Looking above the door of 70 Gerrard St E at Church St, in the Garden District neighbourhood of Toronto.
The archive photo features the sign for The Edge, a nightclub that operated in the house from December 31, 1978, until June 6, 1981. Although it had a short lifespan, the club’s promoters, Gary Topp and Gary Cormier, booked prominent alternative and rock bands to perform on its “matchbook-sized” stage, including acts like The Police, The B-52s, Rheostatics, Squeeze, The Cramps, Martha and the Muffins, Oingo Boingo, and The Spoons, among others.
During the day and early evening, the space functioned as a restaurant called Egerton’s, which opened around 1973. When the nightclub began operating in late 1978, the promoters shortened the name Egerton to simply “The Edge”.
The heritage-designated house, which once housed the restaurant/nightclub, was built in 1847 and is known as the Smith House. Today, it functions as a shelter operated by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- The Toronto Daily Star Newspaper Archives: Mar17, 1979, pg B4 (The Edge at 70 Gerrard St E)
- The Toronto Daily Star Newspaper Archives: Jan25, 2004, pg B3 (The Edge at 70 Gerrard St E)
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
