Looking north up Toronto St from King St E, in the St Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto.
While the streetscape has changed over the past century, one notable building that no longer exists is the General Post Office. It’s shown in the centre distance at the top of Toronto St, on Adelaide St E. Completed in 1874, this Second Empire-style gem was designed by architect Henry Langley. Later known as the Adelaide Street Postal Station, it was demolished in the late 1950s and replaced by the present-day office building.
In both photos, there are a few buildings that remain standing today. Two of these structures are located on the left side of the image. The building that originally housed the Quebec Bank, constructed in 1886, is visible in the foreground. Just behind it, on Toronto St, is what was originally the city’s Seventh Post Office, which was completed in 1853.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- Lost Toronto by William Dendy (1978), pgs 86-87
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
