[west_end_kid]

Wow, and I thought I was the only one who was in love with that building. I fear it will meet the wrecking ball before anyone tries to restore it.

I live a block away and walk by a few times a week. I'm just waiting for the day that I see one of those big white NOTICE signs telling me that someone has applied to tear it down for 40 story condo or something. If that happens it will be a very sad day.

I'm sure most people who read this forum will agree that Toronto has for the most part done a very bad job at preserving our historic buildings. Of course it isn't possible to save everything but when I look at photos of what Toronto used to be I'm just amazed what has been destroyed.

I had the good fortune to live in France for a year up north in a city called Rennes. Like many places in Europe, the streets of the old town have been preserved and are treated with great respect. Sure you'll find new businesses on the first floor and the interiors have been modernized but not to the point that they are no longer original. There is plenty of new development but not at the expense of the past. Here is a photo of some half-timbered buildings in the city center. These are not the oldest, but its a good example of what I'm talking about. You'll notice that some of the buildings are leaning to one side quite significantly. One of my favorite restaurants is in a building erected in the 15th centry.

 

[thecharioteer]

Re: Dineen Building

A pic for the Star Archives 1927:

 

[Spoonman]

A bit of a digression, but I recall visiting a small town in Germany called Duderstadt (near Gottingen) which boasts one of the largest collection of preserved half-timbered houses in the world. The one thing that struck me (and that your post reminded me of, west_end_kid) was how some of the facades of many of the buildings have warped and sagged over the centuries - it almost resembled a somewhat restrained Dali painting. I wonder how much structural work goes into those buildings to keep them intact.

 

[thecharioteer]

Another view, from the north (1950):

It's somewhat ironic, but probably the only reason this building has not been demolished is because the site is too small and the asking price is presumably so high that an economical new building cannot be built on the site. It's only hope would be to be included in a larger assembly with buildings to the north and remain as a restored facade (like a number of other old storefronts on lower Yonge).

 

[wwwebster]

I did a search of the Construction journals to see if there was any interesting info on the Dineen Building. I didn’t really expect to find anything, as the timeframe is wrong, but I did find two mentions in the April 1917 issue. Under “Fire Losses†there was:

“W. & D. Dineen, Yonge and Temperance streets, store building was destroyed by fire, loss $10,000.â€

...and under “Miscellaneousâ€:

“W. & D. Dineen, 142 Yonge street, have commenced work on alteration to their store, which was destroyed by fire.â€

No doubt the building’s location within the zone of the new (at that time) high-pressure hydrant system (installed in response to the Great Fire of 1904) helped ensure its survival. I wonder, though, whether the sprinkler system we see in the interior shots was installed during construction, or later on.

An O’Brien high-pressure hydrant in Toronto:

https://gencat4.eloquent-systems.co...esource/fo1257/ser1057/f1257_s1057_it4765.jpg

 

[Goldie]

An O?Brien high-pressure hydrant in Toronto:

https://gencat4.eloquent-systems.co...esource/fo1257/ser1057/f1257_s1057_it4765.jpg

High-pressure, INDEED!

 

[androiduk]

I've also had fantasies of this building being restored. I used to work in there as a jewelery courier when I was a teen. The building was full of jewellers and jewelery repair shops and Birks was right across the street. The newspaper article mentions an elevator - I wonder if it's still there.

 

[unimaginative2]

thecharioteer: How interesting that a waterworks existed just about smack dab where the Rogers Centre is now.

It was actually a big challenge to the redevelopment of that site. The Metro Centre plans also had to retain the pumping station right where it was because, of course, the pipes all led there. They managed to shift it south a few metres to its current location when they built the Rogers Centre, but that was the limit.

 

[Edward Skira]

Maybe a certain developer already working to fix Yonge Street will set his sights on the Dineen building.

 

[adma]

Something tells me that there *were* "for sale/redevelopment" signs on Dineen in the 90s and until recent years--perhaps recession and the Bay/Adelaide stump black-holeness held them back...

 

[Mustapha]

I did a search of the Construction journals to see if there was any interesting info on the Dineen Building. I didn’t really expect to find anything, as the timeframe is wrong, but I did find two mentions in the April 1917 issue. Under “Fire Losses” there was:

“W. & D. Dineen, Yonge and Temperance streets, store building was destroyed by fire, loss $10,000.”

...and under “Miscellaneous”:

“W. & D. Dineen, 142 Yonge street, have commenced work on alteration to their store, which was destroyed by fire.”

No doubt the building’s location within the zone of the new (at that time) high-pressure hydrant system (installed in response to the Great Fire of 1904) helped ensure its survival. I wonder, though, whether the sprinkler system we see in the interior shots was installed during construction, or later on.

An O’Brien high-pressure hydrant in Toronto:

https://gencat4.eloquent-systems.co...esource/fo1257/ser1057/f1257_s1057_it4765.jpg

wwwebster, your hydrant picture - I've come across this pic at the Archives; do you know where it was taken?

 

[wwwebster]

wwwebster, your hydrant picture - I've come across this pic at the Archives; do you know where it was taken?

The picture is dated 1937; I've found an ad for Stainton & Evis from 1944 that puts them at 30 Adelaide West:

http://www.archive.org/stream/chstandrewscolle1944stanuoft#page/120/mode/2up

 

[Mustapha]

The picture is dated 1937; I've found an ad for Stainton & Evis from 1944 that puts them at 30 Adelaide West:

http://www.archive.org/stream/chstandrewscolle1944stanuoft#page/120/mode/2up

Curiosity quenched; thank you!

 

[thecharioteer]

Happy CNE!

Eleanor Roosevelt at the Bandshell 1951:

Lester B. Pearson opening the CNE 1956:

Jerry Lewis:

 

[adma]

Plus ca change