Looking north up Yonge St from College St/Carlton St, in the Downtown Yonge area of Toronto.
The archive photo shows the streetscape over 50 years ago. In the foreground on the left, a CIBC branch is located on the main floor of a building constructed in the early 1890s for the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF). Designed by the architects Dick & Wickson, this four-storey landmark incorporates several architectural styles, including Gothic Revival and Chateau elements. The lower floors were used for shops and offices, while Odd Fellows Hall occupied the upper levels. In 1931, the building was modified for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and in 1974, it was added to the city’s list of heritage properties.
Further down the street is the St. Charles Tavern Clock Tower, which was built in 1871 and originally part of Yonge Street Fire Hall No. 3. The recently restored, heritage-designated clock tower is part of a condo tower called Halo Residences.
In the foreground on the right is a retail and office building known as 2 Carlton Street, completed in 1959. In the vintage photo, it features a CAA sign. Just behind this building is the Westbury Hotel, now the Courtyard by Marriott Toronto Downtown.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- Ontario Heritage Trust: 450 Yonge St
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory, courtesy of Toronto Public Library
