1890/January 4, 2026 – Looking north up Yonge St, from south of Wellington St, in the Financial District and St Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto.
The archive photo shows the streetscape from over 130 years ago, with several horse-drawn wagons on Yonge St.
A constant in both photos is the Bank of British North America Building, a four-storey structure with a mansard roof located on the right. Built in the early 1870s, this Second Empire-style building is constructed from Ohio sandstone and was designed by architect Henry Langley. In 1903, the design team of Burke & Horwood made alterations to the beautiful structure while preserving many of its key architectural features. Initially, the building’s entrance faced Wellington St E, but it was relocated to Yonge St as it was becoming the city’s major thoroughfare. The entrance is considered one of Toronto’s finest examples of a bracketed pediment with a keystone face.
The building was added to the city’s heritage register in 1973 and has served various purposes over the years, including as a CIBC branch and, more recently, as the former Irish Embassy Pub & Grill.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register: 49 Yonge St
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- Ontario Heritage Trust: 49 Yonge St
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: Toronto Public Library
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
