Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Mustapha]

August 1 addition.


Harbord and Palmerston, NW corner.. quite the dignified older lady.

The building behind it, with cupola, now demolished, was the original Harbord Collegiate (my wife's alma mater).

 

[W. K. Lis]

Mustn't forget about the ravine that is just west of Bathurst on St. Clair that got filled in for a more level roadway. When they dug down for the underground St. Clair West subway station, it was just demolition fill they had to dig down.

You can see the streetcar right-of-way in the distance that goes east from the ravine. They had a lot of problems with washouts (similar to the Finch Avenue washouts) with bridges and fills at this location in the early 20th century.

 

[Mustapha]

Mustn't forget about the ravine that is just west of Bathurst on St. Clair that got filled in for a more level roadway.

Civic projects like this must have taken much longer back in those days of horse power...



August 2 addition.

Harbord Collegiate.

 

[egotrippin]

Wonderful work as always Mustapha. It's funny though, now I'm finding myself wishing that Toronto retained more of its historic geography along with its historic buildings. If anything I'd like to dig out those old bridges at the very least. Give me a shovel, I'll do it for free (well, maybe a decent supply of cold beers would help).

 

[LowPolygon]

Harbord and Palmerston, NW corner....

that seems like quite a large apartment building for 1914. it seems to me that most of the classic 4-5 story walkups of that scale that sprinkle the city (along King west of Dufferin etc) were built a little bit later?

these ones on Howard at Glen are from the same era (1913) and, like the Palmerston building, are still there; beyond the loss of the balustrade, they are barely touched. they even have what look to be the original windows.

 

[Mustapha]

Wonderful work as always Mustapha. It's funny though, now I'm finding myself wishing that Toronto retained more of its historic geography along with its historic buildings. If anything I'd like to dig out those old bridges at the very least. Give me a shovel, I'll do it for free (well, maybe a decent supply of cold beers would help).

Thanks egotrippin. I too have harboured thoughts of some sort of uncovering of those bridges; if even for a few feet deep and across and if only long enough to take some pictures.




QUOTE=thedeepend;298614]that seems like quite a large apartment building for 1914. it seems to me that most of the classic 4-5 story walkups of that scale that sprinkle the city (along King west of Dufferin etc) were built a little bit later?

these ones on Howard at Glen are from the same era (1913) and, like the Palmerston building, are still there; beyond the loss of the balustrade, they are barely touched. they even have what look to be the original windows.

[/QUOTE]


Beautiful. Such dignity. The present owners are to be commended.




August 3 addition.

Yonge and Adelaide, SW corner; through the years...

 

[thecharioteer]

Great pictures as always, Mustapha. Here's one to add to the mix from 1922, still showing the Grand Opera House:

 

[ares]

Great thread!

 

[Mustapha]

Great pictures as always, Mustapha. Here's one to add to the mix from 1922, still showing the Grand Opera House:

Lots of people in this one. Looks like a Hollywood movie scene. The man with back to camera slightly left of the centre of the pic - what a wonderful cut to his coat.

Great thread!

Thanks, lots of contributors here. Feel free to add some pictures. If you are just looking, feel free to donate a quarter - just push it into your PCs SD card reader slot - thanks!! [Kidding]

 

[thecharioteer]

As a sidebar to discussions of the SW corner or Adelaide and Yonge, it's interesting to compare the old Goad Atlas maps to today's, which illustrate the impact of land assembly on built-form (or the other way around!). This block, which once contained both the Manning Arcade and the Grand Opera, has very little left of its 19C past (except for the ghost of the Grand Opera Lane):

1884:

Today:

Our dearly departed Grand Opera (1913):

 

[Goldie]

As a sidebar to discussions of the SW corner or Adelaide and Yonge, it's interesting to compare the old Goad Atlas maps to today's, which illustrate the impact of land assembly on built-form (or the other way around!). This block, which once contained both the Manning Arcade and the Grand Opera, has very little left of its 19C past (except for the ghost of the Grand Opera Lane):

Wasn't the Manning Arcade on the east side of Yonge at Temperance?
see attached

 

[RenII]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/JeffLow/YongeandAdelaideSWaa.jpg

I have about decided that if one comes out of their abode to find a sidewalk shed and an optic orange Teperman Wrecking sign up in front of the house that it is not a good day

 

[thecharioteer]

Wasn't the Manning Arcade on the east side of Yonge at Temperance?
see attached

That was the Arcade Building. The Manning Arcade was designed by EJ Lennox (in robust neo-Romanesque Revival combined with Edwardian neo-Classicism) and stood on King just west of Yonge until replaced by the current Royal Bank Building.

 

[LowPolygon]

That was the Arcade Building. The Manning Arcade was designed by EJ Lennox (in robust neo-Romanesque Revival combined with Edwardian neo-Classicism) and stood on King just west of Yonge until replaced by the current Royal Bank Building.

it hurts to see that. do we even have even one 19th century building left of that scale and calibre? besides public buildings like Old City Hall?

Confederation Life Building is the only one i can think of...

 

[thecharioteer]

it hurts to see that. do we even have even one 19th century building left of that scale and calibre? besides public buildings like Old City Hall?

Confederation Life Building is the only one i can think of...

I think the closest to it (besides St. James Cathedral and University College) would be the St. Lawrence Hall: