Looking northeast towards the corner of Yonge St and The Esplanade, in the St Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto.
The archive photo shows when the structure was home to the Toronto Wholesale Fruit Market. This building was originally the train shed of the Great Western Railway Station, which was built in 1866 and designed by architect William Storm. It was positioned at an angle to allow trains to enter and exit the mainline and the depot. The façade featured a lunette shape with multiple windows, and the barrel-vaulted roof was covered in tin. The one-storey section of the old train station along The Esplanade initially served as the freight and office area. The building was destroyed by fire in 1952.
The present-day photo shows the street today with the L Tower condo at the corner, a portion of Meridian Hall in the background, and in the distance on the right, St Lawrence Market.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- Lost Toronto by William Dendy (1978), 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
