Looking northwest towards the corner of Yonge St and Richmond St W in the Downtown Yonge area of Toronto.
According to the 1893 Toronto City Directory, a few of the establishments in the archive photo, from right to left, include R. Reilly hats & furs, D. Merrick millinery & dressmaking, Dominion Express, S. Tidy & Son florist, Dominion Pharmacy, Kent Bros. jewelers, John Wanless jewelers, and Robert Simpson dry goods. Also notice the sign painted on the side of the building once at 164 Yonge St for the Carbolic Smoke Ball Co., which operated from the building in the late 1880s.
Shortly after the archive photo was taken, Robert Simpson built his “departmental” store at the southwest corner of Yonge St and Queen St W. The store was open for only a short time before it was completely destroyed by fire in 1895. The commercial building, designed by architects Burke & Horwood, was reconstructed and reopened in January 1896. Gradually, the Robert Simpson Co. store expanded, occupying more of the block, with additions made from 1900 through circa 1970. In 1973, the building was added to the city’s heritage register. In 1978, the Hudson’s Bay Company acquired the property, which extends to Bay St. In 1991, this location transitioned from Simpsons to The Bay. The Bay, which also housed Saks Fifth Avenue, closed its doors in June 2025.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- Ontario Heritage Trust: 160-178 Yonge St
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Aug 11, 1888, pg 12
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Mar 4, 1895, pg 1
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Nov 21, 1896, pg 13
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Jun 6, 1991, pg B1
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: Toronto Public Library
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory, courtesy of Toronto Public Library
