Lost Toronto

[AlbertC]

The following are pics that I scanned from the book of collective lost and forgotten Toronto building from the 19th century and early 20th century which are now destroyed. For those who want to check out this book, it's called "Lost Toronto" by William Dendy. It's quite an old book but its a gem which includes fullexplanation and info on each forgotten building and the reason for demo, it should be found at any library near you.

**Some of the dates of construction may be slightly off

The Customs House (Yonge/Front Street): c.1876

The American Hotel (Yonge/Front) c.1844

The Board of Trade Building (2-8 Front Street East) c.1891

The Queen's Hotel (100 Front Street West @ York Street) c. 1886

The Second Union Station c. 1875

The Royal Canadian Yacht Club c.1900 (Toronto islands)

The Hotel Hanlan (Toronto Island) c. 1874

The Lakeside Home for Little Children (Toronto Island) c. 1891

Government House (Simcoe Street @ King Street) c. 1866

The Crystal Palace (Exhibition Place) c. 1878

The Dufferin Gate @ The CNE c. 1910

The Bank of Toronto (58 Wellington @ Church Street) c. 1863

The Toronto Exchange (34 Wellington Street East @ Leader Lane)
c. 1855

The Ontario Bank (24 Wellington East @ Scott) c. 1862

The Royal Canadian Bank (36-8 Front Street East) c. 1871

The Edinburgh Life Assurance Building (17-19 Wellington West)
c. 1858

Victoria Row (87-97 King Street East) c. 1842

The Golden Lion (33-7 King East) c. 1873

Toronto Street

The Masonic Hall (18-20 Toronto Street) c. 1857

The Toronto Union Block (32-40 Toronto Street) c. 1873

The Union Loan and Savings Company Building
(26-30 Toronto Street) c.1876

The General Post Office (36 Adelaide East) c.1873

The United Empire Club (110 King West) c. 1874

The Canadian Bank of Commerce (25 King West) c. 1890

The Bank of Nova Scotia (39 King West) c. 1902

The Bank of Toronto (King/Bay) c. 1913

The Grand Opera House (15 Adelaide West) c. 1873

The Temple Building (Richmond/Bay) c. 1895

The Mechanic's Institute (Church/Adelaide) c. 1854

Richmond Street methodist Church c. 1844

Metropolitan Methodist Church c. 1873

The Normal and Model Schools (Ryerson Campus) c. 1851

The House of Providence (Power Street/Queen Street East)
c. 1858

Trinity College (Queen Street West/Strachan) c. 1851

The Provincial Lunatic Asylum (Queen/Ossington)
c. 1858

University Avenue c. 1890

The Armouries (University/Armoury Street) c. 1893

Map of The Proposed Federal Avenue

Cambrai Avenue

Vimy Circle

The Registry office (Modern day New City Hall) c. 1910

The Toronto Arcade (Yonge between Richmond/Adelaide)
c. 1884

Yorkville Town Hall (856 Yonge Street) c. 1860

Long Garth (99 St.George) c. 1882

The Timothy Eaton House (Lowther/Spadina Road) c. 1889

Chorley Park (Roxborough Drive) c. 1915

Upper Canada College c. 1890

 

[AlbertC]

I'll through in these ones too of King Street:

 

[Canuck]

No matter how much these types of threads come up, I always have an urge to go sulk in a corner after.

 

[flar]

Yes, it's sad to think about how many great buildings are lost as a city grows, especially in a big city like Toronto where blocks and blocks are wiped away for modern skyscrapers. I once sat at the library looking at a book like this about Hamilton for like four hours. It left me with a very empty feeling about what was and what could have been.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

 

[Hydrogen]

Jeeze, that's really sad. What a loss.

We're starting to form a line for anti-depressants here.

 

[Observer Walt]

Thanks for posting these. It would be interesting in some cases to know why these were torn down. I'm wondering especially about the Dufferin Gate at the Ex. Maybe it was in the way of the Gardiner Expressway.

Chorley Park was an impressive old building that had been the official home of Ontario's Lt-Governor, and then used as a hospital during the Second World War. There's nothing left now but the surrounding land, which is now a city park.

 

[Edward Skira]

The Dufferin Gate was indeed in the way of the Gardiner. It was replaced by the "St Louis" style arch instead.

 

[Mystery White Boy]

What an absolute fucking waste. How can you justify leveling such ornate buildings for such garbage?

 

[ganjavih]

These threads always make me want to cry. I wonder if any other North American city has had its history ravaged as much as Toronto has. We really only have scraps left... hardly anything in the way of intact blocks on major downtown commercial streets. As these photos show, we really weren't too far behind cities such as Boston and Montreal. All gone now.

 

[syn]

These threads always make me want to cry. I wonder if any other North American city has had its history ravaged as much as Toronto has. We really only have scraps left... hardly anything in the way of intact blocks on major downtown commercial streets. As these photos show, we really weren't too far behind cities such as Boston and Montreal. All gone now.

Well, we do have the Distillery but that will be chock full of giant condos in no time at all.

These kinds of threads are great, but I agree they're also depressing. Toronto lost so much beautiful stuff.

 

[Canuck]

We're not these buildings considered crass and ugly when torn down?
Maybe we can take some solace in knowing Toronto was ahead of the curve at that time - by being a leader at taking these types of buildings down.

Ya ya, that's the ticket. Feel good about all this lost history.

 

[adma]

How different *was* it elsewhere, anyway, relatively speaking?

Besides, there's the paradox that a few of the replacements once deemed execrable came to be deemed themselves cherishable; like the new Dufferin Gate, and even the Federal building at 30 Adelaide (yeah, it's now been made over, but...)

 

[Chuck]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was fire that destroyed a good 50% of these buildings, if not more.

 

[spasongs]

This is why we need to fight for any good historical building. Amazing what they through away.