Looking northeast towards the corner of Queen St E and Mutual St, in the Garden District neighbourhood of Toronto.
According to the 1972 Toronto City Directory, a few of the establishments in the archive photo include Golden Grill, Cut Rate Butcher, John Berry Barber and Le Barons Sports.
In both photos, notice the two 4-storey buildings. They were both constructed for the Richard Bigley Company, which sold stoves and furnaces – the one on the right at 98 Queen St E was built in 1889 and designed by architect Robert M Ogilvie, and the one on the left at 3 Mutual St was built in 1901 and designed by architect James P Hynes. These Late Victorian-era warerooms, which are attached at a 90-degree angle, received heritage designation from the city in 1973. An interesting detail is the nameplate at the top of the Queen St E building, which reads “AD 1875 Richard Bigley.” Although this building was constructed more than a decade later, it was around 1875 when Mr Bigley first appeared as a businessman in the Toronto City Directory, listed as a cabinetmaker and upholsterer.
Another set of buildings to mention are the eight three-storey commercial structures located at 100-114 Queen St E, which can be seen on the far right. These buildings, known as Mussen Terrace, were constructed between 1886 and 1887 and received heritage status in 2020.
While the smaller buildings that were at the corner have since been demolished, the Bigley buildings and a portion of the Mussen Terrace will be incorporated into a 34-storey mixed-use tower called Queen Central Condominiums.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register: Richard Bigley Building at 3 Mutual St
- City of Toronto Heritage Register: Richard Bigley Building at 98 Queen St E
- City of Toronto Heritage Register: 100-114 Queen St E
- City of Toronto: Inclusion on the Heritage Register: 3 Mutual St, 98, 100, 102 and 104 Queen St E, report dated Aug 7, 2020
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
