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Throughout October, UrbanToronto is celebrating 20 YEARS, with stories looking back over the last two decades. Each day we are also checking out our ever-changing street scenes, comparing an older "Then" shot with an up-to-date "Now" shot.
Today's 'Then & Now' takes us just east of Bathurst Street on the south side of the railtracks to the site of the proposed Lower Garrison Creek Park. While it's hard to recognize given how much this area has changed, in 2005 this vantage point provided sweeping views east towards the CN Tower and the southern half of Toronto's downtown core. Then, there were no completed buildings west of Spadina as part of the CityPlace project - the tall building in the centre-right of the photo is Harbour View Estates II which is on the east side of Spadina. Looking north (left in the image) to the financial district, the iconic banking towers are clear standouts, however move further west to the King/Spadina area and what becomes noticeable is the number of mid-rise buildings, such as Metro Hall, the red facade of 393 King Street West, and the 21-storey The Hudson (far-left), which are all easily identifiable against a backdrop of considerably lower built-form.
Moving down to the 'Now' photo taken in 2023, and this may be one of the most significant transformations we've included in the 'Then & Now' series to-date. While the park (still) has yet to be realized, this view demonstrates just how much development has taken place across the city in less than twenty years. There's a lot to take in - from late 2000s/early 2010s buildings such as the various CityPlace towers and the Ritz-Carlton, to mid-2010s projects (e.g. L-Tower and Fly Condos), to those completed during the early 2020s - The Well, TD Terrace, and the under-construction Portland Commons. And this view could be transformed further over the next ten years, with proposals such as 400 Front Street, Union Park, and 310 Front West potentially altering the skyline yet again.
Come back tomorrow for another Then and Now from over UrbanToronto's last two decades!
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Thank you to the companies joining UrbanToronto to celebrate our 20 years in business.
