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Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

A triptych of St. Lawrence (third pic taken today from BCE Place):

CN002876-1-1.jpg


lookingeast-1-1.jpg


266.jpg
 
A triptych of St. Lawrence (third pic taken today from BCE Place):

CN002876-1-1.jpg


lookingeast-1-1.jpg


266.jpg

thecharioteer: To my mind, aerial (or near aerials - those taken from rooftops or upper story windows) Then and Nows are the most compelling of the Then and Now genre.

There are quite a few aerial/rooftop Thens at the Toronto Archives but I've never gotten up the nerve to ask for rooftop access.

Below is a Then for which I wouldn't mind doing a Now. I do have a question about this picture. The Toronto archives describes it as 'View of high buildings from Royal Bank. April 22, 1929.' My question is: which Royal Bank building? I'm guessing the caption should read Royal York (Hotel).

s0372_ss0041_it0203.jpg


Can anyone here get me access into the higher regions of the Royal York Hotel? :)
 
Then and Now for October 30, 2012.


Then. May 1954. Reitman's store. Yonge, W side, N of Queen. Our little store was sandwiched between the old Eatons store to the north (the large dark mass of a building on the right), and a smaller neighbour to the south (the white building on the left). To the left out of the picture would have been the famous long lived Woolworths store on the NW corner of Yonge and Queen.

837.jpg



Now. June 2012.

838.jpg
 
Below is a Then for which I wouldn't mind doing a Now. I do have a question about this picture. The Toronto archives describes it as 'View of high buildings from Royal Bank. April 22, 1929.' My question is: which Royal Bank building? I'm guessing the caption should read Royal York (Hotel).

s0372_ss0041_it0203.jpg


Can anyone here get me access into the higher regions of the Royal York Hotel? :)

I think you're right, given the perspective of Osgoode Hall, Old City Hall, 100 Adelaide W (I think). Can't help you with the access though ;)
 
It also makes sense that it would from the Royal York, since it would have been completed that year and nothing else was as tall at the time. I also haven't found anything that would suggest the presence of a major Royal Bank building in that approximate location.
 
Then. May 1954. Reitman's store. Yonge, W side, N of Queen. Our little store was sandwiched between the old Eatons store to the north (the large dark mass of a building on the right), and a smaller neighbour to the south (the white building on the left). To the left out of the picture would have been the famous long lived Woolworths store on the NW corner of Yonge and Queen.

837.jpg

By interesting coincidence, today I encountered, newly opened in the TD Centre, my first "new look" Reitman's store--i.e. where they finally discarded all vestiges of what must have been the most familiar Art Moderne shop logo in Canada...
 
thecharioteer: To my mind, aerial (or near aerials - those taken from rooftops or upper story windows) Then and Nows are the most compelling of the Then and Now genre.

There are quite a few aerial/rooftop Thens at the Toronto Archives but I've never gotten up the nerve to ask for rooftop access.

Below is a Then for which I wouldn't mind doing a Now. I do have a question about this picture. The Toronto archives describes it as 'View of high buildings from Royal Bank. April 22, 1929.' My question is: which Royal Bank building? I'm guessing the caption should read Royal York (Hotel).

s0372_ss0041_it0203.jpg


Can anyone here get me access into the higher regions of the Royal York Hotel? :)

The most interesting thing there, behind the Ford Hotel: the rising skeleton of Eaton's College Street. (And discernable behind Queen's Park, the Park Plaza/Hyatt, which I don't know what it would've looked like close up at this time, as it was an unfinished white elephant for several years...)

Not to mention the skeleton of Canada Permanent behind the Star (though that's far more obvious)
 
I think you're right, given the perspective of Osgoode Hall, Old City Hall, 100 Adelaide W (I think). Can't help you with the access though ;)


It also makes sense that it would from the Royal York, since it would have been completed that year and nothing else was as tall at the time. I also haven't found anything that would suggest the presence of a major Royal Bank building in that approximate location.

Well, I've shot an email off to public relations at the Royal York. I'll phone if I don't hear back. Let's see what happens.

The modern view would be blocked quite a bit by 95 Wellington West. What's not blocked would primarily be that of the TD complex between Wellington and King. Not saying it wouldn't be interesting, but it wouldn't be knock your socks off stuff either. Did I date myself with that ancient idiom?
 
The most interesting thing there, behind the Ford Hotel: the rising skeleton of Eaton's College Street. (And discernable behind Queen's Park, the Park Plaza/Hyatt, which I don't know what it would've looked like close up at this time, as it was an unfinished white elephant for several years...)

Not to mention the skeleton of Canada Permanent behind the Star (though that's far more obvious)

There's always lots to study in these 'high altitude' pictures, adma. :) I was admiring the handsome situation of the Registry Building.
 

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