chriskayTO
Active Member
I'm loving that big 'ol early '70s Chevy Impala in that shot. It makes me wonder, with cars that huge, it must have been quite the challenge to parallel park!
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Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now
- Thread starter Mustapha
- Start date
Goldie
Senior Member
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.
There are many Bank of Nova Scotia artifacts at the Guild.
A couple of my favorites:
And many other pieces of buildings are scattered about the Guild grounds:
Mustapha
Senior Member
November 29 addition.
Then. "Kingston Road at Blantyre. 196-" This view is earlier than the 1960s - 50s I think. View is looking E.
Now. November 2010.
Then. "Kingston Road at Blantyre. 196-" This view is earlier than the 1960s - 50s I think. View is looking E.
Now. November 2010.
adma
Superstar
Naw, it looks more 60s to me--maybe the snowed-up car on the right makes it seem otherwise. (If that's a "boxed-in" Sunoco sign in the background, it all but confirms its being 1960s.)
Goldie
Senior Member
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.
An interesting element of the Commerce Court construction is mentioned in this photo caption:
Bay-Wellington St. : Commerce Court development re. search for grave of Stella Vanzant.
Image of grave diggers - construction men digging up old grave at the site of the old Osler building while Rev. Walter Gelling Dean of St. James Cathedral looks on.
Mustapha
Senior Member
It's Sunoco all right...
Mustapha
Senior Member
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:
I had come across this colour picture in the Toronto Archives but didn't know the history or location, thanks thecharioteer.
chriskayTO, parking those 60s "boats" - one could actually turn ones body almost 90 degrees around there was so much room in the front seat. This helped.
Mustapha
Senior Member
An interesting element of the Commerce Court construction is mentioned in this photo caption:
Bay-Wellington St. : Commerce Court development re. search for grave of Stella Vanzant.
Image of grave diggers - construction men digging up old grave at the site of the old Osler building while Rev. Walter Gelling Dean of St. James Cathedral looks on.
Goldie, was this some sort of unsolved Cold Case?
Mustapha
Senior Member
November 30 addition.
Then. June 14, 1938. 196 Hamilton Street.
Now. November 2010.
Then. June 14, 1938. 196 Hamilton Street.
Now. November 2010.
Mustapha
Senior Member
Totally unrelated to Toronto; this is Dez Santana's mainly fantastic take on Then and Now in New York City. I posted the link a couple of years ago but I thought it worth a re-look.
http://dezsantana.com/then_now/slideshow
http://dezsantana.com/then_now/slideshow
Goldie
Senior Member
Detective needed!
The York U. Archive gives no further info regarding this mysterious photo.
A brief search of Google did not assist with the key words, 'Stella Vanzant.'
Perhaps another of our viewers will know the story.
It's a fine mystery!
The York U. Archive gives no further info regarding this mysterious photo.
A brief search of Google did not assist with the key words, 'Stella Vanzant.'
Perhaps another of our viewers will know the story.
It's a fine mystery!
Last edited:
wwwebster
Active Member
Hazarding a guess here…
According to Volume 5 of Robertson’s Landmarks of Toronto, in 1807 some lots on the north side of Wellington (then Market), east of Bay, and on the south side of King, east of Bay, were occupied by a John Vanzante. It seems we’re likely talking about the pioneer gravesite of his wife or another female relative.
http://www.archive.org/stream/landmarkstoronto05robeuoft#page/n5/mode/2up
According to Volume 5 of Robertson’s Landmarks of Toronto, in 1807 some lots on the north side of Wellington (then Market), east of Bay, and on the south side of King, east of Bay, were occupied by a John Vanzante. It seems we’re likely talking about the pioneer gravesite of his wife or another female relative.
http://www.archive.org/stream/landmarkstoronto05robeuoft#page/n5/mode/2up
thecharioteer
Senior Member
The Osler Building was on the SE corner of Melinda and Jordan according to this 1945-56 Business Section City of Toronto map from U of T (http://maps.chass.utoronto.ca/cgi-b...le=Business+section+City+of+Toronto+1945-1956)
There are two pictures in the Toronto Archives of this interesection, but it's hard to tell which direction we're looking (they're showing the aftermath of a bank robbery July 24, 1923:
There are two pictures in the Toronto Archives of this interesection, but it's hard to tell which direction we're looking (they're showing the aftermath of a bank robbery July 24, 1923:
Goldie
Senior Member
Fortunately, the UT CSI team is on the case and finding valuable clues.
Good work gang!
Is there any online access to Toronto Telegram news files (or other news organization) that may describe the "Stella Vanzant" event?
The date of the photo may be 1969, but I'm not certain.
Good work gang!
Is there any online access to Toronto Telegram news files (or other news organization) that may describe the "Stella Vanzant" event?
The date of the photo may be 1969, but I'm not certain.
Urban09
New Member
Before excavating for the site of Commerce Court in 1969, the Bank of Commerce did an archaeological dig supervised by the provincial government, Mt Pleasant Cemetery and the Anglican Church. Allegedly a grave-sized plot had never been conveyed by John Vanzant, the owenr of the surrounding three and a half acres, in 1815, and it was thought that his daughter Stella was buried there.After excavating to a depth of twelve feet and not finding a body, the Bank of Commerce got the all-clear to continue construction. I came across this story earlier this year in reseraching a sequel to Unbuilt Toronto. It's a neat anecdote about that site.