Pape and Dundas/Then and Now

The S/W corner of Pape and Dundas in 1951 prior to the widening of the street.

2010 and the corner store is gone as well as half of the semi to the south.

The Simcoe Hotel/Then and Now

The old Simcoe Hotel on Eastern Ave at Eastern and Morse.
2011 and the old hotel has been re-purposed as a townhouse complex.
A composite.

Halfway House Inn/Then and Now

Half Way House Inn 1849

Original Location: Scarborough, Ontario (Kingston Road and Midland Ave.)

This Georgian, two storey building is equipped with a single storey kitchen tail and shed extension. Alexander Thompson built the Half Way House in the years 1847 - 1848. The building is representative of pre-confederation taverns that were known in Southern Ontario. The Half Way House originally served as a resting place for stage coach passengers making the trip between Dunbarton, Pickering and Toronto. Over the years the Half Way House served as a hotel, an apartment building and later as a store. In 1966 this frame built Ontario classic was moved to Black Creek Pioneer Village. The building required extensive restoration and reconstruction back to its original function and form. The kitchen was reconstructed based on structural evidence and archival documents. A modern restaurant facility was introduced to the basement.
The restored Halfway House now relocated to Blackcreek Pioneer Village.

Avenue and Davenport/Then and Now

The S/W corner of Avenue Road and Davenport in the early 1960's. A good example of a converted house and corner drug store. Note the Loblaws to the left.

2010 and not too much has changed.
This recent photo reveals the painted over Tamblyn sign on the north face of the building as well as the filled in round windows.
The west side a little further south.
2010.

KIng Street West/Then and Now

From 1925, this elegant apartment building is under construction on King Street at Beaty Avenue. At the time living in an apartment was considered quite grand.

2010.

Tasty Restaurant on Eastern Ave.

The Tasty Restaurant at Eastern and Booth has been closed for as long as I can remember. But the old sign remains along with some very valuable Coke discs..

These Coke button signs sell for $700-$800 depending on condition.

Dunn and Springhurst/Then and Now

Another interesting photo from the archives. This is Dunn Ave in Parkdale just south of Springhurst in 1912 or so before the train tracks were lowered below grade.

This photo was taken 100 years later (2011) and surprisingly the little corner store is still a corner store. My grandparent's house was just south of the tracks and was demolished to make way for the Gardiner Expressway in the mid 50's.
An aerial shot with the demolished houses. The corner store is outlined in red.

The Yonge Street Pedestrian Mall

There's a great article here about the Yonge Street Pedestrian Mall of the early 1970's.
Another postcard from Chuckman's.

Yonge Street/ Rock n' Roll in the 1960's

Just a reminder that Bravo is airing a documentary on the Yonge Street music scene of the 1960's Monday Tuesday and Wednesday March 21/22/23 at 10:00 pm.

Yonge Street: Toronto Rock & Roll Stories EP: 1 (1955-1960) (PG)

Travel back to sleepy and dull Toronto in the 1950's, where they rolled up the sidewalks after dark. There was no rock 'n roll music until that fateful night when Ronnie Hawkins & Levon Helm pulled up in their car from Arkansas, popped the trunk and let that Rock 'n Roll out. Features interviews with Robbie Robertson, Ronnie Hawkins, Cathy Young, Grant Smith, Stan Endersby and many more key people in the music scene.

Postcards courtesy of the Chuckman Collection.

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.