Evocative Images of Lost Toronto

[thecharioteer]

Once you factor out church steeples (of course), hard to say--after all, there were already proto-"skyscrapers" springing up closer to the core: the original Bank of Commerce and Canada Life buildings, etc. And even at the opposite end of the "Gooderham triangle", the old Board of Trade. There was certainly greater "parity"; it's only w/stuff like the Temple Building at the end of the century and Traders a few years later than things really lifted into the skies...

By Mickelthwaite,(1885-1895):

1912:

 

[LowPolygon]

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[LowPolygon]

By Mickelthwaite,(1885-1895):

1912:

nice comparison shots. the first shot looks to be pre-old city hall so pre-1889. i am wondering what the large building on the waterfront is in the green area here? the pink box has a very dramatic 4-pointed spire, anyone know what that building is?

some big changes starting to be visible here!

what are the names of the 'new skyscrapers' (in blue) visible here? there are also some taller buildings (in orange) that are starting to compete with the mighty spires. i am thinking this is in the area of the original Union Station?

 

[adma]

The green: old Union Station

The pink: Metropolitan Methodist/United

The pink: Traders and Canadian Pacific (present day 67 and 69 Yonge)

 

[thecharioteer]

Deepend: Thanks for the Humber murder photo essay. I've rarely seen Archive pics look so ominous, it was like seeing illustrations from "In Cold Blood".

 

[LowPolygon]

Deepend: Thanks for the Humber murder photo essay. I've rarely seen Archive pics look so ominous, it was like seeing illustrations from "In Cold Blood".

its true--there are some very spooky images to be had there! for me, there's something about Toronto true crime stories from a long time ago that are quite fascinating. the Hugh Hasson murder in particular has some very haunting imagery: the horse with the broken harness coming out of the woods near Gough's restaurant on West Bloor Street; the Gough children chasing and following the horse back to the dying man and his encampment on the banks of the Humber; the bloodied Hasson being lugged back to the restaurant.

in any case, its quite clear that Toronto was, in certain ways, a very rough place, and that their were very dangerous people about; that it was almost a frontier kind of community, with a certain kind of lawlessness. in other words, it seems to me to be the very opposite of its reputation as a 'sleepy provincial backwater'. in the end, its always been a very strong belief of mine that Toronto is, in some very important ways, not very well understood; and that it was (and is) also a far more fascinating and complex place than it is given credit for.

To stand on that stretch of Bloor west of Jane now in 2010, and to climb down to the banks of the Humber, with all of its graffiti tags, garbage, and evidence of homelessness and addiction, one would never know that Hugh Hasson ever actually existed. Or that in early August 1913 he roamed down to the same river with his horse, from his home on Edwin Ave (a home that still stands), and that he met that particular and unlucky fate.

all of it to say: there are many things we can derive from the archives, there are many different kinds of stories we can uncover, and many different kinds of conclusions we can make about the history of our city....

 

[thecharioteer]

I agree, which is why I love the Maureen Jennings mystery novels set in the 1890's (made into the horrible "Murdoch Mysteries" on TV). There's the "official" history of the city and the "unofficial" one made up of off-beat stories from family and newspapers and, of course, the odd photos we all love in the Archives:

 

[LowPolygon]

I agree, which is why I love the Maureen Jennings mystery novels set in the 1890's (made into the horrible "Murdoch Mysteries" on TV). There's the "official" history of the city and the "unofficial" one made up of off-beat stories from family and newspapers and, of course, the odd photos we all love in the Archives:

now that is a strange and stunning find! i must check out these Maureen Jennings books, as i am a fan of good historical crime novels. any thoughts on which ones you think are best? i've been reading John Banville (writing as Benjamin Black) recently. he has written a few exquisite noir novels set in the seamy underbelly of dreary and dangerous Dublin in the 1950's, seen through the eyes of an alcoholic pathologist named Garret Quirke, called Christine Falls, and The Silver Swan....so the idea of reading a Victorian noir based in Toronto is very appealing!

 

[LowPolygon]

The green: old Union Station

The pink: Metropolitan Methodist/United

The pink: Traders and Canadian Pacific (present day 67 and 69 Yonge)

speaking of which, i find it heartening that--to this day--one can still stand on lower Yonge Street, and take in this view....

 

[thecharioteer]

I agree. One of my favourite buildings is the old CP Building on the SE corner, particularly before it was reclad and lost its stripes:

 

[collations]

its true--there are some very spooky images to be had there! for me, there's something about Toronto true crime stories from a long time ago that are quite fascinating.


This is a great piece of contextualization. Enjoyed it very much. As a follow up, I've looked up Hugh Hasson in Census records. He shows up in 1881 and 1891 as a Labourer, living in Guelph, Ontario, with his wife, Mary, a Dressmaker, and daughters Catherine and Bridget and son Joseph. The 1901 Census record shows the family living in Toronto. The daughters are working, one as a Dressmaker, and the other as a Seamstress, while the son is working as an Elevator Boy. Hugh is listed as a Teamster. In 1911, the family is identified as living on Edwin St, with Hugh as a Teamster, the mother and daughters listed as not working, and the son listed as working in a furniture store.

Below is a transcription of Hugh Hasson's death certificate.

 

[LowPolygon]

This is a great piece of contextualization. Enjoyed it very much. As a follow up, I've looked up Hugh Hasson in Census records. He shows up in 1881 and 1891 as a Labourer, living in Guelph, Ontario, with his wife, Mary, a Dressmaker, and daughters Catherine and Bridget and son Joseph. The 1901 Census record shows the family living in Toronto. The daughters are working, one as a Dressmaker, and the other as a Seamstress, while the son is working as an Elevator Boy. Hugh is listed as a Teamster. In 1911, the family is identified as living on Edwin St, with Hugh as a Teamster, the mother and daughters listed as not working, and the son listed as working in a furniture store.

Below is a transcription of Hugh Hasson's death certificate.

thank you so much for contributing that! amazing....

it really brings out what a sad story it is--a young man coming from Ireland in search of a new life, having it end that way...
that is fascinating information about the family as well. such stereotypically early 20th century occupations: Labourer, Dressmaker, Seamstress, Elevator Boy (!)

its interesting as well that Hasson is listed as a 'Teamster', i didn't know the organization went back that far.

here's an enlargement where the info about Hasson can be seen clearly.

 

[Goldie]

thedeepend wrote: "its interesting as well that Hasson is listed as a 'Teamster', i didn't know the organization went back that far. "

Teamster, in the days before automobiles, was not the name of an "organization" but was the name of the occupation of those who drove teams of horses.
I guess the name continued to be used after unionization and even when the 'drivers' advanced to trucks.

 

[LowPolygon]

thedeepend wrote: "its interesting as well that Hasson is listed as a 'Teamster', i didn't know the organization went back that far. "

Teamster, in the days before automobiles, was not the name of an "organization" but was the name of the occupation of those who drove teams of horses.
I guess the name continued to be used after unionization and even when the 'drivers' advanced to trucks.

Wow—thank you! That’s a very interesting bit of historical information.

 

[Mustapha]

its true--there are some very spooky images to be had there! for me, there's something about Toronto true crime stories from a long time ago that are quite fascinating.


This is a great piece of contextualization. Enjoyed it very much. As a follow up, I've looked up Hugh Hasson in Census records. He shows up in 1881 and 1891 as a Labourer, living in Guelph, Ontario, with his wife, Mary, a Dressmaker, and daughters Catherine and Bridget and son Joseph. The 1901 Census record shows the family living in Toronto. The daughters are working, one as a Dressmaker, and the other as a Seamstress, while the son is working as an Elevator Boy. Hugh is listed as a Teamster. In 1911, the family is identified as living on Edwin St, with Hugh as a Teamster, the mother and daughters listed as not working, and the son listed as working in a furniture store.

Below is a transcription of Hugh Hasson's death certificate.

Fascinating, and thank you. The other two deaths - young ones - on that ledger are just as sad.

Is Hasson a common Irish name? I looked up Canada 411 for Toronto and there are quite a few in our city; descendants perhaps?