Back-Then. And Now

[The Mississauga Muse]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

building babel wrote:

What's that big, shadowy Godzilla thing attacking the east tower?

In my original post, I wrote --not all that well, I must admit-- "So what I'm sharing here is a photo I shot of an old photo (hence the reflection). " Reflection.

Unless you take precautions (which I didn't) when you bend down to (macro)photograph an old photo, there's bound to be a relection of you taking that picture.

So. What's that big, shadowy Godzilla thing attacking the east tower?
It's the photographer photographing that old City Hall photo. That big, shadowy Godzilla thing, is ME.

And I have to thank you, building babel. This morning, reading "What's that big, shadowy Godzilla thing"?... I feel a WHOLE LOT BIGGER than five foot one!


Signed,
The Mississauga Muse

 

[tudararms]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

I agree that the old building at Yonge and Front is a sad lost, considering what replaced it. Thankfully we still have the Bank of Montreal building across the street. And how about all those lovely old trees that were on University? It truly was a grand avenue back then. Progress is good though, but maybe planners and architects could find a little inspiration in some of those old photos.

 

[FortySixAndTwo462]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

RJR123 >> This is the best picture I could find (unfortunately, it's not so much a picture as a drawing).

I agree that it was truly a magnificent building; perhaps the best example of the Second Empire style built in this city. It's a real bummer that it was lost. The site where I found the picture has a beautiful (not to mention nostalgic) account of Toronto Street's history .

I'm actually not so fond of the former building at NE Front and Yonge (Board of Trade building) - you'd see what I mean if you saw the whole thing, but it's kind of a mish-mash of different styles and thus a bit of a mess, especially the awkward roof.

 

[SD2]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

The near destruction of Toronto Street is a sad chapter in Toronto's history.

If I were one of those eccentric billionaires, I'd rebuild the whole thing as per the original plans (with modifications to the interior of course, so the buildings could be used without any trouble today and in the future).

 

[TdotTrickyRicky]

Imagine if just one street like that survived to this day. I really like that photo of Nathan Philips Square under construction, with the old building (armoury?) beside it looking like some strange acropolis.

 

[ganjavih]

The theme that always arises in these 'old Toronto' threads is the disappointment and sadness in how much we've lost. Let's make sure we learn from this and never allow our history to be sacrificed in the name of progress and profit again.

 

[Observer Walt]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

The old building just west of the City Hall, which was torn down to make way for it, was the old Land Registry office. It was a handsome-looking building and if it still stood today I would think there would be a huge uproar about tearing it down. In the early 1960s this is what passed as "progress", and unfortunately a lot of these old structures were bulldozed under. I completely agree with ganjavih's sentiments.

 

[adma]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

Two things:

(1) Keep in mind that the old Board of Trade (later TTC HQ) at Yonge + Front was demolished around 1960 or so--a good generation before 33 Yonge was built on its site. (It was parking in the interrim.)

(2) That tall tower on Queen E of Spadina was actually a firehall, around where the Zeidler office is today--it's pictured in the current "Building Blocks" exhibition in the Market Gallery...

 

[SD2]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

(1) Keep in mind that the old Board of Trade (later TTC HQ) at Yonge + Front was demolished around 1960 or so--a good generation before 33 Yonge was built on its site. (It was parking in the interrim.)

The fact that it was demolished and left as a parking lot for a generation just makes me feel worse - not better.

 

[adma]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

But that was par for the course in 1960. All I'm arguing is that for all of 33 Yonge's demerits (or not), don't blame it for this particular demolition--especially as if the BofT had made it through to 1980 rather than biting the dust around 1960, it likely would have made it all the way through to 2006 and beyond...

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

SD2 wrote:

The fact that it was demolished and left as a parking lot for a generation just makes me feel worse - not better.

Reading the comments here --the loss, sadness, and now your comments, I'd love to go to a movie with a "Back to the Future" premise where the hero is a City Planner and he's scooted back 40 years --to the 60's (the 60's were from what I can gather from discussion here was a time of considerable wreckage "progress" in Toronto).

And that Hero-City-Planner would--I don't know, but I suspect Toronto would be a Better-Different.

While I've known that some buildings of Toronto's buildings were as great a work of art as any from The Group of Seven, looking at the photos on this forum over the past month has helped me appreciate just to what degree.

I now understand that some of Toronto's old buildings were structural-equivalent A.Y. Jacksons or Tom Thomsons. And they're gone.

It's as obscene as it is sad.

Signed,
The Mississauga Muse

 

[Darkstar416]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

The theme that always arises in these 'old Toronto' threads is the disappointment and sadness in how much we've lost. Let's make sure we learn from this and never allow our history to be sacrificed in the name of progress and profit again.

But have we? Inn on the Park? Bridgepoint's Half-Round?

 

[bizorky]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

Look at that beauty that was replaced by the hideous EDS thing on Yonge.

 

[adma]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

Though I, for one, can't quite judge EDS as "hideous"--low-risey, mirror-glassey, and atriummed, it's actually pretty classy for c1980. And again, to all intents and purposes it, in and of itself, didn't replace beauty; it replaced a parking lot which replaced the beauty.

Then again, as far as potentially preferrable options, imagine if Berczy Park was allowed to extend all the way to Yonge...

 

[officedweller]

Re: Back-Then. And Now

I think I recall reading somwhere that one of the reasons buildings were replaced with parking lots was to reduce the property taxes on the unoccupied properties while they awaited redevelopment.