Looking northeast along Bloor St E from Yonge St, in the Yorkville and Church-Wellesley neighbourhoods of Toronto.
The archive photo features the former Royal Bank of Canada building on the left, a banner promoting the Canadian National Exhibition hanging over the street, and the streetcars that once operated along Bloor St and Yonge St.
The majestic six-storey building on the left was constructed between 1906 and 1907 and was initially known as the Trader’s Bank Apartments. In the early 1910s, Trader’s Bank was acquired by the Royal Bank of Canada. By 1914, the building became known as the Royal Bank Apartments, then in the 1940s, it was renamed the Royal Bank Building and primarily functioned as office space.
In the mid-1970s, the building was demolished, and a few years later, it was replaced by the current RBC branch, as seen in the present-day photo. Since then, the block has also been home to a complex formerly known as the Hudson Bay Centre, which is now called 2 Bloor East.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
