Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Anna]

If Moose is away, the mice can play?

A bit of urban archeology. 258-264 Bathurst, 1941 and today. I'd always wondered how some 1940s looking houses infiltrated into a block of obvious Victorians.

I dunno. But I guess "nobody ever went broke" selling Canadians replacement windows crappier than the ones they already have.

1941 windows before crappy replacement.

 

[k10ery]

1941 windows before crappy replacement.

It's an ongoing devolution. I'd take the 1880s windows over the 1940s windows, and those over the 1980s (?) windows.

 

[thecharioteer]

It's an ongoing devolution. I'd take the 1880s windows over the 1940s windows, and those over the 1980s (?) windows.

And I'd take 1817 windows over all of them:

But the 1590's were a pretty good period as well:

 

[k10ery]

Nice one. My personal fantasy is to some day build a scaled-down (6-bay?) replica of Longleat House. In the meantime when I had to build a sunporch once I built this (with "found" windows).

 

[Earlscourt_Lad]

It's an ongoing devolution. I'd take the 1880s windows over the 1940s windows, and those over the 1980s (?) windows.

I'd hazard a guess and say the 40-year old windows that were replaced with the aluminum sliders in the 80s/90s were probably completely fine, someone just did a good sales job. Worse, those now 30-year old windows are probably toast; seals in the ig units ruptured, the gaskets shot, etc., etc.

 

[Vaucluse]

I've also just notice that the Victoria homes have functional shutters! I thought they worked pretty well in France and that shutters were an idea that didn't cross the pond.

 

[CanadianNational]

Construction of the convention centre's south end.

 

[thecharioteer]

I've also just notice that the Victoria homes have functional shutters! I thought they worked pretty well in France and that shutters were an idea that didn't cross the pond.

Hey, I think we should bring back awnings, too.....

 

[Mustapha]

Then and Now for May 15, 2013.




More awnings.





Then. 14 Adelaide Street E. Toronto Electric Light Company Office Building. c1903. Picture sourced by wwwebster.

Now. September 2012.

Here is another period 'Then' view; this time we see it dressed with awnings over the second floor windows. Nifty and catchy looking overhanging sign too. We are looking west. Yonge Street is in the distance. It's neighbours to the west, immediately west the Birkbeck building and then the Lumsden office building on the NE corner of Yonge - still stand. Its neighbour to the east, the substantial looking Home Life Building, is no longer with us.

 

[Zeiss]

Now, one more building that we can see in this picture is being demolished. North-West corner of Yonge and Adelaide.

 

[nostalgic]

Canvas awnings, attractive and practical. In the '50s and '60s, my father bought them from Eatons for our suburban house that was built in a farmer's field with no trees in sight. But it seems awnings across sidewalks were a hazard:

http://www.yorku.ca/anderson/geog3040 f11/chapter 6 draft heat.pdf

 

[Mustapha]

Canvas awnings, attractive and practical. In the '50s and '60s, my father bought them from Eatons for our suburban house that was built in a farmer's field with no trees in sight. But it seems awnings across sidewalks were a hazard:

http://www.yorku.ca/anderson/geog3040 f11/chapter 6 draft heat.pdf

Such a scholarly but so readable - indeed gripping - treatise on the subject of Toronto and its summer heat. Thank you nostalgic for this link.

 

[Mustapha]

J T Cunningham sends me this Toronto Archive picture of a Toronto Light Company service wagon speeding to its next service call, although probably not at the speed of light. St Clair looking SE, Yonge in the left distance.

 

[wwwebster]

Hey, I think we should bring back awnings, too.....

It’s not a great quality scan, but I do like this image of the Lumsden Building with most of its awnings unfurled:

from:

http://archive.org/details/constructionjour04macduoft

 

[nostalgic]

That's an impressive display! There must have been some way to raise and lower the awnings from inside. And I can't imagine taking them all down in the fall then putting them all back up in the spring.