Looking northwest towards the corner of Spadina Ave and College St in the Harbord Village neighbourhood of Toronto.
The archive photo shows the streetscape well over a century ago. The building in the background, known as the Avenue Chambers-Bank of Commerce Building, was constructed in the 1880s. It was listed in a street guide as a public building, featuring meeting and social rooms, and housed various offices and businesses.
In 1905, the section of the building located at the corner was replaced by a new Canadian Bank of Commerce building. This corner remained unchanged until the early 1960s, when the rest of Avenue Chambers, along with the bank building constructed in 1905, was replaced by the current CIBC branch building and a small parking lot.
One constant in both photos is the streetcar line that runs along Spadina Ave.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- Toronto Railway Timetable and Street Guide (1885), pg 94
- The Varsity, Volume 12, Number 1, October 12, 1892, pg 94
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: Toronto Public Library
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
