Helen 'The Swinging Girl' Neon Sign
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Commercial building.
- Associated Dates
- 1956
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Other Names
- Helen's Childrens Wear Sign
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Other Names
- Helen's Childrens Wear Sign
- Geographic Access
- Hastings Street
- Associated Dates
- 1956
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Bylaw No. 12771
- Enactment Date
- 19/04/2010
- Description
- Commercial building.
- Heritage Value
- While the building here is of some importance as the former North Burnaby municipal office, its primary importance is its delightful neon sign that has become a North Burnaby landmark. Helen Arnold opened Helen’s Childrens Wear shop in the building next door to the old Municipal offices in 1948. In 1955, when North Burnaby moved out, she moved into the vacated building. As part of the renovations, Helen enlisted the assistance of her good friend Jimmy Wallace, owner of Vancouver’s Wallace Neon Company, to create a new sign for her expanded business. One of the company’s designers, Reeve Lehman, created the swinging neon girl that was installed in 1956. Designed in two parts, one section of the sign is cloud shaped and reads ‘Helen’s’ while the other section is a moving representation of a little girl on a swing. The sign is nine feet six inches high and nine feet wide, and the lower section is animated with an internal motor and gears. It immediately became a landmark on Hastings Street, and recently the sign’s design fame has spread far and wide as one of the best surviving examples of kinetic neon art in North America.
- Locality
- Vancouver Heights
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Willingdon Heights Area
- Community
- Burnaby
- Names
- Helen's Childrens Wear
- Subjects
- Buildings - Commercial - Stores
- Advertising Medium - Signs and Signboards
- Street Address
- 4142 Hastings Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Less detail
Advertising manager of Simpsons-Sears with two men
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of three men standing together and holding a rug inside the Simpsons-Sears store on opening day, May 3, 1954. J. Waddington, Advertising Manager is identified standing in the centre of the group, the other two men are unidentified.
Al Moore with Simpsons-Sears manager and family
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 25.5 x 20.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of A. G. Moore, Assistant Manager of Simpsons-Sears, Burnaby (right) standing with two unidentified members of Simpsons-Sears staff and a young boy inside the Simpsons-Sears store on opening day.
Chairman of board of Simpsons-Sears with store managers
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of (left to right) T. Boyd Haskell, Manager of Simpsons-Sears store; Charles Luther Burton, Chairman of Board of Simpsons-Sears and Mr. C.W. Jaggs, Mail Order manager of Simpsons-Sears. The group are standing together inside of the Simpsons-Sears store in Burnaby during the opening on Ma…
Charles W. MacSorley delivering speech on opening day
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Burnaby Reeve, Charles W. MacSorley delivering a speech from a stage set up in the parking lot of the Simpsons-Sears store in Burnaby during the opening on May 3, 1954. Store Manager, T. Boyd Haskell is visible to the right of the Reeve.
Child lying on pile of rugs
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 20.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified child lying on a display pile of "Loop Cotton Rugs" inside of the Simpsons-Sears store on opening day. Signage on stand for "Loop Cotton Rugs" is visible next to the child and a group of people are visible behind.
Children on teeter totter
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 20.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of two unidentified children seated on either side of a teeter totter at the Simpsons-Sears store on opening day.
C.L. Burton with group on opening day
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Charles Luther Burton, chairman of the board of Simpsons-Sears standing with a group of unidentified Simpsons-Sears managers or executive members inside Simpsons-Sears, Burnaby on opening day, May 5, 1954.
Clown with child on opening day
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 23 x 19.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a clown with an unidentified child inside the Simpsons-Sears store on opening day. The clown is holding a bunch of balloons printed with "Simpsons-Sears".
Congratulations card from T. Eaton Co. Limited
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 card
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a congratulations card from T. Eaton Co. Limited on the occasion of the grand opening of the Simpsons-Sears store in Burnaby on May 4, 1954. Card may have been sent with flowers to the management of Simpsons-Sears, Burnaby.
Crowd at opening day of Simpsons-Sears
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 15.5 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a crowd of people gathered inside the new Simpsons-Sears store on opening day, May 5, 1954.
Crowd at opening day of Simpsons-Sears
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 21.5 x 31.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a crowd of people gathered inside the new Simpsons-Sears store on opening day, May 5, 1954.
Crowd at opening day of Simpsons-Sears
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a crowd of people gathered inside the new Simpsons-Sears store on opening day, May 5, 1954.
Crowd at opening day of Simpsons-Sears
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a crowd of shoppers gathered outside of the front doors to the new Simpsons-Sears store on opening day, May 5, 1954. Two security guards are standing inside of the store.
Customers looking at rug display
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a customers looking at rug display inside Simpsons-Sears, Burnaby on opening day, May 5, 1954.
Handing out orchids on opening day
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of staff, Leonora Camm, (754 Gilmour Street) (far left) and Norma McDonald (1564 Balmoral Street) (behind) handing out orchids to a group of women inside the Simpsons-Sears store on opening day.
Handing out orchids on opening day
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Simpsons-Sears staff, Norma McDonald (1564 Balmoral Avenue) (in front) and another woman (behind) handing out orchids to shoppers inside the Simpsons-Sears store on opening day.
Haskell and Moore on opening day
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Al Moore (left) Assistant Manager of Simpsons-Sears standing with T. Boyd Haskell (right), Manager of Simpsons-Sears inside the Simpsons-Sears store in Burnaby on opening day. An unidentified woman is standing behind them.
Haskell with man at Simpsons-Sears opening
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 5 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 25.5 x 20.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of T. Boyd Haskell (left), Manager of Simpsons-Sears, Burnaby standing with an unidentified man inside the Simpsons-Sears store on opening day.
Letter to T.B. Haskell
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 17 May 1954
- Collection/Fonds
- Simpsons-Sears Limited Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 p.
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a one page letter written to T. Boyd Haskell (Burnaby Manager of Simpsons-Sears, Burnaby) from Charles Luther Burton of the Robert Simpson Company Limited congratulating him on the opening of the Simpsons-Sears store in Burnaby.