Looking west towards the Royal York Hotel, along Front St W from Bay St, in the Financial District of Toronto.
The archive photo shows a horse parade on Dominion Day, featuring horses tasked with delivering goods such as dairy, baked goods, ice, and beer. The procession served as a reminder of the role horses played when the popularity of gas-powered vehicles was rapidly increasing.
Notably, while the construction of the west and central sections of the Royal York was completed in 1929, the 400-room east wing, shown in the right foreground of the current photo, was not added until the late 1950s.
The tower in the left background of the archive photo was the city’s second Union Station, which was in use from 1873 until 1927, when the present-day Union Station opened.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Jul 2, 1929, pg 4
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory, courtesy of Toronto Public Library
