You (and the website you link to) are undoubtedly correct about the historic locations of the creek(s). At the same time I wonder if maybe development has caused them to follow different paths. When they excavated Murano there was an incredible amount of water in the pit, and I've heard anecdotes that when standing in the lowest level of the parking garage you can still hear the running water.
 
You make a very good point and one which I should have considered myself. Let's all watch the excavation at Aura and see what is disclosed. I, for one, will be very interested to see how much water is flowing through the site, as these sorts of things interest me (as you can no doubt tell) . . . The history of Toronto and much of its present built form and street routing are impacted by the history of the watercourses which used to exist.
 
^This raises an interesting point.

The addition of buildings and their foundations over the years has forced this subterranean aquifer on a different course, perhaps under other buildings. So why haven't we had major subsidence of buildings along Yonge Street or even large sinkholes developing?
 
Traynor said:
^This raises an interesting point.

The addition of buildings and their foundations over the years has forced this subterranean aquifer on a different course, perhaps under other buildings. So why haven't we had major subsidence of buildings along Yonge Street or even large sinkholes developing?
Click to expand...

There is an old thread with only one post called "Toronto's Hidden Rivers" in "Toronto Issues" located at: http://www.urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?p=60383#post60383. If anyone wishes to continue this discussion about old watercourses, acquifers, groundwater, subsidence (or lack thereof) etc., I invite them to post there. I wil do the same.
 
Sir Novelty Fashion said:
What used to sit on this site? How long has it been a parking lot, and what was there before?
Click to expand...

I can't remember what used to be there, I remember either Kresge's or Woolworth's on the s/e corner of Carlton & Yonge before The Ellington condos were built which dramatically changed the area but I'm coming up blank with the n/e corner of Gerrard & Yonge. Here's a picture from the early 1950's [edit-correction: 1930's], but those two buildings south of College Park (then, Eaton's College Street) don't jog any memories.

yonge-church_1950.jpg
 
Last edited:
It's really cool how all the roads are still the same but the surrounding atmosphere has totally evolved!

For example.. the lot where there is a church now houses the MET condos!

But a few things are the same!

Maple Leaf Gardens, etc...
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
dttogeek:

The pic is probably from the 30s - Toronto Hydro is still under construction, so that would suggest early 30s.

AoD
Click to expand...

I questioned the date of the photo exactly because of Toronto Hydro building (1932) and the obvious lack of the Odeon Carlton (1948) but let it go. The original source stated 1950's so I labeled the original (larger) photo with that date when I archived it. Thanks for the correction, my bad.
 
Blovertis said:
The building at the corner of Yonge and Gerrard housed the Glass Head Shoppe and was there as late as the early 90's, if memory serves.
Click to expand...

Early 90s--did it survive a bit longer than the rest of the block?

Anyway (as you can vaguely sense from the photo), that whole blockfront N of Gerrard was a fascinating nucleus of 30s Moderne spec flotsam made possible by the Eatons College-spurred widening of Yonge--and it survived into the 80s. Had this stretch, and Odeon Carlton, and Kresge, and Roman Spa and whatever else lasted a bit longer, this could have been a celebrated Toronto Deco District--right now, there isn't much more than Eatons College/Hydro/MLG to bind that ghost together...
 
adma said:
Early 90s--did it survive a bit longer than the rest of the block?

Anyway (as you can vaguely sense from the photo), that whole blockfront N of Gerrard was a fascinating nucleus of 30s Moderne spec flotsam made possible by the Eatons College-spurred widening of Yonge--and it survived into the 80s. Had this stretch, and Odeon Carlton, and Kresge, and Roman Spa and whatever else lasted a bit longer, this could have been a celebrated Toronto Deco District--right now, there isn't much more than Eatons College/Hydro/MLG to bind that ghost together...
Click to expand...

That's an excellent observation. I remember the Odeon Carlton & Kresge's, but not the Roman Spa. If memory serves Kresge's was only demolished in the early to mid 80's, replaced by a parking lot for several years until the Ellington condos were built around 1990-91.
Anyway, it'll be good to see the Gerrard-Yonge parking lot gone. Hopefully Canderel will pull through on this one and give us something to be proud of.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top