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Goldie's Toronto

wwwebster said:
This is a question for Goldie, who may have specific info, but also for anyone else who may know and want to share.

A friend of mine recently got his hair cut at a shop on Donlands that is part of the same building that houses the old Donlands Theatre. It was alleged to him that the building has a tunnel, possibly under the sidewalk, that connects the shops. Is this true, and is there any indication what the original purpose of the tunnel was?
Click to expand...

Correct, it is under the sidewalk. Each unit along the strip has a basement door into the tunnel. I have been in this tunnel as I have worked in a few of those units.
IIRC there is an access hatch in the sidewalk near the south end, it was used for deliveries and such. Those basements and that tunnell are in need of some serious maintenance!
 
wwwebster said:
This is a question for Goldie, who may have specific info, but also for anyone else who may know and want to share.

A friend of mine recently got his hair cut at a shop on Donlands that is part of the same building that houses the old Donlands Theatre. It was alleged to him that the building has a tunnel, possibly under the sidewalk, that connects the shops. Is this true, and is there any indication what the original purpose of the tunnel was?
Click to expand...

That's the first I've ever heard of a tunnel on Donlands. Seems unlikely.
Although I'm sure there's a "corridor" for utilities.
 
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Goldie said:
That's the first I've ever heard of a tunnel on Donlands. Seems unlikely.
Although I'm sure there's a "corridor" for utilities.
Click to expand...

It is there, been in it a few times. Yes the utilities do run in it, but you can go from unit to unit quite easily. I worked in Lucy's hairdresser, wired the shop when she first opened. I also worked on a friends unit, he used to sell computers there. All of this some 12 years ago. I seem to recall the tunnel was half under the shops and half under the sidewalk. It just connects the units south of the theatre. About 8 feet high and 6 feet wide, quite interesting really. I still kind of have a tie to Lucy's, could ask for tour and snap a few photos. Have to think on that one.

Edit: After a little Googling I now remember why that tunnel was there. In the google streetview the person in shorts is standing on what I believe is the access. Now, why is it there? Deliveries! There is a rear lane for all the other units in the strip, but these particular units have no rear entry. The theatre blocks it!
 
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Goldie said:
Yonge before Toronto Central Library
YongebeforeCentralLibraryc1974.jpg
Click to expand...

This is the first photo I have ever seen of a Checker Cab in regular service in a Toronto taxi livery. Just how common were they, or would this car have been a one-off thing?
 
mattelderca said:
It is there, been in it a few times. Yes the utilities do run in it, but you can go from unit to unit quite easily. I worked in Lucy's hairdresser, wired the shop when she first opened. I also worked on a friends unit, he used to sell computers there. All of this some 12 years ago. I seem to recall the tunnel was half under the shops and half under the sidewalk. It just connects the units south of the theatre. About 8 feet high and 6 feet wide, quite interesting really. I still kind of have a tie to Lucy's, could ask for tour and snap a few photos. Have to think on that one.

Edit: After a little Googling I now remember why that tunnel was there. In the google streetview the person in shorts is standing on what I believe is the access. Now, why is it there? Deliveries! There is a rear lane for all the other units in the strip, but these particular units have no rear entry. The theatre blocks it!
Click to expand...

It would be great to have photos of that mysterious 'tunnel.'
Another piece of Toronto history!
 
I worked as a teenager in 2 stores on Donlands south of O'Connor Drive, Billetts IGA and Aikenheads Hardware around 1948-52. I spent a lot of time in the basement storage areas and didn't see a tunnel, the stores were accessible from the back lane. A utility tunnel, I don't question it exists, sounds weird because I would expect all the utilities except possibly Hydro to be connected from the street the same as all the rest of the block.
 
"Touché, J.T. Obviously, I should have been more to the point!"
QUOTE Prof Goldie.


I am being less adventurous these days with my book resource in that I "let" one fall on the

floor one day which caused it some damage. Suprisingly it was the 1910 Might's rather than

the much larger '20's - '40's editions.


Regards,
J T aka "Butterfingers".
 
"Another 1978 photo - what kind of car would this be?"
Prof Goldie.

1930's Ford V8.


Regards,
J T
 
Goldie said:
Don River to the west of Graydon Hall apartments (under construction)
DonValleyaboveYorkMills.jpg
Click to expand...

I thought it might interest folks to see some follow-up shots from 40 years later. In Goldie's shot you can see three structures: the pony truss bridge (which I believe was Greydon Hall's driveway to Leslie, roughly along where Duncan Mill and Lesmill run now), the pumping station, and some sort of access to the piping that took water to Greydon Hall back then...

The station:

62ce87d0.jpg


The access:

ed37be4d.jpg


The "bridge", facing westward:

fc7d6e1e.jpg
 
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