thecharioteer
Senior Member
Wow, that section of Front went from London to Minnesota way too easily.
Well put! And we can't even use bombing raids as an excuse.
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Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now
- Thread starter Mustapha
- Start date
Well put! And we can't even use bombing raids as an excuse.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
Couple more of the Royal Insurance Company Building, seen from the Wellington frontage (#27-29), in the 1940's:
Mustapha
Senior Member
This is wonderful; I clicked on the link. After the map appears for a few seconds, it is replaced by the picture. How do you get it to do that?
adma
Superstar
Wow, that section of Front went from London to Minnesota way too easily.
Though with a parking-lot interregnum, granted.
lightarchitect
Active Member
that makes me SO sad.
ganjavih
Senior Member
Thank you to modernism and urban renewal.
UserNameToronto
Active Member
I just linked it up with the relevant Google Maps streetview. Note you can scroll/zoom/strafe as desired.
It's also interesting how the neighbouring buildings (fronting Queen) to the west are so plain, and how the wooden bay windows are intact.
I think the Eastern & Gilead picture is awesome too, note it's the same building jsut with a second storey added. The giveaways are the windows and the circular design above the doorway.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
I think that the decline of the area was so gradual, buildings being knocked down one at the time (for parking), buildings falling into disrepair. In a typical Toronto way, there was no vision that preceded the clearance of the area (no Rockefeller Center, no Lincoln Center), just a muddling-along that makes the process even sadder.
This building, on the east side of Scott between Front and Wellington, is the same building towards the left of the older photograph. Stripped of all its details (in an attempt to "modernize"?), its neighbours gone, who would think it worthy of preservation?
UserNameToronto
Active Member
In the intermediate photo, the Royal Insurance building was neighboured by a garage (previously another grand 5-storey office).
thecharioteer
Senior Member
In this other view (early 50's?) most of the block is still intact, including the 1863 Bank of Toronto on the NW corner of Church and Wellington, but it looks like parking lots have already begun to replace the Market Square block. The state of the sidewalks gives a hint as to the decline of the neighbourhood.
Bank of Toronto, at left, whose portico is glimpsed in the previous photgraph:
Bank of Toronto, at left, whose portico is glimpsed in the previous photgraph:
Mustapha
Senior Member
October 23 addition.
Mt. Pleasant Rd. East section. Looking N. July 1958.
Now: September 2009.
Mt. Pleasant Rd. East section. Looking N. July 1958.
Now: September 2009.
Edward
Senior Member
I'm amazed the Flatiron actually survived all of that.
DC83
Senior Member
In this other view (early 50's?) most of the block is still intact, including the 1863 Bank of Toronto on the NW corner of Church and Wellington, but it looks like parking lots have already begun to replace the Market Square block. The state of the sidewalks gives a hint as to the decline of the neighbourhood.
Looks like it was the only thing that survived :s
Long Island Mike
Senior Member
More good historical pics...it's always good!
Charioteer: I believe that pic today of the Gooderham Flatiron Building is later in the 50s at least-two of the cars in the pic look like 1955 or 1956 Chevrolet's.
There would be more of the larger,rounder cars like those from the late 40s/early 50s in that pic posted yesterday of that insurance building.
I wish more of those archive pics were dated like the one on Mount Pleasant Road Mustapha posted from 1958-on the right is a then-new '57 Chevy a good example of older classic cars. Seeing these pics remind me that half a century or more has passed since some of these pics were taken and the only way of seeing quantities of classic cars in any manner is at a car show. That pic of Jarvis and Bloor Streets in 1960 contains two new Chevy's-1959 and 1960 I believe on the right on the street. That car turning in the left lanes looks to be a mid 50s Buick or Oldsmobile. Again: Yes-it's always good!
Thoughts by LI MIKE
Charioteer: I believe that pic today of the Gooderham Flatiron Building is later in the 50s at least-two of the cars in the pic look like 1955 or 1956 Chevrolet's.
There would be more of the larger,rounder cars like those from the late 40s/early 50s in that pic posted yesterday of that insurance building.
I wish more of those archive pics were dated like the one on Mount Pleasant Road Mustapha posted from 1958-on the right is a then-new '57 Chevy a good example of older classic cars. Seeing these pics remind me that half a century or more has passed since some of these pics were taken and the only way of seeing quantities of classic cars in any manner is at a car show. That pic of Jarvis and Bloor Streets in 1960 contains two new Chevy's-1959 and 1960 I believe on the right on the street. That car turning in the left lanes looks to be a mid 50s Buick or Oldsmobile. Again: Yes-it's always good!
Thoughts by LI MIKE
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thecharioteer
Senior Member
Mike: You are the CSI of forensic car identification! Thank you; I love reading your analyses.