Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[thecharioteer]

Two views of Carlton and Yonge pre: reconfiguration:

Looking east:

Looking west:

Goad atlas 1910:

Two aerials from 1930:

 

[karledice]

Disheartening to lose those beautiful structures

 

[adma]

Disheartening to lose those beautiful structures

Keep in mind that when we're dealing w/circa 1930 as opposed to circa 1960/70/80, there's an element of "excusability" to such loss. (Maybe what's more disheartening is how we've lost so much of what these "beautiful structures" were lost on behalf of, robbing Toronto of a more cohesive "Deco district" opportunity)

 

[thecharioteer]

Keep in mind that when we're dealing w/circa 1930 as opposed to circa 1960/70/80, there's an element of "excusability" to such loss. (Maybe what's more disheartening is how we've lost so much of what these "beautiful structures" were lost on behalf of, robbing Toronto of a more cohesive "Deco district" opportunity)

One positive outcome architecturally from the reconfiguration was the streamlined moderne Kresge building on the new curved lot created on the SE corner. The rendering below and the photos taken in 1950 and 1952 show that the Methodist church survived at least until then. Unfortunately, both gone now.

 

[thecharioteer]

Just realized that this pic of the SE corner of Yonge & Carlton from 1937 shows the interim period between the reconfiguration of the intersection and the construction of Kresge's. Methodist church behind:

 

[thecharioteer]

These two pics from 1931 show the laying of the re-aligning of the streetcar tracks to link Carlton and College. One can see the exposed side of the buildings remaining on the NE corner of Yonge and Carlton after demolition. Apparently this work was part of a depression relief program set up by the city:

 

[flonicky]

1998:

2024:

 

[Ron C.]

In about 1923 the Ontario Ministry of Education made a film about the benefits of "consilodated" schools in rural areas. It highlighted the disadvantages of isolated one-room schoolhouses, and the benefits of busing rural students to larger schools.

The full film ("The Rugged Road to Learning"):

A colorized version of a short exerpt from inside the school:

https://m.facebook.com/HistoryColored/videos/restored-footage-from-1923-of-students-in-class-at-a-school-in-rural-ontario-can/968065874418326/

What might be of interest to the followers of this thread is that the rural school in the film is in northern Etobicoke. The old one-room schoolhouse is the Smithfield school, which stood on the north side of Albion Road, between Martin Grove and Highway 27, precisely where Albion and Silverstone Drive now meet (on the NE corner of the current intersection).

The film follows a group of students as they trek to school in the morning, spend a less than fruitful time at school, and then trudge back home. (This school day is then contrasted with modern education in an impressive new building, and encourages all rural residents to take a stand in favour of consolidation.)

What I'm wondering is whether any of the places in the film can be identified. Of course, the outdoor scenes could have been shot anywhere, maybe nowhere near Toronto. But there are some scenes that were clearly shot in front of the school, and it may be reasonable to assume it would have been easier to do all the shooting on location.

If that's so, then the scenes should all be around Albion and Martin Grove. Are the roads in the film Albion and Martin Grove themselves? The neighbouring schools would have been in Woodbridge (Hwy 7) to the north, Claireville (427) to the west, Highfield (Rexdale Blvd) to the south, and Thistletown (Islington Ave.) to the east, so presumably the area within these locations is where the students are seen walking.

Unfortunately, there are no landmark buildings out in the country. In fact, there isn't much of anything. Perhaps most identifiable would be the telegraph poles, which differ along different roads. There is little relief in the landscape, and only a few building, so really not much to go on.

I'm including some stills from the film in case anyone wants to have a shot at identifying the views.

 

[LPCI]

In about 1923 the Ontario Ministry of Education made a film about the benefits of "consilodated" schools in rural areas. It highlighted the disadvantages of isolated one-room schoolhouses, and the benefits of busing rural students to larger schools.

The full film ("The Rugged Road to Learning"):

A colorized version of a short exerpt from inside the school:

https://m.facebook.com/HistoryColored/videos/restored-footage-from-1923-of-students-in-class-at-a-school-in-rural-ontario-can/968065874418326/

What might be of interest to the followers of this thread is that the rural school in the film is in northern Etobicoke. The old one-room schoolhouse is the Smithfield school, which stood on the north side of Albion Road, between Martin Grove and Highway 27, precisely where Albion and Silverstone Drive now meet (on the NE corner of the current intersection).

The film follows a group of students as they trek to school in the morning, spend a less than fruitful time at school, and then trudge back home. (This school day is then contrasted with modern education in an impressive new building, and encourages all rural residents to take a stand in favour of consolidation.)

What I'm wondering is whether any of the places in the film can be identified. Of course, the outdoor scenes could have been shot anywhere, maybe nowhere near Toronto. But there are some scenes that were clearly shot in front of the school, and it may be reasonable to assume it would have been easier to do all the shooting on location.

If that's so, then the scenes should all be around Albion and Martin Grove. Are the roads in the film Albion and Martin Grove themselves? The neighbouring schools would have been in Woodbridge (Hwy 7) to the north, Claireville (427) to the west, Highfield (Rexdale Blvd) to the south, and Thistletown (Islington Ave.) to the east, so presumably the area within these locations is where the students are seen walking.

Unfortunately, there are no landmark buildings out in the country. In fact, there isn't much of anything. Perhaps most identifiable would be the telegraph poles, which differ along different roads. There is little relief in the landscape, and only a few building, so really not much to go on.

I'm including some stills from the film in case anyone wants to have a shot at identifying the views.

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Well, that is fascinating. My ex went to a one room school house north of Acton, Ontario in the 1960’s. It was two miles, not kilometres, there and two miles back. Sometimes they got a ride, in a car. They started in Grade
1.
The current thought is that children should be allowed risky play, in the news recently. The walk to school was risky, their lunch hour was to their own devices outside, often risky games. The girls had stockings on, I don’t know how any of the children didn’t end up with frostbite.
Consolidation happened in 1965.

 

[lenaitch]

Migawd, such a life would be considered child abuse today.

I would imagine one factor that stood in the way of consolidating rural schools as far back as the 1930s was the lack of municipal capacity to maintain the roads during the winter.

The walk to school was risky, their lunch hour was to their own devices outside, often risky games. The girls had stockings on, I don’t know how any of the children didn’t end up with frostbite.

It's that type of thinking that has brought us to the point where 'risky play' is considered some new type of social development.

 

[Tim MacDonald]

I walk my 4 year old the 900m to school every day in all types of weather. My mum did it to me and somehow I survived, imagine that! I think my daughter will make it, too.

It makes me think of that advertisement years ago where the escalator stops and people call for help. Kids need to shed the bubble wrap, run in flip flops once, and maybe lick a door handle now and then. It'll build character and probably immunity

 

[LPCI]

Migawd, such a life would be considered child abuse today.

I would imagine one factor that stood in the way of consolidating rural schools as far back as the 1930s was the lack of municipal capacity to maintain the roads during the winter.


It's that type of thinking that has brought us to the point where 'risky play' is considered some new type of social development.

I should have put the word risky in quotation marks. The kids were free to explore and take risks and play all day. We used to jump off our parents garage roofs, in summer!, no snow to cushion the landing. No helicopter parents. They just played and socialized.

 

[lenaitch]

I should have put the word risky in quotation marks. The kids were free to explore and take risks and play all day. We used to jump off our parents garage roofs, in summer!, no snow to cushion the landing. No helicopter parents. They just played and socialized.

The most famous childhood memory of myself and two confreres to this day was one of them shooting the other with an arrow while sitting in a tree. Not a kid's bow and arrow set - a real one (the lesson of safe carry was learned).

We used to be gone for the day and return an absolute mess. So long as we returned with all the parts we left with the parents were good. Our haunt was an area we used to call 'shadowbrook', which was untamed valley land for the West Branch of the Don River what would now G. Ross Lord park. A golf course - I think it was called Meadowbrook (not certain) fronted Bathurst and backed onto this valley land.

We would also (gasp) go tobogganing.

Full circle - One of the guys did the concrete pour calculations for the G. Ross Lord dam during his summer job while in university.

 

[Tim MacDonald]

My only rule was to be in by the time the street lights illuminated!

 

[DSC]

Here are a few views from Front & George from 1894 and today. The brick building at SW corner of Front and George was the McIntosh Warehouse - this caught fire in July 1902 and 5 firemen were killed, still the largest number to die in one fire, I think. The site is now occupied by Times Square condo and several Co-ops. The 1894 Royal Hotel is now the parking lot in front of Cora's. (Also, note that the section of the current row of houses on north side of Front is partially rebuilt, only the western buildings are original.)

Note the bales of hay on carts on Front Street, they are lining up for the Public Weigh House that was the small building in the middle of the road at Jarvis. Photo below!

and

and finally the weigh house!