Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Mustapha]

There was a quirky pair of absolutely 70s (red brick and greenhouse-style glass) restaurant pavilions for years...

Any pictures adma? I just can't picture them sorry.

 

[Mustapha]

Definitely Chop Suey

Yes the Whitby Cafe was gramp's place.

Thank you bkeith for being persistent with this. Thank you Anna for your collaboration.

There will be some reminiscing in the Quan and Low households over the next few days.

I wish the families had saved a menu or something...

 

[Mustapha]

Google streetview shows that these days there is a BMO on the corner- but it's not this building.

I hope someone can go out to Weston sometime... there are quite a few Weston pictures on the interwebz that could use a matching up.

 

[Mustapha]

King and York - looking east on King just west of York 1908-2010

Sorry, I will make them bigger!

The panorama of 1856 Toronto was taken from the roof of the five story Rossin House in the centre right of your Then photo, Alden.

http://www.toronto.ca/archives/earliest_3_ab&h.htm

I've often walked by and thought about gaining access to the present office tower to do a Then and Now, but I haven't worked up the nerve.

 

[Mustapha]

October 23 addition.

I'm only doing this Then and Now set to advertise the Trinity College Book sale. It's a great place to buy books for cheap, even the real old and obscure stuff the the online sellers want ransoms for can be obtained here for pocket money.

I'm gonna die with the biggest library on the street.

Trinity College is on Hoskins avenue. It's a few paces east of Hoskins and Devonshire Place. Closest subway station is Museum station. The weather is still warm. Please take a stroll up or down Philosophers Walk nearby.

 

[ambleDexterous]

My Mom also lived on Manning near Follis in the 20s in a house her grandfather James Yates, stone mason built which is BTW still standing.

I'll say it's soulless. Particularly after the first picture. My dad, who lived on Manning Avenue in 1920 or so, was a "butcher boy" and did deliveries on his bicycle for a local firm. But I think the butcher was Murphy.

 

[bkeith]

Yes the Whitby Cafe was gramp's place.

Thank you bkeith for being persistent with this. Thank you Anna for your collaboration.

There will be some reminiscing in the Quan and Low households over the next few days.

I wish the families had saved a menu or something...

Wow, that's great confirmation. But he didn't run it under the Silver Lantern name? I'm not sure when it operated as that. In the 70s and 80s it was "The Chalet" steak house. I presumed the Silver Lantern was just before that.

If he did run it as Silver Lantern, and you were interested in the signs, I can arrange that.

 

[ambleDexterous]

I just discovered this thread and absolutely love all the the posts . Just wanted to thank you for posting these shots of trees on Jarvis. So beautiful.

Returning to Jarvis Street: September 1916, the Parks Dept. takes an extraordinary series of photographs of the trees of Jarvis Street.

Beautiful and evocative of Alfred Stieglitz in Manhattan.

 

[Mustapha]

...and you were interested in the signs, I can arrange that.

lol no leave it where it is, thanks!

bkeith, my mom says she is reasonably certain gramps operated it as Whitby Cafe. Gramps was back in Toronto by about 1953. That photo was taken in the 40's judging by the fashions and the cars. Gramps was out there in the 40s.

 

[Mustapha]

My Mom also lived on Manning near Follis in the 20s in a house her grandfather James Yates, stone mason built which is BTW still standing.

Welcome ambleDexterous and Hello.

 

[Mustapha]

September 26 addition.

Then. Alexander Muir Gardens. Guessing 1950-ish. Looking west. That's the Muir Park Hotel on the west side of Yonge street.

Now. August 2010. Condominiums now. The hotel was demolished around 1980. Those hedges may be the same in the Then and Now pics. Some of them can live for decades.

October 24 addition.

Let me add a bit to my recent posting about Alexander Muir Gardens.

nomoreatorontonian remembers attending the ceremonies when the park was opened in 1952 at Yonge south of Lawrence

Prior to 1952, it was located a few feet north of where the subway tunnel portal between Davisville and St. Clair subway stations is now. It's not too difficult to figure out why they moved it, although I must admit it didn't dawn on me right away.

The old apartment building at the upper right of the Then picture still exists, although it is behind those trees in the Now picture.

Now. August 2010.

In the Now view below, I should actually be about 30 feet to the left/west of this fence, but I felt it was too much of a risk to hop it.

Now. August 2010.

 

[NomoreaTorontonian]

I'd love to see the maple leaves in Leslieville or in Alexander Muir Park or anywhere around Toronto. Pictures, anyone?

Here leaves turn to rust (the colour, not the substance) and many stay on the trees till December. On autumns trips to Toronto in the past ten years I have often walked along the sidewalks kicking leaves (when nobody is looking). Kicking leaves and stealing ice off the back of the ice truck. Aahhh! Childhood!

 

[thecharioteer]

Aerial of Queen's Park area, 1930's. Note the building in the upper-right hand corner near the corner of Grosvenor and Bay. It's the Kenson Apartments, built in 1927, on the Inventory of Heritage Properties, and was in the process of being demolished yesterday as part of the Women's College Hospital redevelopment:

 

[DSC]

"Why not go down to Leslieville + gather-up some Maple leaves!" QUOTE.

The above was in reference to fallen maple leaves from The Tree at Maple Cottage, (Laing Ave ?)

it being the subject of The Song "The Maple Leaf Forever".

Yes indeed! See: http://torontogardens.blogspot.com/2009/06/secret-garden-maple-cottage.html or http://www.utoronto.ca/icm/0101b.html

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

Regarding the above:

Gather some Maple Leaves, blot them, + put them in a favourite book for safekeeping. If they stain the pages,

ALL THE BETTER, - they are The Maple Leaves!

I put some of mine years ago, in my Robertson's Landmarks.

Regards,
J T