Queen and Brock/Then and Now

Here's a very nice early shot of Queen West looking west from Brock Avenue in 1916. If you click on the image there are some interesting details. Aside from the lack of cars note the abundance of awnings and horse drawn carts. To the lower right there's a child's wagon and half way up on the left a motorcycle is parked. The ornate building on the left is the Parkdale Municipal Offices and was built in 1888. It housed the Parkdale council chamber and office, the firehall and engine house as well as the police station and jail.
It was demolished in 1931.

Today.

Lansdowne Subway/Then and Now

As with the Queen Street Subway (underpass) the Lansdowne Subway was another major construction project for the city to improve traffic flow.

An early view of the completed subway circa 1915.Since then the approach has been re-aligned and the retaining walls replaced.

Inside the recently completed subway January 1915.
Wet walls were a concern.

Almost 100 years later and the walls are still wet.

Lansdowne and Rideau/Then and Now

Looking north across Rideau Street towards the Lansdowne subway 1915

Looking north across Rideau Street towards the Lansdowne subway circa 1930.

A similar view in September 1950.60 years later in 1010.

Lansdowne and Seaforth PT.2/Then and Now

Looking north up Lansdowne from Seaforth Sept. 1950.

June 2010.

Lansdowne and Seaforth/Then and Now

Looking south down Lansdowne from Seaforth Avenue circa 1950.

60 years later and not too much has changed.

Queen and Lansdowne/Then and Now

Looking north on Lansdowne from the Queen intersection in the late 1930's.Skip ahead to 1950 and the road is much wider.

2010

Queen and Lisgar/Then and Now

The N/W corner of Queen and Lisgar in 1919.

2010.

Demolished Queen Street West

As I mentioned in an earlier post, all of the south side of Queen between Bay and University was demolished after the construction of New City Hall in 1966. Here are some photos.

Click on any image for a better look.

South side of Queen looking east from York Street in 1926 or so.

Looking west towards University in 1953

The S/W corner of Queen and York in 1953The present site of the new Opera House.
Looking east from Bay with the old Lyric Theatre.
The Alexandra Hotel was located on the N/W corner of Queen and Elizabeth Street.
Demolished to make way for Toronto's new City Hall.

Harbord and Clinton/Then and Now

The N/W corner of Harbord and Clinton during construction 1916.
Today.

King and Cowan/Then and Now

Looking east on King across Cowan Avenue in 1903.

Today.

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...