Lakeshore Motel Strip January 1983

Toronto Patrick Cummins, who has been kind enough to share his photos of a lost Toronto had the presence of mind to document these motels along the Lakeshore strip long before the condo boom of the last decade. One by one they slowly disappeared....

The Palace Motel would soon be re-named the Cruise Motel....

Colour photos by highwaygirl67

Lakeshore and Parklawn/Then and Now

This is the south side Lakeshore just west of Parklawn in the late 1970's.

It's a frame grab from the New Avengers. Several episodes were filmed here in 1977.The Pickin' Chicken Bar-B-Que.

Barbeque is a French word meaning head to tail (beard to tail)

This condo development replaced the Pickin' Chicken.

Looking east towards Parklawn, you can see how undeveloped this stretch was.

A Star delivery van in front of the Polish Alliance.

A current view with the Alliance in the BG.

Steed and Purdy, 1977.

2010.

Thanks to Mark Moore for the heads up on this post.

For a complete story click here.http://www.blogto.com/city/2012/08/that_time_the_avengers_came_to_toronto/

 As shot by Patrick Cummins in 1983.

Another Pickin' Chicken on Queen just east of Roncesvalles in the early 1970's
Photo by lindsaybridge

Queen and Soho/Then and Now

1913 looking N/E from Peter Street.
Today. That's the Peter Pan restaurant in the foreground.
The Peter Pan is possibly the oldest restaurant in the city...

Queen West looking east from Soho in the 1970's. Back then this strip was occupied
by several used book stores. The Black Bull (1833) is on the left.

Sometime in the early 1980s as seen by P. Cummins.

Cherry and Front/Then and Now

 The old Canary Restaurant and School on Cherry Street (formerly Palace Street)

More on the history of this building here.

 It doesn't look much different now but it will!

An old house on the opposite side of the street circa 1983. It's hard to imagine that not only was this once a residential neighbourhood but that it was also the centre of the town. The Parliament buildings were a block away and Gooderham and Worts a major employer.

B&W photos by Cummins

Simcoe and Richmond/Then and Now

 Another of the City's long forgotten diners, the Simcoe Grill.
The N/W corner of Simcoe and Nelson Street.

Sorry, no arugula with a raspberry drizzle here....

Photo by Patrick Cummins circa 1983.

2010.

Bathurst and Stewart Street/Then and Now

 Thank you again to Patrick Cummins for taking the time to document the changing face of the city. 

Stewart Street as seen in 1983 with the the Executive Motor Hotel in the background. Downtown was a lot rougher back then....

 A scrap yard.

 A stitch up.

A view from 2010. The Executive was demolished last year and new condos are going up in it's place.

The Executive in better days.

Bathurst and Queen/Then and Now

The west side of BAthurst just south of the Paddock as shot by Patrick Cummins in 1984.
A classic example of Art Moderne or Streamline style. Later the office section operated as a speakeasy.

It was replaced by this in the early 1990's.

Queen and Spadina/Then

The S/E corner in 1983 before Queen Street was "hip". It was mostly used book stores and cheap furniture. This photo is by Patrick Cummins.