Spadina and Dundas/ Then and Then and Now

Another re-post showing Dr. Moorehead's house on the N/E corner of Spadina and Dundas.
Dundas Street West looking across Spadina Avenue 1909

The same view a year later. Note the trees and boulevard have disappeared as the road was widened.The grand house on the right was built by Dr. H.H. Moorehead in 1886 and was demolished shortly after this picture was taken. The Standard Theatre was the built on this corner in 1921. Re-namned the Strand in 1935 and after the war The Victory.One hundred years later and things have certainly changed.
It's no longer a residential neighbourhood.

In 1968 the row houses seen in the second photo were still there, but not for long.
In 2010 the row houses are long gone but the Art Deco mechanic shop/garage is still there.

Mattel's Vrroom Bicycles and Accessories

In the early 1960's Mattel sold a series of bicycles and add on accessories under the Vrroom banner. The actual Vrroom was a battery powered bolt on "engine" that produced realistic motorcycle engine sounds. Fairly rare today these engines and complete bikes command high prices.

Here's another version offered by a Sears.

Vintage Bicycle Ads

A small selection of vintage bicycle ads.

This Archie ad was drawn by the great Harry Lucey.

Dundas and Spadina/Then and Now

This is a re-posting of an earlier post but worth looking at again.

The N/E corner of Dundas and Spadina in 1921, the home of Dr. Moorehead will soon be demolished to make way for the Standard Theatre.

Looking north across Dundas sometime in the late 1960's. The car in the foreground is a post 1965 Corvair. The Victory Theatre, formerly The Standard Theatre opened in 1921 and was one of the finest Yiddish theatres in North America. In 1935 it was renamed The Strand and re-opened as a movie house and was again renamed The Victory after the war. It continued to operate as a burlesque house until 1975.

Today.
The Standard Theatre.
Another shot of the Victory from an excellent site, Silent Toronto.

The Origin of Mad's Alfred E. Neuman

Long associated with Mad magazine, Alfred E. Neuman or the "What, Me Worry?" kid has been around since the early 1900's or earlier. Collectors are still on the hunt for more images. Below is a selection of vintage postcards and advertisements depicting the kid .

A rare female version.

Even this image from Coney Island's Steeplechase Park bears some resemblance...

A Moment in Time/Christie and Follis

Christie and Follis in the summer of 1915. Workers repair a collapsed roadway.
Note the Cowan's Cocoa sign in the b/g.
The Cowan's Cocoa factory was located at 27 Sterling Road.
One of their delivery wagons.
An old advert.
This vintage box of animal crackers sold recently for over $100.00.
A short history of John Cowan from the Nestle site:

The Sterling Road Factory – Our Local Production

John A. Wood and John Cowan became business partners in 1890 and formed the Cowan Cocoa and Chocolate Company of Toronto Limited. Optimistic that the company would continue to expand, they purchased a four-story factory located on Sterling Road. In 1893, the company name was simplified to the Cowan Company Limited. In order to set apart Cowan chocolate products from their imported competitors, John Cowan adapted the Canadian maple leaf as a brand in 1898. Maple Buds, destined to become one of the Cowan Company’s most popular candies, were developed during this time. By the time of his death in 1908, John Cowan’s company had grown across Canada, advertising and selling its chocolate products from Halifax to Vancouver. Following his death, John Cowan’s son Herbert Norton took over the business and introduced several new products to the market including Medallions and Almond Filbert nut bars.Despite a slow transition from importer to entrepreneur, John Cowan was eventually successful due to his flexibility and his insistence on product quality and purity. He embraced new marketing and advertising techniques and created a Canadian presence in a field previously dominated by foreign imports.

St. Lawrence Antique Market-Sundays

A nice selection of harvest coloured items for sale.

Jane and Maple leaf Drive/Then and Now

The S/E corner of Jane and Maaple Leaf Drive in the late 1950's.

2010.