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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 to one of Toronto's most-discussed intersections — Yonge and Bloor streets. This intersection has been the subject of much growth since 2005. In the 'Then' image above, the Manulife Centre looms over the area: at 166m it was the tallest building in the vicinity (while not pictured, the two office towers on the northwest and northeast corners of Yonge/Bloor were 149m and 133m respectively). In the image foreground are a series of 3-storey commercial buildings with rooftop billboards. And just east of the smaller Manulife building is the infamous clothing store Stollery's.
In the 'Now' photo below, the taller of the Manlife Centre buildings is of course no longer visible, blocked from view by one complete and one under-construction skyscraper. 1 Bloor East was completed in 2016 by Great Gulf, and stands at 257m with 76 storeys. Stollery's, which was subject to a controversial demolition in 2015, is now the site of The One, currently under construction but will stand 328m with 91 storeys once completed. Coincidentally, today news of a court order filed yesterday became public placing The One in receivership. Arrangements are in place so that construction will continue on The One as other ownership and financial settlements are worked out.
The other noticeable difference in the 'Now' photo is the greenification and layout of Bloor Street - in 2005 it was two vehicle lanes in both directions; replaced by 2023 with widened sidewalks, tree planters, and a bike lane in both directions, leaving one lane for vehicles in each direction.
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.
