ICONIC SIGN: SEA-HI
Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2022 11:19 am
Text by: Arlene Chan and Kurt Kraler
The late Edna Chan and her husband Kuo Gam Chan opened the original Sea-Hi restaurant in 1955 which was located in Toronto’s ‘first Chinatown’, along York and Elizabeth Streets between Dundas Street and Queen Street West. As a result of development pressures to make way for the new City Hall and public square, Sea-Hi relocated north to its iconic Bathurst and Wilson Street strip mall location in 1961. It is at this location that the famous “Sea-Hi Famous Chinese Food” sign was first displayed. Designed by the ubiquitous Markle Brothers sign company, the neon sign was unique in having individual, oversized letters. There was a dragon head atop the first serpentine letter “S”, which symbolized power and strength. The words include a combination of English letters stylized as Chinese characters and a contrasting sans-serif type face. The sign was over 20m long, with the red and gold neon letters spread apart to cover the full width of the restaurant, capturing the attention of drivers speeding by.
The sign’s legendary status was cemented after it appeared in the film, “Where the Truth Lies (2005)”, with characters played by Kevin Bacon, Alison Lohman, and Colin Firth shown eating in the restaurant. Furthermore, Sea-Hi’s fixture within the local Jewish community was lovingly captured in the CBC documentary “Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas (2017)”. The restaurant had become a Christmas day tradition for several generations of Jewish families when most other restaurants were closed.
In 1977, long-time employee Stanley Chui took over as the new owner and successfully operated Sea-Hi until its closure in 2020, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Less than two years later, a group of passionate Sea-Hi customers acquired the restaurant from Chui and reopened in a new with its original recipes, menu, and phone number. However, the new restaurant is missing its distinctive neon sign which has been donated to the Downtown Yonge BIA for a forthcoming neon museum.
The late Edna Chan and her husband Kuo Gam Chan opened the original Sea-Hi restaurant in 1955 which was located in Toronto’s ‘first Chinatown’, along York and Elizabeth Streets between Dundas Street and Queen Street West. As a result of development pressures to make way for the new City Hall and public square, Sea-Hi relocated north to its iconic Bathurst and Wilson Street strip mall location in 1961. It is at this location that the famous “Sea-Hi Famous Chinese Food” sign was first displayed. Designed by the ubiquitous Markle Brothers sign company, the neon sign was unique in having individual, oversized letters. There was a dragon head atop the first serpentine letter “S”, which symbolized power and strength. The words include a combination of English letters stylized as Chinese characters and a contrasting sans-serif type face. The sign was over 20m long, with the red and gold neon letters spread apart to cover the full width of the restaurant, capturing the attention of drivers speeding by.
The sign’s legendary status was cemented after it appeared in the film, “Where the Truth Lies (2005)”, with characters played by Kevin Bacon, Alison Lohman, and Colin Firth shown eating in the restaurant. Furthermore, Sea-Hi’s fixture within the local Jewish community was lovingly captured in the CBC documentary “Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas (2017)”. The restaurant had become a Christmas day tradition for several generations of Jewish families when most other restaurants were closed.
In 1977, long-time employee Stanley Chui took over as the new owner and successfully operated Sea-Hi until its closure in 2020, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Less than two years later, a group of passionate Sea-Hi customers acquired the restaurant from Chui and reopened in a new with its original recipes, menu, and phone number. However, the new restaurant is missing its distinctive neon sign which has been donated to the Downtown Yonge BIA for a forthcoming neon museum.