[Mustapha]

your 'now' photo will be exhibit 1 in my pending litigation: PJ's Pets Inc vs. The Sane People of Toronto. That thing is like the apotheosis of asinine clutter, the Valhalla of visual overkill. its like bro, we get it--its a pet store, how many references to pets do we need? we got a guy with a rabbit on his head; cuddly three shot of beagle surrounded by 'Children of the Damned' aryan wannabe's; a mixed race kid with 'adobable newborn puppy'; another aryan mutant engaged in a tête-à-tête with a rabbit; a bony catalogue model walking 2 dalmatians; the only thing missing is the skinhead with muzzled pit bull for that 'downtown vibe'. At least there is a 'school' upstairs and not a happy ending rub and tug, in which case "next to you we're your pet's best friend" might have to be slightly modified, something like "we're next to you, petting your best friend"

" the Valhalla of visual overkill" interesting turn of phrase.


May 11 addition. May 30, 1919. Spadina avenue. Looking NW from Grange avenue.

Now: April 2010.

 

[ReiwaMagi]

" the Valhalla of visual overkill" interesting turn of phrase.


May 11 addition. May 30, 1919. Spadina avenue. Looking NW from Grange avenue.

Now: April 2010.

The only difference between then and now is the houses and the church are knocked down for Dragon City and the defunct Far East Theatre (Best idea ever?), and the Gold Stone Restaurant replacement over the older building. IIRC, the building that houses Gold Stone wasn't built until 1996.

Oh and the track replacement of course.

 

[Mustapha]

The only difference between then and now is the houses and the church are knocked down for Dragon City and the defunct Far East Theatre (Best idea ever?), and the Gold Stone Restaurant replacement over the older building. IIRC, the building that houses Gold Stone wasn't built until 1996.

Oh and the track replacement of course.

Hard to believe now that between the old track and the new track there was a bus period. A non-Torontonian or a young Torontonian looking at these two pictures could be forgiven for thinking that the streetcar right-of-way was ever thus.


May 12 addition. Spadina and Dundas SE corner. August 17 1911.

Now. April 2010.

Lots of new pictures at the Toronto Archives Flickr site:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/torontohistory/







.

 

[ReiwaMagi]

Shiu Pong (the contractors for Dragon City) went "I'll huff, I'll puff, and I'll blow your church down!"

And some Victorian houses of course.

Also, to the west of that is 70% slums until the Public housing project came around and took it all down..

That all happened before I was born (1984)

 

[Asterix]

Hard to believe now that between the old track and the new track there was a bus period. A non-Torontonian or a young Torontonian looking at these two pictures could be forgiven for thinking that the streetcar right-of-way was ever thus.

I want 77B on the TTC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZnLjRi_g9o

 

[ReiwaMagi]

I want 77B on the TTC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZnLjRi_g9o

Nice find.

I have an old picture that someone took of that area where Chinatown Centre now stands (The coin part in that video, AND before I was born of course), but I never actually knew it was there.

I wonder if anyone has pictures of that area before Chinatown Centre took over.

 

[Mustapha]

I want 77B on the TTC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZnLjRi_g9o

Yes, as TKWizard says, nice find, Asterix.


The mall and outdoor court that predated the Chinatown centre didn't last long. If memory serves I was pushing an infant son around an unpaved parking lot there in 1984 or so when it was just being finished off. It opened with great fanfare; the "gate" - which you can see in the video - and other structures being touted in the newspapers as being built by "imported Chinese workers" (one wondered at the time; Hong Kong Chinese?, North Toronto Chinese, See Yup Drywallers Society? ). Lack of maintenance kicked in immediately - just like your typical Spadina avenue Chinese restaurant restroom and the mini mall and single anchor Chinese restaurant quickly became a non-destination.



May 13 addition.


Let's go for a stroll around Chinatown and Spadina over the next few days then.


Then. Looking W along Dundas towards Spadina. Standard Theatre building on the right. June 23, 1922.

Now. April 2010.

Then. June 14, 1940.

Now. April 2010. I wonder why this parcel of land wasn't built upon.

 

[ReiwaMagi]

Yes, as TKWizard says, nice find, Asterix.


The mall and outdoor court that predated the Chinatown centre didn't last long. If memory serves I was pushing an infant son around an unpaved parking lot there in 1984 or so when it was just being finished off. It opened with great fanfare; the "gate" - which you can see in the video - and other structures being touted in the newspapers as being built by "imported Chinese workers" (one wondered at the time; Hong Kong Chinese?, North Toronto Chinese, See Yup Drywallers Society? ). Lack of maintenance kicked in immediately - just like your typical Spadina avenue Chinese restaurant restroom and the mini mall and single anchor Chinese restaurant quickly became a non-destination.



May 13 addition.


Let's go for a stroll around Chinatown and Spadina over the next few days then.

Then. June 14, 1940.

Now. April 2010. I wonder why this parcel of land wasn't built upon.

I wonder the same thing too. WHY!?

Tearing down such beautiful houses that could had been EASILY renovated for a friggin parking lot. Sounds like what happened to downtown.

 

[thecharioteer]

May 13 addition.


Let's go for a stroll around Chinatown and Spadina over the next few days then.


Then. Looking W along Dundas towards Spadina. Standard Theatre building on the right. June 23, 1922.

Now. April 2010.

Two older views: the slow transition from residential to commercial (seems to always start with a road widening and tree-cutting)

The house behind the wall on the NE corner of Dundas and Spadina:

 

[Mustapha]

Two older views: the slow transition from residential to commercial (seems to always start with a road widening and tree-cutting)

The house behind the wall on the NE corner of Dundas and Spadina:

Thanks thecharioteer. I have to wonder now who Dr. Moorhouse was? That was quite a grand house. It looks to be 1880s?.. It didn't last long. The Standard went up in 1921.





May 14 addition. Then. Spadina looking N towards Bloor. September 3 1948.

Now. April 2010. The orange letters of a "Pizza Pizza" can be made out through the trees - that was the location of the Varsity Restaurant in the Then pic.

 

[adma]

It would seem that the Bloor/Spadina jog was eliminated very shortly thereafter; after all, the JCC (which follows the jog-eliminated streetline) is early 50s.

Tearing down such beautiful houses that could had been EASILY renovated for a friggin parking lot. Sounds like what happened to downtown.

Though to be charitable, they might not have been deemed "beautiful" whenever they were torn down, esp. if it were pre-1970...

 

[Mustapha]

May 15 addition.



Then. Harbord looking E across Spadina. June 13, 1944.

Now. April 2010. In both pictures Whitney Hall, residence of University College, University of Toronto, at the SE corner of St. George and Hoskins, can be seen in the distance (dead centre of both pictures).

 

[Mustapha]

May 16 addition.


Then. 46 - 48 Spadina. Looking N from just N of Wellington.

Now. April 2010.

 

[adma]

Weird how the added floors to 40 Spadina seamlessly followed the Edwardian pattern (too bad about the "flattened out" roofline, though). And to think that this whole blockfront was recently slated for redevelopment...

 

[ReiwaMagi]

Yet again, its always the commercial/industrial sites that survive, and the houses fall to demolition.