Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Mustapha]

said building on NE corner of Yonge and Alexander being demolished in 1950. caption says: "Looking north from Alexander Street, Eaton Memorial"

Some cool laneway row housing there on the right of the photo; partially obscured by trees.

Apparently, the first fox hunt held in Toronto was in February 1801, on the ice of the harbour:

http://www.archive.org/stream/landmarkstoronto06robeuoft#page/16/mode/2up

Just your local Family Compact folks having some fun.


February 9 addition.

Then: Parliament and Spruce, SE corner. 1947

Now: December 2009.

 

[FURNIOJO]

more info about fox hunts

Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, but I would never have guessed we had fox hunts in Canada.

One of the earliest, if not the earliest club is the Toronto and North York Hunt (TNYH). They have been around since 1843. Around 1933 the club split and the fox hunting enthusiasts continued with the Toronto and North York Hunt, and other members who were more interested in golf and parties formed the Toronto Hunt Club, which is in Scarborough and still exists. TNYH has been gradually moving North where they can continue their hunting and foxhound breeding activities and they are now in Creemore, Ontario. Another tidbit - Lady Eaton was a member and big supporter of the TNYH.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/2184816/History-of-the-Toronto-and-North-York-Hunt-(for-MFHA-)

The other example of the hunt is the Eglinton Hunt. Isn't there a group of townhouses where they used to be on Avenue Road, just north of Eglinton on the East side...they used to be hunt property...no? Can anyone confirm this?

 

[Lone Primate]

A pretty ravine and neighbourhoods would have been destroyed for sure...but my god that highway would be handy.

Thank you! Finally I'm not alone.

 

[Lone Primate]

I just want to see if this works...

Okay, hopefully what you'll see is a pair of comparison shots of Victoria Park and (what was then) Finch Avenue East, and is today Pawnee Avenue, 1955 vs. same view in 2010.

This one looks southwest across the intersection, more or less down Victoria Park (house is in North York; photographer was in Scarborough)...

And this one looks west across the intersection and down what was Finch Avenue with Woodbine Avenue (now the 404) out of sight behind the crest of the hill.

 

[Lone Primate]

Sheppard Avenue and Old Leslie Street, 1956, 2010. View looks southeast across intersection and easterly down Sheppard Avenue towards the Don River and the current four-way intersection with Leslie Street.

 

[LowPolygon]

Sheppard Avenue and Old Leslie Street, 1956, 2010. View looks southeast across intersection and easterly down Sheppard Avenue towards the Don River and the current four-way intersection with Leslie Street.

i like the locations you're showcasing, and i like the way you're presenting them. the two images bumped together like that makes for a nice look....

 

[GenerationW]

^ Ditto.

Thanks for posting L.P. Great seeing pics that are a little closer to home (not that I don't enjoy other contributions of course).

 

[CharlotteR]

I'd jist like to say that I've been reading this thread daily since around page 99 or so and I've really been enjoying it! Thank-you to everyone for their contributions! I hope that once I move to Toronto this spring, I'll be able to contribute somehow.

 

[Aladone]

Bay Street North Remix

"Going Past the Bay Crossing"
1926 - 2009

@ Mustapha - Thanks for the shout out on the Spacing Post. I could say the same for your work as well. Could you emagine the turn out is we put togther a Toronto then and now show? Many big things happening here on this thread. Thanks for putting it togther and keep it up. Although this thread may just keep going forever.

@ Lorne - nice then and nows. I saw them on your flickr site and am glad to see them here on UT. We always see Then and Nows from the downtown area and not many from the north of the city. I love to see the areas where I grew up in before they became the T-dots suburbs. I got a few from my hood the jane finch area that I have to dig up and post. These are the areas where the most change has occured in our city over the last 60 years. Awesome!

 

[Edward Skira]

Not directed at you, just a comment thrown out there. I was thinking a bit along the lines of if Urban Toronto became more of a blogazine, "then and now" posts like the ones you and others create would/could be a terrific feature. Yet, while it would be convenient to have separate historical photo threads for various subjects, it would splinter apart a thread like this...and, yes, it does take a lot of work. Even if someone decided that March will be old Etobicoke photo month, or old church photo month, there may be no one interested in searching for photos, taking current ones, doing research, etc., on those topics at that exact time. The randomness in this thread - the discovery of new photos, the tangential memories - is great as is. Hell, even if people were paid for creating "then and now" threads, I'm sure the quality and care and attention to detail would be higher in volunteer posts like the ones we see today.

I've been doing this with the new home page. Every day or two I spotlight a Then & Now or some other historical thing like the Cedarville pictorial. I'm hoping to get some people onboard to do more on a regular basis.

 

[Lone Primate]

Looking north at what was the level crossing of Leslie Street just south of the 401 and Sheppard Avenue in 1964, and the view from the same spot now (note that Leslie was diverted several yards to the east and passes under the RR bridge in the lower view). The positions from which the two shots were taken, though, are within a few yards of one another at most.

 

[Lone Primate]

Looking south down (Woodbine Avenue, 1965; Hwy 404, 2006) from Finch Avenue. These views, taken in 1965 and 2006 respectively, look south down what was, then, Woodbine Avenue, and what is (since 1977) Highway 404. Out of sight in the distance of both these shots is Hwy 401. Around this time, the Don Valley Parkway was eating its way up the course of Woodbine to the 401 and to Sheppard Avenue; since 1977, everything along this course north of the 401 (to Steeles, anyway) has been the 404.

In the upper shot, the photographer was standing just north of the northeastern leg of the Finch Avenue dogleg that once existed at Woodbine (that section is no longer part of Finch Avenue). In the distance is a house amid some evergreens. Today, that spot would be inside the onramp taking eastbound Finch traffic to the northbound 404 lanes.

The bottom view was taken from the Finch Avenue overpass above the 404 (from the vicinity of where this truck and car are in the upper view). As you might imagine, matching the shot exactly today would be rather dangerous...

 

[Edward Skira]

I had a family member die at this spot back in the early 70's when it still was Woodbine. He was crossing at night when he got hit by a car.

 

[Mustapha]

Looking south down (Woodbine Avenue, 1965; Hwy 404, 2006) from Finch Avenue. These views, taken in 1965 and 2006 respectively, look south down what was, then, Woodbine Avenue, and what is (since 1977) Highway 404. Out of sight in the distance of both these shots is Hwy 401. Around this time, the Don Valley Parkway was eating its way up the course of Woodbine to the 401 and to Sheppard Avenue; since 1977, everything along this course north of the 401 (to Steeles, anyway) has been the 404.

In the upper shot, the photographer was standing just north of the northeastern leg of the Finch Avenue dogleg that once existed at Woodbine (that section is no longer part of Finch Avenue). In the distance is a house amid some evergreens. Today, that spot would be inside the onramp taking eastbound Finch traffic to the northbound 404 lanes.

The bottom view was taken from the Finch Avenue overpass above the 404 (from the vicinity of where this truck and car are in the upper view). As you might imagine, matching the shot exactly today would be rather dangerous...

Stopped breathing when I saw this. Not good at my age. Stunning.

 

[Mustapha]

"Going Past the Bay Crossing"
1926 - 2009

@ Mustapha - Thanks for the shout out on the Spacing Post. I could say the same for your work as well. Could you emagine the turn out is we put togther a Toronto then and now show? Many big things happening here on this thread. Thanks for putting it togther and keep it up. Although this thread may just keep going forever.

@ Lorne - nice then and nows. I saw them on your flickr site and am glad to see them here on UT. We always see Then and Nows from the downtown area and not many from the north of the city. I love to see the areas where I grew up in before they became the T-dots suburbs. I got a few from my hood the jane finch area that I have to dig up and post. These are the areas where the most change has occured in our city over the last 60 years. Awesome!

Saw you on the CBC News the other day; way to go.