Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[junctionist]

The "new" building looks like a typical 1950/1960's single-story, single-use building of the time.

It's actually somewhat unusual in that it's Modernist in style but demonstrates subtle Art Deco and Streamline Moderne influences in the ornamental coffered metal panels and the rounded corner. I'd guess it might have been designed in the 1940s and built in the early 1950s.

It's a handsome building with its imposing stone cladding. I hope it can be reused for something.

 

[Goldie]

Adelaide St. W. looking west across University Ave. 1956 (Mayzel building) TPL

 

[adma]

It's actually somewhat unusual in that it's Modernist in style but demonstrates subtle Art Deco and Streamline Moderne influences in the ornamental coffered metal panels and the rounded corner. I'd guess it might have been designed in the 1940s and built in the early 1950s.

It's a handsome building with its imposing stone cladding. I hope it can be reused for something.

Though a general tendency t/w conservatism in much Canadian bank branch architecture make a later 50s date not all *that* implausible--which'd make it a contemporary with something like the old Bank of Canada Building at Queen & University. (It's not like modernism *hadn't* been adopted by such a later date--consider Parkin's BMO and Scotia pavilions in Don Mills--but the tendencies could still overlap depending on location and motivation)

 

[Goldie]

George Brown house, Beverley St., N/W corner Baldwin St. 1957 TPL

 

[Goldie]

Sir William Campbell house 1883, Adelaide St. E., N side, head of Frederick St.
Moved in March 1972 to Queen St. W., N side, between University Ave. & Simcoe St. TPL

 

[junctionman]

Secord Public School, Barrington Ave., S/E corner Secord Ave. 1920 TPL

Thanks for posting this Goldie. I live in this neighbourhood and have found a few photos over the years, but my favourite is this aerial photograph from 1963 (courtesy of bfair on Google Earth Panoramio). The original Secord School fronted on to Secord Avenue, and the original Coleman School on Coleman Avenue is at the very top. I also note how deep the lots are north of Secord School - they are practically the size of small hobby farms and it looks like some of the properties were actually growing some crops. Some of the buildings look more like barns and seem much bigger than the other houses.

A Now and Then photo of Secord School is also below.

Secord School Now and Then. I took the 'Now' photo of the original school site on Secord Avenue back in Nov. 2017.

 

[Goldie]

Weston Road, looking N/W from N of Hollis St. 1954 TPL

 

[adma]

That "Reeves" sign on the right in the old picture is so stylized, I nearly thought it was a pidgin-Polish "Pccycz"

 

[LPCI]

Weston Road, looking N/W from N of Hollis St. 1954 TPL
View attachment 270379

View attachment 270380

So the trolley bus replaced the streetcar, and now today the bus is diesel.

 

[LPCI]

That "Reeves" sign on the right in the old picture is so stylized, I nearly thought it was a pidgin-Polish "Pccycz"

Took me a while to decipher that sign too. Pretty ahead of its times, for its day.

 

[Goldie]

John Doel House, Adelaide St. W., N/W corner Bay St. 1905 - birthplace of the Louis Riel Rebellion TPL

-----------1913, TPL

---------1925 TPL

 

[Goldie]

Colin Drummond house, Richmond St. E., north west corner Victoria St. 1885 TPL

 

[LPCI]

Colin Drummond house, Richmond St. E., north west corner Victoria St. 1885 TPL
View attachment 270760

View attachment 270761

And as usual, the hydro poles never move. Replaced, but not moved.

 

[Blovertis]

The persistence of that eyesore at Bay and Adelaide must have really bugged the early-20th century equivalent of Urban Toronto development trainspotters.

 

[JasonParis]

So the trolley bus replaced the streetcar, and now today the bus is diesel.

Progress!