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, some businesses in the archive photo include Golden Grill, Cut Rate Butcher, John Berry Barber, and Le Barons Sports.
In the old photo, also notice the two four-storey buildings. They were constructed for the Richard Bigley Company, which sold furnaces and stoves. The building on the right, located at 98 Queen St E, was built in 1889 and designed by architect Robert M Ogilvie. The building on the left, at 3 Mutual St, was built in 1901 and designed by architect James P Hynes. These Late Victorian-era warerooms received heritage designation from the city in 1973. Before the construction of these buildings, Mr Bigley operated his business from the neighbouring structures at 92-94 Queen St E, where the barber poles are visible in the vintage photo.
Another noteworthy set of buildings is the eight three-storey brick commercial structures located at 100-114 Queen St E, visible on the far right of the photo. These buildings, known as Mussen Terrace, were constructed between 1886 and 1887 and received heritage status in 2020.
Although the smaller buildings at the corner have since been torn down, the Bigley buildings—one of which is shown in the present-day photo covered in a green wrap—and a portion of Mussen Terrace are being incorporated into a 34-storey mixed-use tower called Queen Central Condominiums. Additionally, the laneway directly behind the buildings has been named after Richard Bigley.
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
- Vintage Photo: Toronto Public Library
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
