Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Mustapha]

Oh, m'god! What a coincidence!
I photographed the same house in October.

One of these days we'll trip over each others camera straps. [Actually my camera, a Nikon D60 with Tamron 17-50 2.8 lens is small enough to fit in my briefcase, where it usually hides...]



1990. Paul Janz. Music video. Nice shots of Union Station and the King Edward Hotel. Catchy tune. "Every Little Tear". Anyone remember 1990? My youngest was 1 year old.

Where were you in 1990? Yes you.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YeBTNM--mk



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[adma]

Terrific porn star name.

 

[paraone]

Goldie, What street did you grow up on? Seems like we have the same stomping grounds, just a few generations apart.
I grew up on Strathcona, My mother grew up on Carlaw and my grandmother grew up on Milverton....

I was looking at some shots of Jones back in the 40's... what a gorgeous street, did the city ever f*ck that street up with widening.

 

[Blovertis]

Those last photos prove that we just don't do shabby the way we used to. There can be nothing even remotely picturesque about old vinyl siding and pressure-treated wood.

 

[Anna]

Thanks Anna, i saw those but they generally look west from pape or carlaw showing the track and bridge work, I'm more interested in seeing a view looking east, showing what occupied the site of Gerrard Square.

Based on the proximity to the railway tracks I would have thought it was something industrial, but that appears not to have been the case.

 

[NomoreaTorontonian]

Originally Posted by DSC
OXO always reminds me of the Oxo Building/Tower on the south bank of the Thames in London, near the Tate Modern. When it was built the City prohibited any advertisements on buildings in that location so the architect designed the tower with windows that are shaped like Xs and Os. Yes, they spell OXO. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OXO_Tower

I'm wondering if this was a form of nourishment for the less well off - aimed at the family that couldn't afford even beef bones to make soup broth...

An Asian equivalent might be fermented tofu - you can buy it in jars - a cube or two with some steamed rice makes for a meal that costs pennies. My gramps told me he ate this in Toronto in the 20s and 30s; on Saturday they got a pork chop. He introduced it to me. The tofu; not the pork chops.

Ovaltine... another ancient product that no one drinks or talks about; but Loblaws still carries it.

But you never had Marmite--commonly known over here as the spread you either love or hate. I belong in the second category.

 

[paraone]

amazing what was lost on Gerrard.... to think of what that strip would have become if left intact. Thanks Anna.

 

[Goldie]

The old neighbourhood

Goldie, What street did you grow up on? Seems like we have the same stomping grounds, just a few generations apart.
I grew up on Strathcona, My mother grew up on Carlaw and my grandmother grew up on Milverton....

Here's my birthplace on Donlands Ave., just north of Milverton.
Your grandmother and I are probably from the same generation.

 

[Mustapha]

Those last photos prove that we just don't do shabby the way we used to. There can be nothing even remotely picturesque about old vinyl siding and pressure-treated wood.

So true. I would rather scrape and paint and leave it up hoping it won't fall down or tear it all down than cover up but that's me. Each homeowner to their taste and I think taste can be severely impacted by the available budget.

But you never had Marmite--commonly known over here as the spread you either love or hate. I belong in the second category.

No, but I've had a taste of my son's Nutella; truly strange stuff. But then he's my son.






'

 

[Mustapha]

November 11 addition.



We'll get back to Jones Avenue tomorrow night.

UTer nomoreatorontonian has kindly sent me two images of her father; as a boy, and then as an older but still young, bugler.

Below: "Remembrance Day 1928".

nomoreatorontonian: Was the second picture taken at Queen's Park or the grounds of the University of Toronto? Is that your father on right? Do you know what Regiment he was in?






Wounded veterans convalesced at the Christie Street Veteran's Hospital. It's no longer there.



http://www.archive.org/stream/illustratedsouve00coynuoft#page/n0/mode/2up




http://www.alanbrown.com/TorontoHistory/Pages_STU/Site_of_the_Christie_Street.html

http://www.toronto.ca/lestweforget/streetsigns.htm





nomoreatorontonian, thank you for your family images. Tommorrow is a sacred day of Remembrance for your Dad and those that Served.


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[NomoreaTorontonian]

Yes, that is Dad on the right, or the foremost bugler in the photo. He was in the 48th Highlanders. I don't know where the picture was taken, but I thought in front of City Hall (the old one, of course!) or in front of the Armories. It could be Queen's Park, now that you mention it. Any suggestions from others?

Strange you should find the Christie Street Hospital pictures to continue the theme. Dad died at Willowvale, the civilian successor to Christie Street Hospital, in 1998, not that far from Borden Street where he was born.

 

[Mustapha]

The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association and Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Harvards flying over the Yonge and Lawrence area this morning Nov 11 2010 11:11am headed SE towards downtown.

I heard the engines and had the good fortune to have a 250mm lens mounted on my camera and about 5 seconds to take the shot. I nearly trampled the cat getting out the front door.

Excuse the branch.

Crop of above pic.

Wouda turned out nicer if I had time to get a lens hood on; I was shooting nearly into the sun - oh well...

edit.

added goldie's retouched photo below. It's an improvement from my "out-of-camera" for sure, sense of drama in this picture now. Thanks goldie.

 

[NomoreaTorontonian]

The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has opened a new website today with a collection of the names to be found on commemorative plaques in schools throughout Greater Toronto.
http://torontofamilyhistory.org/kingandcountry

 

[wwwebster]

http://www.archive.org/stream/illustratedsouve00coynuoft#page/n0/mode/2up

What an excellent collection of images; thanks!

In keeping with the Rememberance Day theme:

http://www.archive.org/stream/torontodoesherbi00grov#page/n1/mode/2up

 

[Mustapha]

November 12 addition.





We segue from Remembrance back to Jones Avenue but we don't leave Heroism behind just yet.



The Heroine of 511 Jones Avenue.




UTer "ValsHere" sends me the 1936 newspaper clip below to post for everyone.

I'll let her tell the story:




"My mother received a Carnegie Award for an act of bravery and was awarded $500.00 which was a sizeable sum in that day. My Mom lived at 511 Jones Ave (she was born at College & Grace) after her father died and attended Riverdale Collegiate.


The article either ran in the Star or the Telegram, and my Aunt didn't have the [exact] date it originally ran. I noticed that Jones Avenue was mentioned on Urban Toronto.
That money was saved and it enabled my parents to buy their first home after the war ended and my Dad came back home. It's something I sure never gave much thought to as a kid. Her Carnegie Medal was given to my oldest brother after she died in 2002. "





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"I would like you to know that both my parents would be thrilled the Urban Toronto is up and running. Toronto was very important to both my parents and I know they would be sad to see what has become of some of our beautiful majestic buildings. How do you keep progressive without sacrificing so much continuity?

I thought this might be interesting if not heartwarming.........One of my mother's textbooks from when she would have been in Grade 11. The opening page is signed by many of her friends and classmates. Considering my Mom was born in 1919, I don't think many of the "kids" who signed her book would still be with us. It sure gives credence to the old saying that "times change, but people do not". I wonder if those young people thought that their country would be at war again in their not so distance future. The book dates back to 1935."

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"The young heroine married my father on October 23, 1940 at Riverdale Presbyterian Church on Pape Ave. Dad was on leave so they could tie the knot. Hard to believe that it was 70 years ago. I came along in 1958 as quite a big surprise to them.
Dad died in 1983 and Mom died in 2002."

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Sharp eyed readers may note that ValsHere's mom's classmates signed either in pencil or fountain pen; no markers, gel pens or rollerballs here. They certainly trained youngsters to put ink to paper stylishly too; what calligraphic flourishes.




"Le Voyage de Monsieur Perrichon", a comedy in four parts, by Eugène Labiche... I wonder if they read this in the French. And I wonder if as a result these youngsters ran around 1930s Toronto speaking French as well as Molière.





Thank you ValsHere for telling us about your Mom.


There is no higher human achievement than personal physical bravery.


It was my privilege to post this.


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