Lost Toronto

[Urban Shocker]

It was designed by Ants Elken and Bob Becksted. Like Uno Prii, Elken was an Estonian immigrant.

 

[Urban Shocker]

An incomplete local project list for Elken includes:

Seaway Hotel, Toronto, 1955
Wylie Press, Toronto, 1959
Seaway Towers Hotel, Toronto, 1961 ( demolished )
Eatonville Library, Toronto, 1963 ( demolished )
Blacksmith Crescent Public School, Toronto, 1967
Chalmers House, Terra Cotta, 1969
Bell Tower, St. Peter's Estonian Lutheran Church, Toronto, 1969
Mon Sheong Home for the Aged, Torornto, 1974
Bridge at Harbourfront, Toronto, 1969

Elken's architectural projects have been carried out in partnership with the following:

Bob Becksted, Bruce Fair, Yusing Jung, Doug Lee, Bill McBain, Roger Paulsen, George Robb

Design Awards:

Seaway Hotel - Massey Silver Medal
Wylie Press - Finalist, Massey Awards, 1961
Battle Memorial Building - OAA Tourist Award, 1964
Eatonville Library - OMRC Award of Excellence
Mon Sheong Home - OMRC Award of Merit, 1974

( source: URBANISM )

 

[Urban Shocker]

http://www.johnarmstrong.ca/seaway-towers/seaway towers.html

 

[adma]

I was quite surprised that it was demolished and not the Seaway Motel next door. Certainly a sad loss of a very agreeable 60s building.

Well, with all the stucco remodellings, the Seaway is probably as good as demolished (or demolishable) now--a sad loss of a very agreeable 50s Massey silver medal winner.

As for why the Seaway Towers was demolished; well, it was expropriated for the reworking of the Gardiner/Lakeshore Humber crossing...

 

[egotrippin]

This photo gives a good view of the streetwall along Yonge street that the Eaton Centre replaced:

That's just cruel and wrong.

 

[adma]

And the 1970s was the last moment of history when they could get away with it.

I'm intrigued by the over-the-top Belle Epoqueness of the Clayton's store...

 

[Mystery White Boy]

Are there any photos of the front of the Clayton's Store?

 

[grey]

That's just cruel and wrong.

Yeah, but if I remember correctly, the buildings that the Eaton Centre replaced along Yonge were pretty much condemned and had stairwells filled with concrete just to keep them standing. They were coming down anyway.

 

[unimaginative2]

The Eaton Centre was just a tiny couple years too early to facadectomy all of that.

 

[egotrippin]

Yeah, but if I remember correctly, the buildings that the Eaton Centre replaced along Yonge were pretty much condemned and had stairwells filled with concrete just to keep them standing. They were coming down anyway.

This is true, and I actually like the Eaton's Centre anyway; except for the garish tile siding. I just always get a little teary-eyed looking at pictures of old spectacular streetscapes I'll never get to see due to demolition.

 

[adma]

Yeah, but if I remember correctly, the buildings that the Eaton Centre replaced along Yonge were pretty much condemned and had stairwells filled with concrete just to keep them standing. They were coming down anyway.

Are you talking about every single building from Queen to Dundas? Implausible...

 

[Long Island Mike]

Old Yonge Street pic...

HD and all: That is a good Yonge Street pic-I always found interesting the way that Yonge Street is lit up-with the street lights mounted on the buildings alongside-meaning no light poles. That is looking S where the Eaton Centre is now? When in the 70s were those buildings abandoned and demolished? LI MIKE

 

[adma]

From about 1973 with the stuff up to the Eaton's store, 1977 with Eaton's itself...

 

[TKTKTK]

Sure wish we still had the impossibly cute little shop on the right:

Anyone know what, or where, Mosher's is?

Apparently it used to be the Margaret Eaton School on North Street. And the little shop next door is actually an impossibly cute house

 

[Edward]

Where is North Street?