Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[fiendishlibrarian]

Now and Then for Nov 11.


Then. Dundas looking E across Landsdowne. A 1972-ish [I'm guessing the date here] scene. Thank you to UTer ValsHere who sourced this picture.

Now. November 2011. The photographer of the Then picture must have used a telephoto lens... my 'wider' lens renders the downtown office towers smaller in scale.

In our Now picture, the Landsdowne Tavern - the 4 story white building on the NE corner of Landsdowne and Dundas is gone.. I'm sure it must have been a real neighbourhood fixture. It's a used car lot now, of 'dodgy' appearance - as my daughter who spent some time in the UK and picked up some local lingo would describe it. I didn't spend a lot of time in my youth in drinking places (still don't - one beer and I'm asleep; it's an Asian thing..) but I sure miss the atmosphere of the long gone Queensbury Arms on Weston Road near Eglinton. Please don't ask how I came to be a semi-regular there. Mental seque to tavern food -- I'll be spending the weekend again looking for a good toasted Club Sandwich on white with really good fries. The ones at Frans aren't cutting it... any recs gratefully accepted.

More like late 1970s-really-early 1980s, given the completion of FCP, near-completion of Royal Bank Plaza, water bumpers on the PCC, and the availability of unleaded gasoline.

 

[Mustapha]

More like late 1970s-really-early 1980s, given the completion of FCP, near-completion of Royal Bank Plaza, water bumpers on the PCC, and the availability of unleaded gasoline.

Thanks fiendishlibrarian, office towers under construction in old pictures really can be a steel and concrete substitute for an over time graph..

 

[Mustapha]

http://toronto.openfile.ca/remembrance_day

 

[FAC33]

Things to check out while you are there:


Lots of Frank Lloyd Wright, if you are into that: http://www.gowright.org/

Not to mention a very architecturally interesting downtown, the birthplace of the skyscraper as we know it. Good museums, too. And for people of a certain generation, you can recreate Ferris Buehler's Day Off (although not this time of the year...)

 

[Goldie]

Troops on University Ave. 1916

134th Overseas Battalion, C.E.F., (48th Highlanders), Toronto March 19th, 1916
Panoramic Camera Company
http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/war_panoramas/big_01z.htm

This is an amazing photo - thanks to Anna for the link.
Every face is clear and identifiable on the original web page!
Is that University Ave in the background?
I've never before seen an image of the west side across from the Armoury.

 

[Mustapha]

134th Overseas Battalion, C.E.F., (48th Highlanders), Toronto March 19th, 1916
Panoramic Camera Company
http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/war_panoramas/big_01z.htm

Commanded by Major A.A. Miller.

 

[Mustapha]

Not to mention a very architecturally interesting downtown, the birthplace of the skyscraper as we know it. Good museums, too. And for people of a certain generation, you can recreate Ferris Buehler's Day Off (although not this time of the year...)

Danke Schön.

 

[brewster]

Now and Then for Nov 11.


Then. Dundas looking E across Landsdowne. A 1972-ish [I'm guessing the date here] scene. Thank you to UTer ValsHere who sourced this picture.

Now. November 2011. The photographer of the Then picture must have used a telephoto lens... my 'wider' lens renders the downtown office towers smaller in scale.

In our Now picture, the Landsdowne Tavern - the 4 story white building on the NE corner of Landsdowne and Dundas is gone.. I'm sure it must have been a real neighbourhood fixture. It's a used car lot now, of 'dodgy' appearance - as my daughter who spent some time in the UK and picked up some local lingo would describe it. I didn't spend a lot of time in my youth in drinking places (still don't - one beer and I'm asleep; it's an Asian thing..) but I sure miss the atmosphere of the long gone Queensbury Arms on Weston Road near Eglinton. Please don't ask how I came to be a semi-regular there. Mental seque to tavern food -- I'll be spending the weekend again looking for a good toasted Club Sandwich on white with really good fries. The ones at Frans aren't cutting it... any recs gratefully accepted.

Thanks for the Queensbury reminder Mustapha. Being a Scarborough boy and used to seeing bands at the Knob Hill in the late 70's was ok but our big excursion , besides going downtown , was a trip by cab to Weston Road. The bouncers were nicer there when it came to being escorted out of the bar. Being tossed from the Knobby came with the usual 1-2 punch and a throw to the ground.

 

[Mustapha]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2057093/Google-Earth-view-London--circa-1909.html

 

[thecharioteer]

Now and Then for Nov 11.


I'll be spending the weekend again looking for a good toasted Club Sandwich on white with really good fries. The ones at Frans aren't cutting it... any recs gratefully accepted.

The Rosedale Diner, on Yonge opposite the Summerhill LCBO.

 

[Mustapha]

The Rosedale Diner, on Yonge opposite the Summerhill LCBO.

Ah, thank you!

http://vintagevacationphotos.com/index.cfm

 

[Browning Avenue]

More like late 1970s-really-early 1980s, given the completion of FCP, near-completion of Royal Bank Plaza, water bumpers on the PCC, and the availability of unleaded gasoline.

I worked for a summer in FCP in 1979, which I think had just opened the previous year or so. I don't remember about RBC Plaza at that point but I remember it being well established in the winter of 1981-82 when I worked as a money market messenger and went into it regularly. In early 1980 I recall visiting someone in the CIBC building. So 1978-79.
(I actually thought CIBC was completed before FCP but the photo indicates otherwise).

 

[adma]

I'd probably think more 75-76 re RBP.

 

[Browning Avenue]

I'd probably think more 75-76 re RBP.

Here we go. I won't vouch for the authority of this page but I think it's generally considered an accurate and reliable source.
http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=52751887&page=1

Commerce Court West 1972
First Canadian Place 1975
Royal Bank 1976 south tower, 1979 north

In the photo, Commerce at first looked to me like just a framework but on closer inspection it is indeed complete. If I'm not mistaken, the RBC tower under construction in the photo is the north tower, so we're now looking at 1976-1978.

 

[Mustapha]

Thanks for the Queensbury reminder Mustapha. Being a Scarborough boy and used to seeing bands at the Knob Hill in the late 70's was ok but our big excursion , besides going downtown , was a trip by cab to Weston Road. The bouncers were nicer there when it came to being escorted out of the bar. Being tossed from the Knobby came with the usual 1-2 punch and a throw to the ground.

Yep, we went out see the bands too.