[adma]

It would have been far better, imho, that they had left the storefronts and left St. James in it's urban context. Much in the way that Holy Trinity is enhanced by it's semi-hidden location.

Obviously; and that's the way the paradigm shifted after the "urban renewal" era which saw schemes like Independence Mall take place--a more "Jane Jacobs" than "Robert Moses" approach to the historical-preservation question...

 

[junctionist]

This sort of autocratic, institutionalized remaking of the city to make it more ordered and open (and thus better and more modern in the eyes of the planners) was seen several times in history, like the demolition of a lot of the medieval fabric of European cities for the wide, straight-line or circular streets with controlled vistas of the Baroque era. Lewis Mumford's The City in History is really worth reading for providing more context on where the Modern urban renewal movement fits into Western history. It's an excellent book, though Mumford was somewhat naive in embracing superblocks in planning and presuming that they would make cities more pedestrian friendly. Jane Jacobs made several critical references to Mumford in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, but the two writers aren't at odds with each other in the bigger picture, and both made invaluable contributions to understanding cities.

 

[Conrad Black]

What a disaster zone that was.

 

[Lone Primate]

View attachment 11949

It's strange! Toronto somehow seems like a busier place in this view, with a plethora of similarly-sized business towers, than it does today with so many skyscrapers jutting up above it all. I can't really explain that impression...

 

[thecharioteer]

It's strange! Toronto somehow seems like a busier place in this view, with a plethora of similarly-sized business towers, than it does today with so many skyscrapers jutting up above it all. I can't really explain that impression...

To some extent, in terms of a more active retail life on a number of the downtown streets, however by the 60's this seemed to have largely dissipated and the downtown was looking rather shabby:

 

[CityPlaceN1]

I presume those photos were shot on a weekend when everything was closed.

 

[junctionist]

I presume those photos were shot on a weekend when everything was closed.

That's a reasonable explanation. Even if the retail areas in the photos were struggling, there would still be a lot of cars on the streets in that era on a weekday. However, that so many stores were closed on weekends is unimpressive.

 

[CityPlaceN1]

Well a lot of those building were industrial or industrial retail. The ones in the last shot are industrial supply. No reason for them to be open on the weekends.

 

[Goldie]

"I presume those photos were shot on a weekend when everything was closed."
"However, that so many stores were closed on weekends is unimpressive."
"No reason for them to be open on the weekends."

It should be remembered that in those days there was a BAN on Sunday shopping in Toronto.

 

[thecharioteer]

"I presume those photos were shot on a weekend when everything was closed."
"However, that so many stores were closed on weekends is unimpressive."
"No reason for them to be open on the weekends."

It should be remembered that in those days there was a BAN on Sunday shopping in Toronto.

So was Sunday stripping:

April 20, 1961:

http://torontoist.com/2009/08/historicist_cup_cake_cassidy_and_the_burlesque_boo/

 

[AlbertHWagstaff]

Well a lot of those building were industrial or industrial retail. The ones in the last shot are industrial supply. No reason for them to be open on the weekends.

King St. was the place to go for "Used Office Furniture" , "tarpaulins" and other industrial supplies. Safety Supply had a large store at Sherbourne, and there were a lot of small industrial stores along there. The Clyde Fans storefront lasted into the 1990s. Pasquale Brothers wholesale lasted at the corner at George St. until the late 90s as well. George Brown was the Hallmark Cards plant until 1969. There really wasn't much reason for shoppers to be browsing on King St. East or West at any time unless they were going to Adourians to buy a Persian rug and stop by Cyrano's for dinner afterwards.

 

[adma]

And don't forget Dinetz restaurant supplies, which finally removed itself from King over the past year (but the signage is still there)

 

[thecharioteer]

King East 1956 (north side, east of Jarvis):

King & Church, 1960's:

2010:

2011:

 

[thecharioteer]

A 1912 coloured photograph of Government House from Simcoe, south of King, looking NW (site presently occupied by Roy Thomson Hall):

 

[gabe]

Thanks to Vintage Toronto facebook First photo i have ever seen of the old Four Seasons when it was Hyatt.