[thecharioteer]

Two more additional pics (from the Ontario Archives): The Rossin House in 1867 and its incarnation as The Prince George on December 3, 1947. Note that only the King facade has been "modernized":

 

[adma]

Looking at this view of Wellington, looking east from York (the Toronto Club still exists on the right), the dark building in Goldie's picture may be the fifth building easterly from the corner (with the signage on the side) if we compare the stone quoining on the corners:

Goldie's pic would be looking southerly from King towards the side of this building:

Could be, though I'd like to know what was or wasn't demolished for the TD Centre by this point (and if said building were still extant, it probably fell shortly after for the third TD tower).

In the old shot, interesting how the Toronto Club's neighbour is practically a curtain-wall storefront--and is that some kind of bulbous pojecting Art Nouveau entrance canopy? Talk about avant-garde for its day...

 

[Mustapha]

Such vibrant immediacy - seeming immediacy - in Goldie's scanned colour slide. You want to go visit and see the safe in the pile of rubble but everything in the scene has been dust for more than a generation.




December 27 addition.


Just a quick jump back to the Bathurst street hill, if you all don't mind; just a little further north this time. Hillcrest Public School is in both the Then and Now pictures.

Then: 1907.

Now October 2009.

 

[thecharioteer]

Could be, though I'd like to know what was or wasn't demolished for the TD Centre by this point (and if said building were still extant, it probably fell shortly after for the third TD tower).

I agree. What would be very helpful would be to access the set of municipal aerial photographs that were taken during this era (the kinds used in Phase I Environmental Surveys). Any of our master researchers know how to access these on-line (Anna, wwwebster?)

 

[Urban Shocker]

Does anyone know if this interior was the result of some sort of renovation that would have taken place when the Rossin became the Prince George, in 1909? It has a similar look to the King Eddy of about that time - in which case the "marble" columns may be as fake. Still, the original Rossin House had a rotunda, which was described at the time as "unusually handsome in decorations" ... so maybe this is it.

 

[thecharioteer]

Does anyone know if this interior was the result of some sort of renovation that would have taken place when the Rossin became the Prince George, in 1909? It has a similar look to the King Eddy of about that time - in which case the "marble" columns may be as fake. Still, the original Rossin House had a rotunda, which was described at the time as "unusually handsome in decorations" ... so maybe this is it.

Looks the same in this 1908 postcard:

 

[Anna]

Could be, though I'd like to know what was or wasn't demolished for the TD Centre by this point (and if said building were still extant, it probably fell shortly after for the third TD tower).

Please excuse the bad scan. It is from an magazine dated Nov 1968. Looks like the hotel is still there - as is a building on Wellington just west of the parking garage entrance.

Wikipedia, which refers to John Sewell's book The Shape of the City: Toronto Struggles with Modern Planning says:
'The development of the T-D Centre required Fairview to acquire a full city block of downtown Toronto, which it did save for some frontages on Bay Street and at the corner of King and York Streets. Amongst notable losses from the subsequent demolition were the Rossin House Hotel, which dated back to the 1850s and was once one of the city's preeminent hotels.' - If King and York wasn't part of the land assembly, then what did the demolition of the Rossin House have to do with the TD Centre?

Wikipedia also says the Rossin House 'was demolished in 1960 and replaced by architect Mies van der Rohe's Toronto-Dominion Centre.' - also wrong

 

[Anna]

Toronto Star Nov 30, 1968
City's Prince George Hotel due to be wrecked in June
A hotel linking Toronto with the days of "muddy York" will vanish with the demolition next June of the Prince George Hotel at the corner of King St. W. and York St.
The one-acre site, adjacent to the $120 million Toronto-Dominion Centre is reported being sold for $4,000,000.
Harry Smith, one of the three brothers operating the 110-year-old hotel - including the Toronto Men's Press Club - have been notified to vacate by the end of May.

Toronto Star May 22, 1969
Prince George Auction under way
The auction of furnishings of the 105-year-old Prince George Hotel began yesterday and will continue in its lobby today. The hotel is to be torn down to make way for an as-yet-undisclosed development. Sales yesterday ranged from eight Texas Longhorn bull horn sets that formerly hung on the coffee shop wall (for $70 apiece) to 27 plastic wastebaskets for $6. The sale is expected to net $200,000.

 

[thecharioteer]

From www.getstockphotos.ca, a pic by Norman James for the Toronto Star, taken Nov. 25, 1964:

 

[thecharioteer]

From the same site, photo by Reg Innell:

Caption: "ORNATE BUILDING AT KING AND BAY STS. IS CAREFEULLY REDUCED AFTER 53 YEARS TO MAKE WAY FOR CENTRE: Hundreds of persons have purchased marble, bronze and walut from wreckers as souvenirs of grand old building."

 

[adma]

- If King and York wasn't part of the land assembly, then what did the demolition of the Rossin House have to do with the TD Centre?

Nothing other than simply being motivated by the TD Centre's adjacent presence. It's just that the "as-yet-undisclosed development" took about a decade and a half to materialize...

 

[Mustapha]

Here are four photos of a very early CNE midway. The flags on the Manufacturer's building date them to c. WW1. I love the wide open spaces and dirt underfoot. Open drainage ditches are a nice touch as well.

Very atmospheric of a bygone time; wonderful.







December 28 addition.


Then: St Clair Avenue West, April 1959.

I'm sure that the 'Times' furniture sign was either neon or bulb lit. I a bit surprised to see such an ambitious sign for such a small store.

Now: October 2009.

 

[Goldie]

I wonder what was in it!

I'm so pleased that my recently discovered slide of an old safe surrounded by rubble has generated a wonderful history lesson. Thanks to all participants. But, after all, that's what this site is all about!
Here's another angle on the safe:

 

[Goldie]

POW camp in Don Valley

Could these buildings, which appear to be barracks, be the POW camp which was used during WWl?
I undestand such a camp was located at the bottom of Pottery Rd.
That's the Don Valley Brick Works at top-left (chimneys, etc.).

 

[adma]

Then: St Clair Avenue West, April 1959.

I'm sure that the 'Times' furniture sign was either neon or bulb lit. I a bit surprised to see such an ambitious sign for such a small store.

I'm not so surprised--it doesn't look like the store wasn't *that* small. Though signs like that on retail that "modest" were more likely to survive until recent times in places like Hamilton or Montreal. (Seems like Toronto was one of the biggest victims of plastic-backlit mainstreet-retail signage tyranny in the 70s.)