Richmond and Brant/Then and Now

St Andrews Market, seen here in 1932 just prior to it's demolition stood on the south side of Richmond Street just west of Brant St. Built in 1873 on land set aside in 1837. This building replaced a previous version (1850) that was destroyed by fire. Similar to the St. Lawrence Market and the St. Patrick Market on Queen. The building housed a police station, a community hall, a public library branch, sellers of fresh produce, and even butchers. St Andrews never really caught on with the public and was demolished in 1932.
The Market was replaced by this very attractive Art Deco Public Works Facility.
Another angle looking east.
2010.

Queen and Bathurst/Then and Now

From the archives, the N/E corner of Queen and Bathurst in 1923 when it was the Home Bank of Canada. It was incorporated July 10, 1903 in Toronto. It failed Aug 18, 1923. The presence of all these customers and a Policeman suggests that they were there for their money. A run on the bank!

2011 and it's a Starbucks.

A composite. I'm not the first person to do these.
One of their bank notes circa 1920.
The Dominion Bank at the S/E corner of Bathurst and Bloor in 1923.
The Dominion Bnk would merge with the Toronto Bank in 1955 to form the Toronto Dominion Bank now known as TD.
2010.

The outbreak of World War I brought great demand for Canada's natural resources. Within a year the country had erased its trade deficit and become a creditor nation. A few brief years of prosperity followed Germany's surrender in 1918, but the depression and panic preceding World War II appeared at the Dominion Bank on October 23, 1923. Sometime that Friday morning a foreign customer presented a check that was uncashable because of insufficient funds in the account. The teller attempted to overcome the customer's lack of fluency by raising his voice. "No money in the bank," he said. Those five words began a run that lasted until Tuesday afternoon, when rational voices finally overruled rumors.

Lakeshore Motel Strip/Vintage Postcards/Then

A selection of photos and vintage postcards from the former motel strip on the Lakeshore between the Humber and Parklawn. These are all gone now with the exception of a few. The Hillcrest was torn down last year and I'm sure the rest will follow soon. We used to film there frequently. They've been replaced by sprawling condominium complexes.
The Hillcrest in 2009.

The Hillcrest.

Postcards are from the Chuckman Collection.

Here's a shot of the strip even before the motels were built, 1929. This area is now occupied by the TTC Humber Loop.
A postcard from the 1960's from the Chuckman Collection.

Malton and Island Airports/Then

A nice collection of vintage postcards from the Chuckman Collection of Malton Airport up until the 1970's.
The original terminal and control tower was a converted farmhouse that was used from 1938-1949.
It was then replaced by this, the second terminal that was in use until the mid 1960's when it was demolished and replaced.

A Lockheed Constellation.
This Constellation spent it's later years as a restaurant on Derry Road before it was sold to the
Museum of Flight in Seattle where it was restored and is now on display.

The third terminal was completed in 1964. This terminal considered state of the art when built, was demolished in 2003 and replaced yet again.
Terminal One in 1973.

A new 747 at Terminal One.
A great shot at night.
Toronto Island Airport in 1939.
A vintage postcard of the Island Airport.
The Terminal at Toronto's Island Airport is a near duplicate of the original at Matlon.
Island Airport in the early 1950's.
The control tower with the original vertical windows.
The sloped windows were installed in 1963.
Before the Porter expansion.


Some vintage film of the Lockheed Constellation crash landing (nothing horrific) in the 1950's plus a flight fashion newsreel.

U2 at the Maple Leaf Ballroom/1981

U2 played the Maple Leaf Ballroom on February 11, 1981. I was there. The Diodes were the opening act and despite trying to provoke the audience with their "punk" attitude" everyone was there to see U2 promoting their first album "Boy. At one point the Diodes lead singer tried to jump onto a mirrored disco ball in front of the stage and crashed to the floor. The band stopped playing and waited while he drag himself back up.
U2 came out and were great, when the crowd called for an encore they came back out and admitted that they didn't know any more songs... so they played the entire set again! It was even better the second time around. Before the show I saw them being interviewed across the street in a coffee shop or a Mr. Sub. That interview can be seen below.

The Diodes playing their hit, Tired of Waking Up Tired.

An old matchbook from The Maple Leaf Ballroom, courtesy of Chuckman's.
The current state of the Maple leaf.
The restaurant across the street where the interview took place has now been demolished. Queen's Dairy Family Restaurant.

Glendale Theatre/Then and Now

A great shot from the archives of the Glendale Theatre located at 1661 Avenue road at Brookdale Ave. The Glendale opened in 1950 and closed in 1974. Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey enjoyed a lengthy two year plus run here in the early 1970's. In fact I saw the film here with several of my friends for my 10th birthday. We were a little confused to say the least....
The same corner in 2010.

St. Clair and Weston/Then and Now

A promotional matchbook for the Ford Restaurant on the N/E corner of St. Clair and Weston Rd. from the 1950's. Ford Street is just across the road. Matchbook courtesy of Chuckman's.

The same, sad corner in 2010.