Most iconic building in your city

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

I'm old enough to remember that the most iconic thing about Milton was the "US Interstate Style" McDonald's sign. Not sure if the sign that's there now that is taller than normal is the one that was there when I was a kid, but you could definitely see that from the 401 quite easily. Every school trip that went to or past Toronto involved a stop there, and there were always buses in the large parking lot or parked next door at the 5th Wheel truck stop (another place we stopped at a lot as a family heading through), which I'm surprised is still an empty lot.

That is one of the first things I notice when crossing the border, especially into Michigan: The ubiquitous, insanely tall fast food signs.

Port Huron (across from Sarnia)
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9925...n-US&entry=ttu
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0009...n-US&entry=ttu

[Build.It]

One of Kitchener's most recognizable buildings is the regional museum.


https://mtarch.com/projects/waterloo-region-museum/

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Build.It

One of Kitchener's most recognizable buildings is the regional museum.


https://mtarch.com/projects/waterloo-region-museum/

The sort of structure I build with left-over Lego of a mishmash of colors.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by megadude

The McD's on Hwy. 25? Until you mentioned it, I hadn't thought of the sign being that tall. But it makes sense so it's visible off the highway like in the US as you said. There are others off the highway that don't have that like the one off the 401 in Whitby.

I seem to recall there being McDonald's off the 400 when heading up to cottage country. The one on the east side you kind of had to drive under the McDonald's to use the drive thru. The one on the west side was sandwiched between an exit ramp and the highway itself. Both have been demolished or redeveloped. I don't seem to recall them having those tall signs but it could be possible.

And I know there are some off the 401 in Eastern Ontario, but I don't recall them having those signs. I can think of one I think heading towards Windsor that also doesn't have it. Damn, who knew that Milton one was unique.

I previously said the Milton water tower off the 401, but another contender for locals could be the prison, which is across from the McD's. Maplehurst is right off the 401 but not necessarily noticeable due to lacking height. But Milton isn't known for much and everyone in Milton knows there's a prison, but isn't as well known as Kingston Pen. or the Don Jail in Toronto. Brampton has a prison too but I bet most people 25 and under don't even realize it. The one in Milton actually has signs nearby that say don't pick up hitchhikers.

I also wasn't thinking of the one I drive by every day in London. It gets lost in the clutter now but back in the late 70's and early 80's, it stood out at the Wellington Rd/401 exit. When the Superstore Mall was built they put a McDonalds at the west end of the building (since then, the McD moved to a new standalone location in the parking lot and the Drive Test centre is in their old spot) and they put a ring of M's around the old water tower out back of the mall. This wasn't in the city limits at the time, or I'm sure city council would have said "no that's too big" or something stupid like that.

[megadude]

That’s a lot of arches on that sign. Pretty unique.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

That is one of the first things I notice when crossing the border, especially into Michigan: The ubiquitous, insanely tall fast food signs.

I-75 is littered with them, for gas stations too. My grandparents used to travel it annually between Windsor and Sault Ste. Marie, as it was the shortest distance between their home and the family cottage east of The Soo. For a few years in my pre- and early-teens (early 1980s) I stayed with them at that cottage, and it was one of the most obvious things I noticed on the long and intensely boring drive through the state.

[yaletown_fella]

It still blows my mind that Middlesex College, a neo gothic design, was completed in 1961, an era when planners were enthusiastic about tearing down anything pre-war for concrete bunkers.

[Tone]

The Cégep is one of 'em

[someone123]

Originally Posted by yaletown_fella

It still blows my mind that Middlesex College, a neo gothic design, was completed in 1961, an era when planners were enthusiastic about tearing down anything pre-war for concrete bunkers.

Dalhousie has some really nice historically-themed buildings dating up to 1960 or so, and there were a few others around Halifax like the old Maritime Life building (stupidly demolished for a generic midrise building with a slightly higher FAR). There were 3 large old high schools like this on the peninsula, all demolished.

Conversely there were some modernist buildings going back to the early 1900's including for their time avant-garde ones like the Tramway Building. Sometimes the more traditional and modern buildings were designed by the same architects.

In the 60's and 70's, it became ~100% modern with sometimes ambitious designs. By the 90's the architecture was modern but unambitious, with some Home Depot Revival mixed in. Dalhousie has plenty of large buildings from the 90's up into the 2020's and I'm pretty sure they are all mediocre. Dal really wrecked Howe Hall with an ugly addition in the early 2000's.

Dunn building is on the left in the background, opened 1960 at the end of the era of neoclassical masonry public buildings:


Source

Old Howe Hall (not many good pictures; this is behind the Dunn in the photo above and not really visible):


Addition built in early 2000's (lawn became parking lot) :

Source