Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Anna]

Another example of "infill" on Sherbourne, further south:

439 Sherbourne (centre of 1910 map with a number "5" underneath):

That picture refers to Fudger House, which was named after H.H. Fudger, an executive with Simpsons. "Mr. Fudger had set up a foundation and purchased a large mansion on Sherbourne St. in Toronto. Sherbourne House Club was to be a home away from home for those young women, mostly from rural areas, whose work helped to advance the fortunes of the Company."
http://www.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/people/builders/fudger.asp

That building was torn down and a long-term care facility built, which is just north of those two apartment buildings.
http://www.toronto.ca/ltc/fudger.htm

 

[junctionist]

thedeepend, this reminds me that the practice of some business owners of claiming descendance from a long unbroken line of heritage is pushed a bit sometimes for marketing. Indian Motorcycles comes to mind.



Thanks Stumack. What's the rear diff ratio on a 64 Comet then?



I love aerials. Really lets you see the Big Picture.







November 7 addition.

Then: 1909? Even the person writing the caption of the old photo is guessing. Spadina looking N from the then lake, as landfill operations are going on in a big way. By horse and wagon.

Now: October 2009. Note that the warehouse on the right is till there. On the left of the picture, Loretto Abbey looms like a ghost, and that's what it is, as it's long gone.

That's a remarkable evolution.

 

[thecharioteer]

That picture refers to Fudger House, which was named after H.H. Fudger, an executive with Simpsons. "Mr. Fudger had set up a foundation and purchased a large mansion on Sherbourne St. in Toronto. Sherbourne House Club was to be a home away from home for those young women, mostly from rural areas, whose work helped to advance the fortunes of the Company."
http://www.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/people/builders/fudger.asp

That building was torn down and a long-term care facility built, which is just north of those two apartment buildings.
http://www.toronto.ca/ltc/fudger.htm

You're right, Anna. But the house referred to in your quote is the one in the photograph, also labelled Senator Cox's house. The Society Blue Book lists a Hon. George A. Cox residing at 439 Sherbourne which matches the Goad map, both in building outline and address. My mistake in using the photos of the two apartment buildings outlines a shortcoming in Google Streetview, namely that the addresses (at least on this stretch of Sherbourne) only show the even street numbers and imply that 439 is further south. For accuracy, I should have double-checked with TO Maps which correctly identified the location of 439.

 

[Long Island Mike]

More interesting Then and Now pics of Toronto...

Mustapha: 11/5 That Bay Street Bus Terminal pic is interesting-with that preserved stained glass Gray Coach Lines Limited logo. it has changed inside-but not that much!

11/6 King/Bathurst pics-The autos mentioned are correctly described as far as I know...

11/6 - Build Up's skyline pics are quite interesting to me-I visited Toronto for the first time in 1979. These pics note building changes since then well...

LI MIKE

 

[Mustapha]

That's a remarkable evolution.

It certainly is, isn't it?. The date spread between old and new in this pair of pictures is a little more than usual; 100 years in this case. Dirt roads, not a car in sight, a wharf that looks like it's dropped in from cottage country make for a picture that doesn't evoke the usual sense of urban building loss but the loss of a way of life. Even the worker in a suit and hat wielding a shovel ... one imagines that a manual labourer back then still wanted to look respectable.







November 8 addition.



Then: October 9, 1903. The building on the right is the City Dairy Stables, later the Borden Building. The street no longer exists; it's now a walkway between various University of Toronto buildings.

I can't get in the same position as the original photographer did - there was a building right behind me when I tried to get into the original position to take the 'Now' picture. The Borden building is still there; all freshened up and looking mighty nice.

Now: October 2009.

 

[Goldie]

City Dairy ice cream

My father worked in the City Dairy building during the 1940s.
Occasionally he took me to work with him on weekends and it was always a thrill to be invited into the huge freezer for free ice cream.

 

[Anna]

Then: October 9, 1903. The building on the right is the City Dairy Stables, later the Borden Building. The street no longer exists; it's now a walkway between various University of Toronto buildings.

Google Streetview managed to cover this 'street'

 

[thecharioteer]

The street in question is Bancroft Street, (formerly Orchard Street) closed by U of T when they built the Earth Sciences Building in the mid-80's. Interesting to note that the Romanesque-Revival home that stood on the NW corner of Huron and Bancroft was moved westerly in order to preserve it.

1910:

Today:

 

[junctionist]

They made Bancroft Avenue into some sort of early New Urban pedestrian street, not just a walkway. Cars can enter, but pedestrians have the right of way. It's not a connection for cars to Spadina though.

 

[Mustapha]

November 9 addition.



Then: Queen West. South side between Peter and Spadina. June 1959. Barney's restaurant lasted until quite recently. Anyone eat there?

Now: September 2009. Barney's successor, the BBQ restaurant, is quite nice. Large servings - one dinner is big enough for a light dinner for two, fast food prices, friendly family ownership. The dishes have a Korean BBQ slant, quite tasty.

The Pepsi sign in the 'Then' picture... its base coat is still there.

 

[barrytron3030]

Bancroft is certainly a gem in this city.

 

[Goldie]

Once, the road to heaven.

Seminary survives 96 years.

 

[thecharioteer]

I know we've seen this view a million time, but this one by William Notman, 1897, is particularly evocative. The pedestrian makes the background almost seem like an operatic stage set.

As is this one, also by Notman, with the two ladies on the sidewalk to the right:

 

[Goldie]

In The Way Of Progress

The title says it all!

 

[Long Island Mike]

Queen West between Peter and Spadina...11/9

Mustapha: Another good comparison pic here...I like that new Ford Fairlane or Mercury product parked in the center with a Chevy right behind...those 50s era pics can be quite interesting...LI MIKE