HomeLost Buildings & Structures in Toronto

Lost Buildings & Structures in Toronto

Circa 1945 - A Good Hotel was once located in downtown Toronto at 572 Bay St, south of Dundas St W. Notice the painted Coca-Cola sign on the side of the building

A Good Hotel – Once on Bay St, south of Dundas...

Circa 1945 - Alexandra Hotel was once located at Queen St W and Elizabeth St on the northwest corner when the two streets intersected

Alexandra Hotel – Once at Queen St W & Elizabeth St

1907 – Looking northwest toward the Arlington Hotel, once located at King St W and John St in Toronto

Arlington Hotel – Once at King St W & John St

Circa 1945 - Babloor Hotel was once located at 1163-1167 Bay St, just south of Bloor St W on the east side, in the Bay-Cloverhill neighbourhood of Toronto

Babloor Hotel – Once on Bay St, south of Bloor St...

July 14, 1965 - The Barclay Hotel just before its demolition. It was located on the northeast corner of Front St W and Simcoe St in downtown Toronto. Notice the content auction signs on the hotel that closed that year. The hotel site became a parking lot for decades

Barclay Hotel – Once at Front St W & Simcoe St

The Lux Burlesque Theatre was once located at 360-362 College St in Toronto

Bellevue Theatre & Lux Burlesque – Silver Screen to the Burlesque...

Circa 1885 - Black Horse Hotel was once located at the northeast corner of Front St E and George St in the Old Town neighbourhood of Toronto. The structure was built about 1820 by George Monro as a residence. It became the Black Horse in the early 1840s when William Rolph converted the building into a tavern

Black Horse Hotel – The Last of Old Toronto’s Taverns

1910 - A postcard showing the busy streets in front of the Board of Trade Building

Board of Trade Building – The Toronto Jewel That Once Adorned...

1922 - Hotel Brockton, originally Brockton Club House, and lastly, Brockton Hotel, was once located at 1541-1553 Dundas St W and Sheridan Ave on the southeast corner in Toronto's Brockton Village neighbourhood. The three-storey building was clad with brick. Notice the Brockton Café on the right and the for sale sign on the centre-left

Brockton Hotel – Once at Dundas St W & Sheridan Ave

June 23, 1971 – Looking northeast towards the Brown Derby Tavern once at the corner of Yonge St and Dundas St E

Brown Derby Tavern – Hats Off to the Landmark Once at...

1872 - Looking west along Front St E and Wellington St E from east of Church St towards the Coffin Block

Coffin Block – A Unique Intersection Well Before the Gooderham Building

July 1973 – Looking northeast towards The Colonial Tavern during the Yonge Street Mall (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1118, Series 377, Item 782)

Colonial Tavern – The Historic Venue’s Part in Toronto’s Music Heritage

January 2, 1955 - The Columbia Hotel was once located at 2 Ossington Ave and Queen St W on the northwest corner in the Beaconsfield Village neighbourhood of Toronto

Columbia Hotel – Once in Beaconsfield Village

1960s - The Conroy Hotel was once located on the west side of Dufferin St, just north of Lawrence Ave W. The owners of the hotel, former NHL hockey players Charlie Conacher and Roy Worters, combined their names to create the hotel's charismatic name. The Conroy featured nightly entertainment and was where regular people could mingle with sports legends that frequented the bar

Conroy Hotel – Once a Favourite Hangout for Sports Stars

1970s – The Constellation Hotel was once located on the northeast corner of Dixon Rd and Carlingview Dr. When this postcard was printed, the hotel had "600 luxury rooms, indoor-outdoor pool, tennis and Mediterranean Garden, health club, sauna, 6 licenced bars and dining rooms, 24-hour room service and coffee shop, boutiques, free parking, golf course nearby"

Constellation Hotel – The Former Luxury Hotel Began as a Posh...

1884 - The Crystal Palace was once located at Exhibition grounds. The beautiful building faced Lake Ontario and stood where the Horticulture Building stands today

Crystal Palace – The Beautiful & Ornate Building Once at the...

$\Circa 1895 – Looking east along Front St W from just west of Simcoe St. Notice Grand Union Hotel on the left, the Daly House on the right, and the old Union Station (with the tower) in the background$

Daly House – Once at Lower Simcoe St & Front St...

Circa 1912 – The Dufferin Hotel was once located at 1130 Bloor St W and Dufferin St on the northwest corner in the Bloordale Village neighbourhood of Toronto. Notice the sign above the top verandah says "DUFFERIN - ANGUS KERR - HOUSE HOTEL". Also, "Dufferin St" is marked at the east side front corner of the building

Dufferin Hotel – Once at Bloor St W & Dufferin St

1941 - The Dufferin Park Racetrack, once where Toronto’s Dufferin Mall stands today

Dufferin Park Racetrack – Once Where Dufferin Mall Stands Today

Circa 1903 - Looking southwest towards the Empringham Hotel, once at Danforth Ave and Dawes Rd in what's known today as the East Danforth neighbourhood of Toronto. When the Empringham Hotel opened in the 1870s, the area was known as Little York and, later, East Toronto. Notice the water pump on the Dawes Rd side and the posts to hitch horses under the porch

Empringham & Danforth Hotel – From Farmers Lodging to Adult Entertainment

Exhibition Stadium & Grandstand in Toronto

Exhibition Stadium & Grandstand – Hosted Legendary Concerts & Events

1910 - The General Post Office once stood at 38-42 Adelaide St E, opposite Toronto St

General Post Office – A Gem That Once Stood at Adelaide...

1920s – The Gooderham Fountain was once located at Exhibition grounds. It sat on an octagonal base ringed by a pool. The fountain's smaller upper basin was inverted and decorated with scales. When water sprouted from the top over the scales, the water would shatter, spray and sparkle before falling into the larger lower basin and into the pool below. Notice the former Graphic Arts & Photography Building in the background

Gooderham Fountain – Meet me at the Fountain!

1921 - Looking southwest towards the Grand Opera House once at 11 Adelaide St W

Grand Opera House & the Century-Old Cold Case of the Missing...

Circa 1867 - The Great Western Railway Station at the northeast corner of Yonge St and The Esplanade

Great Western Railway Station – Later the Toronto Wholesale Fruit Market

1957 - Horses breaking from the starting gate with a crowd watching at Greenwood Raceway

Greenwood Raceway/Old Woodbine Racetrack – 119 Years of Horse Racing

1905 - Hanlan's Point Stadium and Amusement Park. At the time, the stadium was the home field of the Tecumseh Lacrosse Club. The Toronto baseball club had moved to Diamond Park for a few years, from 1901 to 1907, before returning to Hanlan's Point on Toronto Island in 1908

Hanlan’s Point Stadium – The Diamond Once at Toronto Island

Between 1961 and 1971 – The Hockey Hall of Fame was once located directly across from the Food Building at Exhibition Place. Notice inside the entrance the "Face-Off" mural by Canadian artist Ronald Satok. The mural and entrance have been preserved at Gate 5 of BMO Field

Hockey Hall of Fame – Once at Exhibition Place

1960s – Looking southwest towards Honest Ed's between Bloor St W and Markham St in the Mirvish Village neighbourhood of Toronto

Honest Ed’s – The Landmark Discount Store Once in Toronto

February 10, 1974 – The demolition company Teperman & Sons Limited fencing and scaffolding surrounding the former Hotel Ford. The up-close photo is looking north from Dundas St W and Bay St. Notice the red and white "Hotel Ford" sign still on the building

Hotel Ford – The Rise & Steep Fall of a Once-Great...

Early 1950s - The Island Theatre was once located at 4 Iroquois Ave on Centre Island

Island Theatre – Once on Centre Island

1908 - Looking southeast towards The Lakeside Home for Little Children, once located at Gibraltar Point on Toronto Island

Lakeside Home for Little Children – A Beloved Landmark Once on...

1890s - The Crystal Palace was once located where the Horticulture Building stands today on Saskatchewan Rd, between Dufferin St and Princes’ Blvd. The history of the Crystal Palace dates back to 1858 when the thirteenth Provincial Agricultural Exhibition was held in Toronto. Sir Collingwood Schreiber and Sir Sandford designed a grand structure made of iron, glass, and wood for the fair, which stood north of King St W, west of Shaw St. In 1878, the new larger exhibition site was chosen by the shores of Lake Ontario to permanently house the event - today's Exhibition Place. So the original Crystal Palace was dismantled and relocated to the site. The building was expanded with reconstruction designs by architects Stewart and Strickland and featured a main floor and two tiers of galleries crowned by a Baroque-styled cupola. The Crystal Palace was the primary exhibit building and the pride of Toronto's Industrial Exhibition. The beautiful building burned to the ground on Thanksgiving in 1906, and a year later, the Horticulture Building was built on the site

Lost Buildings at the CNE & Exhibition Place: A Glimpse into...

September 4, 1925 - Sign for the future site of Maple Leaf Stadium, once located at the foot of Bathurst St and Lake Shore Blvd W

Maple Leaf Stadium – Home to One of Toronto’s Greatest Baseball...

Circa 1890 - Named the Pines Hotel in the mid-1890s, it was once located on the southwest corner of Dundas St W and Bloor St W in the High Park-Swansea and Roncesvalles neighbourhoods of Toronto. The property was also referred to as "Bell's Hotel" after its proprietors, Haigh and Mary Bell. Notice Brown's Tallyho in front of the hotel

Pines Hotel – Once at Dundas St W & Bloor St...

March 1959 – Looking northeast from a parking lot on Court St, between Toronto St and Church St, towards the former Police Station No. 1, once located at 6-10 Court St. Designed in the Second Empire style by architects Harper & Son and constructed in the mid-1870s, it was originally the Police Court and Fire Hall Building. It was demolished approximately one year after this photo was taken

Police Court & Fire Hall – The Noble Building Once on...

1930 - Princess Theatre was once located at 167 King St W. After a fire in 1915, this was the 1917 reconstructed building

Princess Theatre, originally the Academy of Music

1913 – An illustration looking south towards the Royal Lyceum, which was once located at 99½ King St W, between Bay St and York St in downtown Toronto. From 1849 to 1874, the theatre stood behind the businesses along King St W. In today's terms, it was situated in the TD Centre block, about 55 m east of The Pasture statues

Royal Lyceum – One of Toronto’s First Purpose-Built Theatres

Between 1955 and 1960s - Looking west on Princes' Blvd towards the Shell Oil Tower and the Flyer roller coaster once located at Exhibition Place. The contemporary tower was designed by architect George Robb and later became the Bulova Tower

Shell Oil/Bulova Tower – The Contemporary Landmark Once at The Ex

February 1971 – Looking southwest toward Stollery's Menswear at Yonge St and Bloor St with the Uptown Theatre in the background

Stollery’s – Iconic Menswear Store Once on Canada’s Most Desired Corner

July 17, 2020 - A piece of the Temple Building on display at the Guild Inn Estate - notice the initials IOF, the acanthus leaves ornamentation and the society's symbol, the moose head

Temple Building – A Lost Gem & Toronto’s First Skyscraper

Circa 1960 – The Toronto Star Building, formerly located at 80 King St W

Toronto Star – A History of the Newspaper & its Former...

January 1963 - Looking southeast along Bay St, towards Melinda St and The Telegram, also known as "The Grand Old Lady of Melinda Street"

Toronto Telegram – The Newspaper Once at Bay St & Melinda...

Circa 1922 - The old Cyclorama building at 131 Front St W, when it was home to HW Petrie Limited Machinery showroom (City of Toronto Archives, William James Family fonds, Fonds 1244, Item 1099)

Toronto’s Cyclorama – Art Exhibitions that Took Spectators a World Away

March 1961 – The front facade of the University Avenue Armouries built between 1891 and 1893 and demolished in 1963

University Avenue Armouries – Downtown Toronto’s Lost Fortress

1983 - Looking northeast towards the University Theatre once located at 100 Bloor St W. On the marquee, “Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi,” starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, was playing

University Theatre – Toronto’s Magnificent Theatre Along Mink Mile

February 1971 – Looking southwest from Yonge St towards Bloor St, notice the Uptown Theatre in the distance. Also, observe Stollery's Menswear Store located at the corner of Bloor St W and Yonge St

Uptown Theatre – Once a Grand Vaudeville & Movie Palace on...

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