2022/1972 – Looking southeast from University Ave towards Front St W in Toronto’s Entertainment District. The archive photo shows Union Station on the left, the Walker House in the centre and the Cyclorama building on the right. Toronto’s Cyclorama opened in 1887. It featured panoramic paintings inside a cylindrical space that gave spectators a 360-degree view, usually of a historical moment or battle scene. By 1900, the short-lived attraction had permanently closed.
The building later became a showroom, then a parking garage. In 1976, even though the Cyclorama was historically significant, the building and the Walker House were torn down. Today, Citigroup Place occupies (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 62, Item 1)2022/1915 – Looking southeast from Dundas St W and Abbott Ave towards the Wallace Avenue Footbridge in the Junction Triangle and West Bend neighbourhoods of Toronto. Built in 1907, the bridge was constructed to give pedestrians access between the two streets in an area with a busy railway corridor running through it (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 1874)1965/2021 – The Princes’ Gates are located on the east side of Exhibition Place, at Strachan Ave and Lake Shore Blvd W in Toronto’s Niagara neighbourhood. The monumental entrance opened in 1927. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by the architect firm Chapman & Oxley with the sculptures created by Charles D McKechnie. High atop the triumphal arch is “Winged Victory,” leading Canada into a promising future. The archive photo shows Car 305 leaving Exhibition grounds through the Princes’ Gates at the start of the CNE’s first marathon car rally (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 5802)1963/2022 – Looking southeast towards the Bandshell located in Bandshell Park at Exhibition Place in Toronto. Built in 1936, architects Craig & Madill designed the open-air Art Deco-style concert venue. The Bandshell was built to replace an earlier bandstand stage. The Bandshell received heritage status from the city in 1973. In the present-day photo, notice the cement base where the Canadian National Exhibition flagpole once stood (CNE Archives) 1974/2022 – Skill-O dart game on the CNE Midway (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1526, File 94, Item 103)December 19, 1923/2023 – Looking southeast towards the corner of Queen St W and Simcoe St in downtown Toronto. The archive photo shows the shops that once occupied the block, including the United Cigar Store.
The present-day photo was taken from the back of the former Bank of Canada Building, constructed between 1955 and 1958. The 8-storey office building was designed by architects Mariani & Morris in the Neo-Georgian style. There are plans to incorporate the heritage-designated building into a mixed-use development (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1548, Series 393, Item 18579)1929/2023 – Looking north along Lansdowne Ave towards Wallace Ave, in the Junction-Wallace Emerson neighbourhood of Toronto. Notice there were once tracks on Lansdowne Ave (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 16, Series 71, Item 7234)1921/2022 – Looking northeast towards The York Club, originally the George Gooderham House, located at 135 St George St and Bloor St W in The Annex neighbourhood of Toronto. Built in 1889/91, architect David Roberts Jr designed the mansion in the Richardsonian Romanesque style for George Gooderham, president of Gooderham & Worts Limited. Since approximately 1910, it has been home to The York Club and was one of the 490 buildings on Heritage Toronto’s initial induction list in 1973. Notice Bloor St W once had streetcar tracks (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 841)1959/2022 – Looking southwest towards the corner of Avenue Rd and Davenport Rd, straddling the borders of The Annex and Yorkville neighbourhoods of Toronto. The archive photo shows Tamblyn Drugstore, which once occupied the storefront of the corner building at 142 Avenue Rd (City of Toronto Archives, Series 65, File 56, ID 33)1972/January 2023 – Looking northwest towards 388 King St W at Peter St in Toronto’s Fashion District. The Art Moderne-style building was constructed in the early 1940s. It originally housed the offices of the National Drug and Chemical Company of Canada Ltd. Various other businesses later occupied the space, and today it’s a Shoppers Drug Mart. The city gave the building heritage designation in 2017 (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 78, Item 6)1972/2023 – Looking northwest towards the corner of Queen St W and Simcoe St in Toronto’s Entertainment District. A large portion of the block was demolished and replaced by the present-day mixed-use office tower, completed in 2006 (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 44, Item 19)1972/2022 – Looking northeast towards the corner of Queen St W and Beverley St, in Toronto’s Entertainment District (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 41, Item 26)Circa 1914/2023 – Looking northeast towards Queen St W from the south side of Spadina Ave in Toronto’s Fashion District. In the right foreground of the archive photo, notice the entrance of the underground public lavatory in the centre median on Spadina Ave. The men’s underground bathroom was opened in 1906, but by the late 1930s, there were calls to close it due to the traffic issues it was causing.
The tall building on the right originally served as an Oddfellows’ Hall and offices. It was constructed in 1886 and designed by architects Langley & Burke. The building received heritage status from the city in 1983 (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1488, Series 1230, Item 1368)Circa 1885/1951/2023 – Looking towards the southeast corner of Queen St W and Simcoe St in downtown Toronto. The archive photo, dated circa 1885, shows when the corner building was home to the JM Rutherford Flour & Feed store, and in the 1951 photo, a watchmaker and a printing shop later occupied the building. The present-day photo shows the rear of the Bank of Canada Building. It was constructed between 1955 and 1958 and occupies the entire block bound by Simcoe St, Queen St W, University Ave and Richmond St W. There’s a proposal to incorporate the heritage-designated building into a mixed-use development (Toronto Public Library R-293 & R-367)1911/2023 – Looking northeast along King St W towards the Royal Alexandra Theatre and Simcoe St in what’s known today as the Entertainment District. The Royal Alex was built in 1907 and designed by architect John McIntosh Lyle in the Beaux-Arts style. The theatre became a National Historic Site of Canada in 1987, on its 80th birthday (Toronto Public Library PC_3814)April 3, 1955/2023 – Looking northeast along Queen St W, east of York St in downtown Toronto. In the archive photo, notice the Variety Hotel at Chestnut St (when it intersected with Queen St W). The block was demolished to make way for Nathan Phillips Square and Toronto City Hall. The clock tower of Old City Hall is in the background (Toronto Public Library R-1100)1972/2023 – Looking southwest towards the corner of Queen St W and John St, in Toronto’s Entertainment District. The building on the corner at 307-313 Queen St W received heritage status from the city in 2007 (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 41, Item 15)Circa 1945/2021 – Looking northeast towards the Miller Tavern, previously the Jolly Miller Hotel, at the northeast corner of Yonge St and Mill St in the Hoggs Hollow neighbourhood of North York.
Constructed circa 1857 by William and James Hogg, the building was originally the York Mills Hotel. From 1889 until 1925, it was known as Birrell’s Hotel; however, it gradually gained an unsavoury reputation. In 1930, the building was remodelled and renamed the Jolly Miller Hotel. For a short time, it was a fancy dining and dancing club featuring live music before reverting to its previous notoriety. By the mid-1960s, the Jolly Miller was strictly a tavern.
In 1997, the City of North York purchased the property and closed the tavern. The heritage-designated building was later renovated, and since 2004, it has been home to the Miller Tavern (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 527)January 21, 1929/2023 – Looking towards the Loblaw Groceterias Company Limited building at the northeast corner of Lake Shore Blvd W and Bathurst St, in the CityPlace neighbourhood of Toronto.
The 4-storey, Art Deco style building was constructed between 1927 and 1928, serving as the grocery chain’s warehouse and head office. It was designed by architects Sparling, Martin and Forbes and was one of the first structures in Toronto built on land reclaimed from Lake Ontario. The most modern facility of its time, there were ovens that baked a ton of cake and a half-ton of cookies daily, six huge freight elevators and pneumatic tubes that carried messages to the various departments. Loblaw’s specialty brands, including coffee, tea, candy and meats, were also manufactured and packaged there.
Today, the heritage-designated building is home to a Loblaws grocery store along with other retail stores operated by the company. Notice the CN Tower in the background (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1266, Item 15571)Between 1885 and 1895/2023 – Looking northwest along Church St from Front St E, in the St Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto. In the archive photo, notice the headquarters of the Bank of Toronto in the foreground on the left and the Ontario Chambers on the right. Today the northwest corner is home to The Works Craft Burgers & Beer, and on the northeast is a mixed-use building (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1478, Item 36)June 4, 1931/2023 – Looking south from Bathurst St towards the intersection of Lake Shore Blvd W and Fleet St, in the CityPlace and Bathurst Quay neighbourhoods of Toronto.
Notice the Loblaws Groceterias Company Limited building in both photos on the right. The building was constructed between 1927 and 1928 as the grocery chain’s warehouse and head office. Today, the heritage-designated building is home to a Loblaws grocery store along with other retail stores operated by the company.
In the archive photo is Maple Leaf Stadium, once at the foot of Bathurst St. The 23,500-seat Fenway-style stadium was built in 1926 and was home to the minor league Maple Leafs baseball team. The stadium was demolished in 1968 when the ball club moved to Louisville, KY. Today, the site of the former stadium is part residential and home to Little Norway Park as well as a gas station. The streetcar line is still in use to this day (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 16, Series 71, Item 3602)1884/2022 – Looking southwest towards Stanley Barracks located at 115 Princes’ Blvd at Exhibition Place in Toronto. Built in 1841, Stanley Barracks was originally the Officers’ Quarters in what was known as the New Fort, a military post established to supplement Fort York. The fort was renamed Stanley Barracks in 1893 in honour of Governor General Lord Frederick Stanley. Many structures within the fort had been demolished over the years until all that was left was the building we know today as Stanley Barracks. Today, the historic building and its surrounding gardens are part of Hotel X (City of Toronto Archives, Series 327, Sub Series 1, Item 19) 1955/1972/2023 – Looking southeast toward the Riverdale Park stone gates at Winchester St and Sumach St in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighbourhood. From the mid-1880s until 1974, the site of Riverdale Farm was home to the Riverdale Zoo (Toronto Public Library R-1158 & City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 841, File 29, Item 28)1927/2023 – Looking northeast towards the corner of Bathurst St and Wolseley St in the Alexandra Park neighbourhood of Toronto. The present-day photo shows the TTC streetcar loop at the corner (Toronto Public Library R-5363) 1972/2023 – Looking towards the northwest corner of Church St and Wellington St E, in the St Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto. The archive photo shows the Toronto-Dominion Bank. While the current glass and steel building was constructed in the early 1960s, the corner had been the site of the Bank of Toronto since 1863. After Toronto-Dominion Bank bank vacated the present-day building, it was later home to Pizza Pizza, and today it’s The Works Craft Burgers & Beer (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 69, Item 34)September 27, 1981/2023 – Looking towards the northwest corner of Queen St W from Simcoe St in downtown Toronto. The archive photo shows George’s Bourbon St and Italian Café, once at 180 Queen St W. The restaurant and jazz club were operated by Doug Cole, who also ran George’s Spaghetti House.
The Queen St W location closed in the mid-1980s. The building and a large portion of the block were demolished and replaced by the present-day mixed-use office tower, completed in 2006 (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1526, File 70, Item 16)
