During the course of the early/mid-20th century, the Agency Building located along Jasper Avenue in the Canadian city of Edmonton, AB became famous for not one, but two neon signs: The Northwestern Utilities sign and the giant red Shell sign.

The Northwestern Utilities sign was erected on the roof of the building during the 1930s and became a familiar sight in Edmonton’s nighttime cityscape.

Later on in the 1950s and 1960s, the Northwestern Utilities sign was superseded by the Shell sign (see below), which also became an Edmonton icon in its own right.

The Shell sign which stood atop Edmonton’s Agency Building from presumably 1959-1972. This picture was taken in October of 1959, exactly one year after the above picture.

In 1972, the Agency Building and several adjacent buildings (as well as their own iconic neon signs) were demolished to make room for a new twenty-story skyscraper.

Links:

  • http://www.edmontonsarchitecturalheritage.ca/structures/agency-building/

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