Looking northwest from Carlton St, towards the corner of Yonge St and College St in the Downtown Yonge area of Toronto.
The archive photo shows the streetscape from over 90 years ago, prominently featuring Oddfellows Hall at the corner. Constructed between 1891 and 1892, the four-storey castle-like building was designed by architects Dick & Wickson for the International Order of Oddfellows (IOOF). In its early years, the building housed shops, offices, and a branch of the Canadian Bank of Commerce on the lower floors, with Oddfellows Hall located above.
In 1910, the Bank of Commerce purchased the land and building for $137,000. In 1931, the building underwent alterations for the bank while still accommodating office and commercial spaces for other businesses. In 1974, the city added the landmark to the heritage register. The CIBC last appears at this address in the 1996/97 Toronto City Directory. By the late 1990s, the building’s corner storefront became home to Starbucks, which operated there until 2021. Today, the building continues to house commercial and office space.
In the left background of both photos, there are two other heritage-designated buildings that still stand today. The first is what was originally the Upper Canada Bible Society at 14 College St, and the second is Canadian Foresters’ Hall at 22 College St, both constructed in 1910.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register: 14 College St
- City of Toronto Heritage Register: 22 College St
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust: 450 Yonge St
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Mar 24, 1910, pg 2
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- Vintage Photo: Toronto Public Library
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
