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I'm loving that big 'ol early '70s Chevy Impala in that shot. It makes me wonder, with cars that huge, it must have been quite the challenge to parallel park!
 
A Then and Now photo essay on the lost Bank of Nova Scotia building at 39 King Street West, replaced by Commerce Court. One of the more interesting lost buildings of the Financial District, as much for its almost-Baroque use of a narrow mid-block site as for its architecture.

BNS3.jpg

There are many Bank of Nova Scotia artifacts at the Guild.
A couple of my favorites:

NovaScotia1.jpg


NovaScotia2.jpg


And many other pieces of buildings are scattered about the Guild grounds:
Guildremnants.jpg
 
November 29 addition.





Then. "Kingston Road at Blantyre. 196-" This view is earlier than the 1960s - 50s I think. View is looking E.




kingstonatblantyre196-.jpg








Now. November 2010.




CSC_0071.jpg
 
Then. "Kingston Road at Blantyre. 196-" This view is earlier than the 1960s - 50s I think.

Naw, it looks more 60s to me--maybe the snowed-up car on the right makes it seem otherwise. (If that's a "boxed-in" Sunoco sign in the background, it all but confirms its being 1960s.)
 
The lost Bank of Nova Scotia building at 39 King Street West, replaced by Commerce Court. One of the more interesting lost buildings of the Financial District, as much for its almost-Baroque use of a narrow mid-block site as for its architecture.

BNS7.jpg

An interesting element of the Commerce Court construction is mentioned in this photo caption:

Bay-Wellington St. : Commerce Court development re. search for grave of Stella Vanzant.
Image of grave diggers - construction men digging up old grave at the site of the old Osler building while Rev. Walter Gelling Dean of St. James Cathedral looks on.

CommerceCourtgravec1969.jpg
 
Naw, it looks more 60s to me--maybe the snowed-up car on the right makes it seem otherwise. (If that's a "boxed-in" Sunoco sign in the background, it all but confirms its being 1960s.)

It's Sunoco all right...
 
A Then and Now photo essay on the lost Bank of Nova Scotia building at 39 King Street West, replaced by Commerce Court. One of the more interesting lost buildings of the Financial District, as much for its almost-Baroque use of a narrow mid-block site as for its architecture. Older B&W pics are from the Panda archives:

From the Toronto Archives:

BNScolour.jpg

I had come across this colour picture in the Toronto Archives but didn't know the history or location, thanks thecharioteer.

chriskayTO, parking those 60s "boats" - one could actually turn ones body almost 90 degrees around there was so much room in the front seat. This helped.
 
An interesting element of the Commerce Court construction is mentioned in this photo caption:

Bay-Wellington St. : Commerce Court development re. search for grave of Stella Vanzant.
Image of grave diggers - construction men digging up old grave at the site of the old Osler building while Rev. Walter Gelling Dean of St. James Cathedral looks on.

CommerceCourtgravec1969.jpg



Goldie, was this some sort of unsolved Cold Case?
 
Detective needed!

CommerceCourtgravec1969.jpg


Goldie, was this some sort of unsolved Cold Case?

The York U. Archive gives no further info regarding this mysterious photo.
A brief search of Google did not assist with the key words, 'Stella Vanzant.'
Perhaps another of our viewers will know the story.
It's a fine mystery!
 
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Hazarding a guess here…

According to Volume 5 of Robertson’s Landmarks of Toronto, in 1807 some lots on the north side of Wellington (then Market), east of Bay, and on the south side of King, east of Bay, were occupied by a John Vanzante. It seems we’re likely talking about the pioneer gravesite of his wife or another female relative.

http://www.archive.org/stream/landmarkstoronto05robeuoft#page/n5/mode/2up
 
Fortunately, the UT CSI team is on the case and finding valuable clues.
Good work gang!
Is there any online access to Toronto Telegram news files (or other news organization) that may describe the "Stella Vanzant" event?
The date of the photo may be 1969, but I'm not certain.
 
Before excavating for the site of Commerce Court in 1969, the Bank of Commerce did an archaeological dig supervised by the provincial government, Mt Pleasant Cemetery and the Anglican Church. Allegedly a grave-sized plot had never been conveyed by John Vanzant, the owenr of the surrounding three and a half acres, in 1815, and it was thought that his daughter Stella was buried there.After excavating to a depth of twelve feet and not finding a body, the Bank of Commerce got the all-clear to continue construction. I came across this story earlier this year in reseraching a sequel to Unbuilt Toronto. It's a neat anecdote about that site.
 

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