Help me save the AKAI sign at St Leonard’s in Sydney!
The AKAI rooftop sign at 621 Pacific Highway, St Leonards, is more than old commercial signage.
For many of us who’ve travelled along the Pacific Highway over the decades, it’s part of Sydney’s visual memory: a red and white marker above the road, linked to Japanese consumer electronics history, late-20th-century hi-fi culture and the once-global presence of the AKAI brand.
However, 617–621 Pacific Highway is approved for redevelopment, with demolition of ‘the AKAI building’ imminent. According to North Sydney Council Mayor, Zoë Baker: “… the AKAI sign has no heritage status nor identified heritage significance under the relevant legislation.” I’ve contacted the developer, Anson Group, who said ring back next year (2027).
The ever-informative North Shore Lorikeet has featured the building and is interested in any outcome we may achieve. I’m hoping we can preserve this iconic sign, potentially even include it in the developer’s proposed community arts centre or public art space.
I’ve yet to receive a response from my email to BVN architects, listed as working on the development, but I’m sure collectively we could find a way to save 4 iconic letters and restore them to their former glory!
AKAI components were prized items for many decades. AKAI Electric Co., Ltd. had a proud history: recognised as a quality brand, it sported sonic superiority, and arguably, enjoyed its global consumer peak in the 70s and 80s.
I first drove past the sign at St. Leonard’s in 1999, when moving from Brisbane to Sydney. It wasn’t until 2020 – while researching for an essay I was to write to complete a Master of Creative Writing at The University of Sydney – that I discovered Akai is a family name – the same year I learn Akai is the Japanese word for red, and as a noun, means red colour.
If I try to explain how I feel, whenever I see the AKAI sign, I might mention:
a lime-green bedspread
Waltons Department Store
how The Winner Takes It All
price checks at KMart, Pacific Fair
the smell of potting mix
fluorescent VU meters
and, most definitely
red and white phono cable ends
and how they really do go their separate ways when they reach their end.
But you would have to read my full essay to understand what all that’s about.
How you can help:
Share your photographs of the sign or building; memories of the AKAI building; heritage, architecture, engineering or sign-salvage expertise; contacts at Anson Group, BVN Architects or cultural institutions; temporary storage or perhaps even restoration advice.
Email me: geoff@thecommsgame.com if this sounds like a project of interest that you could support in some way.