Looking northwest towards the corner of Front St E and Scott St, in the St Lawrence neighbourhood and Financial District of Toronto.
The foreground of the archive photo shows when the block was a parking lot. Since 1982, this block has been home to a 13-storey office and retail building located at 33 Yonge St, now known as Berczy Square.
In the background of the vintage photo, a few notable buildings from left to right, which still stand today, include the black steel-and-glass TD Centre; next to it is the 57-storey Commerce Court West; and beside it, the tiered Canadian Bank of Commerce Building. The four-storey building in the centre background was constructed in the early 1870s for the Bank of British North America. This building has served various purposes over the years, including as a CIBC branch and, more recently, as the former Irish Embassy Pub & Grill.
Another building to note in the archive photo is the former National Trust Building, visible on the far right.
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
