Malton and Island Airports/Then

A nice collection of vintage postcards from the Chuckman Collection of Malton Airport up until the 1970's.
The original terminal and control tower was a converted farmhouse that was used from 1938-1949.
It was then replaced by this, the second terminal that was in use until the mid 1960's when it was demolished and replaced.

A Lockheed Constellation.
This Constellation spent it's later years as a restaurant on Derry Road before it was sold to the
Museum of Flight in Seattle where it was restored and is now on display.

The third terminal was completed in 1964. This terminal considered state of the art when built, was demolished in 2003 and replaced yet again.
Terminal One in 1973.

A new 747 at Terminal One.
A great shot at night.
Toronto Island Airport in 1939.
A vintage postcard of the Island Airport.
The Terminal at Toronto's Island Airport is a near duplicate of the original at Matlon.
Island Airport in the early 1950's.
The control tower with the original vertical windows.
The sloped windows were installed in 1963.
Before the Porter expansion.


Some vintage film of the Lockheed Constellation crash landing (nothing horrific) in the 1950's plus a flight fashion newsreel.

U2 at the Maple Leaf Ballroom/1981

U2 played the Maple Leaf Ballroom on February 11, 1981. I was there. The Diodes were the opening act and despite trying to provoke the audience with their "punk" attitude" everyone was there to see U2 promoting their first album "Boy. At one point the Diodes lead singer tried to jump onto a mirrored disco ball in front of the stage and crashed to the floor. The band stopped playing and waited while he drag himself back up.
U2 came out and were great, when the crowd called for an encore they came back out and admitted that they didn't know any more songs... so they played the entire set again! It was even better the second time around. Before the show I saw them being interviewed across the street in a coffee shop or a Mr. Sub. That interview can be seen below.

The Diodes playing their hit, Tired of Waking Up Tired.

An old matchbook from The Maple Leaf Ballroom, courtesy of Chuckman's.
The current state of the Maple leaf.
The restaurant across the street where the interview took place has now been demolished. Queen's Dairy Family Restaurant.

Glendale Theatre/Then and Now

A great shot from the archives of the Glendale Theatre located at 1661 Avenue road at Brookdale Ave. The Glendale opened in 1950 and closed in 1974. Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey enjoyed a lengthy two year plus run here in the early 1970's. In fact I saw the film here with several of my friends for my 10th birthday. We were a little confused to say the least....
The same corner in 2010.

St. Clair and Weston/Then and Now

A promotional matchbook for the Ford Restaurant on the N/E corner of St. Clair and Weston Rd. from the 1950's. Ford Street is just across the road. Matchbook courtesy of Chuckman's.

The same, sad corner in 2010.

Local Historian Alec Keefer/Parkdale History

Dufferin Street just south of Springhust 1925.

Local historian, Alec Keefer will be giving a talk about historical Parkdale homes and buildings next week at Fern Ave. Public School.
"The Politics of Preservation"
Presented by the RMRA
Feb. 22nd 2011, at 7:00 in the auditorium.
128 Fern Ave. Public School
Free admission.

Dundas and George Street/Then and Now

Located on the N/E corner of Dundas and George Street,the Wilton Court Hotel date unknown.
Postcard courtesy of Chuckman's.

We know it today as Filmore's Hotel.

Yonge Street in the 1960's

People liked to buy records in the 1960's.

Yet another example of why the 1960's were better.....
Cool cars, cool signs and the Beatles.
Vintage postcards courtesy of Chuckman's.
Have a look now....

Parkdale Collegiate/Then and Now

Parkdale Collegiate 1905.
From Wikipedia:

Parkdale High School opened in the Masonic Hall on Dowling Avenue in 1888. When the town of Parkdale was annexed to the City of Toronto a year later in 1889, Parkdale High School moved to its new residence on Jameson Avenue where it became the Jameson Avenue Collegiate Institute, and later the Jameson Collegiate Institute. In 1910, the school was renamed to its present name of Parkdale Collegiate Institute. The original building served until 1928 and then demolished while the school moved to the present structure which was completed in 1929. The school has had two additions, the most recent in the 1960s. Parkdale is the second oldest secondary school in the old City of Toronto.

Another postcard from the Chuckman Collection. Parkdale Collegiate.
Again, from Chuckman.
The current school. My father was the Head Boy in 1951 and my Aunt Margaret, the Head Girl.

Toronto: Kyrie, Eleison by nicholasinus

Camden Street Quick Lunch/The Stem

If your in the Queen and Spadina area and are looking for a Quick lunch the Avenue Open Kitchen Diner on Camden Street is highly recommended. It's not very big but the food is great.
Your basic burger, fries, corned beef, Greek salad kind of place.
Sorry, no frittata with raspberry drizzle here.

The counter at lunch.

Sadly, the Stem on Queen is no more.
The former owner.
Photo by Rebecca Baran.
The sign comes down...
The counter.
Through the window after it closed.

Ford Model T Assembly Plant on Dupont Street.

Ford of Canada began assembling cars at this purpose built factory on Dupont Street in 1915. The cars were shipped here in kit form by rail and assembled. There was a test track on the roof and the ground floor was the showroom. Ford sold the building in 1924 and transferred the operation to the Danforth. Being an efficient man and disliking waste, even the dimensions of the shipping crates for parts were strictly specified as the crates themselves were incorporated into the floors of the cars being assembled.
The Factory and Showroom in 2010.

A shot of the ground floor showroom.
An interesting photo from the archives that prompted this article.
Labelled Dupont and Christie 1912?, it shows what appears to be a brand new Model T
overturned in a ditch. It's quite possible that a customer, having taken delivery of his new car promptly crashed it outside the factory. It's just speculation of course but the salesmen at McBride Cycle on Dundas had countless stories of customers wrecking their new motorcycles right in front of the showroom.

Dupont and Christie/Then and Now

Looking west along Dupont across Christie in 1925.

2010.