Queen Street West/Then and Now

630 Queen street West in November of 1960.

2010.

Palace Street School/Now and Then

The Palace Street School at Front and Cherry Street (1858) is the oldest multi-room school house in Toronto. At the time Cherry Street was called Palace Street and this area was considered "downtown". Fern Street in Parkdale was called Cherry Street.
The red square outlines the original school and the blue outline a later addition known as the Palace Street Hotel.

A well preserved interior classroom window.

The boys entrance.

This view shows the Hotel addition that for many years was known as the Canary Restaurant. These buildings are all owned by the Provincial Government and will be used in the upcoming Pan Am Games.
Looking into the empty hotel a safe can be seen at the back. Legend has it that bootleg whiskey was stored here during prohibition, before being smuggled south of the border. For more detailed information on the Palace Street School click here.

The Canary.

This school on Alice Street, built in 1862, is strikingly similar in design to the Palace School.

Alice Street is no more but it did run east west between Yonge and Terauley (Bay) south of Agnes street (now Dundas).

The El Mocambo/Then

St. Lawrence Antique Market- Sundays

Pretty in Pink.

A very Springlike theme this week with pink and baby blue.

In honour of St Patrick's Day, this week's theme was...green.
Previous themes can be seen here.

Harbour Commission Building/Then and Now

Another example of how much of the lakefront is reclaimed land. The Harbour Commission Building was originally right on the shoreline.

Seen from Queen's Quay, 2010.

Dundas and Sheridan/Then and Now

An early shot of the S/E corner of Dundas and Sheridan when it was the Brockton Hotel. A little further east was the Brockton Tavern, also demolished.
This was still the village of Brockton as the sign at the side indicates..

2010.

Bay and Edward/Then and Now

The N/E corner of Bay and Edward as seen in 1928.

The same corner in 2010.

Bay and Edward/Then and Now

The Ford Hotel stood on the N/E corner of Bay and Dundas. Built in 1928 it was demolished in 1973 and replaced by the Atrium on Bay. In it's later years, The Toronto Star called it the "rendezvous of choice for couples pursuing an illicit affair

The south side of Edward Street just east of Bay in 1937. The old Ford Hotel can be seen behind.

2010.

Yonge Street/ Rock n' Roll

Ronnie Hawkins discusses the Yonge Street music scene in the 1960's

There's some good footage of the Edison (Empress) Hotel in the third installment.

Captain Alcohol Comics

This is not a joke.....

Produced by Arctic Comics for the Department of Social Development of the Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife. Given to the Inuit community about the horrors of alcoholism.

The story of a super hero who has become an alcoholic and his struggles to admit the reality of his disease to himself.

Springhurst and Jameson/Then and Now

Looking west on Springhurst across Jameson in 1926.

Surprisingly, the house on the N/W corner has survived. In fact, I think it's the only house left on Jameson.

Batman Lunch Box/1966

This showed up on Kijiji Toronto today for $230.00.

Easy Rider-The Toronto Connection.

Easy Rider with Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson, 1969.

In the summer of 1967 Peter Fonda was in Toronto to promote his latest film, The Trip.

While staying at the Seaway Towers Motel on the Lakeshore, he stayed up all night and wrote the script for Easy Rider. This story was told to me and others by Mr. Fonda himself.

The original covered entranceway.

The original Seaway Towers was built in 1954 and considered very modern at the time.

The pool area.

A period postcard.
A view of the Seaway Motel looking east from the Gardiner in the 1960's.
Vintage period postcards from Chuckman's

Ghosted Coca Cola Sign on Queen West

An old ghosted sign on the side of a building along Queen Street.
H.J. Lavelle Wines.

King and Peter/Then and Now

Looking north up Peter Street from king in 1949 before the street was widened.

A similar view in 2011.
This printer's sign (as seen in the first photo) is still visible on the side of the building today.
Blackhall and Company.

Lost Adelaide Street

A large section of Adelaide Street West was demolished during the University Ave extention.
These are just a couple of the buildings, seen in 1931.

Adelaide and Tecumseth/Then and Now

The south side of Adelaide just east of Tecumseth in 1937.

2010.

River and Dundas/Then and Now

A corner store at the N/W corner of River and Gerrard in 1947. This was before the entire neighbourhood was demolished to make room for Regent Park in the 1950's.

A current photo of the same spot.

King and Sherbourne/Then and Now

The S/E corner of king and Sherbourne sometime in the 1940's when it was the National Hotel.

2010.

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