Front and Church/Then and Now

Looking west along Front street from the Flatiron building in the late 1960's.The same view in 2010.

Wellington and Leader Lane/Then and Now

Wellington looking east past Leader Lane in the 1870's.
The 3 story building to the right still exists.

Looking east along Wellington at Leader Lane in the late 1960's. Leader Lane was named after the newspaper "the Toronto Leader" (1852-1878) whose offices were located here.
John Beaty was the publisher.
2010

Adelaide and Bay/Then and Now

The N/W corner of Bay and Adelaide, date unknown, the home and brewery of John Doel.

John Doel.

The N/W corner of Bay and Adelaide in 1827 the home and brewery of John Doel.
Although this photo is labelled 1914 in the archives it has to be earlier as E.S. Willard performed his final North american tour in 1905 and died in 1915.
E.S. Willard

The N/W corner of Bay and Adelaide in 1910.
By now the family house has been turnrd into a discount store and is in a sad state of desrepair.
Suits $15.00-no more, no less!
The Gayety Theatre (billboard) was located on Richmond Street.
A similar view in 2010.
1910.
2010.

Queen and University/Then and Now

Looking west along Queen from Simcoe in 1931.
2010 and not too much has changed.
Looking west from the foot of University. When this photo was taken, University stopped at Queen Street.
Today.

Adelaide and Sheppard/Then and Now

Looking east at the north side of Adelaide at Sheppard in the late 1940's.
The building on the left is The Concourse Building. This is before Adelaide was a one way street.
Today.

Richmond and John/Then and Now

The S/E corner of Richmond and John in 1935.
The same corner in 2010.

More Old Cars

King and Church/Then and Now

The south side of King Street from Church at the turn of the century.

Back in the late 1960's when this was taken, King and Church was somewhat rundown and dreary. This had once been the main shopping street in the city and quite fancy.
Pasquale Brothers (seen here) later moved to 217 King Street and then to Etobicoke.
D. Pike Company is still in business as Pike's Awnings and now located in Woodbridge.
40 years later it's been revitalized.

King and Bathurst/Then and Now

The Wheat Sheaf Tavern (1848) sometime in the late 1960's.
It was rumoured that a secret tunnel connected the Wheat Sheaf to nearby Fort York...The Wheat Sheaf in 2010.

King and Dowling/Then and Now

Looking south down Dowling Avenue from King in the 1940's.

The same view in 2010.

Adelaide and Portland/Then and Now

The N/W corner of Adelaide and Portland in May of 1933. Some repairs are definitely needed.

Six months later.
And now 78 years later, no longer a laundry it's now Sadie's Diner.

The Toronto Arcade/Then and Now

The Toronto Arcade , the first in Canada was built in 1883 on the east side of Yonge Street at the intersection of Temperence Street. As seen in the 1920's.By the 1950's it was no longer fashionable and was demolished in 1955.The same view in 2010, and now this building's coming down.An interior view from 1888.

A collection of period ads.

This is the Manning Arcade, designed by E.J. Lennox and built in 1882 on the north side of King just west of Yonge Street.

Old Gas Stations

Simcoe and Adelaide/Then and Now

Bishop's Block on the N/E corner of Adelaide and Simcoe circa 1890. Built in 1833.
According to Patricia McHugh in her excellent book "Toronto Architecture-A City Guide"
"These two brick and stucco row houses are Toronto's oldest example of the genre. though now sadly bereft of their three original sisters and most of their Georgian dignity as well. Joseph Bishop was a butcher who built these houses for speculation."

Bishop's Block some time in the late 1960's when it operated as the Pretzel Bell Tavern.
The remaining houses of the block shortly before demolition.

Sadly, since the book was written, the remaining two houses were torn down last year to make way for more condos. The developers are supposed to re-build the original facades and incorporate them into the new structure.
The city did conduct an extensive archeological dig at the site.
Details can be found here.

When demolition started I was lucky enough to spot this old hand painted sign that had been covered up for years and managed to liberate it...
Bishop's Block as seen in 1856.