Looking southeast towards the corner of Yonge St and Gerrard St E in the Downtown Yonge area of Toronto.
Completed around 1890, the building in the archive photo was initially known as the Yonge Street Market. It was designed by architect John A. Radford for Mr. W. Kerr, who wanted a building in the district to serve various local needs. The four-story brick-and-stone building cost $100,000 to construct and featured a distinctive corner tower. Inside, there were stalls for meat, vegetables, and dairy, as well as clothing shops, offices, apartments, and meeting spaces.
Just a few years later, it was renamed The Forum Building. Early on a January morning in 1921, the building’s caretaker was awakened by his dogs barking at the smell of smoke. The caretaker quickly evacuated the building’s occupants. Within about 50 minutes, the entire building was destroyed by fire.
In 1924, the Gerrard Building, designed by architects Sproatt & Rolph, was constructed at the same site. Today, the heritage-designated façade of the Gerrard Building is being incorporated into the Concord Sky condo development.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Jan 28, 1921, pgs 1 & 2
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: Toronto Public Library
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
