Iconic Banff Sign Unveiled in New Location
Rocky Mountain Outlook
Cathy Ellis
BANFF – The iconic Banff sign was unveiled in its new location by the Banff train station on Thursday, November 20th.
With Mount Norquay as the backdrop, Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno, Liricon’s Adam Waterous and Mt. Norquay’s Ski and Sightseeing Resort’s Andre Quenneville unwrapped the red ribbon and bow to reveal the two-meter high lettered B-A-N-F-F sign that was moved from the busy Norquay road in October.
“This all started because the Banff sign became more popular than we ever could have imagined. It became an attraction and a destination unto itself and we love seeing people be so happy to get their Banff photo and to make that a part of their trip here,” said DiManno at the unveiling.
“But we quickly realized this could probably be in a more pedestrian-friendly area, but we were a bit stumped as to where we could put it, and then, of course, with the generosity of the Waterous family and Mount Norquay, we found a new home for it.”
The Banff welcome sign, famous for selfies, was installed on Mount Norquay Road in 2017 to announce the transition from the national park to the townsite, to create a sense of entry, and to replace the dated Bill Peyto sign.
Despite a series of traffic management investments over the past few years, there have been continued complaints of illegal parking and loading, jaywalking, and conflicts with Legacy Trail users adjacent to the sign.
Council made a decision to find a new home and the giant letters that make up the sign were taken down in October.
Liricon, owned and managed by Adam and Jan Waterous, offered to pay the costs to move the sign to a knoll beside the train station and create a parkette as part of their plan to revitalize the train station and its surrounding lands.
Costs to move the sign and create a new gathering space are estimated to be $1.3 million.
During the unveiling, Adam Waterous said he and Jan are delighted to help the Town of Banff realize its vision of a new location for the iconic sign, which is located by the entrance to their 500-stall free intercept parking lot.
“We think there’s a great opportunity to transform this into a community gathering site,” he said.
“This is going to be a great magnet in attracting people to come, for our town visitors to park their car and get a photo here.”
Quenneville, general manager of Norquay Ski & Sightseeing Resort, which is also owned by Liricon and operates the Banff train station, said the unveiling of the Banff sign aligns with the vision to enhance experiences visitors have.
“This is an exciting milestone in the journey of the development of the site,” he said.
Liricon has a vision for a car-free Banff and council approved the area redevelopment plan for the railway lands in June 2024. The plan is still awaiting federal approval.
The Waterous’ developed the plan as part of their vision for a multi-modal transportation hub on the railway lands, complete with restaurants, retail stores, housing, and intercept parking for more than 1,000 vehicles.
Unveiling of Banff Sign