Early Toronto Suburbs In Colour--50's-60's

[spider]

Granted, the car was the be-all mindset back then, but it just is not good fundamental urban planning to completely ignore the pedestrian aspect. How is it in winter with the street further constricted due to snow banks and slush puddles?

The city plows the road curb to curb, no cars are parked as in the inner city. Even now on similar streets that do have sidewalks many pedestrians walk on the road because it is cleared before and better than the sidewalk. Remember that many streets like this don't have heavy traffic.

 

[Anna]

In the northwest quadrant of Don Mills, there are paths behind the houses, in a wider parkland, rather than in front. One path goes under the road to the school.
http://contentdm.ucalgary.ca/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/pan&CISOPTR=9798&CISOBOX=1&REC=11

It is definitely a nicer place to walk - I guess the plan was to keep the kids away from (any) cars - just run out the garden gate and you are on your way to school.

 

[TheWestofCanada]

I think even in the building of Don Mills, they eventually realised they had a design flaw with the lack of sidewalks. If your house didn't back onto the greenbelt, you would still have to walk on the road to get to a path between a couple of houses to get to the greenbelt.

I think most of the homes in Don Mills were built from 1953 to 1955. The part of Don Mills where I grew up was the northern part of the Mallow (northeast) quadrant. Crossburn, Park Glen and the south side of Chipping were all built in 1959, and they have sidewalks. The rest of the neighbourhood, which is several years older, doesn't.

Offhand, the only other sidewalk of note that I recall within the residential parts of the quadrants is the sidewalk on Duncairn leading to Normal Ingram school. I haven't been there in 30 years, but I'm pretty sure there is a sidewalk.

 

[DavidJamesTO]

As beautiful a neighbourhood as it is, I'm always struck by the lack of sidewalks.

Granted, the car was the be-all mindset back then, but it just is not good fundamental urban planning to completely ignore the pedestrian aspect. How is it in winter with the street further constricted due to snow banks and slush puddles?

The mindset still exists in neighbourhoods like that. A neighbourhood in Cambridge just got new curbs and sidewalks. The locals were up in arms, complaining about the city forcing them to get, and I quote, "new-fangled sidewalks." And no, that wasn't a tongue-in-cheek comment.

 

[W. K. Lis]

I think even in the building of Don Mills, they eventually realised they had a design flaw with the lack of sidewalks. If your house didn't back onto the greenbelt, you would still have to walk on the road to get to a path between a couple of houses to get to the greenbelt.

I think most of the homes in Don Mills were built from 1953 to 1955. The part of Don Mills where I grew up was the northern part of the Mallow (northeast) quadrant. Crossburn, Park Glen and the south side of Chipping were all built in 1959, and they have sidewalks. The rest of the neighbourhood, which is several years older, doesn't.

Offhand, the only other sidewalk of note that I recall within the residential parts of the quadrants is the sidewalk on Duncairn leading to Normal Ingram school. I haven't been there in 30 years, but I'm pretty sure there is a sidewalk.

Denzil Minnan-Wong grew up in Don Mills and didn't learn how to ride a bicycle. Without sidewalks, how could little kids learn to ride their first small sidewalk bicycles?

 

[adma]

The mindset still exists in neighbourhoods like that. A neighbourhood in Cambridge just got new curbs and sidewalks. The locals were up in arms, complaining about the city forcing them to get, and I quote, "new-fangled sidewalks." And no, that wasn't a tongue-in-cheek comment.

Though I suspect the mindset behind no-sidewalks (and no-curbs, roadside-ditches, etc) in a lot of these cases is more "pastoral" than pro-car per se. (Whether that's merited or unmerited is up to you to decide.)

For the record, Wychwood Park isn't a curbs-and-sidewalks kind of place, either.

 

[TheWestofCanada]

My dad wouldn't buy a house on the sidewalk side of the street because then you are responsible for shovelling it in winter.

 

[Mustapha]

This one might be Rexdale Plaza, based on the road sign on the bus stop pole in the last picture

Eyelash extensions... hmmm.

 

[LowPolygon]

Eyelash extensions... hmmm.

wow wow wow--thank you so much for doing those!--i was totally unable to picture where those were. i grew up near Weston so those are both very familiar to me...

 

[Mustapha]

You're most welcome; I took advantage of the salon and my nails don't scratch my nylons anymore.

 

[Anna]

You're most welcome; I took advantage of the salon and my nails don't scratch my nylons anymore.

I bet your eyelashes look real purty too.

 

[JasonParis]

Some old pics of Rexdale Mall would be great if anyone has any!

 

[Mustapha]

I bet your eyelashes look real purty too.

They're afllutter.

Some old pics of Rexdale Mall would be great if anyone has any!

I'd like to add to this and say ANY old personal pics of Toronto malls, restaurants, and interiors thereof and and even people on dates with interesting vintage street background scenes would be nice to have.

Someday, someday, the low hanging fruit at the online Toronto archives will be picked and I'll be reduced to posting pictures of Bridge Abutments, Then and Now.

So, ask your gramps and lets see some scans.

 

[OttoSchloss]

I'd love to see some old pics of Toronto's first indoor mall -Shopper's World!

 

[adma]

You mean Danforth? (Interesting--and plausible--if that was first; for some reason, I remember Thorncliffe Market Place/EY Centre being cited as "first". Well, first built anew, as Shoppers World Danforth was a retrofitted car plant.)