Evocative Images of Lost Toronto

[thecharioteer]

Three older pics of Avenue Rd. (Goldie: It looks like your studio is there in the first and third pics):

1928:

1933 (at Lowther):

1938:

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

Sorry, JT, but the archives don't post pics of the first two of your requests, and the third of your requests is the pic labelled "23", which is the NW corner of Avenue and Boswell (third block south of Davenport).

There is a pic, however, of a Chinese hand laundry on the block just north of Pears:

I certainly understand, just "pulling your leg", as it were.

"THE CAREFUL HAND", owned by SYDNEY . . . was/is one of, if not the best laundry in this fair city.


Regards,
J T

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

F EVERYONE'S I,

SNOW WHITE HAND LAUNDRY north of the CPR line was at one tyme owned by

one of the two partner's of FARB'S "THE WORLD'S FINEST" CARWASH at King & John Streets.


Regards,
J T

 

[Happy Guy]

Any more views of the East side of Avenue Road from this set?

I have been enjoying the photos of historic Toronto in this thread as well as other threads for several months now. However, this recent posting showing Avenue Road in 1959 has a special impact as I grew up on Pears Avenue (east of Avenue Road) during the 1950s and 1960s. The photo of the stores on the west side between Davenport and Bernard brought back many memories...and a few bits of information that I may be able to share with other members. I do hope that the Toronto Archives holds pictures taken on the east side of the street at the same time, in addition to the ones posted for south of Webster Ave (e.g., St. Paul's church).

Thanks for the effort to uncover and share with us.

 

[Goldie]

Quite a unique building here.
I'll bet gas was about 20 cents a gallon in those days!
Can anyone show us a photo of this site today?

 

[ReiwaMagi]

Quite a unique building here.
I'll bet gas was about 20 cents a gallon in those days!
Can anyone show us a photo of this site today?

I believe its where the Sunset gas is now. It probably got demolished for the unjogging of College Street into Dundas. Samples of its cousins are slightly NW of this building, but not in THIS configuration.

Heres the same building facing NE

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

St Helen"s steeple background left; National Cash Register to the right.

Regards,
J T

 

[ReiwaMagi]

St Helen"s steeple background left; National Cash Register to the right.

Regards,
J T

National Cash Register was later converted to Knob Hill Farms, and then No Frills took 97% of the building down to put their own. Only the East facade of the National Cash Register building remains.

I also noticed that the Street Tag says St. Helens. Which means the building was definitely taken down. Whats on that plot of land now is the 506 Streetcar tracks!

 

[thecharioteer]

I have been enjoying the photos of historic Toronto in this thread as well as other threads for several months now. However, this recent posting showing Avenue Road in 1959 has a special impact as I grew up on Pears Avenue (east of Avenue Road) during the 1950s and 1960s. The photo of the stores on the west side between Davenport and Bernard brought back many memories...and a few bits of information that I may be able to share with other members. I do hope that the Toronto Archives holds pictures taken on the east side of the street at the same time, in addition to the ones posted for south of Webster Ave (e.g., St. Paul's church).

Thanks for the effort to uncover and share with us.

Here you go, Happy Guy, starting at Davenport on the east side and moving northerly:

NE corner of Av and Dav:

At Roxborough:

North of the church, now a park:

At Macpherson:

West side, north of Dupont, now a park:

 

[ReiwaMagi]

Here you go, Happy Guy, starting at Davenport on the east side and moving northerly:

NE corner of Av and Dav:

Hmm, you can see streetcar tracks turning onto Avenue Rd. here, but it suddenly disappears after that. Was there a streetcar loop in that area?

-edit- nm, I see them, sneaky City of Toronto decided to pave over them tracks! Lack of Trolley wires turning onto Avenue Rd. proves it

 

[Long Island Mike]

Excellent 1959 Avenue Road Pictures!

From a 1959 set titled "Avenue Road Widening":

At Webster:

99 Avenue Road:

Site of Hazelton Lanes:

NE corner of Avenue Road and Yorkville:

SE corner of Avenue Road and Yorkville:

NE corner of Avenue Road and Cumberland:

SE corner of Avenue Road and Cumberland:

Looking north from Bloor (west side):

Charioteer: This group of 1959 Avenue Road pictures is quite interesting...

If I could go back in time I would pick one of those cars in that lot in pic #137...the only place today you would even come close to see a group of 50s vehicles like that today is in a car show...

I also would like to obtain the Ontario Highway signs in pic #158...the 11a and the "TO 401" signs are really neat items especially...

Imagine what some of the old signs like that "Canada Dry" sign would be worth today...GREAT collectibles!

I am interested any time in any pictures that date from around the time of my birth...

Long Island Mike

 

[Happy Guy]

Thank you, Charioteer. These bring back many memories...and fill in a couple of gaps where memory failed me. I will attempt to add some comments on individual photos in the coming days. Not surprisingly, it was the memories of the people that I associate with these places that came flooding back. I wonder if anyone else experiences the same thing? Must be a sign of age.

 

[androiduk]

^^ That car dealership in pic #3 looks very interesting, I don't think I've ever seen a picture of it before.

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

What we are missing is the house between the Regency Towers Hotel and B & A Chev, Olds.

Regards,
J T

 

[wwwebster]

Attached images of A. E. Rae & Company, 168 Yonge, in 1908. Source:

http://www.archive.org/stream/constructionjour02macduoft#page/n57/mode/2up

They didn’t last long; by 1912 (or earlier) Simpson’s had swallowed them up.