Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[thecharioteer]

A few of the BoM sculptures:

 

[Mustapha]

November 25 addition.





Then. Dec 12 1950.



#130 - 136 Kingston Road. Not 98 - 104 as the photo description states. It's wrong. Your intrepid Mustapha was there. Referring to myself in the third person; is this some kind of new vanity or not?. This is a couple blocks north of Queen street.






Please be prepared to be amazed. Not on the scale of BOM and Globe and Mail King street or thecharioteer's bottomless well of apropos images amazed but still amazed, ok?















Here goes.

Overwhelmed yet?












































Now. November 2010. Woods' Drug store is still trading! Coming up 60 years next month just for the photo; they have been there longer than that; I wonder how long? Amazed?

No?

Why not?

Well. Then. You know what else hasn't changed? Their phone number. That's. Pretty. Amazing. People.

 

[Mustapha]

I think I may have posted that incorrectly. Way to go, me!

<take 2>
Always good to come back and see this thread going strong. Last time I was here I think Mustapha and Aladone were the main contributors, but it's awesome to see Goldie's adds in there as well.

Excellent work as always, all. Makes me wish I continued to be an avid shutterbug myself.
</take 2>

\


Heya cbab, nice photoblog of yours:

http://www.fabricated.ca/photos/index.php

 

[Mustapha]

aladone, your Remix, reminded me that social media as represented by dead wood and ink [see pile of newspapers on street corner] ...... well, I won't editorialize.

 

[thecharioteer]

Two more views of the demolished Globe and Mail Building on the NE corner of King and York. One could stand on York Street and look through the large windows at the newspapers being printed in the basement below. "Hot off the press" had a literal meaning in those days (yes, that is the Campbell House passing by to the north):

To the left:

And one more of its sculptures:

 

[Oldcamera]

Foreground building is the old Toronto Star building. The camera store with the white sign just west of the Star awning is King Camera. I worked there in 1969. The TD and Royal Trust tower was across the street. Great neighborhood then!!

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

We should also not forget that "hamburger joint", WINSTON'S,

although, it's last owner

may be relegated.

Regards,
J T

 

[Mustapha]

Two more views of the demolished Globe and Mail Building on the NE corner of King and York. One could stand on York Street and look through the large windows at the newspapers being printed in the basement below. "Hot off the press" had a literal meaning in those days...

Neighbouring newspapers Hamilton Spectator and Buffalo News are still like this after a fashion. Publisher on the top floor, executives a floor below, managers a floor below that, reporters again a floor below that. Business offices on the ground floor serving walk in traffic. Presses and paper storage in an annex or a basement. The Buffalo News offices still has a sign offering the quaint service of hardcopy back issues.

 

[Mustapha]

Foreground building is the old Toronto Star building. The camera store with the white sign just west of the Star awning is King Camera. I worked there in 1969. The TD and Royal Trust tower was across the street. Great neighborhood then!!

First I've heard of King Camera... as a youngster in 1969 I would hang around Japan Camera at Yonge and Dundas (located where the H&M entrance is now) with my paper route money and oogle the merch.

 

[Mustapha]

November 26 addition.




Then. "April 30, 1934. Boat House Silver Birch Avenue".

Now. November 2010. Sorry I didn't make it here sooner; the snow fence wrecks the shot a little bit. The long shadows at this time of year makes for less than ideal picture taking.



I wonder if those two trees behind are the same as in the Then picture?

 

[Mustapha]

I'll be away from my PC for a bit. Back on Sunday around midnight.



Re: recent discussions about Guild Inn, here is their 1961 brochure. Thanks to Ut-er ValsHere for the link.


http://www.uer.ca/locations/viewgal.asp?picid=286912

 

[thecharioteer]

Neighbouring newspapers Hamilton Spectator and Buffalo News are still like this after a fashion. Publisher on the top floor, executives a floor below, managers a floor below that, reporters again a floor below that. Business offices on the ground floor serving walk in traffic. Presses and paper storage in an annex or a basement. The Buffalo News offices still has a sign offering the quaint service of hardcopy back issues.

The architectural logic of that arrangement, of course, had a lot to do with the enormous weight of the presses which rested on a slab-on-grade in the basement. I toured the Globe builiding in the early 70's and the top floor included a private apartment for the publisher for those late nights......

 

[Oldcamera]

First I've heard of King Camera... as a youngster in 1969 I would hang around Japan Camera at Yonge and Dundas (located where the H&M entrance is now) with my paper route money and oogle the merch.

King Camera had three locations within blocks of each other. (Yonge King, Bay at Temperance, as well as the Star building. Run by Earl Eiensenstat, a bare knuckle owner who did pretty good. We used to supply Star and Globe photographers with last minute supplies if theirs ran out. Also had to lug rental audio-visiual equipment to offices in the TD Centre. Lots of fun carrying those while jaywalking across King. Those were the days!!

 

[thecharioteer]

A Then and Now photo essay on the lost Bank of Nova Scotia building at 39 King Street West, replaced by Commerce Court. One of the more interesting lost buildings of the Financial District, as much for its almost-Baroque use of a narrow mid-block site as for its architecture. Older B&W pics are from the Panda archives:

From the Toronto Archives:

What remains (back to the Guild Inn):

 

[HHC]

]

Wow, that looked spectacular. It makes me wonder if they ever saved the facade from any of the several buildings which were lost to accommodate FCP and stored it somewhere. Reconstruction's in order!