Uncle Teddy
Senior Member
That is a great view of NYCC.
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Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now
- Thread starter Mustapha
- Start date
Mustapha
Senior Member
'Wood-a-bridge'; as older Italian Canadians would call it
I am sure more than a few folks here went looking for an online picture of the original Lord Landsdowne school ; I know I did. I'll ask my father in law this weekend to go through his photo albums. He lived across the street when the old school was still extant.Interesting how businesses leave behind oddments of their architectural DNA like this or like the Rolex clock in the Victory Building lobby...
Sheppard bridges over the West Don, 1920, 2009
Actually, there've been three bridges here in the interval listed. The one in the top view was replaced after it was damaged by Hurricane Hazel in 1954, but by another bridge not much more substantial. In the mid 1960s, the current bridge was constructed, carrying four lanes of traffic high over the valley. The site of the original bridge, in the 2009 photo, would be at the bottom right foot of the bridge.
Wouldn't it be cool if the storm hadn't washed away the bridge and the constructors had left at least the footings behind. Quite some time ago I posted pictures of the footings of the original bridge over the Humber at Old Dundas Street. Not much to look at but they are there and in a nice picnic park setting; so one can ruminate whilst sitting and eating cold boiled eggs.
Here is someone in Chicago who has gone into quite some detail on the lost bridges in that city.
http://forgottenchicago.com/features/chicago-infrastructure/bridge-out-for-good/
February 20 addition.
Then: Ways Lane. May 28 1913.
Now: December 2009.
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LowPolygon
Senior Member
Then: Ways Lane. May 28 1913.
Now: December 2009.
extremely interesting! i'm trying to remember the story with that little modern lane house in the Now photo...its sort of locally famous....
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
The church is by Richardsonian Romanesque wraiths Knox and Elliot, who also designed the Confederation Life Building at Yonge and Richmond and the Heintzman House at 288 Annette Street. An age of architectural heft, rather than elegance, expressed in commercial, religious, and residential buildings.
http://www.booktown.com/stcroixprints/plan.php?id=3624
" William Knox and John Eliot moved to Toronto from Chicago in 1888 with an office at 15 Victoria Street. E. Beaumont Jarvis joined the firm In Toronto where it was known as Knox, Eliot & Jarvis. The firm won the competition for the design of the Richardsonian Romanesque Confederation Life office building in 1889. They also competed for and lost the competition for the Toronto Board of Trade. Knox & Eliot moved to Cleveland 1893. A May 22, 1902 Plain Dealer article highlighted the firm's designs for manufacturing plants. The firm is remembered for its office buildings with Sullivanesque ornamentation, including the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Rockefeller, and Standard Buildings. These buildings contrasted with the prevalent Beaux-Arts and Neo Classic style buildings of the day."
and ...
" KNOX & ELLIOT was an architectural firm active in Cleveland from 1893-1925. Wilm Knox (1858-1915) was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and came to America in 1886. In the office of Burnham & Root in Chicago, he met John H. Elliot (ca. 1862-ca. 1925), a native of Toronto. They formed a partnership in 1888 and opened an office in Toronto, where they executed several large and important commissions. In 1892 they were invited to work with Henry Ives Cobb on the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and Knox became Cobb's office manager. Knox & Elliot set up practice in Cleveland in 1893. After Knox's death in 1915, the firm continued under Elliot until 1925. Its work here consisted predominantly of commercial and industrial buildings, apartments, and some churches and private residences. Among the buildings still extant in the 1990s were the ROCKEFELLER BUILDING, generally considered to be their local masterpiece; the Standard Bldg.; the Carnegie Library on Lorain at W. 83rd St.; ST. JAMES AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL (AME) CHURCH; the McKinley Terrace; and the Pelton Apts. One of their greatest buildings was the HIPPODROME THEATER, the largest remaining vaudeville theater in the nation at the time it was demolished in 1981. Another of their creations, the Engineers Bldg., was razed shortly afterwards to make room for the Marriott Hotel of SOCIETY CENTER. "
wwwebster
Active Member
Interesting. I didn't know about this lane, but I had recently been looking into "Way's Block," which currently runs from 799 to 811 Queen St. West, with the date tablet (1874) on 805. James Way, general dry goods, boots and shoes, according to the 1878 directory. The 1903 directory lists Mary Way (widow of James) and Walter Way (machinist) at 248 Bathurst, and Henry Way (labourer, Consumer's Gas) at 1 Way Place.
Mustapha
Senior Member
Anna
Active Member
Hurricane Hazel - before my time - but
http://archives.cbc.ca/environment/extreme_weather/topics/77/ - video from the day
http://www.hurricanehazel.ca/ & some pictures at the archives.
Lone Primate did a great study on the Sheppard bridge.
http://cityinthetrees.blogspot.com/2009/10/retrospectives-sheppard-avenue-bridge.html
LowPolygon
Senior Member
thank you for jogging my memory!
NomoreaTorontonian
Active Member
I just found James Way and family in the 1861 census of Toronto.
He was a storekeeper aged 29 with a wife Margaret of 24. At that stage they had two children: William John, 5, and Harriet M, 3. They were located on the north side of Queen West (St Patrick's Ward, District 2)--the census doesn't give complete addresses. In Mitchell's Directory of 1863-64 he is a grocer & provision dealer at 271 Queen West on the south side between John & Peter.
Looks like I shall have to check my transcription against the original again to see if his wife was Mary or Margaret (quite often shortened to Marg't and easy to confuse with Mary in my photographs of a poor bit of microfilm!). The only other Way listed in Mitchell was Joseph who lived east of Yonge Street.
He was a storekeeper aged 29 with a wife Margaret of 24. At that stage they had two children: William John, 5, and Harriet M, 3. They were located on the north side of Queen West (St Patrick's Ward, District 2)--the census doesn't give complete addresses. In Mitchell's Directory of 1863-64 he is a grocer & provision dealer at 271 Queen West on the south side between John & Peter.
Looks like I shall have to check my transcription against the original again to see if his wife was Mary or Margaret (quite often shortened to Marg't and easy to confuse with Mary in my photographs of a poor bit of microfilm!). The only other Way listed in Mitchell was Joseph who lived east of Yonge Street.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
Way's Lane 1910 (north off of Robinson, west of Bathurst):
Today:
Today:
Kingsway
Active Member
I used to drive up Way's everyday to my loft parking at 75 Markham. Cool little street, quite often got stuck in the winter as the City never ploughed it.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
One of the reasons why the City opposes lane housing in Toronto: issues of accessibility, safety (i.e.ambulences, firetrucks) and maintenance (all overstated, in my opinion).
Mustapha
Senior Member
The church is by Richardsonian Romanesque wraiths Knox and Elliot, who also designed the Confederation Life Building at Yonge and Richmond and the Heintzman House at 288 Annette Street. An age of architectural heft, rather than elegance, expressed in commercial, religious, and residential buildings.
http://www.booktown.com/stcroixprints/plan.php?id=3624
" William Knox and John Eliot moved to Toronto from Chicago in 1888 with an office at 15 Victoria Street. E. Beaumont Jarvis joined the firm In Toronto where it was known as Knox, Eliot & Jarvis. The firm won the competition for the design of the Richardsonian Romanesque Confederation Life office building in 1889. They also competed for and lost the competition for the Toronto Board of Trade. Knox & Eliot moved to Cleveland 1893. A May 22, 1902 Plain Dealer article highlighted the firm's designs for manufacturing plants. The firm is remembered for its office buildings with Sullivanesque ornamentation, including the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Rockefeller, and Standard Buildings. These buildings contrasted with the prevalent Beaux-Arts and Neo Classic style buildings of the day."
and ...
" KNOX & ELLIOT was an architectural firm active in Cleveland from 1893-1925. Wilm Knox (1858-1915) was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and came to America in 1886. In the office of Burnham & Root in Chicago, he met John H. Elliot (ca. 1862-ca. 1925), a native of Toronto. They formed a partnership in 1888 and opened an office in Toronto, where they executed several large and important commissions. In 1892 they were invited to work with Henry Ives Cobb on the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and Knox became Cobb's office manager. Knox & Elliot set up practice in Cleveland in 1893. After Knox's death in 1915, the firm continued under Elliot until 1925. Its work here consisted predominantly of commercial and industrial buildings, apartments, and some churches and private residences. Among the buildings still extant in the 1990s were the ROCKEFELLER BUILDING, generally considered to be their local masterpiece; the Standard Bldg.; the Carnegie Library on Lorain at W. 83rd St.; ST. JAMES AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL (AME) CHURCH; the McKinley Terrace; and the Pelton Apts. One of their greatest buildings was the HIPPODROME THEATER, the largest remaining vaudeville theater in the nation at the time it was demolished in 1981. Another of their creations, the Engineers Bldg., was razed shortly afterwards to make room for the Marriott Hotel of SOCIETY CENTER. "
Just a tid bit about Cleveland; thay have an ornate arcade dating to 1890 that is quite wonderful. Why yes, I have been to Cleveland to see it.
Go check out the rock and roll hall of fame while you are there.http://www.rockhall.com/
http://theclevelandarcade.com/
Toronto had an arcade from the same era too - 1894 - but ...
Thanks Anna, I really enjoyed Lone Primates blog. I had forgotten about the CBC archives; will spend some time there.
Strangely enough, police cars patrol our back lane. It's also salted as well as plowed.
thecharioteer, wwwebster, NomoreaTorontonian, thank you for those maps and developing in depth our knowledge of the Way family. And I just thought it was another little lane.
A quick look at canada411 shows many Ways living in Toronto today. I don't think it's that common a family name.
February 21 addition.
Then: Grange Cottage, Grange Park. April 18, 1928.
Now: December 2009.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
The church is by Richardsonian Romanesque wraiths Knox and Elliot, who also designed the Confederation Life Building at Yonge and Richmond and the Heintzman House at 288 Annette Street. An age of architectural heft, rather than elegance, expressed in commercial, religious, and residential buildings.
http://www.booktown.com/stcroixprints/plan.php?id=3624
" William Knox and John Eliot moved to Toronto from Chicago in 1888 with an office at 15 Victoria Street. E. Beaumont Jarvis joined the firm In Toronto where it was known as Knox, Eliot & Jarvis. The firm won the competition for the design of the Richardsonian Romanesque Confederation Life office building in 1889. They also competed for and lost the competition for the Toronto Board of Trade. Knox & Eliot moved to Cleveland 1893. A May 22, 1902 Plain Dealer article highlighted the firm's designs for manufacturing plants. The firm is remembered for its office buildings with Sullivanesque ornamentation, including the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Rockefeller, and Standard Buildings. These buildings contrasted with the prevalent Beaux-Arts and Neo Classic style buildings of the day."
and ...
" KNOX & ELLIOT was an architectural firm active in Cleveland from 1893-1925. Wilm Knox (1858-1915) was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and came to America in 1886. In the office of Burnham & Root in Chicago, he met John H. Elliot (ca. 1862-ca. 1925), a native of Toronto. They formed a partnership in 1888 and opened an office in Toronto, where they executed several large and important commissions. In 1892 they were invited to work with Henry Ives Cobb on the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and Knox became Cobb's office manager. Knox & Elliot set up practice in Cleveland in 1893. After Knox's death in 1915, the firm continued under Elliot until 1925. Its work here consisted predominantly of commercial and industrial buildings, apartments, and some churches and private residences. Among the buildings still extant in the 1990s were the ROCKEFELLER BUILDING, generally considered to be their local masterpiece; the Standard Bldg.; the Carnegie Library on Lorain at W. 83rd St.; ST. JAMES AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL (AME) CHURCH; the McKinley Terrace; and the Pelton Apts. One of their greatest buildings was the HIPPODROME THEATER, the largest remaining vaudeville theater in the nation at the time it was demolished in 1981. Another of their creations, the Engineers Bldg., was razed shortly afterwards to make room for the Marriott Hotel of SOCIETY CENTER. "
Though it may be true that not every age is a Golden Age in architecture (and those that live in a Golden Age are usually unaware of the fact), in every era there are good buildings and bad buildings. K&E's Cecil Street church was a bad building, by any objective standard of architectural criticism: harmony, proportion, materiality and in particular, that Vitruvian quality of delight which comes from extraordinary works of architecture. The Cecil church is so amateurish (which has nothing to do with its heft), I would suspect it was done by a junior member of the office, or (as still happens today), the architects had clients who insisted on the biggest tower possible, and the architects, against their better judgement gave in (hey, it was a commission that paid the rent).
In contrast to this ham-handed piece, a block north was EJ Lennox's extraordinary Broadway Tabernacle on the NE corner of College & Spadina. Masterful in its massing and detailing, it was also brilliant in its urbanistic qualities of serving as an axis for both College looking east to Spadina and for Spadina looking northwards, particularly as a complement to Knox College. Lennox was a great architect, who could work on the house scale (37 Madison) and on the City scale (Old City Hall). Its unlikely that anything like the Cecil Street church could have ever come out of his office.
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Mustapha
Senior Member
February 22 addition.
Then: Avenue Road at Brookdale looking N on Avenue Road. 1962?-ish.
Now: December 2009.
Then: Avenue Road at Brookdale looking N on Avenue Road. 1962?-ish.
Now: December 2009.