Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Northern Light]

Another FB "Friends of Vintage Toronto" post:

Spadina Road - Looking north, just south of Lonsdale - 1955

No Credit given, taken from: https://scontent.fyzd1-3.fna.fbcdn....wMwXLbL0QBodEp3TPH1ycdiP8fYM3GkCA&oe=63BCB24D


The Now, via Streetview:

Interesting to note, the former Loblaws is still selling groceries, in the form of Kitchen Table.

 

[thecharioteer]

Yonge and Gerrard:

1950:

Today:

 

[LPCI]

There’s a lot of ancient water under High Park.

https://highparknature.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/High Parks Hidden Waters.pdf

 

[jaborandi]

Yonge and Gerrard:

View attachment 448900

OH, Bassel's with the biggest aspidistras on Yonge!

 

[junctionist]

Another FB "Friends of Vintage Toronto" post:

View attachment 448895
Spadina Road - Looking north, just south of Lonsdale - 1955

No Credit given, taken from: https://scontent.fyzd1-3.fna.fbcdn....wMwXLbL0QBodEp3TPH1ycdiP8fYM3GkCA&oe=63BCB24D


The Now, via Streetview:

View attachment 448896

Interesting to note, the former Loblaws is still selling groceries, in the form of Kitchen Table.

It's quite unfortunate that the distinctive ornamental street lights were removed and not replaced with anything special. The public realm seems to have declined even as the area became more and more prosperous.

 

[Northern Light]

Another Subway Station one, this time from FB group Transit Timewarp:

The TTC has no shame. Leaving the walls and the floors in that condition is awful; and the latter case, dangerous too!

 

[DSC]

Another Subway Station one, this time from FB group Transit Timewarp:

View attachment 448992

The TTC has no shame. Leaving the walls and the floors in that condition is awful; and the latter case, dangerous too!

I have not been there for ages but it looks as though they are doing some kind of construction in the 2022 photo (there is construction hoarding blocking half the width). I suppose it is possible that they plan to re-finish the corridor (which does look terrible) once that is finished. Of course, it's the TTC so one should not assume anything - the platforms at St Patrick station have been 'in process' for what seems like a decade!

 

[Northern Light]

From the City Archives, via the FB group Friends of Vintage Toronto, we have a look at the Bloor Viaduct. This photo is taken from just west of the main valley span, looking westward towards the
Rosedale Valley span:

Lets see if can find a 'now' shot:

Another spot we went backwards, sigh.

On the left, we got Rosedale School for the arts and a nominal City Park which resulted in removing a chunk of really nice forest.

On the right, we got an access down to DVP and a nominal City Park which similarly removed forest.

The Streetcar tracks are long gone, that's fair enough given the addition of a subway, but I think, overall its fair to say this space feels less scenic over a century later, and largely it need not be that way.

***

Second note, have a look at those streetcar poles, anything but utilitarian in design, and even w/lighting on them.

Here's a zoomed-in look:

 

[lenaitch]

+1 on the streetcar poles. I doubt something like that can be completely replicated but they can do better.

 

[flonicky]

Eglinton West looking east towards Bathurst, Jan 2023:

Streetview, 2011:

 

[DSC]

+1 on the streetcar poles. I doubt something like that can be completely replicated but they can do better.

Agreed but there is now VERY VERY little sharing of poles and every 'organisation' wants its own poles. Separate poles for traffic lights, street lights, TTC, utilities and Transportation for traffic signage. Silos who do not speak to each other in (in)action!

 

[thecharioteer]

Eglinton West looking east towards Bathurst, Jan 2023:
View attachment 449870
Streetview, 2011:
View attachment 449871

What is now the Rexall at Eglinton and Chiltern (seen in the second pic)was once a Power store until about the 70's and the brand eventually got melded into the Loblaws chain:

One block east was the Nortown Theatre, demolished in the 70's:

 

[C-mac]

..now at 250 Beecroft

I didn't know they actually moved this house.

 

[Northern Light]

Trinity-Bellwoods Park: 1924, looking south-east from just north-west of Crawford.

Taken from:

https://www.facebook.com/oldtoronto/photos/a.685271021638950/2463246800508021

****

The 'Now'............well, there is no direct equivalent, since the bridge is now buried and the ravine filled in on the east side of Crawford, but from my post in the Problematic Park Design thread, I have roughly the same angle:

 

[flonicky]

Kim Storey and James Brown did a study that included excavation of the bridge.