Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[jaborandi]

Cecil street, just east of Spadina.

I had no idea that the entrance was newish. I wonder when the alteration was made. What a great find Mustapha!

 

[Mustapha]

Thanks Jabourandi.

I don't know when the alteration was made.

A UT lurker mentioned to me that he was told that a Jewish congregation remodeled this Church into a Synagogue, and the removal of the tower was part of the remodel. Just repeating hearsay here.

 

[jaborandi]

That makes sense. I recall that it was once a synagogue so I was quite surprised to see it was once a church.

 

[Mustapha]

That makes sense. I recall that it was once a synagogue so I was quite surprised to see it was once a church.

'
Hey, Re-adapt. Re-use.

 

[Chuck]

If this renovation bothers you, I'd suggest not researching the original occupant of the same corner of the Spadina and College intersection.

 

[adma]

You mean E.J. Lennox's Broadway Tabernacle? Hey, at least that was demolished back in 1930, when such fare was deemed expendable. And its replacement is a good Depression-era corner-filler. (I'm even willing to play devil's advocate re the lost Church of Christ tower in that gee whiz, that must have seemed a horrifically ugly and dated Victorian excresence by the time it was demolished.)

If the demolition took place in 1970 or 1980, that'd be a different matter altogether.

 

[Mustapha]

A pair of sites for Dec 18

Arcade Building. Yonge street. North of Adelaide.
Imagine if the old building was still extant - what a great place for luxury goods shops; selling leather items, etc., like the London UK arcades.


Interior

Victoria street view, looking west. Thanks adma, for the correction.

Yonge street view, looking NNE.

Bay looking towards Adelaide.

 

[adma]

I'm puzzled by why the building on the left in photos 2 and 3 don't match up. They should. Can anyone help?

Because photo 2 was taken from Lombard and photo 3 from Temperance?

Interesting "STOP THROUGH STREET" sign in photo 2, anyway...

 

[Mustapha]

Because photo 2 was taken from Lombard and photo 3 from Temperance?

Interesting "STOP THROUGH STREET" sign in photo 2, anyway...

Yeah,... that's it. I'll go shoot another pic and post a correction.

"""DONE"""" -Moose

 

[Skeezix]

Arcade Building. Yonge street. North of Adelaide. East side.
Imagine if the old building was still extant - what a great place for luxury goods shops; selling leather items, etc., like the London UK arcades.

The Star did an article 5-10 years ago on the 10 demolished buildings that represented the biggest loses to Toronto, and besides the obvious candidates (the Temple Building, the General Post Office, the Normal School, etc.), the Arcade Building was one of them. Although I do recall the article saying that the interiors were pretty dingy and wrecked by the time the decision to demolish was made.

 

[adma]

Although I do recall the article saying that the interiors were pretty dingy and wrecked by the time the decision to demolish was made.

...well, maybe not by today's standards (or, no more than the present Arcade prior to its recent closure for renos). But remember: it was the mid-50s. This Victorian eclectic stuff tended to be regarded as a horrid relic then; and dinginess would only have compounded it.

Anyone remember when the present Arcade was a two-storey affair? (It must have been the 80s or so when the upper level was closed-off and subdivided into offices...)

 

[Skeezix]

...well, maybe not by today's standards (or, no more than the present Arcade prior to its recent closure for renos). But remember: it was the mid-50s. This Victorian eclectic stuff tended to be regarded as a horrid relic then; and dinginess would only have compounded it.

Anyone remember when the present Arcade was a two-storey affair? (It must have been the 80s or so when the upper level was closed-off and subdivided into offices...)

I'm just going by memory, so I could be wrong, but I seem to recall the article going on about how badly the building had deteriorated -- I think it was more than mid-century disdain for Victorian architecture. Having said that, I think you're right -- today they'd try to restore it.

I'm going to see if I can find that article.

 

[adma]

Having said that, I think you're right -- today they'd try to restore it.

And again, consider the *present* Arcade before it closed down. Not that anybody would have bid to restore *it*--those prone to appreciating it would have done so on a Seth-ian fly-in-amber basis. (Speaking of Seth, I wonder if that fedora shop migrated elsewhere...)

 

[Tewder]

I'm just going by memory, so I could be wrong, but I seem to recall the article going on about how badly the building had deteriorated -- I think it was more than mid-century disdain for Victorian architecture. Having said that, I think you're right -- today they'd try to restore it.

I wish I had more faith, but look at the Lister Block in Hamilton. Not sure if preservation efforts would have been stronger and more successful in Toronto but it's sad to see these little pieces of heritage disappearing.

 

[Mustapha]

Dec 20, one addition.

Spadina looking towards Adelaide.