Sam the Record Man sign to light up Yonge-Dundas Square later this year

Ryerson University has finally chosen a vendor to restore and install the old Sam the Record Man signs atop one of its buildings near Yonge and Dundas Square.

The school announced Wednesday that Sunset Neon will start the work this spring and it will be completed later this year.

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The signs will be installed at the top of 277 Victoria Street and face into the square. An artist's rendering supplied by Ryerson shows how the signs appear above the busy downtown intersection.

"We are very pleased to announce the iconic Sam the Record Man signs, with their spinning neon discs, will once again illuminate downtownToronto," Ryerson president and vice-chancellorMohamed Lachemi said in a statement.

"We're very thankful to theCity of Torontoand the Sniderman family for their ongoing support and patience. We are all looking forward to the signs lighting upTorontolater this year."

Back in 2014, the school announced after public consultations that it would mount the signs to the faade of 277 Victoria Street and be viewable from the square.

The school's director of communications told CBC Toronto earlier this year that an announcement about the vendor would be coming this year.

Sam Sniderman's sons issued a statement through the university, thanking the school and the city, saying that a spot overlooking Yonge-Dundas Square "is the perfect 'home' for them" since the first Sam the Record Man shop was just south of the intersection.

"We are certain that our father would be so pleased with the work that has and will be done and that these iconic symbols of our store and the music industry will be a lasting legacywhich we will share with him and the community...forever," saidJason and Bobby Sniderman.

Honest Ed's sign also on the move

Wednesday's announcement comes after the school and the city conducted "a number of" engineering and feasibility studies to ensure that the sign could be mounted to the building, according to a Ryerson news release. Factors such as the weight of the sign and winds had to be taken into account.

The sign will be refurbished before being moved, the school said, adding it will cover the costs of the restoration, the move and ongoing maintenance.

This is the second iconic city retail sign to find a home this year.

Last month, Mirvish Productions announced that a portion of the Honest Ed's sign will be restored and added to the exterior of the Ed Mirvish Theatre, also on Victoria Street, which is the theatre's back entrance.

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The sign, which measures nine metres tall by 18 metres wide, will be moved to a warehouse, where it will be restored as a new steel support structure is added to the theatre. The company did not release a timeline for the sign's installation.