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Throughout October, UrbanToronto is celebrating 20 YEARS, with stories looking back over the last two decades. Each day we are also checking out our ever-changing street scenes, comparing an older "Then" shot with an up-to-date "Now" shot.
Today's 'Then & Now' takes us us back to Old Toronto - but this time from a unique vantage point atop 80 Front Street East looking southwest towards the area surrounding Union Station. In the 'Then' image above, there is a clear visual divide between the Financial District skyscrapers to the right, and the surrounding area. Even the tallest building south of Gardiner Expressway in the 2005 photo which is the under-construction 16 Yonge Street, was one of four towers that comprise the Pinnacle Centre Condos, and was only 123m in height.
Contrast that with the 'Now' photo below from 2023, and the divide between the Financial District and surrounding area has very much been blurred. There are a number of 200m+ buildings, and whereas 25 The Esplanade was the most prominent building in 2005, that same building almost blends into a background of newer, taller, and distinctly-bluer buildings. In 2023, this view boasts some of the Urban Toronto forum's most-popular buildings (CIBC Square, Pinnacle One Yonge) as well as some of the, let's say 'oft-discussed' buildings (L-Tower). But this view also showcases some more nuanced aspects of this part of the city too — such as how far south of Toronto's original southern-most street (Front Street) towers now stand (see Tower at Pier 27 at the far-left). And, where there has been significant density built, there are areas — such as around the Gooderham Building — which have been maintained as mid-rise.
Come back tomorrow for another Then and Now from over UrbanToronto's last two decades!
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Thank you to the companies joining UrbanToronto to celebrate our 20 years in business.
