[Full Metal Junkie]

Continuing with my exploration of the architectural heritage of Mimico neighborhood, here is another one I stumbled across:

[former] Union Bank and RBC Mimico Branch, Mimico Ave and Station Rd
1933 photo courtesy of Toronto Library Archives

The building was constructed in 1924 as the first purpose-built branch of Union Bank of Canada. A year later Union merged with RBC and the branch was rebranded. The branch was the location of the $2,325 robbery in 1933 and only stayed in operation until 1936. The building stayed vacant until 1939, when it was sold for a whopping $2 (plus $3,750 mortgage). The building was then sold in 1953 as part of estate liquidation for another whopping $2 (plus outstanding mortgage balance).

Here are the "now" photos of the building by yours truly from November 2nd, 2025:

I met a local resident/neighbor as I was taking the shots who gave me a bit of the gossip from the street. Apparently this was someone's house. The elderly gentleman owner passed away recently (within a few of years). The house is now abandoned and boarded up. There is a non-zero% probability of this building being gobbled up by the land assembly with all the other abandoned buildings along this stretch of Mimico Ave:

78-80 Mimico Ave are listed for sale at just under $3 million:

https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/26845001/78-80-mimico-ave-toronto-mimico

View attachment 561871

 

[Northern Light]

Then: (date not specified - approx. btw 1974-1980 ) (Source, Abandoned Railways of Canada FB group)

Now: (Streetview 2024)

Edit to add: For dating purposes on the first photo, you can see the Toronto Star Building is complete (1971) and the Habour Castle Hotel is up (1974) But Queen's Quay Terminal is still a warehouse, it hasn't yet been converted to residential (1982/1983)

 

[adma]

Edit to add: For dating purposes on the first photo, you can see the Toronto Star Building is complete (1971) and the Habour Castle Hotel is up (1974) But Queen's Quay Terminal is still a warehouse, it hasn't yet been converted to residential (1982/1983)

Not the hotel (which would be behind); but the first of the Harbour Square apartment slabs--and as you see, it still has the crane apparatus up the side. So I might date this '73-74 or so.

I'm also wondering at what point the York Quay Centre started to go from portland-industrial to Harbourfront arts programming (which was likewise around that time--by early '75 it was fully a public facility)

 

[Northern Light]

Not the hotel (which would be behind); but the first of the Harbour Square apartment slabs--and as you see, it still has the crane apparatus up the side. So I might date this '73-74 or so.

I'm also wondering at what point the York Quay Centre started to go from portland-industrial to Harbourfront arts programming (which was likewise around that time--by early '75 it was fully a public facility)

Good eye.

The Condos at 33 Harbour Square completed in 1978 according to various sources on Google.....while 65 apparently finished as late as 1980.

We need to probe the architectural knowledge tome inside @ProjectEnd to be sure.

 

[Northern Light]

Then: (identified as '60s, by poster not sure)

Credit embedded

Now: August '24, Streetview:

Location: Mt. Pleasant Rd. Looking north, at Soudan (just south of Eglinton)

 

[adma]

Good eye.

The Condos at 33 Harbour Square completed in 1978 according to various sources on Google.....while 65 apparently finished as late as 1980.

We need to probe the architectural knowledge tome inside @ProjectEnd to be sure.

"The first building constructed as part of Harbour Square was the concrete apartment building (now a condominium) at 33 Harbour Square. Construction on this building began in June 1972 and was completed in June 1974."

https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/8d3a-G.7-Westin-Harbour-Castle-Hotel-Cultural-Heritage-Evaluation-Reportreduced.pdf

 

[Mustapha]

Elm Steet. 2014 and today.

 

[ElJay]

Hello all. I've mostly lurked here for the last 15 years and have not posted a comment since 2017 it seems - my how time flies! It is a shame so many of the older posts in this magnificent thread are either missing (Photobucket "unavailable") or watermarked now. I am wondering if anyone is interested in doing a crowd-funding attempt at restoring some of these old accounts, if possible, so that we can enjoy the images again. I know I'd be happy to contribute. This thread, as you know, is over 17 years old now, and has itself become something of a historical document, so I think it is well worth preserving. Apologies if this has already been suggested and didn't work out or isn't plausible for some reason. Thx.