Historic photos from Toronto on this day

[seemsartless]

May 6th: Another shot from Wilton (now Dundas East), this time in 1913, 97 years ago, "east of Bridge". I assume this is near the Don River, but it is more built up than industrial, so I'm really not sure. Anyone know? Interesting to see that they're also moving the house to the left

From there we go to 1915 and the Belt Line Trail as it runs just west of Mount Pleasant Cemetery. We're looking north up Yonge Street on a Thursday 95 years ago today:

I have a lot of geo-tagged photos, both historic and from photobloggers around the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, here

Finally, we move to Rosedale in 1919, along Chestnut Park Road:

You can see the locations of these last two photos, along with links to the Toronto Archive records, here and here

 

[wwwebster]

I'm not sure which way the camera is pointing... maybe looking south down Church?

North, up Church, as per Charles Goad, and the shadows.

 

[paraone]

May 6th: Another shot from Wilton (now Dundas East), this time in 1913, 97 years ago, "east of Bridge". I assume this is near the Don River, but it is more built up than industrial, so I'm really not sure. Anyone know? Interesting to see that they're also moving the house to the left

That is looking east from Munro St. Those two small houses to the left are right at the corner of Hamilton and Dundas. the house they are moving is Don's Milk on Munro. The house poking out on the right side of the street is right at broadview where the street does a very small jut to the north.

I've always been curious as to what the area was like before Dundas was rammed through creating an "A-hole" for the nabe.

 

[seemsartless]

Thanks wwwebster and parone! I've updated the map link for that Munro St. photo to about here

 

[seemsartless]

May 7th: Back to Dundas St East, called Wilton back in 1913, looking at the south west corner at Church. I'm not sure if the building is going up, or coming down. Looking at the corner now, the "Sterling Bank of Canada" building that is there now seems quite different... You can see the spire of St. Michael's in the background. Here's the link to the location and the City of Toronto Archives record.

From the Garden District we'll head west to the construction of a park shelter in Earlscourt in 1924:

Finally, we'll head just north west a bit, and ahead 7 years, to the corner of the park in 1931at St Clair Avenue looking east to Caledonia Road:

Besides street-car tracks and hydro-poles, this photo has another element that shows up in lots of old Toronto photos - Milnes Coal, which we saw just yesterday on Yonge St. near Davisville.

 

[wwwebster]

I'm not sure if the building is going up, or coming down.

Definitely coming down. In 1912 Isaac Curry's drugstore was at the corner (262 Church), and he lived behind it at 69 Wilton. By 1914 he had moved his business into 69 Wilton and was living at 575 Dovercourt. 262 Church was listed as "vacant" in 1914, but by 1918 the Sterling Bank was listed at 260 Church. The white sign on the front of Curry's old store in the photo heralds the impending arrival of the new Sterling Bank branch.

Info courtesy of the Toronto Directories at archive.org.

 

[seemsartless]

Definitely coming down... The white sign on the front of Curry's old store in the photo heralds the impending arrival of the new Sterling Bank branch.

Of course! When you mentioned the sign I looked a bit closer and it all makes perfect sense! So we have one building coming down brick by brick in 1913, then a different building going up, brick by brick in 1924.

Tomorrow we head to Queen's Park in 1915 (or so says http://wholemap.com/historic/toronto.php )

 

[seemsartless]

May 8th: Lots of spring flowers in Toronto for today, all from 95 years ago today, in 1915.

First, two photos from High Park:

and then two more from around Queen's Park

 

[JordanRHughes]

More awesome pictures. Is there a place where I can see all these great photos from yesteryear. thanks for sharing.

Jordan.

 

[seemsartless]

More awesome pictures. Is there a place where I can see all these great photos from yesteryear. thanks for sharing.

Jordan.

Jordan, for the most part these photos come for the City of Toronto Archives. They have a wonderful site that is searchable, at http://www.toronto.ca/archives/photographs/index.htm

What I've done is geo-tag some of the photos, and keep track of the dates, so that I can automatically generate this page that is updated daily which I then cross post here as well.

If you'd prefer to see the photos on a map, check out this map of Toronto which also includes other resources like the Toronto Public Library, British Pathe historical videos, and others.

May 10th: Just one photo today, from 84 years ago in 1926. I'm not sure exactly where this is, it is listed as "Queen Street - De Grassi crossing south from railway platform":

I assume we're looking north across Queen Street, with the street on the left side being De Grassi. Is that a natural gas processing station in the distance?

 

[adma]

Or, is that looking south *from* the RR platform? Somehow, the backdrop seems too "industrial" for looking north...

 

[Goldie]

[QUOTE

Is that a natural gas processing station in the distance?[/QUOTE]
_______________________________________________________________________
Yes, the view seems to be looking south from Queen towards a gas storage tank and the gas manufacturing plant that was once near Front & Parliament.
Not a "natural" gas plant because there was no natural gas in Toronto in those days. I believe it would have been "coal" gas.

 

[seemsartless]

Adma and Goldie, you're right - looking on Google Street view, the house on the left behind the small building by the tracks is still there on McGee Street ( includes #87 McGee, for instance), thanks! I'll update the record.

 

[seemsartless]

May 11th: I know exactly where this shot was take, 98 years ago on Saturday May 11th, 1912, but it took me a while to figure out if we're looking west, or east!

We're standing on the bridge over the Don River in the middle of Riverdale Park here. There are only tracks to the west of the river now, suggesting this is looking west, but another shot of the park, from 1912 shows the side of the building in the centre of this photo as located in the eastern side of Riverdale park, so we're certainly looking east towards Broadview. That photo was from November 1912, but I won't make you wait 5 months to see it

The photographer took some more shots that day in the area. Here's that building again, to the far left, this time looking north:

Then across the tracks and river, into the Zoo, to see "the duck pond when nearly dry":

And finally south to Gerrard, looking north-west back towards what I assume is the pond and buildings in the shot just above.

I've also added a new feature to my daily Historic Photo page: direct links. For all the details on these photos, including links to the Toronto Archive records, see May 11th historic photos.

 

[seemsartless]

May 12th: We'll bounce around in space and time today.... Starting with where we left off yesterday, Riverdale Zoo, 88 years ago on Friday, May 12, 1922, 10 years after the photos from yesterday.

This is one case where there are a LOT more trees today then there were in the 'good old days', and this bridge remains a common feature in photographs. If you zoom in on the location in the park you'll see a closeup of the bridge from my photoblog...

Now we'll bounce back to 1917, to a construction site along Wilton Ave. (now Dundas) east of Don with the Don Jail in the background:

It looks like some of the houses to the right of the photo, along Monro Street are still there, and just off camera is Don's Milk that we saw being moved back on May 6, 1913

Finally, we head to 1953, just 57 years ago for a tour up Sherbourne Street:

603 Sherbourne Street at Howard St.

Then north to 623 Sherbourne Street south of Bloor:

And finally right next door, to Dr. A.E.Clarke's Dentist office (and convertible) at 627 Sherbourne Street:

Lots of photos, so to find the Toronto Archive records, or the locations, take a look at the permanent link for May 12th.