Thorncliffe Park in Toronto, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
“Coca-Cola” by Walter Yarwood
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 10, 2025
1. “Coca-Cola” by Walter Yarwood Marker
For 50 years, a bronze sculpture by Walter Yarwood, one of Canada's leading artists, was located here in a sunken courtyard outside the Toronto offices and bottling plant of the Coca-Cola Company of Canada.
Coca-Cola Canada commissioned the sculpture for its new headquarters, which was designed in the International style by the noted Toronto architecture firm Mathers & Haldenby. The low-rise complex, opened in 1965, was part of the industrial area in the planned community of Thorncliffe Park.
Yarwood started his career as an abstract painter before turning to sculpture in 1960. For this commission, he stacked and intertwined several forms modelled on the famous Coke bottle shape. The result was cast in bronze and stood five metres high.
The sculpture stood on a bronze and terrazzo globe marked with longitude and latitude lines to represent the international reach of the company. At the base, "Drink Coca-Cola Ice Cold" was written in several languages.
The sculpture was taken down in 2015 when Coca-Cola Canada moved.
Erected 2018 by Heritage Toronto.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Industry & Commerce
this page online
Location. 43° 42.408′ N, 79° 20.853′ W. Marker is in Toronto, Ontario. It is in Thorncliffe Park. It is on Overlea Boulevard west of Beth Nealson Drive, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 46 Overlea Boulevard, Toronto ON M4H M4H, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Toronto and on the Golden Horseshoe. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: J. Tuzo Wilson (approx. 1.3 kilometers away); William (Billy) McKay Jr. (1862 - 1943) (approx. 2.4 kilometers away); Kay Gardner Beltline Park (approx. 3.3 kilometers away); The Resting Place of Pioneers (approx. 3.6 kilometers away); The Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King / Le Très Honorable William Lyon Mackenzie King (approx. 3.6 kilometers away); William Lyon Mackenzie King (approx. 3.6 kilometers away); Castle Frank (approx. 4 kilometers away); Elizabeth Posthuma Simcoe 1766-1850 (approx. 4 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Toronto.
Also see . . . Walter Yarwood. Overview:
Walter Yarwood (September 19, 1917 – December 22, 1996) was a Canadian abstract painter and a founding member of Painters Eleven. Yarwood became known for his painting(Submitted on August 16, 2025.)beginning in the 1950s. During the 1960s he completed a number of public sculptures in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba.Photographed by Peter Croyden (courtesy Lynda M. Shearer), 19572. Marker photo: Walter Yarwood portait…Born and raised in Toronto, Yarwood joined other Canadian artists in 1953 to found the group Painters Eleven. They promoted a greater appreciation of abstract art in Canada. When the group disbanded in 1960, Yarwood turned to sculpture and produced major public art pieces throughout the country. He returned to painting later in life. He died in 1996 in Hamilton, Ontario.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 10, 2025
3. “Coca-Cola” by Walter Yarwood Marker - wide view
The 1964 work Coca Cola was commissioned by the Coca-Cola company. Originally installed at the company's 46 Overlea boulevard head office, it was moved in 2015 to the company's Brampton bottling plant, in 2021 it was unveiled in its new home in front of the Coca-Cola Coliseum, at Exhibition Place.- Wikipedia
Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 110 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 16, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
