Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[the lemur]

I don't think you guys have covered this one here please excuse me if you have...

While looking for pictures of the bridge on Bathurst St just north of St Clair Ave I found these, pictures of the bridge that was once over the CNR tracks (former Beltline Railway) on Bathurst St south of Roselawn Ave which appears to have been torn down and the entire area re-graded, in later 1934.

In this series of pictures the city archives use the Tomsett residence at 2005 Bathurst St (north west corner at Roselawn) as a reference point, note the odd number address on the west side of Bathurst St which today is even numbers, not sure if this switch is common in Toronto.

That seems odd. Would that mean the entire street went from odd on the west and even on the east to the opposite, or was #2005 just an exception being an odd number on the even side?

I'm interested in this siding you mention but haven't found it on any old maps yet.

 

[Goldie]

 

[Toronto Lad]

That seems odd. Would that mean the entire street went from odd on the west and even on the east to the opposite, or was #2005 just an exception being an odd number on the even side?

I'm interested in this siding you mention but haven't found it on any old maps yet.

With regard to the street numbering, all I have is what I found on ancestry which shows the Tomsett family at 2005 Bathurst St and the pictures from the archives which show the house was on the west side of the street. I really have no clue how that came to be, I've always thought of Toronto as even numbers north and west, odd number south and east but you can see that in this case it was different for whatever reason.

About the siding, the picture below shows two sets of tracks west of Bathurst St and the bridge pictures posted above show only one set of tracks crossed Bathurst St.

It looks to me that the northern set of tracks ended at the “utility†building (which is definitely on railway property behind the barbwire fence), on the right in this picture below (taken looking east from west of Bathurst).

Here’s the view north and northwest from the Old Forest Hill Rd bridge after the level crossing was installed, you can see some “industry†at the tracks to the west, so it appears there was a siding or spur at that location perhaps related to the buildings seen in the two pictures below.

After the level crossing was installed it’s clear there was only one set of tracks, you can still see some “industry†east of Bathurst St.

 

[chriskayTO]

Sorry to end on a sad note but while searching for a reason they archivists picked Tomsett residence as a landmark I found this unfortunate bit of history, the death in that house of their 26 year old son, a suicide by hanging, Nov. 1929.

View attachment 39524

Huh... It also appears his mother passed away from cancer only 4 days later. Sounds like a very sad end to this family.

 

[the lemur]

Huh... It also appears his mother passed away from cancer only 4 days later. Sounds like a very sad end to this family.

I don't think that's his mother ... just the next entry in the register.

 

[chriskayTO]

I don't think that's his mother ... just the next entry in the register.

Far less tragic - thanks for noting that.

 

[Goldie]

With regard to the street numbering, all I have is what I found on ancestry which shows the Tomsett family at 2005 Bathurst St and the pictures from the archives which show the house was on the west side of the street. I really have no clue how that came to be, I've always thought of Toronto as even numbers north and west, odd number south and east but you can see that in this case it was different for whatever reason.

Could it be that the Tomsett family also owned additional property (number 2005) on the east side of Bathurst?

 

[Toronto Lad]

The neighbor to the east is Mr Root according to this picture from the archives that shows Tomsett's garage across the road.

It's tagged "View of Bathurst St. bridge over C.N.R. and its approaches : Mr. Root's entrance to Bathurst St."

Here's one of the Root house after the grading, with the slight shifting to the south of Roselawn Ave it's now directly at the end of the street.

Interesting that some time later the Root house was the home to Forest Hill Taxi.

 

[Long Island Mike]

A little bit of NYC Transit in Toronto...

An interesting shot I saw posted on another group a couple of days ago. Which city are you in?

(it's a film set)

View attachment 39434

M88 and Everyone: I noticed this and will add that the forest green color on this subway entranceway is correct and they even
got the overhead entry lights correct - green means a 24 hour staffed entrance (yellow or red mean limited access or exit only
respectively) with a clerk always available...As mentioned there is no Easton Street Station on the #4 or 5 Lexington Avenue Lines...

I also note the two NYC Medallion Taxis parked behind - the only giveaway is the medallion format which is in a 1A23 type
on actual NYC cabs...

Happy Holidays All!!! LI MIKE

 

[Red October]

Some pretty cool before/after pictures along Spadina Avenue:

http://news.buzzbuzzhome.com/2014/12/then-and-now-spadina-college-toronto-history.html

Personally I actually liked the look of 1 Spadina Crescent better when it was a darker look and ivy-covered, but I can appreciate cleaning up and restoration of old buildings so they don’t decay.

 

[Mustapha]

Revisiting Eugene Atget's Paris

https://www.lensculture.com/articles/christopher-rauschenberg-rephotographing-atget

 

[junctionist]

Some pretty cool before/after pictures along Spadina Avenue:

http://news.buzzbuzzhome.com/2014/12/then-and-now-spadina-college-toronto-history.html

Personally I actually liked the look of 1 Spadina Crescent better when it was a darker look and ivy-covered, but I can appreciate cleaning up and restoration of old buildings so they don’t decay.

As I said in the project thread, if you're going to clean up a facade, do a complete restoration that leaves the building looking like it did when it was built. Otherwise, the darker more uniform look is better. The ivy might have caused those dark spots which the recent cleaning didn't remove.

 

[Goldie]

Here's the view today -pristine and boring.

 

[Goldie]

Bayview Ave. looking N. to Steeles Ave. E. 1956-2012

 

[brewster]

Victoria Park & Danforth Avenue looking northeast -- 1958

Victoria Park & Danforth Avenue looking northeast -- 1/3/2015