Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Canada Québec Montreal Farine Five Roses Sign

Farine Five Roses Sign

Two thirds of this Montreal neon icon has survived to flash another day.

Montreal, Québec

Added By
Lizzzy Leggz
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Historical “Farine Five Roses” sign on a cold winter night   StrangeLizzzy / Atlas Obscura User
The sign originally had three rows, reading “Farine - Five Roses - Flour”   Nic Redhead
The word “flour” was removed after Quebec’s Bill 101   Image capture Jun 2015
Vintage Five Roses Flour cookbook   Lake of the Woods Milling Company
The brand is now owned by Smuckers   Chicoutimi
Five Roses still lights the night sky   Matias Garabedian
  eml23 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In 1977, Quebec passed legislation called “La charte de la langue française,” or The Charter of the French Language. Known simply as Bill 101, it cemented French as the official language of the Canadian province, and its effects were far-reaching. One unwitting victim was one-third of this bright red and white neon atop a downtown Montreal mill, flashing out the Five Roses flour brand.

The sign has been a fixture on the Montreal skyline since the late 1940s. It was originally erected to advertise flour made by Ogilvie, the company that owned the mill. In 1954 Ogilvie bought out an Ontario company called Lake of the Woods, who had been making flour since the late 1880s. The sign was changed over to the Lake of the Woods stalwart brand called Five Roses.

Before Bill 101 passed, the Five Roses sign read in three rows: “Farine - Five Roses - Flour.” Since “farine” means flour in French, now the official language, the offending English word was quickly removed from the sign. The other two lines continued to flash their familiar pattern: “Farine,” “Five Roses” – “Farine,” “Five Roses”. (The only reason the English words “Five Roses” escaped the language ax was an exception in Bill 101 for brand names).

1993 saw Five Roses bought out by the food giant ADM, but the sign stayed on. In 2007, after selling the brand to Smuckers, ADM was reluctant to keep advertising flour that now belonged to their competitor, and they shut it off. For a dark and dreary month, the sign remained dark.

Luckily there was enough public outcry, and with some pressure from preservationists at Heritage Montreal, Smuckers relented. They agreed to pour the needed funds into restoration and maintenance of the sign, and nine years and over a million dollars later, the lights are still on. At least for now.

Related Tags

Signs Neon Architecture Shops

Know Before You Go

The sign is atop what is now mill property owned by ADM. It sits along the St. Lawrence River, at the Old Port of Montreal, and you can see the sign from both sides. It's illuminated every day, and photography is best in the early evening to late at night.

Community Contributors

Added By

StrangeLizzzy

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, gasp65, eml23, mark7n

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • gasp65
  • eml23
  • mark7n

Published

November 11, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.farinefiveroses.ca/a-brief-history-of-the-sign
  • http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2424052768
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Roses_Flour
  • http://www.fiveroses.ca/FiveRoses/History
  • http://expolounge.blogspot.com/2006/09/farine-five-roses-sign.html
  • Magnus Hartmann, food chemist. Deceased. (My dad)
Farine Five Roses Sign
950 Rue Mill
Montreal, Québec
Canada
45.491895, -73.551198
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Irish Commemorative Stone

Montreal, Québec

miles away

Habitat 67

Montreal, Québec

miles away

Standing wave at Habitat '67, Montreal

Montreal, Québec

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Montreal

Montreal

Québec

Places 39
Stories 8

Nearby Places

Irish Commemorative Stone

Montreal, Québec

miles away

Habitat 67

Montreal, Québec

miles away

Standing wave at Habitat '67, Montreal

Montreal, Québec

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Montreal

Montreal

Québec

Places 39
Stories 8

Related Stories and Lists

The World's Most Unusual Displays of Neon

List

By Ike Allen

50 Obscure and Amazing Places to Visit in 2017

List

By Atlas Obscura

Related Places

  • Crossroads of the World.

    Los Angeles, California

    Crossroads of the World

    A few iconic structures are all that remain of America’s first outdoor shopping mall.

  • Personal gadgets for sale in Akihabara around 2008.

    Tokyo, Japan

    Akihabara Electric Town

    Once a black market electronics marketplace, now an otaku shopper's paradise.

  • Lite Brite Neon Studio

    Kingston, New York

    Lite Brite Neon Studio

    Neon signs that grace the windows of Bergdorf Goodman's and Tiffany & Co. come from this studio in Brooklyn.

  • Leverkusen, Germany

    Bayer Cross

    Largest illuminated advertisement sign in the world.

  • Wu Chi Kai is estimated to be one of only seven masters left in the territory still handcrafting neon signs.

    Hong Kong

    Wu Chi Kai’s Neon Light Workshop

    Only seven masters are keeping the tradition of Hong Kong's vanishing neon signs alive.

  • Görlitz, Germany

    Jugendstilkaufhaus Görlitz

    After falling into disuse, this imposing department store found new life as a Hollywood backdrop and a theater.

  • Circus Liquor sign

    Los Angeles, California

    Circus Liquor Clown

    This iconic neon jester is a local landmark that you might recognize from his cameos in film and television.

  • Pasaje de Lodares

    Albacete, Spain

    Pasaje de Lodares

    Built in 1925, this glass-roofed shopping arcade is known for its modernist Italian architecture.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.