TTC Garage at Howard Park Then and Now

Here's a TTC bus maintenance garage from June 1928 located on Howard Park
just east of Roncesvalles. Howard Park is named after John Howard who "donated"
High Park to the city in 1873
.
The same building today. Now surrounded by condos and
broken down cars. This entire block from Roncesvalles to Dundas is scheduled to fall in the next year for another massive condo complex.

Vintage snow plows on Howard Park with the garage on the left in 1924
John Howard

Queen and Callender/Then and Now

Looking west along Queen towards Roncesvalles from Callender in the fall of 1916.
The empty lot on the left is the future site of the Parkdale Theatre.
A more current view.
The Parkdale.

Sunnyside/Then and Now

Just to give you an idea of how much land has been reclaimed through in fill along the Lakeshore at the foot of Roncesvalles in Parkdale, here is a photo of the lakefront in 1915.
That's the old Sunnyside Train Station.

This photoshopped version (not perfect) shows the extent that the lake has been filled in. This doesn't include all the parkland to the south of Lakeshore Blvd.

Queen and Roncesvalles/Then and Now

Looking east across Roncesvalles on Queen in 1923.

2010.

Dovercourt Subway/Then

Looking north up Dovercourt from Dupont in 1911 at the level crossing.

The same view 4 years later as the subway nears completion. It certainly seems that Toronto was able to accomplish a lot of public works projects within a short period of time with simple tools and manpower back then. I wonder why we can't do the same thing today. The roadwork on Roncesvalles has taken forever and still not finished. In addition the pavement is a mess of potholes and patches, clearly a hazard for pedestrians and cyclists.

Scholes' Oceon Hotel/Then and Now

Schole's Hotel as seen in 1922.

As seen today.

Queen and Roncesvalles PT.2/Then and Now

Queen and Roncesvalles/Then and Now

A very early photo (1909) looking north up Roncesvalles from Queen. There'as a hint of Scholes' Oceon Hotel on the right.

1924

2010

Roncesvalles and Harvard/Then and Now

Looking south down Roncesvalles towards the lake in 1910. Scholes' Oceon Hotel is on the left.

1919, and there's been a lot of development, including the new Sunnyside Train Station visible at the foot of Roncesvalles.

2010

Roncesvalles House/Then and Now

Newly built in 1916 on the west side of Roncesvalles at Marion.

2010

Dundas and Roncesvalles PT.2/Then and Now

Looking north up Roncesvalles towards the Dundas intersection in 1912. On the right is the Bank of Montreal from the previous post and on the left the Bank of Toronto. The Boyd Gang robbed the Bank of Montreal in 1951.

Today

Dundas and Roncesvalles/Then and Now

The intersection of Dundas and Roncesvalles in 1912.
Toronto's infamous Boyd Gang started their crime spree by robbing this branch of the Bank of Montreal in November of 1951.

2010 and the bank is now a Starbucks.... how can people drink this much overpriced coffee?

The bank also served as the location for Mr. Pinky's Hefty Hideaway for the film Hairspray.
Photo courtesy of Bill Platten.
An interview with Edwin Boyd after his release and be found here.

Roncesvalles and Howard Park/ Then and Now

Looking south down Roncesvalles from Howard Park during a snowstorm in the winter of 1925.
Howard Park is named after John Howard and was a road that lead to his property now known as High Park.

The same view in 2010

Roncesvalles North of Queen/ Then and Now

Looking north from Queen up the west side of Roncesvalles in 1924.

The Building on the left hand side is supposed to be one of the oldest in the neighbourhood and
may have been built as an inn when this was a artery into the city. It would have been a good place to spend the night before the final leg downtown.
The same view in 2010, the old inn remains and the Dominion tire store/garage has been replaced with a medical services building.

The Revue Cinema/ Then and Now

The Revue 2010.

The Revue Cinema on Roncesvalles in 1935.
The Revue Cinema on Roncesvalles was built in 1911 and had the distinction of being

the longest running theatre with it's original facade. That was until the supports gave way

and the entire canopy crashed to the sidewalk a couple of winters ago.

The Revue continues to operate as a single screen theatre and as such still an enjoyable place to go.

Fern Avenue School Then and Now

Fern Avenue Public School was built in 1894.
My Father attended this school in the early 1940's.
Photo courtesy of Chuckman's Postcard Collection
The school as it stands today. The west tower and cupola are gone as well as
the central chimney and much of the ornamental decoration.
A voting card from 1913 courtesy of Chuckman's Postcard Collection.

Fern Avenue Then and Now

A shot of Fern Avenue looking east towards the School on the left. The year is
unknown but note the absence of parked cars on the street.
These houses were all quite new when this photograph was taken
Photo courtesy of Chuckman's Postcard Collection.
The trees have grown and so have the cars.

Dundas and Ritchie, Then and Now

This image from 1913 shows Dundas Street West looking West across Ritchie Street.
On the right is the Feather Factory Building (see previous post) and on the left a TTC streetcar is turning south onto Ritchie. Not a car in sight.
Back in 2010 the same view. The Feather Factory has gained an additional 2 floors
while the strip of row houses on the right remains virtually unchanged.

Ritchie Street Then and Now

Ritchie Street off of Roncesvalles looking N/E in 1959

The same view today. The gas station on the corner was converted to
a KFC some years ago and then knocked down to build
the condo, the 5 story Feather Factory building at the end of
the street is also in the process of being converted to condos as well as another
big development on the opposite side of the street.
The Feather Factory Building

The design of the B. F. Harvey Factory involved the work of two Toronto architects. When the original three-storey factory was commissioned in 1910 and built in 1911, manufacturer Benjamin Harvey engaged James Walker, who had received awards for interior and graphic designs. After the Toronto Feather and Down Factory began a long-term occupancy of the site, two floors and a cornice were added according to the plans (1922) of William F. Sparling.

In practice since 1905, Sparling was associated with Samuel Curry during his early career, and gained expertise in designing Classically inspired buildings, including the Toronto Trust and Guarantee Building in the Financial District. Beginning in the late 1920s, he was a partner in the firm of Sparling Martin and Forbes. However, it was during his solo career between 1917 and 1928 that Sparling received his best-known commission for the Masonic Temple (1918) at Yonge Street and Davenport Road. The varied projects that followed included the unexecuted plans for the conversion of Casa Loma into residential apartments.