Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[dt_toronto_geek]

April 4 addition. Another movie palace today. What's playing? 'Victoria the Great'. Must have been not so great if you were one of her subjects or subjected; peering up at the muzzle of her navy's quick firers.

That's about 1937-38.
What a great looking cinema, somehow this one flew under my radar. It looks like it had a short life, it was shuttered in 1955.
Going to the movies was a real event until the shopping mall boxes changed movie-going culture.

 

[allabootmatt]

It’s a thermometer, I’m pretty sure.



You’re welcome!



and I wonder if the modern St. Clair ROW’s proponents argued that there was an engineering precedence; that they were merely restoring the original configuration.. updated. The ROW makes sense to me. A shame the construction takes so long.



Earlscourt, explain this to your descendants so as to make sure they stay in family hands. Amazing the stuff that you find at the St. Lawrrence Sunday antique market.. you have to wonder why people want to let go of personalized items like sports trophies. I have nic nacks from my maternal grandfather, a man I never met, you don’t see me tossing his stuff out on the trash heap.



Granite High. Yeah, it has a ring to it.



April 4 addition. Another movie palace today. What's playing? 'Victoria the Great'. Must have been not so great if you were one of her subjects or subjected; peering up at the muzzle of her navy's quick firers.

I'm tired. I'll let some keener UTer figure out the location.

I know I always harp on this, but...could someone please tell me that that pole (and, presumably, its dozens of brothers and sisters) is temporary?

 

[Mustapha]

The gents on the bikes are on the prowl for flappers.

They look sheepish about something don't they?

Eglinton st, just west of Avenue at the same spot 7 numbers restaurant used to be located. This leased spot was supposed to be a wolfgang puck place but that soon disappeared.

That's right. I wonder why Puck didn't even risk an opening - the nabe here is Forest Hill - reasonably deep of discretionary pocket - and doesn't his name carry some cachet in culinary sectors? They might have made a profitable go of it.

That's about 1937-38.
What a great looking cinema, somehow this one flew under my radar. It looks like it had a short life, it was shuttered in 1955.
Going to the movies was a real event until the shopping mall boxes changed movie-going culture.

Under my radar too. It's a gem for sure. It never made the list of late and lamented 'greats'. Further west along Eglinton was the Nortown (a block west of Bathurst), another disappeared movie house. dt_toronto_geek; I occasionally take in a movie at a shopping mall box; and although they are charmless spaces, the stadium style seating is great as I'm just a little guy. Enough toilets too.

I know I always harp on this, but...could someone please tell me that that pole (and, presumably, its dozens of brothers and sisters) is temporary?

Looks spanking new. There's enough UTers here know about transportation stuff but poles stump us. Know anyone at Toronto Hydro?




April 5 addition:

Victoria School. Victoria street, E side, between Dundas and Gould.

 

[grey]

I know I always harp on this, but...could someone please tell me that that pole (and, presumably, its dozens of brothers and sisters) is temporary?

I believe Toronto Hydro is gradually replacing concrete poles with these longer-lasting and lower-maintenance wooden poles, ugly as they may be.

 

[condovo]

I prefer the after in that latest pair. Thanks for posting.

 

[junctionist]

Toronto Hydro brings you electricity and streetlight in every area aesthetic considerations be damned.

 

[Mustapha]

I believe Toronto Hydro is gradually replacing concrete poles with these longer-lasting and lower-maintenance wooden poles, ugly as they may be.

Thanks, that tweaked my memory. There was a thread here at UT awhile back citing Hydro that wooden poles outlasted concrete ones.

I prefer the after in that latest pair. Thanks for posting.

condovo, what's gotten into you?

Toronto Hydro brings you electricity and streetlight in every area aesthetic considerations be damned.

It was even busier back in the day when trolley wires whipped overhead across entire intersections like a wire crochet project.


April 6 addition:


Eastern Avenue bridge over the Don.

The 'now picture shows a pair of later structures.

 

[androiduk]

Colour pic provided by Mustapha. Good shooting Mustapha makes these blends possible.

 

[Tewder]

OMG, I saw Anna Neagle at the Royal Alex in a production of My Fair Lady about 25 years ago. So regal. I was with my Mother. I had no clue who Neagle was but my mother was excited.

April 4 addition. Another movie palace today. What's playing? 'Victoria the Great'. Must have been not so great if you were one of her subjects or subjected; peering up at the muzzle of her navy's quick firers.

I'm tired. I'll let some keener UTer figure out the location.

 

[Rusty]

Anna Neagle and Herbert Wilcox with photograph of Anna Neagle as Queen Victoria, in front of Avenue Theatre August 1, 1939

 

[Urban Shocker]

Good Lord, Anna Neagle. I saw her in Charlie Girl on the London stage in the mid-'60s when she was still going strong.

 

[Mustapha]

Colour pic provided by Mustapha. Good shooting Mustapha makes these blends possible.

Thanks androiduk. To me, this area has always had a downtown Manhattan vibe to it.



Urban Shocker, Rusty, Tewder.. so much love for an obscure (to North American sensibilities) British actress. I guess one has to be English to understand.



April 7 addition:


Mount Pleasant and Glengowan looking SE.

'We'll just whip a bridge thru here, excuse us.'

 

[Aaron]

Not only that, but apparently they paved right over that man as well. Tragic story.

 

[Mustapha]

Not only that, but apparently they paved right over that man as well. Tragic story.

I wonder if he was the owner of the house. His side yard and piece and quiet were about to be changed forever.





April 8 addition.

Yonge and Chatsworth, SW corner.

 

[androiduk]

This corner hasn't changed too much in 50 odd years. If you look at the black&white version of the blend, it's hard to tell what's new and what's old. Again, thanks to Mustapha for keeping the modern perspective close to the original. Take a look at the new version of the 'Capitol' sign on the theatre. Now that's minimalism!