Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Goldie]

This image of the street name on the Confederation Life Building was revealed during a 1981 restoration process. It was located above the doorway at the building's corner (seen here as it appears today).

 

[thecharioteer]

Confederation Life Building, Yonge-Richmond, c.1892

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It's too bad that the owners of the Confed Life block were not forced to restore the original turrets (particularly the large central one) as part of their approvals to 1 Queen Street East to the north in the mid-1980's. One also remembers the vain fight to preserve the Imperial Bank Building on the SE corner of Queen & Yonge .

 

[junctionist]

It's too bad that the owners of the Confed Life block were not forced to restore the original turrets (particularly the large central one) as part of their approvals to 1 Queen Street East to the north in the mid-1980's. One also remembers the vain fight to preserve the Imperial Bank Building on the SE corner of Queen & Yonge .

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When was the Imperial Bank building demolished? The loss of such a stately building was a blow to the streetscape and the city's collection of heritage buildings. It looks like something you'd see in Old Montreal or Europe.

 

[thecharioteer]

When was the Imperial Bank building demolished? The loss of such a stately building was a blow to the streetscape and the city's collection of heritage buildings. It looks like something you'd see in Old Montreal or Europe.

i would guess around 1986.

 

[Goldie]

This Imperial Bank of Canada artifact (from a branch at Yonge-Boor) has been preserved at the Guild Inn Park.

 

[junctionist]

i would guess around 1986.

That's just sad. The city became better at preserving heritage buildings by the 1970s, but we've lost great buildings in every era since then. They should have at least preserved the facade.

 

[adma]

I seem to recall 1985ish; that is, the demolition preceded the "de-grilling" of Woolworth's, which was in 1986...

Oh, and the photos were just prior to demolition--the branch was closed, and the CIBC signage removed.

 

[thecharioteer]

That's just sad. The city became better at preserving heritage buildings by the 1970s, but we've lost great buildings in every era since then. They should have at least preserved the facade.

If i remember correctly, the conversation went something like this:

• The Imperial Bank Building was not a particularly good building architecturally;
• There were better examples of its type elsewhere;
• Its demolition would permit the construction of One Queen East, thereby triggering the renovation of the Confederation Life Building, a far more significant heritage building.

Its clear that the City dropped the ball on this development, both in allowing the Imperial Bank to be demolished and by not insisting on a more complete restoration of the Confed Life Building.

 

[junctionist]

If i remember correctly, the conversation went something like this:

• The Imperial Bank Building was not a particularly good building architecturally;
• There were better examples of its type elsewhere;
• Its demolition would permit the construction of One Queen East, thereby triggering the renovation of the Confederation Life Building, a far more significant heritage building.

Its clear that the City dropped the ball on this development, both in allowing the Imperial Bank to be demolished and by not insisting on a more complete restoration of the Confed Life Building.

It's interesting to hear their reasoning, but I disagree with the first point. The photos show a fine Beaux-Arts building with an elegant grey stone facade, an interesting three-tier design to the facade, imposing neoclassical columns which clearly indicated the building's entrance, four well proportioned and imposing arched windows along the street, a striking stone cornice topped with copper trim, and various fine ornamental elements throughout the facade that were carved in stone.

Even though it wasn't the greatest example of its kind, it was of a quality that merited preservation. It's rare that a building manages to be both elegant and imposing like this one was. The Imperial Bank building contributed to Yonge and Queen's sense of place and the Financial District's historical character. Its facade was more distinctive than One Queen East's generic composition of rectilinear lines at street level. All in all, the demolition of the Imperial Bank building was a regrettable and needless loss.

 

[adma]

If i remember correctly, the conversation went something like this:

• The Imperial Bank Building was not a particularly good building architecturally;
• There were better examples of its type elsewhere;
• Its demolition would permit the construction of One Queen East, thereby triggering the renovation of the Confederation Life Building, a far more significant heritage building.

Sounds to me like a toxic confluence of development lawyer and hired-gun heritage consultant on the take. (Still happens today: consider Goldsmith Borgal's attempt to paint 2 Carlton as thoroughly nondescript and generic 50s modern.)

 

[adma]

It's interesting to hear their reasoning, but I disagree with the first point. The photos show a fine Beaux-Arts building with an elegant grey stone facade, an interesting three-tier design to the facade, imposing neoclassical columns which clearly indicated the building's entrance, four well proportioned and imposing arched windows along the street, a striking stone cornice topped with copper trim, and various fine ornamental elements throughout the facade that were carved in stone.

Even though it wasn't the greatest example of its kind, it was of a quality that merited preservation. It's rare that a building manages to be both elegant and imposing like this one was. The Imperial Bank building contributed to Yonge and Queen's sense of place and the Financial District's historical character. Its facade was more distinctive than One Queen East's generic composition of rectilinear lines at street level. All in all, the demolition of the Imperial Bank building was a regrettable and needless loss.

Even I wouldn't equivocate with "wasn't the greatest example of its kind" statements. In fact, it's worth noting that the interior was also impressive, with a split-level banking floor layout not dissimilar to that of Dominion Bank at King & Yonge...*and* a Vitrolite subway entrance emerging into the vestibule.

When one thinks of it, 1 Queen was a classic case of The Cheapening in effect: not only in the half-baked restoration of Confederation Life, but also in substituting Page & Steele for Ron Thom in the tower design...

 

[Goldie]

The Hand of God by sculpture Carl Milles was installed at The Scarborough Civic Centre in 1975 to commemorate the life of Albert M. Campbell.

Unfortunately, it's a rather mundane installation when compared to this copy in Stockholm.

 

[smably]

Who knew that the mostly nondescript building housing the Green Beanery at Bloor and Bathurst was once a quirky Arts and Crafts bank by Eden Smith?

 

[adma]

Before anyone thinks of that detail-stripping as of recent doing, this (on the right) is a hint of what it looked like in 1966.
https://swanboatsteve.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/img024a.jpg

 

[Goldie]

The first movies I ever attended were here, then known as the Iola Theatre.

Admission for a Saturday matinee was 12 cents and we saw two features, a newsreel, a cartoon and, best of all…….a Captain Marvel Serial!

The old structure has witnessed 70 years of change and appears to be available, once again, for another venture.