Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Strange Advance]

If I'm not mistaken, this is Avenue Rd. and Lawrence Ave. W., looking north, in 1961:

Here it is now. The car wash is still there:

 

[thecharioteer]

January 13 addition:


Then: Hotel Sheldon. 81 Victoria street, looking at the E side. "ca. 1945" according to the Toronto archives photo information.

Now: A survivor. December 2009.

In the older pic, we get a glimpse of one of Toronto's largest theatres at the time, Shea's Victoria (2000 seats). The parking lot today is slightly depressed, no doubt due to the backfilling of the old basement.

Richmond view:

Across the street was the Tivoli (also known as the Allen). At this time, it really was a Theatre District:

1919

1940's

 

[clash]

the building to the south has lost its hat.

From another angle:

(It's a brewpub now run by Michael Duggan. Fantastic beer. Worth checking out.)

 

[Mustapha]

If I'm not mistaken, this is Avenue Rd. and Lawrence Ave. W., looking north, in 1961:

Here it is now. The car wash is still there:

It is indeed. That old car wash... back in the 60s there were men standing in pits washing the sides of your car as it rolled by. Mechanization came sometime later.

 

[Mustapha]

nice to see that present owner of both has also maintained the double hung windows! thats a relative rarity these days...on the other hand, the building to the south has lost its hat.

Double hung windows also give you the now rare opportunity of sticking ones head out the window to talk to someone in the street below.

 

[Mustapha]

The difference between the young and old Shelly Winters was like the difference between the young and old Marlon Brando.

 

[Mustapha]

From another angle:

(It's a brewpub now run by Michael Duggan. Fantastic beer. Worth checking out.)

Very nice Then and Now, you beat me to it, thanks.


Then:

King Street West. "ca1950?" according to the Toronto archives.

Now: November 2009.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Close, but no cigar.

 

[yonderbean]

Very close. Just next door, to the west:

 

[Anna]

Merged to put Then and Now together. Although I also prefer double-hung operable-sash windows, I also prefer plate glass to glass block.

King Street West. "ca1950?" according to the Toronto archives.

Now: November 2009.

Very close. Just next door, to the west:

 

[DSC]

Merged to put Then and Now together. Although I also prefer double-hung operable-sash windows, I also prefer plate glass to glass block.

Pity that people tend to remove the older/original lettering or company names but I suppose it's almost inevitable.

 

[Long Island Mike]

More interesting Then and Now Pics...

Everyone: I looked thru this section back to my last long UT visit on 12/23
and after looking at many interesting comparison pics here I want to mention these:
12/24 Dufferin Gate-CNE Grounds: When was that arch built?
I always thought it had a 60s look to me-I remember similar arches at the
1964-65 New York World's Fair...
12/26 Jewelers Safe in demolition pic-what and why? Now that is solid and extremely heavy-it survived that demolition well...
1/6 From the early 60s: What was the reason for using a soda bottle in those measurement pics? Reminds me of the TV show from that era "The Twilight Zone" for some reason...
1/7 Mustapha: I remember the cab company that had those medium blue cabs
with the white side stripes because their cabs in the 80s era looked very similar
to how NYC Police cars in their colors and stripes appeared back then...I now see they are still around!

The other cab colors that are "absolutely Toronto" to me were those with the green and orange "sherbet" colors.

I will mention this also: I Recall a conversation I had about Toronto's yellow police cars with a man who painted cars at a shop back on my Summer 1988 trip to Toronto and I was told that the main reason Toronto stopped using yellow on police cars was that painters were getting sick because of the paint pigment used...it stuck in my mind noting the white TPD cars came
into use soon after and yellow police cars became in time just a memory...

LI MIKE

 

[Mustapha]

1/7 Mustapha: I remember the cab company that had those medium blue cabs
with the white side stripes because their cabs in the 80s era looked very similar
to how NYC Police cars in their colors and stripes appeared back then...I now see they are still around!

The other cab colors that are "absolutely Toronto" to me were those with the green and orange "sherbet" colors.

LIMike, my highlight of trips to NYCity was riding in the Checker cabs-- they had a jumpseat attached to the back of the front seat; riders in the back could ride facing each other.

Urban Shocker, Yonderbeam, Anna, thanks for the keen eyes and the correction. Oy.

 

[adma]

12/24 Dufferin Gate-CNE Grounds: When was that arch built?
I always thought it had a 60s look to me-I remember similar arches at the
1964-65 New York World's Fair...

1959.

Of course, the most humongous and famous of such arches was Saarinen's at St Louis (finished 1965, but already in the planning stages for a good generation, so the scheme was "known")

 

[thecharioteer]

Speaking of King Street West:

650 King:

Rear of 544 King:

Government House:

At Government House: Lord and Lady Grey, Sir Mortimer Clark and daughters (1905):