El Mocambo is located at 464 Spadina Ave, just south of College St, in the Kensington Market neighbourhood of Toronto.
El Mo’s iconic neon and bulb-lit sign, featuring a palm tree, coconuts, and a crescent moon, was created by the outdoor advertising company E.L. Ruddy Company Limited and installed in the late 1940s.
Today, the original sign, shown in the archive photo on the left, has been relocated inside the venue and displayed next to the second-floor stage. In 2018, a replica of the original sign, shown on the right, was installed on the exterior of the El Mocambo.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory, courtesy of Toronto Public Library
