Lost Road and Bridge: Lawrence Avenue

[Goldie]

The Hollinger Bus Lines offices, parking and garage were once on the property at the corner of Woodbine and O'Connor Dr. (Trillium Apartments 1501 Woodbine Ave).
The address in those days: "Hollinger's garage was located on a 200' x 310' property at 1485 Woodbine at O'Connor."………see: (http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/Toronto/IBL/hollinger.htm)

in the 1950s era, I don't believe there existed any sign of a road (Woodbine Ave.) N. of O'connor Dr. until reaching that famous house N. of Lawrence.
The territory N. of Lawrence was all countryside and may have used RR addresses.

 

[Lost In The Wilds]

The Hollinger Bus Lines offices, parking and garage were once on the property at the corner of Woodbine and O'Connor Dr. (Trillium Apartments 1501 Woodbine Ave).
The address in those days: "Hollinger's garage was located on a 200' x 310' property at 1485 Woodbine at O'Connor."………see: (http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/Toronto/IBL/hollinger.htm)

in the 1950s era, I don't believe there existed any sign of a road (Woodbine Ave.) N. of O'connor Dr. until reaching that famous house N. of Lawrence.
The territory N. of Lawrence was all countryside and may have used RR addresses.

Thanks, Goldie.

Do you believe the Del Zotto house would have had a RR, or Woodbine address? If it had the latter, wouldn't that make the address 1486 or 1487 Woodbine Ave (based on the address of the Hollinger Bus Lines building?)

 

[Goldie]

I would guess that it had a Rural Route address in those early years, since Woodbine never extended that far north.

If there had been provision for a future extension of Woodbine from O'Connor to that area, that house would be given an address number much, much higher than 1487.

Here's a 1954 view of Woodbine at O'Connor:

Further to your original question about the numberings on Woodbine Ave:
I don't believe there is any stretch of Woodbine Ave. remaining between O'Connor Dr. and Steeles Ave. E. (the DVP & Hwy. 404 have taken-over that right-of-way).
Today, Woodbine Ave. continues north from Steeles Ave. E. with the numbering beginning at 7001.

 

[Koolgreen]

thanks for the great pix....as an east Yorker, I barely remember these images from my childhood....
a dominion store was right across on the west side of woodbine...
is there a website that shares old time shots of east York???
any would be appreciated...

 

[Goldie]

These maps cover a large area of East York in 1942:

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/c...VCM10000071d60f89RCRD&appInstanceName=default

Or try these sites:

http://www.eastyork.org/

http://www.google.ca/search?q=east+...&sqi=2&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1426&bih=851#imgdii=_

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_East_York

 

[Lone Primate]

If one compares pre 1971 aerial photos in the archives to the most recent satellite photos of this property they will notice that a rear addition and garage were added between 1962 and 1971 (see comparison below). I'm guessing that this happened in 1969, and is the first record of anything being built on this property under the address: 6 Geraldine Ct. Does that make sense?

That would be my guess. That's probably the year the house's address changed and anyone researching it, with no idea it vastly predates the road it's now on, wouldn't have any reason to suspect it's any older than that. If you check that address, that's probably as far back as you can go. I wonder what instrument was necessary to change the address of the house... and if it would tell us what the previous address was?

$120K way back in 1973, wow... that's some chunk of change, particularly given all the land around it was obviously sold off. Impressive!

 

[Armour]

The Toronto Archives have finally added more aerial photos to their website.

We now know for certain that the house on Woodbine (6 Geraldine Court) was built between 1950 and 1953.

Here is a 1950 aerial shot of the location:

http://jpeg2000.eloquent-systems.com/toronto.html?image=ser12/s0012_fl1950_it0014b.jp2

Lone Primate was nice enough to oblige my request and sent me uncompressed copies of his beautiful photos of the house:

 

[Armour]

This 1956 photo shows another structure on said property that I hadn't noticed in other archive shots:

http://jpeg2000.eloquent-systems.com/toronto.html?image=ser12/s0012_fl1956_it0101.jp2

 

[Edward Skira]

What a beautiful house.

 

[Armour]

Indeed. You really ought to see it in person.

Funny how when it was built the surrounding land was serene (with the ravine), now the house stands directly east of the DVP and to its immediate north is a garbage collection area for a rundown townhouse complex.

 

[Goldie]

Funny how when it was built the surrounding land was serene (with the ravine), now the house stands directly east of the DVP and to its immediate north is a garbage collection area for a rundown townhouse complex.

It's still a beautiful home in spite of the DVP sound barrier.
And the local townhouse complex is inconsequential!

 

[Armour]

When did you take that photo on the left? It appears that you have visited this house more than once, considering the leaves on the ground in the first shot?

Do you have any more that you can share?

The house will always be beautiful, but the nearness to the DVP makes for a noisy yard. It must have been something to have lived there prior to the construction of the surrounding neighbourhood. The vast, open space and calmness must have been really nice in those days, with all the streams crossing the landscape and whatnot.

 

[donoreo]

The house will always be beautiful, but the nearness to the DVP makes for a noisy yard.

Considering how slow the traffic usually is on the DVP there, not really It is even slower right now with the temporary HOV lanes

 

[Goldie]

When did you take that photo on the left? It appears that you have visited this house more than once, considering the leaves on the ground in the first shot?

Do you have any more that you can share?

It was taken in 2013.
Here's a couple more:

 

[Armour]

Lovely. Thanks, Goldie.

It's amazing how obscure this house is. Is it even on the radar of heritage services? It's arguably the finest modernist house in the city.

I think the front of the property would look even better with that island removed and the driveway rerouted in a linear fashion, opening up the yard for a larger lawn (keeping the stone walls in tact). It's unfortunate that the house is hidden from many angles due to the evergreen and other trees.

Anyone up for photographing this house in the summer months, to have documentation of it when the grass and trees look lush?