The archive photo shows the Victory Burlesque Theatre, which originally opened as the Standard Theatre in 1922. It was Canada’s first purpose-built Yiddish-language theatre. By the mid-1930s, the venue was renamed The Strand, then the Victory Theatre in the early 1940s. In 1961, the theatre began featuring live performances of a risqué nature and was renamed the Victory Burlesque, which closed its doors in 1975.
After its closure, the building underwent renovations and reopened as the Golden Harvest, a Chinese-language theatre that operated until 1994. The heritage-designated building has also served as a bank and hosted various other businesses. Today, the storefront space houses a Rexall drugstore (City of Toronto Archives, Toronto Historical Board fonds, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 47, Item 15)
In the archive photo, several businesses are visible, including part of Howard Johnson’s Restaurant, Coles, the Book people, Burton’s Store for Men, and across Dundas St E, the Brown Derby Tavern, Frank’s Hamburger, Muntz Electronics Store, Tops Tavern, and the Biltmore Theatre. Notice the billboard on top of the Brown Derby advertising John Lennon’s album “Mind Games,” and the office tower at 415 Yonge St under construction.
In the present-day photo, the area that once housed Coles and the neighbouring businesses at the southeast corner is now the site of Sankofa Square. Since 2007, the northeast corner has been home to what is known today as The Tenor, an office, retail, and entertainment complex. In the distance, the building currently under construction is the Concord Sky, a proposed 95-storey skyscraper (City of Toronto Archives, Harvey R. Naylor fonds, Fonds 1526, File 4, Item 3)
The archive photo shows a portion of the Canadian Bank of Commerce (CIBC) building in the right foreground, with the Toronto Public Library – Bloor/Gladstone Branch in the background. Both buildings still stand and continue to serve their original functions today. The vintage photo also features a billboard for Beacon Finnan Haddie, a traditional Scottish dish made from cold-smoked haddock (City of Toronto Archives, E.L. Ruddy Company fonds, Fonds 1488, Series 1230, Item 2125)
A few establishments visible in the archive photo in the right foreground are Three Sevens Open Kitchen Restaurant (where Fish & Chips were 35¢), The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co, and, a few doors down, Parker’s Dye Works & Cleaners.
In 1975, construction began on the $30 million Metropolitan Center Library, the red-brick building shown in the present-day photo, which opened in 1977. Today known as the Toronto Reference Library, the building was designed by architect Raymond Moriyama (Toronto Public Library Pictures-R-1967 – James Victor Salmon photographer)
Known as one of the “cathedrals of hockey,” the arena was built in just five months and twelve days. The Toronto Maple Leafs played their first game there on November 12, 1931, facing off against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Leafs won 11 of their 13 Stanley Cup championships while playing in this arena. Their last game at Maple Leaf Gardens took place on February 13, 1999, once again against the Blackhawks.
In 2004, Loblaw Companies acquired the historic arena. Renovations began in 2009, during which the roof, rafters, and exterior of the structure were preserved. Today, it is home to a Loblaws grocery store and the Toronto Metropolitan University Mattamy Athletic Centre, which features a 2,700-seat hockey rink on its upper level (City of Toronto Archives, Toronto Planning Board fonds, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 17, Item 5)
The archive photo shows the front of the venue 70 years ago, featuring posters for a Barbershop Quartet festival and a performance by the Berlin Philharmonic. It also shows Massey Hall with its “moustache”-style fire escape, a safety feature installed on the front and sides of the building in 1911 at a cost of about $5,000.
Massey Hall was established in 1894 when industrialist Hart Massey built it as a gift to the people of Toronto to promote the arts. While the venue has undergone several updates over the years, it was closed from 2018 to 2021 for significant interior and exterior restoration. The exterior project included removing the iron stairs and restoring the brick and masonry. A team of experts worked to restore the “MASSEY MUSIC HALL” limestone letters, sourcing matching stone to recreate some of the damaged letters.
Today, the state-of-the-art performance venue, which includes a new seven-story tower and the historic music hall, is collectively called the Allied Music Centre. The expanded facility features four performance venues, a recording studio, and creative workspaces (Architectural Archives, Panda Associates Fonds, PAN 561272-1)
The archive photo shows the Elizabeth Ann Tea Rooms in the house that once stood directly at the corner. By the 1930s, this corner house was replaced by a new building that housed various retailers, including the Hotel Embassy. The hotel later became known as the Embassy Tavern, which closed in the late 1970s.
The hotel building was also demolished, and in 1987, Harry Rosen opened its flagship store at this location. The luxury menswear store moved to 153 Yorkville Ave in September 2026. Today, there are plans to construct a proposed 78-storey mixed-use building on the site (City of Toronto Archives, William James Family fonds, Fonds 1244, Item 1168)
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- City of Toronto: Mandatory Pre-Application Consultation Comments, Aug 10, 2023 (Looking northeast towards the corner of Bloor St W & Bellair St)
- Heritage Toronto
- Heritage Toronto plaque: Standard Theatre (Looking northeast at Dundas St W & Spadina Ave)
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Ontario Heritage Trust: 178 Victoria St (Massey Hall, looking southeast across Shuter St at Victoria St)
- National Historic Site of Canada: Massey Hall (Looking southeast across Shuter St at Victoria St)
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Nov 3, 2007, pg M7 (Looking northeast up Yonge St from south of Dundas St)
- Concord Sky: Architecture (Concord Sky, looking northeast up Yonge St from south of Dundas St)
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Oct 24, 1975, pg 4 (Toronto Reference Library, looking northeast up Yonge St from north of Asquith Ave)
- TPL: Toronto Reference Library at 40 (Looking northeast up Yonge St from north of Asquith Ave)
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Mar 28, 1911, pg 8 (Massey Hall, looking southeast across Shuter St at Victoria St)
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Apr 12, 1911, pg 8 (Massey Hall, looking southeast across Shuter St at Victoria St)
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Oct 1, 2004, pg G2 (Maple Leaf Gardens, southwest corner of Church St & Wood St)
- Canada’s Historic Places: Maple Leaf Gardens (Southwest corner of Church St & Wood St)
- ERA Architects: Maple Leaf Gardens (Southwest corner of Church St & Wood St)
- The Toronto Daily Star Newspaper Archives: Dec 20, 1924, pg 1 (Looking east along Bloor St W towards Perth Ave)
- Friends of the West Toronto Railpath: History (Looking east along Bloor St W towards Perth Ave)
- Harry Rosen: About (Harry Rosen, looking northeast towards the corner of Bloor St W & Bellair St)
- Photos: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photos: City of Toronto Archives, Toronto Public Library, Archives of Ontario & CNE Heritage
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory, courtesy of Toronto Public Library
