Looking southwest towards the corner of Spadina Ave and College St in the Kensington Market neighbourhood of Toronto.
The archive photo shows the shops and businesses located around the corner, including, from left to right, the Crescent Grill, Brock’s Billiards, The Homestead Restaurant, the Royal Bank of Canada, Salsberg Smoke Shop, and M Rose & Co. Silks.
The three-story building at the corner was built around 1880 for W.R. Steward, who operated a drugstore there. The structure also accommodated other businesses and offices. Initially known as Steward’s Block, it was renamed the Curry Block around 1908. By the early 1920s, it became the Royal Bank Building, housing a bank branch while still serving as a home to various businesses and offices. In the late 1950s, the corner building, along with part of The Homestead Restaurant, was demolished and replaced with the current structure to serve as a Royal Bank branch.
The Homestead Restaurant closed in the mid-1970s, and the rest of the neighbouring building was also torn down within a few years, allowing the bank to expand. The bank closed this location in the late 1990s. Today, aside from the corner building, which now houses a Rexall, many surrounding buildings from the late 1800s still remain standing.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
