Looking northeast towards the corner of Queen St E and Church St, in the Garden District of Toronto.
The archive photo shows the corner building when it was home to Thrifty Sport Shop. An ad in a March 1944 edition of the Toronto Daily Star featured Thrifty offering an opening special on “work pants, durable and sturdy… $1.47.” After Thrifty moved out in the mid-1980s, the storefront became home to various businesses, including Public Optical, Gino’s Pizza, and Shawarma King. Plans are to integrate the historic façades of the building and nearby structures into the new 57-storey Queen Church condo tower.
The vintage photo also shows Cooke’s Presbyterian Church on the right, which was built in 1891 and demolished in 1984. Also, notice that both images show McTamney’s Jewellers & Pawnbrokers on the left, which has since relocated to 837 Danforth Ave.
A side note: Thrifty Sport Shop, established over 80 years ago at the corner of Queen St E and Church St, sold everything from army surplus gear to tents, jeans, and boots. The company still exists today, specializing in denim and clothing and is known as Bluenotes.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- The Toronto Daily Star Newspaper Archives: Mar 16, 1944, pg 27
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Mar 22, 1984, pg M2
- Bluenotes: About Us
- 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
