Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Stumack]

"...That's a Karmann Ghia poking into the picture isn't it? stumack? LIMike?..."

Correct you are Mustapha! Behind the K-G is the back of a Type 3 "Squareback" wagon. The K-G is wearing either a 1964 or 1966 plate - the '64 plates were black on white and the '66 blue on white, but the colour rendition isn't clear enough for me to tell.

 

[thecharioteer]

It's difficult for the "younger" generation today to realize how chic and glamourous Yorkdale was when it first opened. (Remember that this was around the same time that Eaton's was contemplating demolishing its old store downtown for its first iteration of the Eaton Centre).

New and modern were the mantra of the day and from the fanciful mushroom/flowered/Alice in Wonderland column caps in the Eaton's store, to the stalactite ceiling and grand staircase in Simpson's, Yorkdale delivered its vision of the brave new world we were entering.

 

[Mustapha]

thecharioteer, a wonder trip back in time, those Yorkdale postcards and pictures. Thank you.



Some Yorkdale 'thoughts', as LIMike would put it:

*The Dominion store made for a useful mall, food and everything else in one trip. Holt Renfrew occupies its former space now.

*The second floor of the Eatons store had selling space as well as a cafeteria and a higher end restaurant. The latter occupied the space seen in your postcard above the 'mushroom' coloums. The only two remaining 'old school' department store cafeterias in Toronto now are the one in the Bloor and Yonge Bay store and in the Queen and Yonge Bay store. Perhaps dreary spaces for some now but a paradise for youngsters then - usually taken inside in tow by generous grandparents.

*The Tip Top Tailor store at Yorkdale was long lived; ceasing only about a couple of years ago.

*In my old photo of the Yorkdale corridor, 'Toy World' is on the right a few stores beyond the Reitmans (and the Kresges beyond that). Spent much time lusting after the merchandise in that Toy World store.








December 6 addition.





Looking at the NW corner of Mutual and Dundas.



Then: November 26, 1920.

Now: November 2009.

 

[thecharioteer]

Don't forget this picture of the same corner, back when this stretch of Dundas was Wilton Street:

 

[Anna]

Mustapha's picture is the northwest corner, the snowy picture is the northeast corner (you can see the Mutual Street sign on the side of the house).
The house is still there - it's now the home of the Mutual Street Deli.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sour...id=_FpDLu2atAbCPBdNjthfNg&cbp=12,26.1,,0,5.52

 

[thecharioteer]

Mustapha's picture is the northwest corner, the snowy picture is the northeast corner (you can see the Mutual Street sign on the side of the house).
The house is still there - it's now the home of the Mutual Street Deli.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sour...id=_FpDLu2atAbCPBdNjthfNg&cbp=12,26.1,,0,5.52

Anna: Thank you, you keep me on my toes!

 

[Mustapha]

Speaking of Mutual street... I can't find any online pictures of The Terrace. This of course was the final iteration of the Mutual street arena. Lots of Toronto youngsters would go there to roller and ice skate.

 

[dbailey62]

Speaking of Mutual street... I can't find any online pictures of The Terrace. This of course was the final iteration of the Mutual street arena. Lots of Toronto youngsters would go there to roller and ice skate.

It's amazing that the old place lasted as long as it did. There is a Wiki
and a page at hockey.ballparks.com (where I found this photo).

I was only ever at the place once for a bit of ice skating on really dull skates on a small rink up in the girders of the old barn. I wish I'd seen more of the place. That would have been in the early 80's.

These other online shots of the old days do give a decent indication of size.

This is so cool!

 

[thecharioteer]

Here's an aerial view of the Mutual Street Arena (white roof, centre, above the Old City Hall and behind St. Michael's Cathedral):

 

[Long Island Mike]

Good Yorkdale historical pictures and info...

Mustapha and Charioteer: Thanks for the mention-I remember visiting Yorkdale Shopping Centre for the first time on one of my 1979 visits-the TTC Spadina Line made it very easy to get there. I did not know that it was built in the mid 60s as an original enclosed shopping mall.

Those older pics interested me-especially the one with the new autos on display-in the center is a red Ford Mustang and on the left looks to be a Ford Falcon or Mercury Comet. The blue/white car on the right I am not sure about-is it another Ford product or maybe an AMC
Rambler? Another auto is hidden by the plants on the right...

The airviews were great showing the sprawling area in the Yorkdale vicinity
the interchange of ONT 401 and the WR Allen Highway. That third pic-could it be early 70s because of the large development in that area?

I noticed also the provisions made for a future rapid transit line in the early
pics-good move by the Ontario MTC as the TTC Spadina Line would not be built and open until the mid-late 70s period. I also recall that Yorkdale was a leader in the category of percentage of patrons that used public transit to
travel there-perhaps a first for car-dependent suburban shopping malls in North America.

Thoughts from Long Island Mike

 

[adma]

It's amazing that the old place lasted as long as it did.

Though the Mutual Street Arena was a little like the Montreal Forum in that its 1960s repackaging camoflauged most anything that was "vintage"--and perhaps like whatever awaits MLG in that ice/roller-rink subdivision obscured the old interior scale...

 

[dbailey62]

Though the Mutual Street Arena was a little like the Montreal Forum in that its 1960s repackaging camoflauged most anything that was "vintage"--and perhaps like whatever awaits MLG in that ice/roller-rink subdivision obscured the old interior scale...

My thoughts exactly. With the Ryerson rink being on the new third floor of MLG, what will it be like up there? Obviously the dome and rafters will be there so in that sense, MLG will always be impressive to some degree.

Are there any artists impressions floating around out there? I've not seen any yet.

 

[Anna]

Though the Mutual Street Arena was a little like the Montreal Forum in that its 1960s repackaging camoflauged most anything that was "vintage"--and perhaps like whatever awaits MLG in that ice/roller-rink subdivision obscured the old interior scale...

 

[dbailey62]

It's interesting to look at how the north end (and south too of course) changed when the lower bowl had space carved out of the walls for additional seating and how the mezzanine (the end blues) fit into the structure.

Before that line of private boxes went in, the corner end blues went right up into the corner of the section and it was a bit scarey for a young kid hiking up those stairs.

 

[Goldie]

Maple Leaf Gardens renovations

Re: Maple Leaf Gardens new hockey rink

I've never before heard of a hockey rink on the second (or third) floor of a building.
Is that a common practice eleswhere?
I don't like the idea of shopping in a supermarket under what I imagine to be an extremely heavy ceiling.