More Lost Toronto in colour

[Admiral Beez]

I like all the old cars in these pictures. You can tell that the market was ripe for well built Japanese and German vehicles.

 

[LowPolygon]

.

 

[adma]

Okay, so they're before/after shots (and interesting to see the old Carlton Inn sign, as well as 21 McGill in post-fire rebuild mode)

 

[LowPolygon]

.

 

[junctionist]

I see that the archives is uploading a lot of more recent material from around the 1970s. Too bad a lot of it lacks the precise dates and location notes of the earlier photos from the 1920s which they first started to scan.

I've said before and I'll say it again: lower Spadina's transformation has been amazing.

 

[Edward Skira]

I would love to know what that sign on the left in the second last shot says.

 

[adma]

I see that the archives is uploading a lot of more recent material from around the 1970s.

Actually, we're talking more about end-of-the-80s with that last set, from the time the Spadina bridge was being rebuilt and Skydome was coming to blossom...

 

[LowPolygon]

.

 

[thecharioteer]

.

Great pic! I would guess late 70's, early 80's? Bit of a Where's Waldo aspect in figuring out which buildings aren't there:

- the Bell Centre north of Old City Hall
- the Sun Life Buildings at King & University (the Lord Simcoe Hotel is still there)
- the CF Tower at Queen & James
- Horizon on Bay
- Minto Plaza on Bay
- Cosmopolitan Hotel
- College Park I
- Celebrity Place on Jarvis

Couple of buildings shown that are now gone:

- Cooke's Church on Queen and Mutual (demolished 1984)
- the Lennox church at Dundas and Bond
- the other buildings east of the old Pretzel Bell at Adelaide and Simcoe

Under construction:

- Primrose Hotel at Jarvis and Carlton (but no sign of Tridel's building kitty-corner)

And the Hilton is still the Hotel Toronto

 

[Long Island Mike]

.

Deepend: Nice airview of Downtown Toronto looking NE on a crisp winter day...now that here in the Northeastern USA the current heat wave has many thinking of staying cool...80s era is my guess.

I will second what was mentioned about the two groups of pictures recently posted...the first looks like late 70s/early 80s judging by the cars I can recognize in the pics like that second one on the side street...that white Corvette especially.
The second is late 80s judging by what was shown and mentioned previously...It is too bad many pics from those eras are uncaptioned but taking an educated guess can make it interesting sometimes...

LI MIKE

 

[thecharioteer]

Another clue: no Maclean-Hunter building at College and Bay which was completed in 1983.

 

[chriskayTO]

Also - no Atrium on Bay.

 

[LowPolygon]

i think the record said Feb 1977. Eaton Centre is brand new, possibly not even open yet. (not sure of exact opening day in 1977...)
the thing that surprised me the most was the existence of the block bounded by Louisa, James, Albert and Bay. i had no idea there was that much left of the original Eaton's site when the new mall opened.
also, i've never seen a photo of the two developments in the same frame. these are the latest shots i've seen of the original Eaton's site, but they are almost certainly before the Eaton Centre was built. i wonder when the whole thing was torn down?

 

[Urban Shocker]

.

I remember a bright red building to the north of City Hall, on the south side of Dundas, from around the time I was an OCA student in '71-'75. I think it was reclad in more sober colours eventually. I assumed at the time that the idea was to do something "Chinese" in character. I could be wrong, but there may have been some yellow highlights!

 

[adma]

That was an interesting white elephant of a building--I believe it was imploded (a rarity for Toronto) maybe 20 years ago or so. Also note the Rita Letendre mural on the later-built-upon W wall of Neill-Wycik on Gerrard.

And in the absolute foreground as giveaways of a late 70s date, also missing are the Stock Exchange Tower and the buildings S, N, and NW of it.

As for the older Eatons buildings, note too that old Eatons (the white building btw/the Simpson Tower and the Elgin pylon) is still there. Not only did demolition start right away after the first EC phase opened, a fire facilitated the process to the west--and nearly claimed Holy Trinity as well (which is why its south windows are new)