Old Toronto: Spadina and Dupont

News is slow! As it should be on a long weekend in summer. So I'm posting an Old Toronto pic from our area.
I'm sure that most of you will recognize the northeast corner of Spadina and Dupont. The right hand pic seems pretty recent. Unfortunately, I have no idea when the lefthand pic was taken. The date might be uncertain, but this is true: Dupont was once charming!
Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Where Are The Towers

This isn't our area, but when I saw this 1975 picture of the CN Tower and environs west,

one thing popped out at me right away: no towers.
It's sometimes hard to remember that our southern bits weren't always covered in towers of glass and concrete.

After all, the original condominium act was proclaimed in Ontario in 1967, followed by a 1979 version and today's act, which came into being in 1998.

Condos were slow to take off, but when they did... wow.

I love that condominiums offer an affordable, singleton friendly step into the housing market in this burning-hot real estate town, but I do confess that I sometimes miss this sort of view. Not exactly bucolic, but less big-city.
Can't have it both ways, though!

Cheers,
Vanessa

Old(er) Toronto: CN Tower

This, my friends, is the view west from the CN Tower a scant 38 years ago. No towering condo buildings -- anywhere.
It's amazing how the city has changed since 1975.
Cheers,

Vanessa

Old Toronto: Muddy Bathurst

Greetings, Blog Readers!
Have you adjusted to Old Man Winter's unwelcome return? Sure to be short-lived.
In the meantime, some history to distract you: this vintage pic is of Bathurst and St. Clair @1909.
I think this one photo explains quite well why Hogtown used to be called Muddy York.
Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Bloor and Avenue Road

Happy cloudy morning, people!
Even if the sun won't shine, at least it feels like Spring again these days.

Not much news is shaking, so I'm sharing the "Old Toronto" pic of Bloor and Avenue Road.

The big thing that pops out at me is that the trees are so young and, compared to now, small. The street looks sort of... suburban? Interesting.

Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Av and Dav

There are a few tip offs to this being a vintage pic, but this 1959 photo of the west side of Avenue Road, south of Davenport, shows a streetscape similar to today's.
BTW, for some reason I'm gobsmacked to realize that 1959 was 54 years ago. More than half a century... but I digress.
The typography of the store signs screams, "retro." Or, in this case, modern for the day. And look at the squidgy size of the Loblaws; more the size of today's corner store.
(This all got me thinking about shopping and how we used to get things like eggs and milk delivered. My house still has the (now sealed-up) small back door where deliverymen would leave their wares.)
It's interesting to contrast this pic with this one from 1931.
Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Walking on Cedar?

Time for an Old Toronto pic! This one is from 1899 and is labelled Harbord looking west to Robert. But the most interesting thing about is that it says "cedar road."
I'm trying to figure out if that means that the road literally is made of cedar, which would be a new one on me. I can find nothing online about it, but could the circles here be pieces of cedar? Intriguing.
Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Av and Dav in 1931

The beloved haven for florists and designers, Av and Dav, was home to a Dominion Store in 1931.
It seems that most of the housefronts look very similar today, 80 years later.
Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Wells House

What a beauty! This is Wells House, which belonged to Joseph Wells. It was north of Davenport, east of Bathurst and this picture is from 1894.

No doubt Wells Street in our area is named after him!

Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Bucolic Bathurst?

Woodbridge? Vaughan? No -- Bathurst Street, looking north from Forest Hill bridge, circa 1934.
Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Midtown Cinema

This 1941 pic of the Midtown Cinema shows a local landmark in its heyday.
Do I even have to tell you what it's called now? It looks virtually the same!
Cheers,

Vanessa

Vintage Toronto: Davenport

This pic, from Old Toronto, is of  Davenport looking west from Bathurst. Note the dirt road; the cottage; the quaint wooden fence.
Yet, this was less than 100 years ago in 1914.
I wonder what changes the next 100 years will bring?
Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Av and Dav

Judging from this pic of "Av and Dav" from 1931, it wasn't yet a hub for design and floral shops.
It appears that it had streetcars running on both streets... intriguing. Got me wondering when electric streetcars overtook horse-drawn ones. According to Wikipedia, "The first electric car ran on August 15, 1892, and the last horse car ran on August 31, 1894."
Much earlier than I would have guessed!
Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Albany Avenue

This picture, from Old Toronto on Facebook and the city's archives, shows Albany Avenue in 1902. Even though I've lived on the street for well more than a decade, I can't figure out quite where on Albany.
What a difference a century makes!
Cheers,
Vanessa

Vintage Toronto: Spadina Road

Intriguing! Makes me want to climb them, too. This City of Toronto Archives photo is of "Spadina Road Park north from Davenport." It was taken in 1913.
It's such a charming scene, though it was taken in February, so no leafy tree.
I imagine that the stairs were removed in order to build something new?
Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Bloor and Avenue

As we say in our house, "Wow-ah!" Bloor St. West and Avenue Road currently is some of the priciest real estate in all of Canada.
It may well have been back in 1927, too, when this picture was taken, for all I know. I LOVE the horse-drawn trolleys! Strikes me that it would still be a good, green way to get around TO! All while adding some romance and whimsy to our city.
Cheers,
Vanessa