The archive photo shows the building when it was home to the Silver Rail Tavern, Town & Country, Williams Hat Shop, Personal Finance Company of Canada, and Maclean Linens. This structure dates back over a century and was built in two phases. The first was in 1891; the northern portion of the building, which faces Yonge St, was built for George Pears. The second took place between 1913 and 1914, at a cost of $250,000. During this phase, jeweller James Ryrie had the building extended to the corner, added an additional storey, and modified it to match the design of the new construction.
The ground floor has served as retail and commercial space, while the upper floors house offices—a function that the heritage-designated building continues to operate as today (City of Toronto Archives, Alexandra Studio fonds, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 738)
El Mo’s iconic neon and bulb-lit sign, featuring a palm tree, coconuts, and a crescent moon, was created by the outdoor advertising company E.L. Ruddy Company Limited and installed in the late 1940s.
Today, the original sign, shown in the archive photo on the left, has been relocated inside the venue and displayed next to the second-floor stage. In 2018, a replica of the original sign, shown on the right, was installed on the exterior of the El Mocambo (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 620, Item 1034 – Avard Woolaver photographer)
Completed in 1987, the three-story building at the corner was originally known as Kormann House, a hotel run by Frantz J. Kormann. Designed by architect John Siddall, the building features a distinctive bevelled corner.
In the mid-1910s, it was renamed the Canada House Hotel/Tavern. A City of Toronto heritage notice mentions that the Canada House closed in the 1990s; however, it was still listed in the Toronto City Directory in 2001. The building was added to the city’s heritage register in 2007 and currently remains vacant (City of Toronto Archives, Toronto Planning Board fonds, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 60, Item 24)
The archive photo shows what was known by this time as Police Station No. 1. Built in the mid-1870s, it initially served as both the Police Court and Fire Hall No. 5. Once the fire hall on Lombard St was completed in 1887, firefighters from the Court St fire station moved to the new facility, leaving the Court St building mainly for police operations.
In approximately 1901, the Police Headquarters relocated from the Court St building to the newly constructed (Old) City Hall. Even though the Court St building continued to function as Police Station No. 1, it also housed other departments, including the Mounted Police, Patrol Wagon, and Ambulance services, until 1926, until 1926, when it became a police station solely.
Police Station No. 1 moved to the Stewart Building on College St in 1960. The Court St building was then torn down, and the site became a parking lot. In 1997, the area was transformed into Courthouse Square Park, as shown in the present-day photo (City of Toronto Archives, Ellis Wiley fonds, Fonds 124, File 1, Item 44)
The archive photo shows a policeman in a fur busby hat directing traffic at Yonge St and Bloor St W in front of Stollery’s Menswear. It also shows the streetcar tracks that were once on Yonge St and Bloor St. Today, One Bloor West condo tower is under construction at the corner (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1034, Item 816 – F.W. Micklethwaite Studio photographer)
The archive photo shows the streetscape over 50 years ago. A few notable businesses featured in the vintage image, from right to left, include Thrifty Sport Shop, Henry & Co. jewelry and camera supplies, James McTamney & Co. pawnbrokers, and H. Williams & Co. pawnbrokers.
Williams Pawnbrokers, along with its vintage neon sign, continues to operate at the same location today. Thrifty Sport Shop vacated the corner building in the mid-1980s, and the company has since rebranded as Bluenotes, with stores across Canada. Henry’s has moved up the street to 185 Church St and has locations nationwide, while McTamney’s Jewellers has relocated to 837 Danforth Ave. The historic façades of a few buildings at the corner are being integrated into the new 57-storey Queen Church condo tower.
In the distance on the left side of both photos, several heritage buildings which date to the 1800s are visible. Their façades, including that of the four-storey Athenaeum Club (noted by its black pointed roof in the archive photo), are now part of the Jazz Apartments (City of Toronto Archives, Harvey R. Naylor fonds, Fonds 1526, File 8, Item 53)
The archive photo shows Stollery’s Menswear Store on the right, located directly at the corner, with the Uptown Theatre visible in the background. The old photo also captures the streetcars that once travelled along Yonge St and Bloor St. Today, One Bloor West condo tower is under construction at the corner (City of Toronto Archives, E.L. Ruddy Company fonds, Fonds 1488, Series 1230, Item 4236)
From left to right, some of the businesses in the archive photo include Canadian Fairbanks-Morse Co. (engines and machinery), Thomas Lipton (teas), Wilson Andrew & Co. (tobacco), and the Bank of Montreal. The building on the right in the vintage photo, with the onion-domed cupola, served as the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) headquarters at the time.
Although the streetscape has changed significantly since then, a few buildings still stand. One is the bank building, which now houses the Hockey Hall of Fame. The other is the building in the centre of the photos, known as the Gowans Kent Building, which was once a wholesale crockery and glassware company. Today, this heritage-designated building is part of Brookfield Place (City of Toronto Archives, Globe and Mail fonds, Fonds 1266 Item 1860)
A few of the establishments in the archive photo, from left to right, include: Higgins & Saunders, merchant tailors; Stanley & Bosworth, also tailors; F.C. Henderson, which specialized in electric fixtures; Alcoek, Laight & Westwood Co. Ltd., which sold fishing tackle; and the Mail & Empire, a newspaper in the tall building in the background.
Today, BMO Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group and First Canadian Place occupy the site at 100 King St W (City of Toronto Archives, William James Family fonds, Fonds 1244, Item 1175)
The archive photo shows the area as it looked nearly 50 years ago, and there are a number of similarities in the present-day photo. Firstly, the buildings in the foreground on the left were constructed in the mid-1800s. Their facades have been incorporated into BCE Place, now known as Brookfield Place, which was completed in the early 1990s.
The building featuring the Sun Alliance & London Insurance signage in the vintage photo, along with the building to its left, still stand today, although the Sun Alliance building has since been updated with a modern look.
The parking lot visible in the right foreground of the archive photo is now the site of the Berczy Square office and retail building (City of Toronto Archives, Harvey R. Naylor fonds, Fonds 1526, File 4, Item 41)
The archive photo shows a busy streetscape from over 110 years ago. On the left, the Melville Steamship Ticket Office is located in the Excelsior Life Building, a structure which still stands today.
In the centre distance of the vintage photo, on Adelaide St E at the top of Toronto St, the majestic General Post Office is visible. Completed in 1874, it was demolished in 1958, and the Mackenzie Building now occupies that location, at 30 Adelaide St E.
While several buildings on the right still exist today, including the Consumers Gas buildings, one that is no longer there is the Toronto Mortgage Company offices, shown in the foreground of the archive photo. Constructed in the late 1870s for the Building & Loan Association, it was demolished in 1961 and replaced by the current 11-story office building (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 1668 – James Victor Salmon photographer)
The archive photo shows the former Royal Bank of Canada building in the foreground on the left, the previous St. Andrew’s United Church in the distance on the right, and the streetcar tracks that once ran along the two streets.
Today, there is still an RBC branch at the corner. In 1983, tucked behind the modern buildings, a new St. Andrew’s United Church was built at 117 Bloor St E/54 Hayden St (City of Toronto Archives, E.L. Ruddy Company fonds, Fonds 1488, Series 1230, Item 4235)
The archive photo shows when the structure was home to the Toronto Wholesale Fruit Market. This building was originally the train shed of the Great Western Railway Station, which was built in 1866 and designed by architect William Storm. It was positioned at an angle to allow trains to enter and exit the mainline and the depot. The façade featured a lunette shape with multiple windows, and the barrel-vaulted roof was covered in tin. The one-storey section of the old train station along The Esplanade initially served as the freight and office area. The building was destroyed by fire in 1952.
The present-day photo shows the street today with the L Tower condo at the corner, a portion of Meridian Hall in the background, and in the distance on the right, St Lawrence Market (City of Toronto Archives, Globe and Mail fonds, Fonds 1266, Item 22546)
The archive photo shows a glimpse of the Walker House on the left, the Swiss Bear Lounge, and a parking garage on the right.
The round parking garage was initially Toronto’s Cyclorama, which opened in 1887. This unique attraction featured panoramic paintings depicting historical events or battle scenes within the cylindrical space, providing spectators with a 360-degree view. The Cyclorama was short-lived and closed permanently by 1900. After its closure, the building was used as a showroom before being converted into a parking garage. In 1976, despite their historical significance, both the Cyclorama and the Walker House—a hotel that had been at the corner for 103 years—were demolished.
Since 1983, the 20-storey office tower known as Citigroup Place has occupied the site (City of Toronto Archives, Toronto Planning Board fonds, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 62, Item 2)
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Jan 30, 1913, pg 8 (Ryrie Building, looking northeast at Yonge St & Shuter St)
- Lost Toronto by William Dendy (1978), pg 2 (Toronto Wholesale Fruit Market/Great Western Railway Station, northeast corner of Yonge St & The Esplanade)
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Sep 14, 1887, pg 10 (Cyclorama, looking southeast from University Ave towards Front St W)
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Oct 20, 1976, pg 39 (Cyclorama, looking southeast from University Ave towards Front St W)
- Bluenotes: About Us (Thrifty Sports Shop, looking northeast along Church St from Queen St E)
- Henry’s: Henry’s Toronto Flagship Store Grand Opening (Henry’s, looking northeast along Church St from Queen St E)
- Concert Properties: Heritage Facade of Jazz (Jazz Apartments, looking northeast along Church St from Queen St E)
- City of Toronto: Inclusion on the Heritage Register: 60 Queen St E, 131, 133 and 135 Church St, report dated Oct 9, 2020 (Queen St E & Church St, northeast corner)
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Mar 3, 1920, pg 9 (Gowans Kent Building, looking northeast along Front St from west of Yonge St)
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Dec 24, 1874, pg 4 (Police Court & Fire Hall)
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Feb 9, 1876, pg 2 (Police Court & Fire Hall)
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Sep 3, 1960, pg 5 (Police Court & Fire Hall)
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Dec 14, 1995, pg D3 (Police Court & Fire Hall)
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Apr 20, 1874, pg 4 (General Post Office, looking north up Toronto St from Court 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
