Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Mustapha]

Then and Now for October 19, 2012.



Then. "Joseph Gearing House 1871. N of the former position of Carlton Street." [S of the present position of Carlton Street]

Now. May 2012. The present building - a condo - was built in the 1980s I think; it replaced some storefronts of late 1800s vintage. So our Gearing House has been gone for well over a hundred years. Fascinating how a picture can take you back to a moment of time; and freeze it forever...

 

[Mustapha]

Hello, all, I've been busy with "other things" (what she had me doing) but I have a contribution which might be other side of the coin; civilian buildings put to military use.

I have not been able to find particulars, but the general impression seems that the World War I "School(s) of Military Aviation" [S.of M.A] were at the University of Toronto. In February 1918, the Royal Flying Corps [RFC] was a few weeks away from becoming the Royal Air Force (formed April 1, 1918). This is another from my collection of panoramic photos and I have no idea which building forms the backdrop, or even if it was actually on the campus of the U of T...

I apologize for the quality of the photo, the framing is so perfect still (after 94 years) that I couldn't bear to dismount the original photo from the frame. The quality of the scan suffers as a result. The original image is 48"x8".

One can't help but wonder how many of these young men went into combat overseas and how many made it back.
View attachment 9509

PapaBob, you now have my undying if quizzical admiration. How does one even start building a collection as focused as panoramics with a police or military subject matter?

Have you contacted the RCAF's historian? I feel they should know of the existence of this picture. Contact at the bottom of the page here:

http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/v2/hst/index-eng.asp

 

[Goldie]

Fascinating how a picture can take you back to a moment of time; and freeze it forever...

Many photographers have spoken of the camera as a "time machine." So true!

It's quite fascinating to imagine the emotions we might feel if we were able to see photographs from the middle ages or even more ancient times.

 

[adma]

Now. May 2012. The present building - a condo - was built in the 1980s I think; it replaced some storefronts of late 1800s vintage.

I thought it replaced that 40s streamlined Kresge store...

 

[Goldie]

Then. "Joseph Gearing House 1871. N of the former position of Carlton Street." [S of the present position of Carlton Street]

During the midcentury (1950) there was a block of storefronts at the approximate site of the former Gearing House.
Those stores extended S. from the Kresge building.
Do we have access to a photo of that block before it was demolished?
I clearly recall a photography studio in that strip which always captured my attention because of interesting photographs displayed in the windows.

P.S. I've now been reminded that the photo studio on Yonge S. of College was the Royal Studio, 441 Yonge.
Owned by Bob Ellis.

 

[Anna]

During the midcentury (1950) there was a block of storefronts at the approximate site of the former Gearing House.
Those stores extended S. from the Kresge building.
Do we have access to a photo of that block before it was demolished?
I clearly recall a photography studio in that strip which always captured my attention because of interesting photographs displayed in the windows.

P.S. I've now been reminded that the photo studio on Yonge S. of College was the Royal Studio, 441 Yonge.
Owned by Bob Ellis.

 

[Goldie]

Thanks, Anna - exactly what I was looking for.

 

[thecharioteer]

Here's a close-up:

 

[Mustapha]

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/history/sydneystreets/then_&_now/default.html

 

[Mustapha]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...gg-Bond-girls-pictured-50-years-007-film.html

 

[Mustapha]

Then and Now for October 22, 2012.


Then. Boarding House. NE corner of Shuter and Dalhousie. c192-?

Now. June 2012. Still there, amazingly.

 

[DSCToronto]

Possibly not there for much longer, see thread Shuter Street Condos (@ Dalhousie, Queensgate Dev, 29s, architecture unfolded)

 

[Anna]

Then and Now for October 22, 2012.


Then. Boarding House. NE corner of Shuter and Dalhousie. c192-?

And who was Melvin Ormond Hammond, I wondered?
http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/hammond/bio.aspx

 

[adma]

Now. June 2012. Still there, amazingly.

That side party wall was better when it had 70s-style supergraphics (unfortunately replaced w/EIFS-ian "classical" a few years ago)

 

[Mustapha]

Then and Now for October 23, 2012.


Jonathan Scott House c1886. SE corner Yonge and McGill.

Now. May 2012.

It's poignant to think long vanished houses and farmhouses lined downtown Yonge at one time. Old residences can still be seen a few miles north; Yonge W side just N of Imperial (there's a couple, one is right on the corner); Yonge E side opp. Castlefield (little frame house); Yonge W side just N of Alexandra (it's a Veterinary).