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Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

I'd imagine the former photo being newer than c1930 (closer to c1950, perhaps?) because of the street signs, octagonal Stop sign and all...
 
William H. Gates, house, Wayland Ave., e. side, s. of Swanwick Ave. 1909 TPL
William H. Gates, house, Wayland Ave., e. side, s. of Swanwick Ave. 1909  TPL.jpg


Difficult to find the location of this house on Wayland Ave.
However, the heavily wooded lot indicates that the house has been there for a long time
...and the minimal view of the architecture appears to match the original.
Final evidence is the house number (35) which matches the neighbouring numbers.
Gates house?.jpg
 
It’s nice to see a photo of a handsome old building that we apparently forgot to demolish.
 
Why was the road so wide then? It’s way past needing room for horses and their wagons. I wonder what the man on the left is looking at, bent over. And the sign on the stadium says International....Club. What Club? Thank you Goldie.
The road was maybe wide because in those days the City planned ahead (and it did lead to a stadium!)

The sign is directional one to the National Yacht Club. See: http://torontoplaques.com/Pages/National_Yacht_Club.html
 
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Why was the road so wide then? It’s way past needing room for horses and their wagons. I wonder what the man on the left is looking at, bent over. And the sign on the stadium says International....Club. What Club? Thank you Goldie.

That portion of the road was built on landfill. 1909:

030M11_1909.jpg


See link.


1894:
Toronto_1894large.jpg

From link.
 
Lake Shore Blvd. may have been improved in anticipation of more traffic, not only to Maple Leaf Stadium & the National Yacht Club, but also westward to Stanley Barracks, CNE grounds, Sunnyside Beach and the Sunnyside Amusement Park.
 
Lake Shore Blvd. may have been improved in anticipation of more traffic, not only to Maple Leaf Stadium & the National Yacht Club, but also westward to Stanley Barracks, CNE grounds, Sunnyside Beach and the Sunnyside Amusement Park.
Yes, this was a time when the City thought ahead (and , to be fair, it was a new street). Think of Bloor Viaduct built to accommodate a subway, many years later. Now we are the opposite, building (or not!) long after the need is there - think QQ east streetcar!
 
The width of Lake Shore was indeed a reflection of the auto age upon us--and wide arterials were already validated through "City Beautiful" planning precepts (remember how wide Bloor/Danforth is in its Viaduct stretch).

Keep in mind, too, that at this point there were plans to veer the Boulevard southward and across the Toronto Islands--nipped in the bud by the Depression, and finished off by the cancellation of the tunnel to the Island in 1934...
 
Why was the road so wide then? It’s way past needing room for horses and their wagons. I wonder what the man on the left is looking at, bent over. And the sign on the stadium says International....Club. What Club? Thank you Goldie.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Club played in the International League (Triple A) from 1912 - 1967.
 
Certainly the theatre mid-block, currently known as the CAA Theatre, has gone through many incarnations:

View attachment 223091View attachment 223092View attachment 223093View attachment 223094
View attachment 223095
..... And just to the right would have been the old Duke of Gloucester that finally shut it's doors a few months back after many decades of good service. My TFC Supporter's group U-Sector were regulars there for a long time so I'd see Jarrek there. He was once a steady poster here. Sadly he passed away just over a year ago. RIP Jarrek.
 
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Thanks Goldie: I had not realised that streetcars looped north on Simcoe (presumably having gone west along Station Street). I would have thought the hill at that block would have been too steep but I guess the older streetcars were made of sterner stuff. This is where the runaway hot dog cart advert is set.
 

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