Looking southeast towards the corner of Danforth Ave and Broadview Ave in the North Riverdale neighbourhood of Toronto.
The archive photo shows the streetscape more than a century ago. The three-storey building at the corner is known as the Playter Society Hall, which was opened by Albert Playter in 1910. Along with a hall space for meetings and events, the building also featured commercial space.
A few other structures in the vintage photo, which still stand today and were constructed around 1909-1913, include three two-storey commercial buildings located to the right of the Playter Building, as well as the building with three triangular parapets to its left. In the archive photo, also notice The Metropolitan Bank in the right foreground. The Toronto-based bank became part of the Bank of Nova Scotia in 1914. This bank building was demolished long ago.
Playter Society Hall received heritage designation in 1984, and has since had a fourth storey added to a portion of it, which is visible in the present-day photo.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Nov 22, 1911, pg 2
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
