Looking southwest towards the corner of Spadina Ave and Dundas St W in the Chinatown neighbourhood of Toronto.
The archive photo shows St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church once at the corner. Originally St. Phillip’s Anglican Church, the 750-seat church held its first service in the building in 1884. Designed by architect A.R. Denison in a plain French Gothic style, the church cost $17,000 to construct. It featured red brick, stone trim and a corner tower with a spire that rose to 40 metres (130 feet). In 1944, the property was acquired by the Hungarian Catholic community and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto and renamed St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
In 1985, the parish relocated to 432 Sheppard Ave E, and the century-old church at Spadina Ave and Dundas St W was demolished and replaced by the Dragon City Mall, which opened around 1987.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Landmarks of Toronto: Volume 4 by J Ross Robertson (1904), pgs 76-81
- The Toronto Star Newspaper Archives: Apr 11, 1987, pg F1
- Archdiocese of Toronto: St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish: History of our parish document
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
