June 7, 1981/2023 – Looking east on King St W from John St in the Wellington Place neighbourhood and Entertainment District of Toronto.
The building in the foreground on the left of both photos is the Eclipse Whitewear Building. It was constructed in 1903 and designed by architects Gregg & Gregg. The company produced children’s and ladies’ underwear in the building for over 50 years. The structure was given heritage status in 1973 as it was one of the earliest warehouses in the area.
In the archive photo, notice the buildings in the centre background with the white facades. They were once home to Edwin “Honest Ed” Mirvish’s restaurants, including Ed’s Warehouse, Ed’s Seafood and Old Ed’s (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 1465, File 345, Item 24)1972/2023 – The William Barber Building is located at the southwest corner of King St W and John St, in the Wellington Place neighbourhood of Toronto. Built in 1880 and designed in the Second Empire style, the building has been home to various businesses throughout the years, including a druggist, grocery stores, and in the 1970s photo, the Seaway Restaurant. The building was granted heritage designation by the city in 1977 and today houses a coffee shop, a restaurant and a convenience store (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 78, Item 32)Circa 1914/2023 – Looking towards the Black Bull Tavern, once the Hotel Clifton, at the northeast corner of Queen St W St and Soho St, in Toronto’s Entertainment District. The tavern has a rich history dating back to 1833 when it was first built. It was later rebuilt in 1886 and recognized for its historical significance by the city, which granted it heritage status in 1980. To this day, the Black Bull Tavern remains a popular neighbourhood spot (Toronto Public Library PC322 ) July 12, 1949 / June 8, 2022 – Looking south from Queen St W and Peter St in the Entertainment District of Toronto (City of Toronto Archives, Series 372, Sub Series 58, Item 5)1915/2023 – Looking northwest from King St E and Frederick St towards the former Christie, Brown & Company Factory, now George Brown College St James Campus in Toronto’s Old Town neighbourhood.
The other buildings owned by the cookie company on the same block can be traced back to the 1870s. However, the eight-storey building on this particular corner was built in 1914. It was designed by the architects Sproatt & Rolph for the cookie company’s offices and factory expansion. The archive photo shows boxes of Christie’s Biscuits and Robertson’s Chocolates on horse-drawn wagons for soldiers of the First World War in front of Christie, Brown & Company. The building received heritage status from the city in 1978 (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 1426)Between 1980-90s /April 2023 – Looking north from Peter St towards Queen St W in the Entertainment District of Toronto (City of Toronto Archives, Series 1465, File 532, Item 5)1972/2023 – Looking northeast towards the corner of Queen St E and Berkeley St, in the St Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 21, Item 32)1981/1952 – Looking northwest towards Olympia Bowling, later home to the World’s Biggest Bookstore, once located at 20 Edward St, west of Yonge St in the Downtown Yonge area of Toronto. The building that housed the bowling alley and bookstore was replaced with the present-day mixed-use structure (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1526, File 10, Item 3 & Series 574, File 81, ID 491025)1972/2023 – Looking northeast at King St E and George St in the Old Town, St Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto. The buildings on this block, extending to Adelaide St E and Frederick St, were constructed between 1874 and 1914 for the Christie, Brown and Company Biscuit Factory.
In the mid-1950s, the William E Coutts Co (Hallmark Cards), a greeting card manufacturer, occupied the buildings. In 1971, the heritage-designated complex was acquired by George Brown College to become the school’s St James Campus (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 20, Item 9)1972/2023 – Looking northwest towards the corner of Queen St W and Soho St in the Entertainment District of Toronto (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 48, Item 27)1981/2022 – Looking east towards Captain John’s first harbour boat restaurant (the Normac) after being hit by a city-operated ferry boat. Captain John’s was located on Queens Quay at the foot of Yonge St on the Harbourfront of Toronto (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1526, File 115, Item 10)July 1955/2023 – The Wiggins & Harris Building is located at the northwest corner of Queen St W and Dovercourt Rd in the Beaconsfield Village of Toronto. Built in 1884, the Second Empire-style structure was designed by architect George R Harper. By the mid-1910s, the building housed a movie theatre called Child’s Theatre, then King’s Playhouse, and Avon Theatre.
In 2020, the city granted heritage status to the building, which has an address of 1092 Queen St W (City of Toronto Archives, Ken Webster Fonds 251, Series 1278, File 93)Between 1920-24/2023 – Looking southwest towards the intersection of Queen St W and Spadina Ave, in the Fashion District of Toronto. The building crowned with the light green beehive turret at 441 Queen St W was built in 1886 as an Oddfellows’ Hall. The building, designed by architects Langley & Burke, received heritage status from the city in 1983 (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1488, Series 1230, Item 1820)March 28, 1942/April 2023 – The archive photo shows an Imperial “visible” gas pump in front of 783 Dundas St W in Toronto’s Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood.
Gas would be hand-pumped from an underground storage tank to the glass cylinder at the top of this old-fashioned pump. The gas (up to 10 gallons) was visible to the customer before being dispensed into the vehicle’s tank. The pumps also featured a light on top and advertising the brand of fuel. In the background of the vintage photo is the Centre Theatre, once located at the northwest corner of Dundas St W and Markham St.
The present-day photo shows an EV charging station on Lakeshore Rd E in Oakville. There is an 81-year difference between the two images (City of Toronto Archives, Series 372, Sub Series 58, Item 1622)January 1988/2022 – Looking northwest at Richmond St W and Duncan St in Toronto’s Entertainment District. The 3-storey building at 250 Richmond St W, constructed in 1909, was once home to Bernard Carins Limited and later several nightclubs, including Go-Go’s, Whiskey Saigon, and Joe.
In 2009, the building became the headquarters of Bell Media’s radio operations. It’s also home to the studios for the company’s Toronto radio stations, including CHUM, CHUM-FM and Newstalk 1010. The building features the famous CHUM DIAL 1050 neon sign. The city recognized the building’s historical significance and awarded it heritage status in 2017.
If you look closely, you’ll notice a ghost sign for the Acme Carbon & Ribbon Company Limited on the east side of the building next door (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 124, File 3, ID 156)Circa 1900/April 2023 – The photos show a view looking southeast along Queen St W between Bay St and Yonge St in downtown Toronto. The arrows in the photos indicate the old Simpsons Store, which was formerly known as The Robert Simpson Company Limited. Nowadays, the store is known as the Bay Store, which is owned by The Hudson’s Bay Company (Toronto Public Library R-1063)1927/2023 – Looking northwest towards the intersection of Queen St W and Bay St, in downtown Toronto. The archive photo shows a large gathering of people during a visit from the Prince of Wales in front of what is now known as the Old City Hall at the northeast corner. Nowadays, Nathan Phillips Square and Toronto City Hall occupy the northwest corner of this intersection (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1488, Series 1230, Item 1776)1993/2023 – The Alexandra Gates are situated at the north entrance of Philosopher’s Walk, a picturesque footpath located on the St. George Campus of the University of Toronto.
This hilly pathway spans from Bloor St W to Hoskin Ave. It is surrounded by some of Toronto’s most iconic landmarks, such as the Royal Ontario Museum on the left and The Royal Conservatory of Music on the right. Whether you’re interested in taking a peaceful stroll or having an afternoon picnic, this place is perfect for it (City of Toronto Archives, Series 1465, File 179, ID 90)1972/2023 – Looking west along Adelaide St E from Jarvis St, in the Old Town, St Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto. St James Park and the Cathedral Church of St James are on the left. Built in 1853, the present-day Cathedral is the fourth church building on the site, with the previous ones constructed in 1807, 1831 and 1839.
The 3-storey building on the right is the Lewis Building. The structure was built over a fourteen-year period from 1870 to 1884 as a row of shops by its owner and tobacconist, John D Lewis (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 22, Item 20)June 22, 2007/2022 – Looking northeast from Yonge St, just north of Gould St in the Downtown Yonge area of Toronto. The archive photo shows Sam the Record Man once occupied the corner. In business since 1937, the shop moved to its historic location in 1961 and became a music mecca.
While the store closed in 2007, its iconic signs are perched on a building at Dundas St E and Victoria St. Today, the corner where Sam the Record Man stood is home to the Toronto Metropolitan University Student Learning Centre (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 219, Series 2311, File 2401, Item 11)1972/2023 – Looking northeast towards the corner of Church St and Adelaide St E, in the Old Town, St Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032 , Series 841, File 68, Item 23)1972/2023 – Looking east along Adelaide St E from Jarvis St, in the Old Town, St Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 22, Item 29)
