Institution: The Canadian Red Cross Society
Location: 400 King Street East, West of Victoria Avenue
Neighbourhood: Landsdale
Sign Type: awning valance sign
Leading up to this post, I did a ton of research on coloured spandrel panels in institutional architecture of the late 1950s and 1960s, only to take a closer look at this photo and realize that the Red Cross building just outside of Downtown Hamilton isn't made of them after all...it just looks like it at first glance. So much for that!
This building cuts a fairly clean cloth on an otherwise grim stretch of King Street East not too far from my home. It is quite typical of institutional architecture constructed in the mid 20th century, but the V-shaped awning gives this building a slight Googie flair. The pairing of navy blue panels with the red text and cross in the sign is striking. The typeface used for this sign, Futura, is definitely one of my all-time favourites (and reportedly, a favourite of Stanley Kubrick's as well). The paint job of the cut-out letters could use some TLC.
There is a smattering of Googie architecture and signage across Downtown Hamilton and Stoney Creek. I will definitely feature more of it here in the near future.
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