Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[barrytron3030]

i'd take the on the top. the one on the ladder looks like ursula from the little mermaid.

shame about the theatre though, it was beautiful. college, in general, has held up pretty well though.

 

[adma]

I wonder what it looked like originally. Even in the B&W shot, it looks like the rounded corner replaced an earlier tower? The windows, brick, and stone courses look way older.

I *may* have seen a picture of it originally, with corner tower or whatever. But the present brick lump dates back at least to when it supported the sign pylon of a Harvey's outlet.

When I think of it, the Algier/Lux combination marked this corner as perhaps the most Montreal-like locale in Toronto...

 

[Mustapha]

The Confederation Life Building at Yonge and Richmond had a bad fire, and I was always disappointed that its main tower wasn't rebuilt as it was. Still, at least it wasn't just torn down, as was the style at the time. I've also noticed that a number of old fire stations have been "neutered". Their lookout towers have been chopped off; the one at Berkeley and Adelaide comes to mind.

I read somewhere once - can't find the article - that the towers were also used for hanging up the hoses to empty out/dry out so they could be stored/rolled up.

It's an inspirational local example of how nicely a building can be rebuilt. It looks to have been definitely worth it, since there aren't that many such towers in Toronto.

And sometimes they just remove towers (not firehall related in this example, but have a look ).



March 15 addition.


500 Queen east.

They bricked up a window while they were at it.

.

 

[junctionist]

Removing turrets and spires was quite common it seems.

EDIT - But removing various windows, trim, and the entire mansard roof level would be just stupid. Perhaps there was a fire.

 

[jks]

OMG, the tree moved!!!!!
Of all these pictures, that has to be the worst defacement ever. Why leave the underside of the tiny balconies, if you already MUST remoce the spire

 

[egotrippin]

Well that's sad, though I still really like the Dominion as it is now; I love our red brick and sandstone vernacular. I wonder if some of these old structures will see a recreation of their removed elements years afterwards (or have any already). Many European cities rebuilt destroyed buildings to the original specifications, but it doesn't seem to be widely practiced here. I wouldn't condemn it as faux recreation if it was done to spec, and done well. There are a lot of old structures that deserve to reclaim their lost splendour.

 

[DSC]

. Many European cities rebuilt destroyed buildings to the original specifications, but it doesn't seem to be widely practiced here. I wouldn't condemn it as faux recreation if it was done to spec, and done well. There are a lot of old structures that deserve to reclaim their lost splendour.

There are some examples of long-lost architectural features being rebuilt in Toronto. The office building (ex factory?) on the se corner of Church and The Esplanade and the one on ne corner of King and Parliament both quite recently had their decorative metal capping (just below roof line) replaced after many years. There were also plans (or hopes) to recreate the tower on the Tim Hortons on Parliament and Winchester - that never happened.

 

[Mustapha]

OMG, the tree moved!!!!!
Of all these pictures, that has to be the worst defacement ever. Why leave the underside of the tiny balconies, if you already MUST remoce the spire

And someone took down the flagpole from the building to the left too. I love looking at these old and new pictures to 'spot the differences' - like the silly picture pairs in 'People' magazine.

There are some examples of long-lost architectural features being rebuilt in Toronto. The office building (ex factory?) on the se corner of Church and The Esplanade and the one on ne corner of King and Parliament both quite recently had their decorative metal capping (just below roof line) replaced after many years. There were also plans (or hopes) to recreate the tower on the Tim Hortons on Parliament and Winchester - that never happened.

If I was fortunate enough to own a building with a tower, I'd live in the tower, or rent to someone appreciative of such a unique space. Or I'd turn it into a small party space with constellations painted on the ceiling and a vintage telescope in the corner.

March 16 addition:

College and Lippincott looking W.

 

[Mustapha]

March 17 addition:


A walk thorough Regent Park. Lots happening in this area. Let's call it 'Regent Park Then and Now'.

I don’t necessarily have a predilection for citing Wikipedia, but this article seems balanced..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent_Park



1 -3 Taylor Street

130 River Street

2 – 16 St David Street looking E from Parliament

St. David Street looking W towards Parliament

Arnold looking N from St David.

St. David and Parliament looking SE

1938 year - Regent looking N from Shuter

1944 year - Regent looking N from Shuter

River and Taylor

32 Oak

This newer United Church is probably located 100ft or so to the east of its old location.

632 Dundas St. E

River and Gerrard, looking NE

Shuter looking S from Park (now Nelson Mandela Park) school. I couldn’t get to the school’s 3rd floor window..from where the original pic was shot.

Guess where?

Gerrard looking W from the west end of the Don bridge

Gerrard looking E from River st.

 

[condovo]

That last pairing shows a very decent street-scape just obliterated.

 

[adma]

Now, that's one perverse Bovril billboard.

Interesting, too, how the replacement "607 housing" looks at least a decade older than it is (the closest thing to a giveaway, other than its freshness in the photo, is the very vaguely Moderne-esque blocked porch piers)--and even so, it seems like a prototypal effort at "urban renewal"...

 

[Mustapha]

March 18 addition.


Spadina and College looking NE.

 

[smuncky]

one of the best running threads on UT.

thanks for all your work mustapha.

 

[Earlscourt_Lad]

Gerrard looking E from River st.

My great-grandfather worked at Sheet Metal Products, the factory on the right in this view, during the First World War. Interesting to see a photo of this building.

 

[yyzhyd]

one of the best running threads on UT.

thanks for all your work mustapha.

Totally agree... I LOVE this thread and Toronto!
Thanks again for sharing Mustapha.