Glebe gateway signage

By Trevor Greenway
Residents and visitors could soon see a new neighbourhood sign welcoming them to the Glebe. A community-led initiative has been launched to explore the installation of a new gateway sign at the north end of the neighbourhood. The Glebe Gateway Signage Project is an exciting community initiative that seeks to introduce a welcoming installation at the corner of Bank Street and Chamberlain Avenue. Its aim is to create an engaging point of entry to our vibrant neighbourhood, one that reflects the pride of all who live and work in the Glebe and greets all who come to the area as visitors and patrons. The proposed location is a narrow parcel of land on the west side of Bank adjacent to the city-owned parking lot. The project will be financed by a revitalization fund from the Province of Ontario, the Glebe Business Improvement Area and Underground Sound.
Overseeing this project is a group of volunteer residents, stakeholders and professionals.
The group formally convened for the first time in the spring of 2019 to consider what might work within the boundaries of the available space – one that offers some real challenges due to its size, proportion and existing infrastructure. After research and consultations with city staff, the group then embarked on developing preliminary concepts and ideas to generate feedback leading to something that everyone can be proud of while enhancing the on-street experience.
The group includes:
Sarah Viehbeck, President, Glebe Community Association
Lynn Barlow, Underground Sound
Allan Bateman, Property Owner
Dave O’Malley, Aerographics
John Wright, Landscape Architect (CSLA, MCIP, RPP)
Christopher A. Leggett, Architect (OAA, MRAIC)
Robert Martin, Architect (BArch, OAA, MRAIC, CAHP)
Jonathan McLeod, Assistant to Councillor Shawn Menard
Andrew Peck, Executive Director, Glebe BIA
In all, there are four concepts that reflect some unique perspectives on what is possible while offering various points of comparison. Collectively the group lay out the groundwork for what might come. We hope that the comments and criticism generated by this transparent process will lead to an installation that can then be tailored to the needs of the community and assessed for its viability before being fabricated and installed.
We are inviting all members of the Glebe community to share their points of view at feedback@intheglebe.ca. We are looking for your constructive insight into your preferred design or elements of each concept you believe are appealing or unworkable. We are open to all suggestions and look forward to hearing from as many people in the community as possible. Please refer to the four concept images (A, B, C or D) when sending your feedback. All concepts can be viewed online at www.intheglebe.ca.
Thank you to all the volunteers who have participated in this process thus far, and thank you in advance to all those providing us with the invaluable feedback to make this effort come to life.
Trevor Greenway is responsible for communications at the Glebe Business Improvement Area.
Concept A
Concept B
Concept C
Concept D
Which do you prefer? Send comments to feedback@intheglebe.ca
Photos: Courtesy of Glebe BIA