Looking southeast from University Ave towards Front St W in the Entertainment District of Toronto.
The archive photo features, from left to right, a glimpse of Union Station, the Walker House, the Swiss Bear Lounge, and a parking garage.
The round parking garage on the right in the vintage photo was originally Toronto’s Cyclorama, which opened in 1887. It featured panoramic paintings within a cylindrical space, giving spectators a 360-degree view, typically showing historical moments or battle scenes. However, by 1900, this short-lived attraction had permanently closed. The Cyclorama building later served as a showroom before being converted into a parking garage. In 1976, despite their historical significance, both the Cyclorama and the Walker House, a hotel which had stood at the corner since 1873, were demolished.
Since 1983, Citigroup Place, a 20-storey office tower, has occupied the site.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Sep 14, 1887, pg 10
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Oct 20, 1976, pg 39
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
