The new P in downtown Chilliwack is a replica sign inspired by the much-loved Paramount Theatre sign on Yale Road.
"Beautiful job," said Mayor Ken Popove told the sign creator. "You created something very, very special. It's another great piece for our downtown."
City of Chilliwack and BIA officials held a celebratory ribbon-cutting in the breezeway outside the new Paramount housing the morning of Nov. 7 to officially open Paramount Alley in Downtown Chilliwack.
"That's art. It's an homage to the Paramount building that was here in the past," Mayor Ken Popove said.
Trevor McDonald, executive director of the Downtown Chilliwack BIA said he was "super excited" to see the newly installed replica lighting up the beautiful new breezeway space.
"This is the reason why I took this job with the BIA is because I love downtown," McDonald said. "I've been here since I was a kid."
He called it another "great addition," that "lets people know exactly where our brand new parking is."
The mayor explained that they'd tried to preserve the original Paramount sign when it was taken down in 2012, prior to the demolition, but the sign fragment was "too big," and also contained lead paint so the restoration would have been financially prohibitive.
The new P is smaller than the original fragment, about three-quarters the size, but the P proudly stands for Paramount, and it will also serve as a pedestrian wayfinder for parking on Victoria Avenue.
Paramount Alley is now home to chess tables, and seating with a food truck area for locals to share their cuisine. There are easy-to-use bike lockers to keep bikes safe while visitors enjoying nearby amenities.
“We are excited to see the continued improvement of accessibility to our downtown core,” said Popove.
“The P sign is a great piece of nostalgia for those who grew up with the Paramount Theatre. I look forward to seeing the hustle and bustle of downtown spill into Paramount Alley.”
