Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Mustapha]

Then. Yonge, west side, just above Gerrard. April 30, 1977. I think this place was a Loblaws at one point.

Now. Aura Condo.

Thanks as always to thecharioteer for fleshing out my drive by posts.

Hard to believe this corner was a parking lot for decades...

 

[r937]

Hard to believe this corner was a parking lot for decades...

even harder when viewed vertically... that is one damned tall building

 

[adma]

Loblaws, or Woolworths? Whatever the case, it definitely fit into the Yonge-College-zone's "Moderne district" parti (too bad the built fabric didn't last long enough for it to be recognized as such)

 

[thecharioteer]

Then. Yonge, west side, just above Gerrard. April 30, 1977. I think this place was a Loblaws at one point.

Now. Aura Condo.

Thanks as always to thecharioteer for fleshing out my drive by posts.

Hard to believe this corner was a parking lot for decades...

You're welcome, Mustapha! The building was a Kresge's (notwithstanding the one at Yonge and Carlton):

Starting at the corner (1950):

 

[Toronto Lad]

Well I just finished reading this epic thread, it’s been two weeks and now I can’t remember how I found it, I had to join to say thank you ladies and gentlemen, so much, for the insane wealth of info found here.

I’m born and raised in Toronto (school at Bedford Park, Glenview, Northern sec), lived in a few places but mainly north (Moore ave. and St Germain ave), I’m also a bit of a history geek and I’d love to contribute so hopefully with your permission I’ll be able to add a micro-something to this great piece of work.

One question please, I know this is an urban Toronto thread, but I wonder if by extension I could add some info on the terminus of the Toronto and York radial railway, Jackson’s Point and area.... see what I did there... it’s linked to Toronto by streetcar so I’m hoping that counts even though it’s not too urban, please let me know what you think.

 

[thecharioteer]

Well I just finished reading this epic thread, it’s been two weeks and now I can’t remember how I found it, I had to join to say thank you ladies and gentlemen, so much, for the insane wealth of info found here.

I’m born and raised in Toronto (school at Bedford Park, Glenview, Northern sec), lived in a few places but mainly north (Moore ave. and St Germain ave), I’m also a bit of a history geek and I’d love to contribute so hopefully with your permission I’ll be able to add a micro-something to this great piece of work.

One question please, I know this is an urban Toronto thread, but I wonder if by extension I could add some info on the terminus of the Toronto and York radial railway, Jackson’s Point and area.... see what I did there... it’s linked to Toronto by streetcar so I’m hoping that counts even though it’s not too urban, please let me know what you think.

I vote to accept Toronto Lad's proposal. Welcome aboard!

 

[Mustapha]

I vote to accept Toronto Lad's proposal. Welcome aboard!

+2. My vote to accept as well. Welcome Toronto Lad. I m a North Torontonian too: John Fisher, Glenview and Northern.

 

[Toronto Lad]

Thank you gentlemen, I hope I can add something interesting.

Mustapha, North Toronto was a little 'smaller' when I lived there, or so it seemed, I did read your posts about the north Toronto area and it brought back many memories... playing a season of hockey in the late 60's for the "little Pie Shoppe", the coin store my dad used to take me into just north of Harry's Charcoal Broiled, go-go burgers at Yonge and Fairlawn, the greasy spoon in the ttc terminal at the top of Hogs Hollow, Mills and Hadwin etc etc etc.

Great thread guys, just great.

 

[Goldie]

 

[Toronto Lad]

It's alright about the lack of women on the lawn.

So many details here to study.

Stan Muston used to have live ducklings at Easter in their window. Bought my date a corsage for the high school prom from there.

Stainton's hardware on that block was a humming place when I was a boy. Further up was Hopkins Cycle; father and son ran it together. The son would be in his 80s now.

The IODE Childrens Hospital lay abandoned until about 1970 when the land was developed.

In the 1950s map, the house on the NE corner of Duplex and Albertus - now gone, a 1870s looking thing - just above the '536.0' on the map was owned by the man who ran the Morley Bedford funeral home on Eglinton west of Yonge.

The Shell station... a police chase around 1970 ended in a shootout there at night, behind the station. The suspect died.

Thank you thecharioteer.

Mustapha, I had all but forgotten about Hopkins Cycle, thanks for reminding me.

The son, Mr. Hopkins as I knew him, was my cub scout leader at Bedford Park United in the mid-60's and also coached the church hockey team which I played on for a single season, he was a nice man but pretty tough... I figure if he's still with us he'd have to be in his mid-eighties, I was friends with his son and daughter as the were in my school and church, thanks for the reminder...

 

[Mustapha]

Mustapha, I had all but forgotten about Hopkins Cycle, thanks for reminding me.

The son, Mr. Hopkins as I knew him, was my cub scout leader at Bedford Park United in the mid-60's and also coached the church hockey team which I played on for a single season, he was a nice man but pretty tough... I figure if he's still with us he'd have to be in his mid-eighties, I was friends with his son and daughter as the were in my school and church, thanks for the reminder...

Oh, you're welcome. Speaking of the old nabe... if you or your family also shopped at North Yonge Fruit Market in the 1960s/70s [east side of Yonge, just north of Sherwood]; it's still a fruit/vegetable flower market, but a different name; you may remember the Young family owners and their large family. Mr. and Mrs. Young are well, and retired of course. They are friends of my parents and we all spent some time together in Hong Kong recently.

Harry's Char Broiled lasted up until around 2005 or so, as did the 'Go-Go'. The coin store.. that was North Toronto Coins. Mr. Larry Becker was an awfully nice man to children - that would have been me - wandering around his shop. I was quite the collector back in the day. He left quite a bit of stuff to the Toronto Archives.

 

[Mustapha]

Is that a private house Goldie?

I wonder how many of the timbers are original?

Just ruminating.

 

[Mustapha]

Loblaws, or Woolworths? Whatever the case, it definitely fit into the Yonge-College-zone's "Moderne district" parti (too bad the built fabric didn't last long enough for it to be recognized as such)

...' "Moderne district" ' ... adma, this turn of phrase; and thecharioteer's panorama picture bring into perspective what was lost here. Now we only have College Park to the north, and the former TD bank at Yonge and Gerrard to the south.

A not wholly original thought, 'cause thecharioteer mentioned it : we have much to be thankful for to the S. S. Kresge Company. They brought - while it lasted - some eye catching architecture to Toronto [here,, Yonge and College, Yonge and Richmond...].

 

[Mustapha]

Then.


Gerrard East and Ontario Streets. August 13, 1929.

Now. June 2014.

 

[Mustapha]

Oy, what is it about 'Variety store' owners - not a single one cares about 'dressing' their windows.