Looking southeast towards the corner of Spadina Ave and Bulwer St, north of Queen St W, in the Alexandra Park neighbourhood of Toronto.
The building in the archive photo was originally constructed for the Bank of Hamilton between 1902 and 1903, designed by architect George W. Gouinlock. Following the merger of the Bank of Hamilton and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in 1924, the building continued to serve as a CIBC branch, as shown in the vintage photo on the right, along with the shops and businesses that once occupied the ground floor.
The building’s red-brick facade, visible in the present-day photo supported by yellow retention towers, is being preserved for the entrance to the future Queen-Spadina Station on the Ontario Line.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- CIBC: 150 Years – A short story PDF dated 2017
- Metrolinx: Building the Ontario Line…
- 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
