Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[slickrick]

Little Trinity Church

A few then's and a couple now's of Little Trinity Church on King St E. The oldest church building in the city.



1880

1910

1930's

On Fire in 1961

2010

2010

 

[Goldie]

Slickrick -- Something's amiss with your postings -- I can see only this "?" instead of photos!

 

[Mustapha]

BY GAD!

An American IMPOSTER.

(LOL)

Regards,
J T

Interesting. It's also spelled "Harbor" in this article from February 1919:

http://www.archive.org/stream/constructionjour12macduoft#page/34/mode/2up

Very strange indeed. In 1960s Toronto, grade school teachers made crystal clear to me what the acceptable spelling was. I wonder if it holds true now? Anyone know a ten-year-old they can ask?

in the Canadian Tire 'then' gas bar pic-anyone catch the price of anti-freeze on the sign? $2.89? -somewhat pricey for 1959?

kitestate: a quick tour of a couple of "inflation-over-time" websites and here is a "back of envelope" for you.

$2.50 per hour was a good wage in 1959, so the $2.89 gallon of anti-freeze was a bit more than an hours wages.

$20.00 per hour is a median wage today in 2010. A gallon of anti-freeze generally goes for about $17.00 so it's a bit less than an hours wages. So, not much change.

Certain things at Canadian Tire have come down drastically in price. Up until about the mid 80s, power and hand tools used to be expensive lifetime purchases. Then factories in Southern American states, then Mexico, now Chinese factories achieved economies of production through lower wages and we know the rest.

remixed... and look...Gas is actually cheap....

Yep, only $1.05 litre. Now, most of us will fondly remember the days when we spent only $70.00 per week on gas for the commute.









November 19 addition.





Then. Pape and Gertrude looking SE. April 19, 1927.

Now. October 2010.

 

[Goldie]

I really admire that Harbour Commission Building.
She's like a grandmother surrounded every day by more and more grandchildren. - and they're all so tall!

 

[NomoreaTorontonian]

Interesting. It's also spelled "Harbor" in this article from February 1919:

http://www.archive.org/stream/constructionjour12macduoft#page/34/mode/2up

In the 1861 census the commonest occupation was "laborer"--I haven't seen any enumerator from then spell it any other way. You've noticed "harbor" in 1919. I wonder when Canadians put the "u" back? Certainly way before the spellers we had in school just after WW2.

 

[donoreo]

I really admire that Harbour Commission Building.
She's like a grandmother surrounded every day by more and more grandchildren. - and they're all so tall!

Yes, a shame really. We are told that the Gardner is what keeps the city from the waterfront. They are wrong, it is the wall of condos. Looks horrible.

 

[Aladone]

I put these togther way back when and just remembered when I saw these posts about the HCB.

 

[junctionist]

Yes, a shame really. We are told that the Gardner is what keeps the city from the waterfront. They are wrong, it is the wall of condos. Looks horrible.

Actually, generally speaking, the wall of condos is the city, and the ones built on the normal grid of streets north of Queen's Quay don't keep the city from the waterfront.

Speaking specifically, however, the condos you see in that photo, Harbour Square built south of Queen's Quay at almost the water's edge, certainly do keep people from the water's edge. Look at the enormous amount of waterfront space those high-rise buildings take up, allowing for very few opportunities to get lakeside. They're built at the most central part of the waterfront too, which is truly unfortunate. Their sterile architecture doesn't help the situation, either.

Harbour Square is highly problematic. But I often hear of condos in general keeping the city from the lake, which doesn't make any sense, because they're built on private land along the streets we use to get to the waterfront. It's not like streets were closed and built on. If the condos north of Queen's Quay weren't there, access to the waterfront would be exactly the same.

 

[Mustapha]

November 20 addition.




Then. Pape and Lipton looking NE. April 19, 1927.

Now. October 2010.

 

[ReiwaMagi]

November 20 addition.




Then. Pape and Lipton looking NE. April 19, 1927.

Now. October 2010.

The cloudy day makes the now picture quite bad..

I also feel kind of sad of the people that lived in those houses before they got expropriated for Pape station.

 

[adma]

The cloudy day makes the now picture quite bad.

Compounded, of course, by the current boarded-up-for-renos state of Pape Station.

 

[spider]

A couple of clicks and voila!

 

[Goldie]

Mustapha and I seem to have a habit of following each other.
Here's what I did last year (attached):

 

[Goldie]

And while in the neighbourhood, I did these too:

 

[Mustapha]

Aladone, thank you for those THC mash ups. While not exactly forlorn, the THC in its modern situation (off ramp running in front of it) could do with some breathing space... again. That will be solved when the Gardiner is torn down, falls down, or is buried.



Thanks spider, that enhanced picture looks great. I can't trust my eyes these days. I will be mindful of correct exposure in the future.



Goldie, the Danforth sure cleaned up nicely over the decades.






November 21 addition.




UTer "ValsHere" sent this vintage advertisement to me. I'll incorporate it as an "added-value" for todays addition. The value add is a bit of period charm.

Then. Constellation Hotel. 900 Dixon Road. The photo below is dated 1965 by the online Toronto Archives. Wikipedia puts its construction date at 1962 and various internet sources cite 2003 as its closing date. A Google search using "Constellation Hotel Toronto" brings up many results including many photos; some of the "Urban Exploration" type. View is looking NW.

Now. October 2010. This is my own photo, looking up at the western profile. I wonder if the shape of the room windows was influenced by or supposed to evoke aircraft front windscreen cockpit windows. Re-construction is stopped at the moment; perhaps they've run out of money.

Between 1990 and 2000 or so [relying on my own memory here], there was a 1950s era Constellation aircraft parked outside the hotel. It functioned as a bar and meeting room. I wish I could find an online picture. It was quite the thing to see.


As the 1960s passes farther into history; those old enough will recall when space exploration and scientific development influenced the naming of things. So, to imbue products and services with the sense of being au courant; business people built Constellation hotels, the Swiss made Omega Constellation watches (replete with an observatory on the back), and widdle kids ate "astronaut ice cream". A few days ago UTer androiduk showed an "apollo" restaurant in his thread (sadly shuttered).



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