Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Hudson8]

Can't clearly make out the truck in the "then"picture, but it appears to be a late 50's Chev panel truck..57 to around 59 I believe

 

[someMidTowner]

Maybe there is a way to date the photo based on the Coca-Cola logo to the left of the one-way sign??

 

[k10ery]

Less fun, but you can also google it: York U, Toronto Telegram Fonds, 1958.

 

[Mustapha]

AlbertHWagstaff, Goldie, Hudson8, someMidTowner, k10ery has ridden to our rescue.

I'd forgotten I'd grabbed that old Kensy market picture from the York U website. Thank you k10ery.

 

[Mustapha]

Then and Now for August 3.


Then. 201 Yonge. Colonial Tavern. 1961.

Now. April 2012.

http://www.blogto.com/city/2012/01/a_closer_look_at_a_crucial_heritage_site_in_toronto/


.

 

[ShonTron]

Lansdowne Ave., widened in 1946, narrowed again in 1998. Nice little chronicle of the beginning and end of our love affair with the motor car.

And the electric trolley bus!

The first image must be c. 1946. The Lansdowne trolley bus started up in 1947.

 

[Mustapha]

And the electric trolley bus!

The first image must be c. 1946. The Lansdowne trolley bus started up in 1947.

As they say, 'nostalgia ain't what it used to be'; but the hum and whir of those electric trolleys is missed. The air in Toronto smelled better back in those days too (fewer diesel buses); although I am sure there is a study somewhere that says the air pollution created by electric trolleys was/is merely transferred to the areas near coal powered generating stations.





Heya, it's the weekend.


'New York: In the footsteps of Titanic survivors
Survivors landed in NYC. Retracing their steps a century later gives a sense of old and new Manhattan.'

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-titanicnewyork-20120415,0,5086528.story

 

[Mustapha]

Heya,


Tommorrow night, UT-er archoman will present a series of never-before-seen-on-the-internet pictures of the 25 King West CIBC tower. Yes, the old one built in 1930. archoman took the pictures himself in 1969 and 1976 and I can assure they are a visual delight of the composition, atmosphere, light and texture that only images shot on film can offer. And, yes, there will be an aerial.


-Moose

 

[DSC]

MTP-T&N fans may want to look at the recently digitised book of photographs of Toronto homes from 191?. It's:

Toronto : a city of beautiful homes / [J.R. Wilson, photographer].

Published by [Toronto] : Press Pub. Co., [191-?] ([Toronto] : Hunter-Rose Co.)

and is available - free - at http://digitool.library.mcgill.ca/webclient/DeliveryManager?&pid=103436

Maybe someone wants to do the "nows" for those still left?

 

[Urban Shocker]

Gosh, a city of beautiful homes! But, of those that have since been lost to us, how many of these stocky late Victorian or Edwardian houses are the sort of structures that we'd give a deep sigh over, and say wistfully, "gone ... but not forgotten ... " ?

 

[Mustapha]

Heya,


Tommorrow night, UT-er archoman will present a series of never-before-seen-on-the-internet pictures of the 25 King West CIBC tower. Yes, the old one built in 1930. archoman took the pictures himself in 1969 and 1976 and I can assure they are a visual delight of the composition, atmosphere, light and texture that only images shot on film can offer. And, yes, there will be an aerial.


-Moose

"now known as Commerce Court North, [it] was built in 1930 as the headquarters of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, a precursor bank to the current main tenant. The building was the site of Toronto's first Wesleyan Methodist Church, a small wood chapel surrounded by woods (which later became the Metropolitan United Church) from 1818 to 1831, then as Theatre Royal from 1833 onwards.[8] From 1887 to 1927 it was home to a seven storey head office of the the Canadian Bank of Commerce, which was demolished to make way for Commerce Court North.[9]

Commerce Court North was designed by the Canadian firm Pearson and Darling with the American bank specialists York and Sawyer as consulting architects, the 34-storey limestone clad tower was the tallest building in the British Empire/Commonwealth for roughly three decades, until 1962. At the time of its construction, the building was one of the most opulent corporate headquarters in Canada, and featured a public observation deck (since closed to the public due to safety and liability concerns)."

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



On to the pictures.


Thanks to archoman for grabbing a camera in 1969 and 1976 and taking these pictures, and saving them down through the years for us.

Here's an interesting one; taken from the long closed Toronto Dominion Tower observation deck.

And just for fun, archoman provides us couple of 1930s views:

Here's my contribution; some shots taken this week.

 

[thecharioteer]

Great pics! A few more:

And some interior postcards (from Chuckman):

Note the Bank of Commerce symbol, similar to the one that has emerged in the 1905 Bank of Commerce Building at 197 Yonge (also by Darling and Pearson):

 

[Mustapha]

Note the Bank of Commerce symbol, similar to the one that has emerged in the 1905 Bank of Commerce Building at 197 Yonge (also by Darling and Pearson):

Thank you thecharioteer for your 'few more'.

It would be great if the old CIBC tower were lit at night again.

The Bank of Commerce tile... a real time capsule discovery; worthy of Pompeii, and perhaps even crafted by descendants of survivors of those Worthies.

 

[Mustapha]

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/21/magazine/Mag-21Thinking.html#1

 

[Mustapha]

Ut-er 'Eddy' has asked me to post a couple of pictures for him.

The Ontario Specialty Company on Church Street - in the midst of Pawn Shop Row - recently closed.

http://www.ryersonian.ca/article/19296/

It's whimsical window displays obviously tugged a few nostalgic heartstrings because there has been a bit of internet discussion on its closure.

Eddy provides a couple of pictures of its present status; and a closeup of the most fascinating decal on the door. Thanks Eddy; and everyone please enjoy the pictures because I don't believe the new tenants or owners will preserve that old store frontage.