Parkdale Twins

This house on Sorauren has a twin....
....on Macdonnel. Except the plan for this one is reversed.

Parkdale/Then and Now

A very nice postcard from 1910 looking east along Queen from O'Hara Avenue.

Skip ahead 100 years and a lot of changes, although the north side of the street is relatively intact. the bank has been replaced by a Dollarama and of course too many cars on the road.

Queen and Parliament Pt.2/Then and Now

The south west corner of Parliament and Queen in 1914. Note the horse trough as well as the public washrooms. The furniture store has big second story display windows.

And today it's still a furniture store.. Marty Millionaire.

Another view, note the awnings.
An ad for the Home Furniture and Carpet Co. from 1911.

Queen and Parliament/Then and Now

Looking south on Parliament towards Queen Street East in 1959.
The building on the right with the "Drugs" sign is the former Rupert Hotel.
Built in the late 1870's it was considered one of the better hotels in the area.
In the late 1980's there was a tragic fire there that claimed 10 lives.

Today
You can see the hotel sign on the side of the building.

Queen and Manning/Then and Now

Looking north up Manning at Queen,
Not much to say about this one....Although I do like the awning.

Queen and Portland/Then and Now

The north side of Queen West in 1958. Haba's Grill looks like the kind of place I would go to.

In 2010 the Epicure has taken Haba's place on the strip

Queen and Peter/Then and Now

The north side of Queen just west of Peter Street in the 1930'sThe stores looked better with the awnings...

Queen Street Subway/Then and Now

The cornerstone.

From the overpass looking at the s/w corner of Queen and Dufferin 1898.

The building of the Queen Street Subway (underpass) was a major undertaking for the town of Parkdale in January of 1884. The level crossing at Dufferin Street was proving to be a major hurdle for access and trade. Queen and Dufferin were re-graded several feet below street level

and the existing buildings shored up. Over time as these structures were demolished the recovered land was also altered. The construction costs at the time totalled over $20,000.

Looking east.

Looking south/east.

Looking at the north side of Queen and east towards the subway.
The Gladstone Hotel can be seen in the distance.

The same view in 2010
The S/W corner of Queen and Dufferin 1897.Today.
Still under construction.

Looking west from the foot of Gladstone Ave towards the recently completed subway in 1896The same view today

From Queen looking south down Dufferin during construction.
Dufferin looking north.
2010.

Sorauren and Pearson/Then and Now

Another corner store in Parkdale listed for $58,00 in May of 1979. Note the phone booth outside. There're not too many public phones left now that everyone has a cellphone.

This building has also been converted into a private residence.

Sorauren and Fern/Then and Now

Another listing from May 1979. A corner store on the N/W corner of Sorauren and Fern listed for $53,000 with taxes of $708. What do you think this property would cost today?

In 2010 the store is gone and the ground floor is an apartment.

Queen and West Lodge/Then and Now

The N/E corner of Queen and West Lodge in 1970 with the Skyline Restaurant to the extreme right.

An old real estate listing from 1979. 1430 Queen Street West is listed for $83,000 with annual taxes of $1.491.58. Pizza Pizza, John's Broadloom, A jewellery store and the Skyline Restaurant.

In 2010 the Pizza Pizza is still here with new signage and to the far right
the Skyline is still going strong.
Come on in!!

Canada's First Hangman

Canada's first hangman John Radclive lived here....
Mr. Radclive at work in 1902.

In an interview with psychologist Rachel MacNair, Radclive described his internal torment:
"Now at night when I lie down," he said, "I start up with a roar as victim after victim comes up before me. I can see them on the trap, waiting a second before they meet their Maker. They haunt me and taunt me until I am nearly crazy with an unearthly fear."

Meanwhile, with the financial stability that Radclive's regular salary gave him, he was able to settle down. In 1893, he moved into a new house in Parkdale, on Sorauren Ave. north of Queen St. W., and later lived around the corner on Fern Ave.

Both are substantial brick houses: the Sorauren Ave. house was appraised at $1,835 in 1895, about two and a half times Radclive's $700 annual salary as hangman. (It sold last year for $667,000.) The Fern Ave. house, which is smaller, was valued at around $1,000. He had a mortgage on both houses.

After his death, it turned out that Fern Avenue had made its peace with its odd resident over the years. "The little children who weren't frightened of him just loved him," one neighbour told theTelegram.

He died in February 1911, at 55, of cirrhosis of the liver in the Fern Ave. house, where he lived with his mother. His wife, who had left him, was in England with two of his children.

His other two children lived in Toronto but, the Telegram explained, they "did not take any particular pride in the profession of their father."

Shortly before his death, in an interview cited by American psychologist Rachel MacNair, he had hinted at his inner demons:

"Now at night when I lie down," he said, "I start up with a roar as victim after victim comes up before me. I can see them on the trap, waiting a second before they meet their Maker. They haunt me and taunt me until I am nearly crazy with an unearthly fear."

Queen and Fuller Park/Then and Now

Seen here in 1935, these row houses were later demolished to make room for...

A small park.