Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[adma]

Oh, and prior to the addition--wasn't there some 80s-ish fire at Playter Hall? Might have burnt out the upper floors; though hard to tell...

 

[mattelderca]

Oh, and prior to the addition--wasn't there some 80s-ish fire at Playter Hall? Might have burnt out the upper floors; though hard to tell...

Yes, there was! I believe it was under construction, adding the new upper levels. It sat, burned out for quite some time before they made what I still believe is the illegal top floor.

There is a Playter Blvd just to the north east of here. Edit: see that in the wiki link.

 

[r937]

There is a Playter Blvd just to the north east of here.

and a heritage playter house, as well

there's a spot on the danforth where you can stand today and look north and see the house, and, if you have a good imagination, you can mentally subtract all the other buildings in the area, and see only the house in the midst of large farm fields

After being sold, the century-old Playter Farmhouse has been under construction for years. Now some say it’s no longer historic

 

[DSC]

Yes, Playter House is a listed building

Address: 28 PLAYTER CRES

Ward: 29
Status: Listed
List Date: Sep 24, 1981
Intention Date:
By-Law: N/A
Part IV Date:
Part V Date:
Heritage District: N/A
District Status: N/A
Heritage Easement Ag:
Registration Date:
Building Type: Residential
Architect/Builder:
Construction Yr.:
Details: House for John Lea Playter; c.1875 -adopted by City Council on Sept. 24, 1981
Demolition Date:
Primary Address: 28 PLAYTER CRES

 

[Goldie]

Playter family history:

<http://www.uelac.org/Loyalist-Info/extras/PLAYTER-George/PLAYTER-George-Family-Story.pdf>

An excerpt:

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

Oh, and prior to the addition--wasn't there some 80s-ish fire at Playter Hall? Might have burnt out the upper floors; though hard to tell...

NEWS
Arson investigated in Playter Hall blaze
The Toronto Star
Robert Brehl Toronto Star
22 March 1987,
450 words,
English,
A3
Copyright (c) 1987 The Toronto Star

The Ontario Fire Marshal's Office is investigating whether arson caused a $1 million early morning blaze that heavily damaged historic Playter's Hall on Danforth Ave. yesterday.

It was the second suspicious fire in 5 1/2 years at the 80-year-old heritage building that once housed a popular dance hall.

No one was hurt but thick smoke forced evacuation of 28 people from nearby apartments in the Broadview-Danforth Aves. area.

One woman had about $800 worth of jewelry stolen from her apartment after she was evacuated, said Metro police Sergeant Alan Lenathen.

Fire officials received an anonymous call on the 911 emergency line just after midnight.

The fire started in the rear of the Kostas Place Restaurant on the second floor, Platoon Chief Tom Clark said. The Greek restaurant went out of business one week ago.

Clark said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Famous dancehall

Playter Hall, a famous east-end dancehall through the 1920s, '30s and '40s, has been split into offices, stores and the restaurant. It was renovated after a fire in August, 1981, caused more than $300,000 damage.

Metro police said there were no arrests after that fire.

With tears trickling down his cheeks, the building's owner, accountant Paul Stergiou, 46, stared at the flames and explained why he suspects arson.

"I had a fear something like this was going to happen," he said. "I left at nine o'clock and locked the door behind me. No one was inside when I left."

Stergiou said he's received "intimidating threats" lately. "But this scares me to death," he said.

His office in the building was broken into twice in the last two weeks, he said. A small fire, which Stergiou put out himself, broke out in the basement two weeks ago. He paid an off-duty policeman to guard the building last Sunday night.

That was the day the restaurant was closed by the sheriff's office for unpaid debts, Stergiou said.

Stergiou said his insurance will cover only about $500,000.

Pioneer family

Playter Hall was named for a pioneer United Empire Loyalist family who settled here in 1752. The Playter family once owned a huge chunk of the Broadview-Danforth area and was responsible for its commercial development.

The hall was built by Albert Edward Playter, who died in 1941.

Hundreds of curious bystanders lined the streets in the early morning chill to watch the fire that kept 80 firefighters battling more than six hours with 17 trucks, pumpers and aerials.

Arson cited in blaze as building is gutted
The Globe and Mail
SHELLEY AMBROSE
Special to The Globe and Mail
23 March 1987,
433 words,
English,
A14

Special to The Globe and Mail

Arson is suspected in a weekend fire that gutted a building housing a Greek restaurant, an exercise studio and a ballet school. Adjacent offices and stores on Danforth Avenue at Broadview Avenue were also heavily damaged.

An estimated $1-million damage was done to the building, once the site of Playter Hall, a popular Toronto dance club in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. No one was hurt.

"We are treating it as suspected arson," Inspector Peter Heyerhoff of the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office said yesterday. "We now know the area of origin and nature of the fire, although the police and I are going to keep that to ourselves for a while."

The fire began early Saturday in Kosta's Place, a restaurant recently closed by bailiffs because of unpaid bills.

Building owner Paul Stergiou said yesterday the fire was the latest on a list of bizarre occurrences. Mr. Stergiou, an accountant, said there have been three break-ins in the past month.

The first involved his accounting office on the second floor. The contents of the office were smashed and files were thrown around; he did not know if any items were stolen.

In the second incident, "all of the toilets in the washrooms were smashed. The third time, just last week, the restaurant was broken into, and the (restaurant's) files were stolen," Mr. Stergiou said.

"I was in the process of hiring an off-duty policeman when this happened."

The insurance coverage on the building covers only $500,000, or half, of the damage.

"There will be a major investigation," said Sergeant Al Lenathon of Metro Toronto Police. "That Kosta's (Place) is somehow involved seems to be the obvious answer. However, this is going to be a long investigation."

The fire also damaged a Liberal riding association office used by long- time politician John Munro.

Mr. Munro served for 22 years as Liberal MP for Hamilton, then ran for the party leadership. He is now deciding whether to run in the New Democratic Party stronghold of Broadview-Greenwood.

"It's not really my office, it's just a place to put my filing cabinet," Mr. Munro said. After surveying the damage, he said: ''Everything is a total mess. There's nothing left.''

In 1981, another suspicious fire caused more than $250,000 damage to the historic building. Mr. Stergiou said he had trouble getting compensation in that incident because his insurance company had gone bankrupt.

Document glob000020011118dj3n00ebk

That UGLY unfinished upper floor I am sure was against code and illegal.

 

[Goldie]

Don Mills Rd. (Broadview) N. from Danforth 1908

Broadview N. from Danforth 2014

 

[DSC]

Playter Hall is also listed, I have written to ask Paula Fletcher if the City are working to have the 'excrescence" on top removed.

Address: 757 BROADVIEW AVE

Ward: 30
Status: Listed
List Date: Jun 28, 1984
Intention Date:
By-Law: N/A
Part IV Date:
Part V Date:
Heritage District: N/A
District Status: N/A
Heritage Easement Ag:
Registration Date:
Building Type: Commercial
Architect/Builder:
Construction Yr.:
Details: Playter Hall; 1909, F. Brink, builder -adopted by City Council on June 25 & 28, 1984
Demolition Date:
Primary Address: 757 BROADVIEW AVE

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

Playter Hall is also listed, I have written to ask Paula Fletcher if the City are working to have the 'excrescence" on top removed.

That would be fantastic. But I suspect that, in attempting to rebuild after the fire, they tried to sneak in the extra floor and I doubt it can come off or it would have been done by now, no? It must be 20 or more years it's been there.

 

[Goldie]

Looking N/E along Danforth towards Don Mills Rd. (Broadview) intersection, 1913

Same view 2014

 

[buxvet]

Thanks to those that posted, still looking for some street level pix of the east side of Bay between front and wellington
specifically of 185 bay street.
From the 1950's until the block was demo'd for BCE late 80's

Andrew:

Here's a photo of the Bay block between Front and Wellington taken from the Royal York in 1929:

View attachment 30940

185 Bay is identified in this Business District map from 1945-56. 185 Bay is labeled "Concord Realty", fourth building south of the corner:

View attachment 30941

http://maps.library.utoronto.ca/datapub/digital/business4.jpg

The corner building at Wellington and Bay was the Ogilvie Building, shown here in 1927:

View attachment 30951

 

[Mustapha]

Don Mills Rd. (Broadview) N. from Danforth 1908

The 'Laundry' sign... centre left of photo. That was my paternal Great Gramp's laundry. He part-owned it from about 1905 to the mid 20s.

My gramps worked there awhile (he arrived in 1918). He in turn branched out and started his own place in 1925 at 2616 Yonge. [ A real dynasty here, eh ] Sam Low Laundry operated there until 1975.

The 'Sam' in the name was taken from the Chinese for number three - there were three partners named Low.

Thank you Goldie!






Then. The Jarvis Building. 103 Bay. Naval recruiting in 1914.

Now. May 2014. This is Bay street, E side, above King.

Many thanks To JT Cunningham for letting me know the present day location,,, this Toronto Archives pic did not give a street - I could see '103' on the Jarvis Building but could not figure out the street. JT also tells me there was a re-numbering on Bay. JT also checks my spelling. I think I may outsource my posts to JT.

 

[brewster]

I talked my way into taking a few shots from the rooftop patio of 50 Lombard Street. I didn't realize until after I got home that this aerial from the Toronto Archives was taken from the same view in 1993. Here is todays view , August 14, 2014

 

[Mustapha]

I talked my way into taking a few shots from the rooftop patio of 50 Lombard Street. I didn't realize until after I got home that this aerial from the Toronto Archives was taken from the same view in 1993. Here is todays view , August 14, 2014

Practically an 'aerial' view. How very very neat brewster.

 

[brewster]

Yes, it was a nice surprise Mustapha. I took photos from all around the rooftop patio , scared to death being up that high and close to the edge by the way. What thread should I post them in Mustapha ?