Looking northeast towards the corner of Church St and Richmond St E, in the Old Town, St Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto.
The streetscape has largely preserved its original character, but there are two notable differences. First, there are the towers in the background. The second is the building directly at the corner at 107 Church St. The archive photo shows the original building, which was constructed in 1879 for the Octavius Newcombe & Company (pianos) and designed by architect Matthew Sheard.
In the mid-1970s, this corner underwent a reconstruction, and in 1976, the building we see today reopened as office space. After researching, it remains unclear whether the current facade conceals the original structure; however, the present-day building matches the original in height and has the same number of elongated openings—seven on the Church St side and six on the Richmond St E side—compared to the original window bays. More recently, this building was home to Wild Wings.
In the vintage photo, also notice the Eaton’s delivery truck on the left.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Oct 11, 1879, pg 4 – (Octavius Newcombe & Company at Church St and Richmond St E, northeast corner)
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
