Well that's quite original of Spacing.
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Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now
- Thread starter Mustapha
- Start date
Well that's quite original of Spacing.
J T CUNNINGHAM
Senior Member
From the book A SENSE OF URGENCY, Pg 222, Charles Booth, a former vp of Eaton's, is asked by Sir Joseph Flavalle, head of Simpson's,
"Charlie, why didn't you finish this building and move the business up to College Street?
"His answer was interesting."
"Sir Joseph, we didn't have the resources."
Regards,
J T
"Charlie, why didn't you finish this building and move the business up to College Street?
"His answer was interesting."
"Sir Joseph, we didn't have the resources."
Regards,
J T
Zeiss
Active Member
If the full proposal had been built:
Did they change the plans before they started to build or they changed them after they finished the podium? Is it possible to finish the building one day?
Zeiss
Active Member
Opppsss, I just realized that the building was supposed to be way bigger, down to Gerrard.
J T CUNNINGHAM
Senior Member
"Did they change the plans before they started to build or they changed them after they finished the podium?" QUOTE. Zeiss.
It was never stated in that book, maybe you should ask R Y Eaton. (LOL)
The book from which I have quoted is primarily in regard to Simpson's.
Regards,
J T
It was never stated in that book, maybe you should ask R Y Eaton. (LOL)
The book from which I have quoted is primarily in regard to Simpson's.
Regards,
J T
thecharioteer
Senior Member
No, thank god. The original design "super-block" design was one of the most graceless, amateurish, provincial massings imagineable. Though the main facade is exquisite in its detailing, what would have been interesting would have been to complete the main facade down to Hayter, run a new north-south street through the block at the point the main building stopped on College and to have repeated the Yonge facade on the west elevation. A separate office tower could have risen on the SE corner of Bay and College. Given that the complex was more or less contemporary with Rockefeller Center, imagine if the site planning of the block had been done with that level of sophistication.
Original rendering:
Under construction, before the linking up of Carlton and College:
Last edited:
CharmAlarm
Active Member
Umm..no..your render is correct; it was to have gone as far as Hayter. The 7-storey or so block that was built at Yonge and College represents one quarter of what would have been duplicated and built to fill out the 'square' ...as per your render. The city wasn't big enough back then probably would not have been able to sustain something that big if it were to occupy the entire block.
J T CUNNINGHAM
Senior Member
Continuing from "A SENSE OF URGENCY", by C L Burton:
"The first "mystery" block reputed to have been bought by Eaton's was the north-east corner of
Yonge and Carlton, the whole block from Carlton to Wood Street and from Yonge to Church."
"Before the war ended a second "mystery" block entered the picture, the entire south-west corner
of Yonge and College."
"... the purchaser of these two massive chunks of real estate was Eaton's."
"Out of a clear sky, at this juncture in all our affairs, our friends "across the road" one day offered
Simpson's the east mystey block-the Yonge-Carlton-Church block-if we, when they moved to College Street,
would bring our business up to the opposite corner."
"This, I believe, has never been made public before."
"The devil they knew was evidently to be prefered to the devil they didn't know."
Regards.
J T
"The first "mystery" block reputed to have been bought by Eaton's was the north-east corner of
Yonge and Carlton, the whole block from Carlton to Wood Street and from Yonge to Church."
"Before the war ended a second "mystery" block entered the picture, the entire south-west corner
of Yonge and College."
"... the purchaser of these two massive chunks of real estate was Eaton's."
"Out of a clear sky, at this juncture in all our affairs, our friends "across the road" one day offered
Simpson's the east mystey block-the Yonge-Carlton-Church block-if we, when they moved to College Street,
would bring our business up to the opposite corner."
"This, I believe, has never been made public before."
"The devil they knew was evidently to be prefered to the devil they didn't know."
Regards.
J T
Mustapha
Senior Member
The first contribution is by our own (as if we can 'own' anyone
) Aladone. It's his usual high quality stuff.
Mustapha
Senior Member
1930:
the charioteer,
At top right of this photo is 1/2 of an open space. Gerrard runs across the north of it. It's what's left of the original Elizabeth Street Playground. The west end of Toronto Sick Childrens Hospital occupies this area now.
The school in the Then photos below is Hester How school.
http://www.toronto.ca/archives/rules/spdsfestival.htm
thecharioteer, if you have the time, can you consult your Goads maps to see if I have the exact modern day perspectives? I tried to get access to an online Goads, but the only one I could find are the resources hosted by Univ of TO and only available as far as I can tell to students and alumni. I went to York
.adma
Superstar
Either that, or (as I suspect) the rendering here is stocky, clumsy, and deceptive--I don't get the same provincial vibe from the classic non-aerial view of the proposal.
Incidentally, you can see to its left along Yonge the row of 30s spec buildings N of College, made possible by the widening of this stretch of Yonge--they lasted into the 80s or so...
thecharioteer
Senior Member
the charioteer,
At top right of this photo is 1/2 of an open space. Gerrard runs across the north of it. It's what's left of the original Elizabeth Street Playground. The west end of Toronto Sick Childrens Hospital occupies this area now.
The school in the Then photos below is Hester How school.
http://www.toronto.ca/archives/rules/spdsfestival.htm
thecharioteer, if you have the time, can you consult your Goads maps to see if I have the exact modern day perspectives? I tried to get access to an online Goads, but the only one I could find are the resources hosted by Univ of TO and only available as far as I can tell to students and alumni. I went to York
Here's a view with a school labelled on axis with Walton Street (near the number D4 on the map). Is that the one? I've added a contemporary view from TO Maps (shows how Sick Kids became a super-block).
By the way, the easiest way to access the 1910 Goad maps is through the web-site Ontario History Quest (http://ohqdigit.tpl.toronto.on.ca/). Click on "maps" in the bottom field and it will take you to the maps.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
Mustapha: I just realized that perhaps the reason I'm finding it hard to orient myself with regards to the playground, is because of the fact that in 1910, Gerrard Street had not yet been extended to University. The playground was probably built afterwards.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
From the City's website http://www.toronto.ca/archives/rules/spdsfestival.htm:
No area in early 20th-century Toronto was more congested, squalid, or infamous than "The Ward." Bounded by Yonge, Queen, College, and University, the Ward was also Toronto's pre-eminent foreign quarter. Lying within the shadow of City Hall, it was a highly visible alien presence in a predominantly Anglo-Celtic town, and often drew the attention of reformers, journalists, politicians, and bureaucrats.
The Ward hosted many of Toronto's earliest child leisure facilities. The Board of Education's first supervised playground - the first in Canada operated by a public agency - opened at Elizabeth Street Public School in 1908. It was soon superseded by the Parks Department's first supervised playground, which opened at Elizabeth and Gerrard in 1911. Rinks and a children's slide were also maintained at the Elizabeth Playground (home of the "Lizzies") between 1911-12 and 1928-29.
Children's services were paramount at Central Neighbourhood House, a social settlement based in the Ward in 1911-28. The House organized clubs, classes, and clinics, and lobbied City Council for playground improvements. The House and other agencies also criticized Toronto's policy of suspending all recreation programs (and padlocking, patrolling, or removing all equipment) on Sundays.
Much of the old Ward was cleared away in the late 1920s and early '30s. Toronto General Hospital purchased the Elizabeth Street Playground in 1928 and extended Gerrard through to University. The playground's south end was added to Hester How School. The Parks Department ran programs there for small children until the site was acquired by the Hospital for Sick Children.
No area in early 20th-century Toronto was more congested, squalid, or infamous than "The Ward." Bounded by Yonge, Queen, College, and University, the Ward was also Toronto's pre-eminent foreign quarter. Lying within the shadow of City Hall, it was a highly visible alien presence in a predominantly Anglo-Celtic town, and often drew the attention of reformers, journalists, politicians, and bureaucrats.
The Ward hosted many of Toronto's earliest child leisure facilities. The Board of Education's first supervised playground - the first in Canada operated by a public agency - opened at Elizabeth Street Public School in 1908. It was soon superseded by the Parks Department's first supervised playground, which opened at Elizabeth and Gerrard in 1911. Rinks and a children's slide were also maintained at the Elizabeth Playground (home of the "Lizzies") between 1911-12 and 1928-29.
Children's services were paramount at Central Neighbourhood House, a social settlement based in the Ward in 1911-28. The House organized clubs, classes, and clinics, and lobbied City Council for playground improvements. The House and other agencies also criticized Toronto's policy of suspending all recreation programs (and padlocking, patrolling, or removing all equipment) on Sundays.
Much of the old Ward was cleared away in the late 1920s and early '30s. Toronto General Hospital purchased the Elizabeth Street Playground in 1928 and extended Gerrard through to University. The playground's south end was added to Hester How School. The Parks Department ran programs there for small children until the site was acquired by the Hospital for Sick Children.
Anna
Active Member
The 'Lizzies' were quite the basketball players
Elizabeth Street Playground Juvenile Basketball — Playground, City and Canadian Champions - 1930
Elizabeth Street Playground Juveniles — Playground, T & D, Ontario and Dominion Basketball Champions 1943-44
- some of these guys are probably still around
Elizabeth Street Playground Juvenile Basketball — Playground, City and Canadian Champions - 1930
Elizabeth Street Playground Juveniles — Playground, T & D, Ontario and Dominion Basketball Champions 1943-44
- some of these guys are probably still around