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Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

Your money or your wife!

Has anyone noticed how nylons over ones head has fallen out of favour as bank robbing costume? I wonder when this happened? And why? Conjecture invited and let's keep it family rated please. :)

Some simply avoid masks and rely on a gun and a fedora - attached: CIBC, 199 Yonge St. 1964
 

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Then and Now for Nov 25.


This one is the last one for a few days, I'm taking a week off... I'll be back again with Then and Now for Dec 4. BeeRich, behave yourself. :)


Then. Bloor and Royal York, looking to the NE. 1964-ish, I'm guessing.

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Now. June 2011.

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Now. June 2011.
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That's definitely among the clumsiest additions to a building along a major street in Toronto in recent memory, though not as low as that bare concrete block addition to a building on the Danforth. It completely robs the corner bank of its understated elegance. One might think that standards would be higher in the Kingsway, but evidently not.
 
That's definitely among the clumsiest additions to a building along a major street in Toronto in recent memory, though not as low as that bare concrete block addition to a building on the Danforth. It completely robs the corner bank of its understated elegance. One might think that standards would be higher in the Kingsway, but evidently not.

All second floor additions to Shopper's Drub Marts are clumsy. This one in the Kingsway has tried for some symmetry by copying the old brickwork of the bank on the new right side of the store. The inside however, is a complete shamble...liked it way better the old way!
 
It smells like a case of "geez, do we really have to keep it"--and I don't even think it was technically "heritage" going into this (not that it couldn't have been), probably NIMBYs and Councillor Milczyn made this mongrel possible. (At least the Second Cup which occupied the bank pre-Shoppers respected the place's integrity--in fact, I miss that Second Cup already. It was a classic 90s "Second Cup as homegrown Starbucks adaptive-reusing an old bank" kind of joint...)
 
It smells like a case of "geez, do we really have to keep it"--and I don't even think it was technically "heritage" going into this (not that it couldn't have been), probably NIMBYs and Councillor Milczyn made this mongrel possible. (At least the Second Cup which occupied the bank pre-Shoppers respected the place's integrity--in fact, I miss that Second Cup already. It was a classic 90s "Second Cup as homegrown Starbucks adaptive-reusing an old bank" kind of joint...)

I would say the NIMBYs would stop this from happening. I guess this is what they call progress. I mean, SOME realtors and developers made money. And that's what it's all about, right? Yes that's sarcasm. That building is indeed sad.

Another previous bank, IIRC, is the Pizza Pizza at Wellington & Church, which has won awards if I'm not mistaken.
 
Muir Park hotel photo 1950-ish.

I took that photo myself and at that time it was the Glenview Terraces Hotel, not the Muir Park Hotel. The small white sign near the right side of the photo reads "Glenview Terrace Hotel" (I had the sign made and placed it there for the photo). This was just after Alexander Muir Gardens park was completed. My Father designed and built it during the war and ran the hotel for many years (originally an aparment building), before and after he converted it to an apartment hotel. Prior to the conversion it was called The Glenview Terraces Apartments. Im not 100% sure but I believe it was the first apartment building in the city with an indoor swimming pool. I was sure suprised and happy to find my 60 year old photo on the internet. I'm getting a little long in the tooth now and it brings back a ton of memories.

October 24 addition.

Let me add a bit to my recent posting about Alexander Muir Gardens.

nomoreatorontonian remembers attending the ceremonies when the park was opened in 1952 at Yonge south of Lawrence

Prior to 1952, it was located a few feet north of where the subway tunnel portal between Davisville and St. Clair subway stations is now. It's not too difficult to figure out why they moved it, although I must admit it didn't dawn on me right away. :)

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The old apartment building at the upper right of the Then picture still exists, although it is behind those trees in the Now picture.

Now. August 2010.

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In the Now view below, I should actually be about 30 feet to the left/west of this fence, but I felt it was too much of a risk to hop it. :)

Now. August 2010.

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Unknown city

Can someone assist with the identification of this city (attached thumbnail)?
I shot this photo because I was familiar with the Granada theatre in Toronto.
There appears to be a huge cathedral in the background - Quebec City? Montreal?

Hmmm! Just realized I could look this up on Google.
It's Sherbrooke, Quebec !!!
That Granada cinema opened in 1929.
 

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