Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[MattB]

Ahhh ... The Gregory. I used to have a couple of drafts there for lunch in gone-by years long ago, when I was still quite under-age and working downtown during the summer (18 with ID for 25). I still have memories of their very good Irish stew. And the draft beer.

 

[Anna]

From the Inventory of Heritage Properties...
40 King St. West - John Kay Store facade (later Wood Gundy); 1898; S.G. Curry, (formerly located at 36-38 King St. West)
Relocated with the construction of Scotia Plaza.

 

[Edward]

Interesting set of shots. They tore down some large buildings to construct Scotiatower.

 

[kettal]

Thanks; I was about to ask where that facade came from.

 

[Mustapha]

Ahhh ... The Gregory. I used to have a couple of drafts there for lunch in gone-by years long ago, when I was still quite under-age and working downtown during the summer (18 with ID for 25). I still have memories of their very good Irish stew. And the draft beer.

I miss Bassells (SE corner of Yonge and Gerrard. That was my 'gone-by years' place.

adma, Anna, re: facade picture - thanks for the intelligence and picture respectively. I suppose they had to move it; it would have been an oddity to have left it there; it was small too. At family gatherings, we also seat strange cousins where they won't be seen.


July 3 addition.

King and Toronto streets NW corner.

Urban Shocker wrote about this in thedeepend's thread awhile back:
http://www.urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?t=9241&highlight=letros&page=2

 

[Anna]

adma, Anna, re: facade picture - thanks for the intelligence and picture respectively. I suppose they had to move it; it would have been an oddity to have left it there; it was small too. At family gatherings, we also seat strange cousins where they won't be seen.

I watched them tear it down from Commerce Court. At the time, I did not realize it would magically reappear on the other side of the site.
There was also a story that TD decided to be difficult, and held out for a rather large payment from Scotia Plaza before they gave up their lease in this building.

 

[smuncky]

I miss Bassells (SE corner of Yonge and Gerrard. That was my 'gone-by years' place.

adma, Anna, re: facade picture - thanks for the intelligence and picture respectively. I suppose they had to move it; it would have been an oddity to have left it there; it was small too. At family gatherings, we also seat strange cousins where they won't be seen.


July 3 addition.

King and Toronto streets NW corner.

Urban Shocker wrote about this in thedeepend's thread awhile back:
http://www.urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?t=9241&highlight=letros&page=2

the odd time where the building in the "now" photo looks better than the "then".

 

[Anna]

Found some better pictures:

 

[MattB]

Geez, Mustapha, you're really dragging up the memories ... first it was the Gregory, now Letros.

That downtown summer job I had that went on into the fall/winter was at the IBM Datacentre at 36 King St. East, next door to Letros. Big gay hangout back then, before Pride days.

We worked on the ground floor in the windows which showed off the then new IBM 360/70. The computer pretty well filled the ground floor, and had much less power than my BlackBerry. I remember working the late shift on Haloween during the drag parade, the only time the queens could dress up in public and not get arrested. It rivaled the St. Charles. We had to draw the curtains ... it was wild, !extremely! wild for those days.

 

[Mustapha]

Geez, Mustapha, you're really dragging up the memories ... first it was the Gregory, now Letros.

That downtown summer job I had that went on into the fall/winter was at the IBM Datacentre at 36 King St. East, next door to Letros. Big gay hangout back then, before Pride days.

We worked on the ground floor in the windows which showed off the then new IBM 360/70. The computer pretty well filled the ground floor, and had much less power than my BlackBerry. I remember working the late shift on Haloween during the drag parade, the only time the queens could dress up in public and not get arrested. It rivaled the St. Charles. We had to draw the curtains ... it was wild, !extremely! wild for those days.

Welcome to UT, MattB.

A history of computing and a I-was-there slice of early Toronto gay social memory in two succinct paragraphs.





July 4th addition.

Yonge and Dundas NE corner. We've seen older pics of this corner with the 'Brown Derby', but here is a Then pic that might have something visual most of us can relate to.

 

[Edward Skira]

Toronto Life looks great in that picture for some reason.

 

[JasonParis]

I think Leteors Tavern at King & Toronto has a "gay" history to it. I remember reading something about it once.

 

[NomoreaTorontonian]

Enough about your memories of your life-styles circa 1980, could you please tell me when this building was built and where it was originally located? I am trying to link it with Betley & Kay & Co (proprietor John Kay) whose address was 2 King St East in 1861. You say the building (or the facade) was moved. Where from? Where to?
Sorry, guys, I'm not in Toronto to look up the records for myself.

 

[Mustapha]

I think Leteors Tavern at King & Toronto has a "gay" history to it. I remember reading something about it once.

Enough about your memories of your life-styles circa 1980, could you please tell me when this building was built and where it was originally located? I am trying to link it with Betley & Kay & Co (proprietor John Kay) whose address was 2 King St East in 1861. You say the building (or the facade) was moved. Where from? Where to?
Sorry, guys, I'm not in Toronto to look up the records for myself.

Uhmm, guys, just go back a day or two in this thread. adma, Anna and Urban Shocker have answered all these questions.

 

[Goldie]

Geez, Mustapha, you're really dragging up the memories ... first it was the Gregory, now Letros.

That downtown summer job I had that went on into the fall/winter was at the IBM Datacentre at 36 King St. East, next door to Letros.

We worked on the ground floor in the windows which showed off the then new IBM 360/70. The computer pretty well filled the ground floor, and had much less power than my BlackBerry.

MattB's reminiscence reminded me of the photo I shot of the IBM building's windows in 1963. The photo was made from a hotel room in the King Edie.
Anyone know the date of that "Teperman Wrecking" photo?