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Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

I was sitting here, looking at lost Toronto and wondering, did other cities such as new York, Chicago and Montreal, lose as much of their old buildings as Toronto?? If yes, to the extent of Toronto's?? Seems like everything was destroyed.
Would it have been beautiful if nothing was destroyed?? I've noticed that things look more beautiful in black and white pictures than they actually are.
 
plink said:
All right, the following kind of strays from the standard photographs of historical structures in this thread -- so apologies in advance if it's not appropriate -- but I think it still marginally falls under the rubric of 'Toronto Then and Now': (plus you folks are so super friendly I wanted to share with you anyway)

TTC metropasses then:
IMG_6900.JPG


TTC Passes 'Now':
IMG_6918.JPG


Many more (enlargeable) photos of TTC pass designs from the last decade, in this blog post of mine [yes, this is self-serving, sorry]

IMG_6876.JPG


Season's greetings all!
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Seasons Greetings plink.

You don't throw anything away? :) Just kidding. Collectables like this that take up no space are the best kind.





So, inspired by you, and aided and abetted by JTCunningham who provided me with the two scans below; I also offer up a couple of non Then and Now Toronto related images.



At noon today exactly 125 years ago, lunch was served at the Walker House (long gone.. SW corner of Front and York Streets).


WALKERHOUSEMENU-1887-No1-page-005.jpg


WALKERHOUSEMENU-1887-No1-page-006.jpg
 
vatche said:
I was sitting here, looking at lost Toronto and wondering, did other cities such as new York, Chicago and Montreal, lose as much of their old buildings as Toronto?? If yes, to the extent of Toronto's?? Seems like everything was destroyed.
Would it have been beautiful if nothing was destroyed?? I've noticed that things look more beautiful in black and white pictures than they actually are.
Click to expand...

vatche, what is gone is irreversible but we have either memories of what was; if we are old enough, or as you say, a beautiful evocative picture of what once was. I appreciate what we have left by being a big fan of Doors Open or just wandering into an old building and sitting down for a moment. Union Station is one of my favourites.

6a00e5509ea6a18834017d3ef93399970c.jpg
 
It’s hard to comprehend today what must have been so much destruction. Looking at areas we knew in London and beyond when we lived there in 1970-71, and the number of bomb sites shown on the map, it’s amazing anything was left. And yet it seems most of the Victorian, Regency, Georgian and earlier buildings are still there. Unlike Toronto, which looks like it was bombarded, there are so few old buildings remaining.
 
nostalgic said:
It’s hard to comprehend today what must have been so much destruction. Looking at areas we knew in London and beyond when we lived there in 1970-71, and the number of bomb sites shown on the map, it’s amazing anything was left. And yet it seems most of the Victorian, Regency, Georgian and earlier buildings are still there. Unlike Toronto, which looks like it was bombarded, there are so few old buildings remaining.
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Ah, London. Some Then and Nows for you then.

http://www.urban75.org/brixton/history/


Leipzig - also, not untypically, bombed. Interesting to walk 1700s era streets and see lots between buildings which have remained undeveloped, rather like missing teeth.

Berlin - has the feel of a built-ground-up-1950s-city in most places, which is not surprising.

My beloved Rome; the Yanks dropped a few on the train station; that was it. :)
 
Mustapha said:
Ah, London. Some Then and Nows for you then.

http://www.urban75.org/brixton/history/


Leipzig - also, not untypically, bombed. Interesting to walk 1700s era streets and see lots between buildings which have remained undeveloped, rather like missing teeth.

Berlin - has the feel of a built-ground-up-1950s-city in most places, which is not surprising.

My beloved Rome; the Yanks dropped a few on the train station; that was it. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. Another good site with a wealth of images: http://www.maryevans.com/
 
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/architecture/london-roads-to-nowhere-2207351.html

Everyone knows about the Blitz. Yet hardly anyone is aware of the hidden history of these motorways – and this secret story of destruction and hope is almost as compelling as the stories of how the East End held out during Hitler's attempt to flatten the capital.

Imagine walking through Camden Town. But instead of eccentric markets and giggling tourists, there's an eight-lane motorway soaring on concrete pylons above a windswept wasteland. Or Dalston: no hip bars and warehouse conversions – just a gigantic spider's web road junction which has obliterated everything. Or Highbury: no delis or pubs; a great slab of grey trunk road instead. It's a similar story in Clapham, Kilburn, Deptford, Barnes, Canonbury, Balham, Battersea... the list goes on.
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And because it's Christmas, a 12 minute, comedic history of motorways (built and unbuilt) in London UK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUEHWhO_HdY
 
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Mustapha said:
vatche, what is gone is irreversible but we have either memories of what was; if we are old enough, or as you say, a beautiful evocative picture of what once was. I appreciate what we have left by being a big fan of Doors Open or just wandering into an old building and sitting down for a moment. Union Station is one of my favourites.
Click to expand...

Although I mourn what has been lost, it makes what remains all the more special. I am found of some of the remaining old storefronts east of Yonge, the Hockey Hall of Fame building (once a BMO branch), Commerce Court North, the Confederation Life building, One King, my beloved Canada Permanent Building, the Flatiron building, Osgoode Hall, Old City Hall, and the old Distillery buildings.

And there are areas where we are luckier than many. We have healthy neighbourhoods full of Victorian and Edwardian houses, both grand and small. I know too many cities where such houses are long gone or have decayed beyond repair.
 
Mustapha said:
vatche, what is gone is irreversible but we have either memories of what was; if we are old enough, or as you say, a beautiful evocative picture of what once was. I appreciate what we have left by being a big fan of Doors Open or just wandering into an old building and sitting down for a moment. Union Station is one of my favourites.

6a00e5509ea6a18834017d3ef93399970c.jpg
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Mustapha and Everyone: Christmas Greetings to all here at UT!
May 2013 be a good year for all! LI MIKE
 
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