[LowPolygon]

From a slummy neighbourhood to a commercial neighbourhood. Not bad.

Those houses didn't last long in the then pic I bet.

I wouldn't really call it a slum--those buildings are just garden variety late 19th century working class Toronto homes. The Tower Building on NW corner of Adelaide and Spadina was completed in 1927, so they have another 16 years to go, and most of those houses had probably been there 30-40 years already, so not a bad run. there are still lots of remnants of those kinds of properties on Richmond west of Bathurst.

 

[Mustapha]

May 22 addition.


Then. June 29, 1936. Queen's Quay Terminal

Now. April 2010.

 

[adma]

It's deceptive; but was the former photo looking E/W rather than N/S? Remember that the Terminal Warehouse used to have a cold storage wing to the W that was demolished as part of the Queen's Quay Terminal conversion, i.e. it used to be L-shaped...

 

[Asterix]

It's deceptive; but was the former photo looking E/W rather than N/S?

That does look like a smoke stack in the port lands in the distance in the 'then' photo. Not likely to be one in Rochester if it was a N/S angle.

 

[seemsartless]

Remember that the Terminal Warehouse used to have a cold storage wing to the W that was demolished as part of the Queen's Quay Terminal conversion, i.e. it used to be L-shaped...

Here's a photo from the 1930's showing the L shape:

 

[adma]

I rest my case--and also note the relative "windowlessness" of the ell in both photos...

 

[thecharioteer]

May 21 addition.


Then. May 4, 1911.


Adelaide and Spadina, looking W.

Now. April 2010.

An almost forgotten chapter in Toronto's past, known as The Jubilee Riots (between Catholics and Protestants), took place on Adelaide west of Spadina in 1875 :

http://www.umanitoba.ca/colleges/st_pauls/ccha/Back Issues/CCHA1959/Galvin.pdf

And as reported in the New York Times October 4, 1875:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=980DE5DD133BEF34BC4C53DFB667838E669FDE

 

[thecharioteer]

Interesting view east from the roof of the Darling Building at Adelaide and Spadina 1912. Some of the houseform buildings can still be seen today at Peter, John and Widmer:

 

[Mustapha]

adma, Asterix, seemsartless; thank you. I had no idea the building was originally shaped like an "L".



May 23 addition.


Then. Toronto Archive photo caption: "Christie's Biscuits and Robertson's chocolates for soldiers of First World War 1915". King and Frederick streets, looking N.

Now. April 2010. George Brown College

 

[LowPolygon]

Interesting view east from the roof of the Darling Building at Adelaide and Spadina 1912. Some of the houseform buildings can still be seen today at Peter, John and Widmer:

interesting shot. you're right, a few select buildings remain....
i have a sneaking suspicion that "Alexander Engraving Co." sign is still there too, barely visible.

here's a shot looking west along Adelaide at John, from a bit later. you can see the just completed Commodore Building in the distance.

 

[thecharioteer]

adma, Asterix, seemsartless; thank you. I had no idea the building was originally shaped like an "L".



May 23 addition.


Then. Toronto Archive photo caption: "Christie's Biscuits and Robertson's chocolates for soldiers of First World War 1915". King and Frederick streets, looking N.

Now. April 2010. George Brown College

In the right hand corner of the older pic can be seen part of the 1822 Campbell House, in its original location at the head of Frederick Street. Now located at Queen and University after its celebrated move in the 1970's, it now exists in a vacuum of historical amnesia, totally divorced from its environment and its original context of a grand house at the head of a street (like the Grange) with a view of the lake, a memory of when Duke Street (i.e.Adelaide) was an address of distinction.

1900:

1926:

 

[Mustapha]

May 24 addition.



Then. June 8, 1929. Adelaide street at John looking E along Adelaide. If you look back a couple of posts, thedeepend has posted another Then picture of Adelaide of this intersection looking west. The lettering on the sidewalk: "Adelaide" can also be seen.

Now. April 2010. The rather grand - for a house - arched entrance is still in existence and is used by the pub as a side entrance.

 

[adma]

How common would such sidewalk lettering have been?

 

[Mustapha]

How common would such sidewalk lettering have been?

I don't know the answer but thedeepends picture is the first I've seen of the practice.


May 25 addition.



Todays Then and Now by Goldie. Can anyone answer the question? What was behind the homage design of these modern street lamps?

 

[DSC]

How common would such sidewalk lettering have been?

I too have never seen it before, in person or in photos BUT the City has done it again, with metal lettering, set into the sidewalks along Wellesley from, at least Yonge to Jarvis.

Regarding the new "Victorian" streetlights - they were apparently based on an older design - I guess they followed the pattern quite well :->