More Lost Toronto in colour

[Anna]

i always found it a bit strange that the Pilot was sandwiched between TWO branches of CIBC...i wonder if they had a secret passage through the bar?

Maybe the merger of the Canadian Bank of Commerce (left) and the Imperial Bank (right) was decided over a pint at the Pilot.

 

[thecharioteer]

Though it may not be to everyone's taste, I love the ephemerality of decorating buildings with flags, bunting, drapery etc. to mark special occasions (almost pre-Cristo building wrapping). A lost art?

Sorry, I know this thread's about colour, but the next three are so good...

 

[Mustapha]

Seeing those flags adorning Eatons - it seems so long ago that when the Royals visited Toronto, they would be hosted by Canada's nearest thing to Royalty, the Eaton family; everywhere the Royals went, Eatons would be in the background newspaper pictures.

When my kid had commencement at Ryerson 4 years ago, the man giving out diplomas was John Craig Eaton, the benefactor of the Eaton Chair of Retailing, and was so introduced. Which was a bit bizarre.

 

[LowPolygon]

Though it may not be to everyone's taste, I love the ephemerality of decorating buildings with flags, bunting, drapery etc. to mark special occasions (almost pre-Cristo building wrapping). A lost art?

yes, a lost art. of course, at the heart of all lost arts is actually a lost audience...

as much as anything, these displays speak to the immense totemic power of the Union Jack, and it accompanying heraldic symbolism of the Empire, for the inhabitants of old Orange Toronto.

of course the various heraldic forms--crowns, cartouche, insignia, escutcheon, coat of arms etc--couldn't survive the double onslaught of the rise of modernism, and the emergence of a distinctly Canadian national identity. they would have been almost completely anachronistic by the 1960's.

also, somehow our own flag never inspired the same kinds of ostentation.

 

[adma]

Though the building-decorating spirit lives on in the vernacular along Jameson...

 

[thecharioteer]

yes, a lost art. of course, at the heart of all lost arts is actually a lost audience...

as much as anything, these displays speak to the immense totemic power of the Union Jack, and it accompanying heraldic symbolism of the Empire, for the inhabitants of old Orange Toronto.

of course the various heraldic forms--crowns, cartouche, insignia, escutcheon, coat of arms etc--couldn't survive the double onslaught of the rise of modernism, and the emergence of a distinctly Canadian national identity. they would have been almost completely anachronistic by the 1960's.

also, somehow our own flag never inspired the same kinds of ostentation.

Very interesting, thought-provoking points.

First of all, we have to examine the tradition of decorating buildings for special occasions, which probably dates back to ancient times with buildings and temples draped, for example, with garlands of flowers for festivals. Although today we don't think twice about a building decorated for Christmas, (or lit artistically) we no longer utilize buildings to send public messages such as "welcome" (to visitors) "farewell" (as in the photos below of buildings draped in mourning), "celebrate" (as in the case of the Coronation pictures) or "remember" (as in the case of special anniversaries).

Today we use lighting instead of drapery for decoration:
Ottawa:

Denver:

Secondly, I agree with your points about the role of the flag, though I would probably use the word "exuberance" as opposed to "ostentation" for the old Eaton's pictures. As Canadians, (post-war, I suspect) we have always been somewhat ambivalent about patriotism and condescending towards the Americans' obsession with their flag. How would we feel about the Eatons pictures if the building was festooned with Maple Leafs instead of Union Jacks? I think we would find it ostentatious, given our anti-nationalistic culture since the 60's.

For myself, growing up during an era when "God Save the Queen" was sung every morning at school, these pictures do not symbolize the yoke of colonialism, as some may infer, but simply a reflection of who we were at the time, Canadians first, yet members of something larger than ourselves, the Empire and then the Commonwealth.

 

[Towered]

What's particularly galling about the demolition of the Royal Bank Building on the NE corner is the fact that it wasn't even in the way of the office tower; it was replaced by the current "pavilion" on the corner (imagine the possibilities of uses of that building if it had been preseved in terms of retail, boutique hotel,etc.):

Wow - just wow. There are no words to describe the idiocy. I know the reasons why (symbolic new beginnings and all that dosh) but I never cease to be truly amazed that in the decades after the war that our architectural heritage was given so little respect. Thankfully we're quite a bit more sensitive these days for the most part (disasters such as Walnut Hall and the homes at St. Thomas and Charles being more exceptions rather than the norm...)

 

[toraerach]

Though the building-decorating spirit lives on in the vernacular along Jameson...

And indeed on many churches frequented by certain ethnic groups - that Portuguese church on Dundas (St. Agnes?) comes to mind:

(Source)

 

[LowPolygon]

First of all, we have to examine the tradition of decorating buildings for special occasions, which probably dates back to ancient times with buildings and temples draped, for example, with garlands of flowers for festivals. Although today we don't think twice about a building decorated for Christmas, (or lit artistically) we no longer utilize buildings to send public messages such as "welcome" (to visitors) "farewell" (as in the photos below of buildings draped in mourning), "celebrate" (as in the case of the Coronation pictures) or "remember" (as in the case of special anniversaries).

As much as anything else, I think the eclipse of these kinds of spectacle relates more generally to the decline of the importance of cloth as a sign of luxury and opulence, as well as the eclipse of handicrafts like sewing, carving, embroidery and drapery in the age of mass production. What is amazing to me is how ‘handmade’ everything is in these old photos.

This is also seen in the evolution of flags themselves. I always imagine the Union Jack (as well as the American flag) being sewn out of thick panels of cotton. The Canadian flag evokes no such association in me. You simply don’t imagine it as the handiwork of an artisan. It has a modernist simplicity that seems tailor made to be mass produced.

Of course, the emergence of light as a form of spectacle goes back to the dawn of the era of electricity, with the World’s Fairs of the late 19th century etc. In our time however, light seems to be used much more as a means of projecting images or patterns on a surface, to create an immersive effect. Many of these light displays use the architecture as a ‘screen’ in an almost cinematic way, as opposed to the display of lights themselves being the object of interest: Christmas lights of course still function in the old way, as do the aforementioned cavalcade of lights one finds in Little Portugal, Little Italy etc...

 

[thecharioteer]

Of course, the emergence of light as a form of spectacle goes back to the dawn of the era of electricity, with the World’s Fairs of the late 19th century etc. In our time however, light seems to be used much more as a means of projecting images or patterns on a surface, to create an immersive effect. Many of these light displays use the architecture as a ‘screen’ in an almost cinematic way, as opposed to the display of lights themselves being the object of interest: Christmas lights of course still function in the old way, as do the aforementioned cavalcade of lights one finds in Little Portugal, Little Italy etc...

Very true. There are historic examples of Toronto buildings being illuminated that seem to be more about the lights than the buildings themselves (see the Temple Building below). I've always been frustrated at how poorly Toronto's major buildings are lit, particularly during the winter months. Imagine if every major building was given the attention paid in Paris (where there is a city department dedicated to lighting and where lighting is an art-form) or Berlin or London.

Temple Building

Hotel de Ville, Paris

Berlin

London

 

[DavidJamesTO]

For myself, growing up during an era when "God Save the Queen" was sung every morning at school, these pictures do not symbolize the yoke of colonialism, as some may infer, but simply a reflection of who we were at the time, Canadians first, yet members of something larger than ourselves, the Empire and then the Commonwealth.

I'm too young to have sung God Save the Queen at school, but I couldn't agree more. The colonialist idea may hold in some of the Asian and African colonies, but in the Dominions, it was different. We were equal partners, working together for a larger idea. It's a shame the modern Commonwealth can't bring out the same feelings for all its member nations; there's so much potential in that organization that hasn't been realized.

Back on topic, I'm quite fond of those building wraps, both in light and in paper/cloth/flag. Retail companies don't go out of the way to do anything like that these days, and streetscapes are blander for it.

 

[Anna]

yes, a lost art. of course, at the heart of all lost arts is actually a lost audience...

also, somehow our own flag never inspired the same kinds of ostentation.

In relatively recent times the Simpsons/Bay store on Queen St was decorated with Canadian flags for Dominion/Canada Day very much like this.

 

[jaborandi]

Very true. There are historic examples of Toronto buildings being illuminated that seem to be more about the lights than the buildings themselves (see the Temple Building below). I've always been frustrated at how poorly Toronto's major buildings are lit, particularly during the winter months. Imagine if every major building was given the attention paid in Paris (where there is a city department dedicated to lighting and where lighting is an art-form) or Berlin or London.

I agree that Toronto's attitude towards lighting is quite shameful. What ever happened to the lighting for the old CIBC Tower, the old Bank of Nova Scotia and even Simpson's Tower - somebody pulled the plug.

 

[wonderboy416]

Is excessive lighting really a great example to set for the citizens of the city?
Where is this power coming from? It's not free, and it's certainly not great for the environment. Exception should be made for the CN Tower and the buildings in the CBD, but for establishments that aren't open at night, there's no need for lights IMO.

 

[thecharioteer]

Is excessive lighting really a great example to set for the citizens of the city?
Where is this power coming from? It's not free, and it's certainly not great for the environment. Exception should be made for the CN Tower and the buildings in the CBD, but for establishments that aren't open at night, there's no need for lights IMO.

Depends what you mean by excessive. We live in a climate and latitude that is so dark for much of the year. Imagine Old City Hall, Queens Park, St. James Cathedral, the Market, Osgoode Hall illuminated during the winter. Besides, my understanding is that LED lighting is quite energy efficient.