It's clear from the historic photos that the heritage building in question was not part of a larger row which would have necessitated adding a new exterior wall to what was once an interior wall. This is not an uncommon situation in urban environments. The simplest solution is often to stucco...

It's not the mortar, it's the brick colour itself and the choice to use brick at all. As it appears from archival photos from the 1930's, there was always a portion of the building's north facade that was exposed, which became even more visible in the 1970's when the adjacent 3-storey building...

Some more views of Spadina and Harbord: 1910: 1972:

Given that the Council report was titled "Confronting the Legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade", the renaming committee was essentially tasked with finding an "anti-Dundas" name. This precluded being able to evaluate some of the more Toronto-centric names mentioned in the previous posts...

Council also failed in following its own policies with regards to renaming streets (my bolding of Section 6.1.3): https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/8b5c-ecs-enginfo-2017-street-naming-policy.pdf 6. Renaming City Streets 6.1 A proposal to rename a Street is to be made using the...

https://www.governing.com/housing/how-houston-cut-its-homeless-population-by-nearly-two-thirds

It seems that the renaming of the Square was based on the sole mandate of "Confronting the Legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade" as per the title of the City Report that went to Council, and the recommendations of the Recognition Review Community Advisory Committee. One wonders how many...

Thanks, maestro. Yes, perhaps I was too subtle.......

Where's Heritage Preservation Services when you need them? There has been a billboard in that location for over 50 years and should have been recognized as a contributing feature of the King-Spadina Heritage Conservation District.

1970's postcards:

View from Wellesley:

Missing the Alhambra Theatre at 568 Bloor West:

What a great building! One could stand on York Street and look down into the printing press room in the basement where the papers were packaged on conveyor belts (like in the old movies).

One assumes that if it had not been clad, it would not be undergoing demolition right now (similar to the required retention of the King/Bathurst facade referenced above).

Best view yet (taken between 1920 and 1924). Note the gas pump on the north side of Queen!

It's very interesting to see glimpses of the original brick TD bank that has been hidden by cladding for over 50 years. Here's a view from 1945: And on the left in 1931: And an earlier version of the cladding from 1972:

Yonge/Gloucester 1929: Matheson Hall being demolished: The corner in 1981:

Follow up to my "then" pic of the SE corner of Yonge & Gloucester (from the TPL): 1928: From the Toronto Star 6/4/1928: "Historic old Matheson Hall sold. Above is a photograph of Matheson Hall; situated at the south-east corner of Yonge and Gloucester Sts.; a historic Yonge St. landmark...

East side of Yonge, south of Gloucester: 1910: Now: