Historic photos from Toronto on this day

[seemsartless]

October 3rd: I think these are two of the most beautiful photos I've found in the City of Toronto Archives, which granted has a very wide range of photos, with those toilet shots at the other end of the spectrum... Back in 1928, 82 years ago, Sunnybrook park was part of a larger Kilgour Estate. Here's two wonderful photos of the Don River running through the estate:

I'd love to know where, in current Sunnybrook Park these photos were taken. I assume they are just downstream from the horse stables...

Rough location, and City of Toronto Archives details are available from this page.

 

[LowPolygon]

October 3rd

I'd love to know where, in current Sunnybrook Park these photos were taken. I assume they are just downstream from the horse stables...

this one is truly wonderful. its a glorious October morning, with the mist still hanging in the air, and the whole scene is suffused with beautiful dappled light. the car heading down the winding road towards the photographer and the little rowboat in the lower right add an element of human narrative to a splendid photograph...

 

[seemsartless]

...a glorious October morning...

You capture the feeling well! I should add that back in 1928, October 3rd was a Wednesday, even though the feeling is more of a Saturday or Sunday morning.

 

[seemsartless]

October 5th: Three photos, from 94 years ago today, of the Rialto Theatre in 1916, at the southeast corner of Yonge and Shuter streets:

The last photo features an ad for the 1916 movie "The Eye of God" (from MSN Movies ):

Tyrone Power Sr. plays Olaf, a dirt farmer who yearns for the bright lights of the Big City. When a sophisticated young woman named Renie (Lois Weber) spends the night in Olaf's farm during a rainstorm, he forgets all about his plain-jane wife Ana (Ethel Weber) and begins ardently pursuing the beautiful stranger. Desperate for money, Olaf engineers a double murder, which nets him a huge sum of money.​

Details on the photos (not the movie) available here.

 

[seemsartless]

October 6th: Four pictures today, all of them 106 years old! Here's the Grand Trunk Railway crossing Dunn Avenue back in 1904.

Looking west from Dunn, of the South Parkdale station in the distance:

Looking east to a train approaching Dunn Ave:

A crossing guard?

Looking north across the tracks:

The building on the left of the photo still stands, now Dunn's Milk convenience store (red and white Kit Kat sign).

Details on all these pictures, plus a map with other photos from the crossing as far back as June 4th, 1899, the station in 1910, are available here.

 

[seemsartless]

A few more photos from October 6th,

Back in 1903, of 'Bloor Street looking west'... but Bloor Street where?

The corner building, with the tower a bit further on looks familiar, or at least somewhat distinctive, but does anyone know more specifically?

There is also 'Bloor Street looking east'

And just plain old 'Bloor Street':

 

[seemsartless]

( I'm still curious about where some of those October 6th shots might have been taken...)

October 7th: We start out in 1902, with a woman sitting outside College Street Baptist Church (506 College Street) - There's construction in the way of this view on Google Streetview, but I'm pretty sure the building is the same 108 years later.

Then in 1919 we have two shots of an entertaining kid outside 181 Baldwin St in Kensington Market, 91 years ago:

And finally, in 1930, we have streetcar construction at Gerrard Street and Carlaw:

Here's the link for the details and locations of these photos.

 

[Goldie]

A comedian?

That kid really is entertaining, isn't he?
Best character we've seen since the bathing beauties of yore.

 

[seemsartless]

Goldie, yeah, I'm sure he danced down the stairs, and donned the bucket as a top-hat. Interesting to note how they are logs as a path to the sidewalk, and obviously the store down the street is looking a bit worn...

October 8th: One photo from the Junction, of Keele Street, looking south from Hirons St back in 1923 - the houses on the left are all still there, with the industrial buildings on the right updated since then:

Details and location here.

 

[seemsartless]

October 9th: Two sets of photos today, starting with Kendal Square (now Jean Sibelius Square) in the Annex, from 1913, 97 years ago:

Then on to the north-west corner of Yonge and St. Clair in 1922, 88 years ago:

And then a bit further north, to Yonge and Millwood, with a view of the bank building in the centre right that still stands today:

Details on all these photos available here.

 

[adma]

And then a bit further north, to Yonge and Millwood, with a view of the bank building in the centre right that still stands today:

...but very recently de-banked. (Hopefully it's retained in whatever redevelopment.)

 

[west_end_kid]

I wanted to see if I could put a name to the kid in the 181 Baldwin photo. I zoomed in to see if there was a number on the house when I noticed the faint figure of a bearded man inside the doorway. According to the city dirctory for those years, a baker named Gabriel Pearl lived there.

I could only find one Gabriel Pearl in the 1911 census records and although he was not on Baldwin they were close by on McCaul so it could very well be the same family. He was born in 1868 either in Russia or Poland and emigrated to Canada in 1901. He and his wife Rebecca had 5 children but none of them match the age of the boy in the picture. Their one son Jacob was born in 1900 and this kid looks like he is in his early teens.

 

[seemsartless]

...I zoomed in to see if there was a number on the house when I noticed the faint figure of a bearded man inside the doorway. According to the city dirctory for those years, a baker named Gabriel Pearl lived there....

Wow, how could I have missed him in the door! Thanks for the research.

 

[seemsartless]

October 10th: A bit of back-history to start with... "Fire seems to be a common thread in Northern Ontario communities and Haileybury is no exception. In October, 1922, a raging bush fire left over 6,000 people homeless. The smoke from this disaster could be seen as far away as Ottawa. To compound the disaster, snow fell the next day." from http://www.northernontario.org/Towns/Haileybury.htm The TTC donated a number of old cars to serve as temporary housing:

Then, in 1924, we have a view of Eglinton Ave, west, from Oakwood:

Finally, in 1934, we have sketches of proposed railings in Lytton Park on the east side of Avenue Road, just south of Lawrence:

Details and locations of these photos available here.

 

[barit]

...but very recently de-banked. (Hopefully it's retained in whatever redevelopment.)

Sorry to let you know but this survivor will be demolished for guess what? ... another condo.