vic said:
PHOTO+-+TORONTO+-+LANSDOWNE+-+LOOKING+N+FROM+BLOOR+-+NOTE+LANSDOWNE+THEATRE+-+LOBLAWS+-+WOODEN+POST+TTC+STOP+UNDER+LOBLAW+SIGN+-+c1960.jpg

From here: http://chuckmanothercollectionvolum...4/photo-toronto-lansdowne-looking-n-from.html
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Just so we're clear, when this photo was taken there wasn't a Lansdowne streetcar route anymore (you can see the replacement trolley bus in the background). Those cars are going to and from the carhouse at Lansdowne Division up the street. As for when the area went down the tubes...that's hard to say. I reckon when the first wave of de-industrialization took place in the area in the late seventies, early eighties might be the culprit, certainly after the FTA was implemented. Even in the eighties my father told me the area was getting sketchy when he worked at Lansdowne division, and the one time our car was stolen....was right in front of the garage. The stories he told me about fights and whatnot at that corner with Bloor were hair-raising, again going back to the 80s. So I really don't see how that area can get any worse, if anything it's improved somewhat (there used to be a cool bar at the northwest corner, doubt if it's still there).
 
AlbertC said:
Yes, there used to be the Lansdowne Theatre here.

More info:

tayloronhistory.com

The Lansdowne Theatre—Toronto - Historic Toronto

The Lansdowne Theatre, c. 1955 The Lansdowne Theatre was a neighbourhood movie house located at 683 Lansdowne Avenue, on the east side of
tayloronhistory.com


View attachment 293198View attachment 293199View attachment 293200
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Wow! The building is still there - what's in the space now where the auditorium is/was? I'm wondering if all that gloriousness has just been hidden away fro decades and is ripe for a restoration similar to the recent one at the Paradise just down the street on Bloor, or the one at Dundas and Spadina, or the Parkdale one...
 
Towered said:
Wow! The building is still there - what's in the space now where the auditorium is/was? I'm wondering if all that gloriousness has just been hidden away fro decades and is ripe for a restoration similar to the recent one at the Paradise just down the street on Bloor, or the one at Dundas and Spadina, or the Parkdale one...
Click to expand...

Haven't necessarily been inside the current buiding to that extent, but I believe the original theatre/auditorium is unfortunately gone now. Fronting Lansdowne is a few retail units of courses, but from my understanding the deep interiors have been reformatted into residential apartments and miscellaneous offices.
 
fiendishlibrarian said:
Just so we're clear, when this photo was taken there wasn't a Lansdowne streetcar route anymore (you can see the replacement trolley bus in the background). Those cars are going to and from the carhouse at Lansdowne Division up the street. As for when the area went down the tubes...that's hard to say. I reckon when the first wave of de-industrialization took place in the area in the late seventies, early eighties might be the culprit, certainly after the FTA was implemented. Even in the eighties my father told me the area was getting sketchy when he worked at Lansdowne division, and the one time our car was stolen....was right in front of the garage. The stories he told me about fights and whatnot at that corner with Bloor were hair-raising, again going back to the 80s. So I really don't see how that area can get any worse, if anything it's improved somewhat (there used to be a cool bar at the northwest corner, doubt if it's still there).
Click to expand...

Growing up as a kid in the 90's, Bloordale was mostly pretty dull back then. But in the 2010's there's been a steady revitalization in its retail scene. Sugo, Conzo's, Chito's, the Mercer Union art place, Seoul Shakers, and then as you get closer to Dufferin there's Bar Neon, Burdock Brewery, The Three Speed, The John, etc. are pretty cool places. There's a steady mix of mom and pops, chains, indie, miscellaneous, dive, faux dive, and trendy retail scattered throughout nowadays.
 
@AlbertC

Don't forget the Sword & Board! It's on Bloor and Brock behind the Pizza Pizza.

It's an excellent place to purchase wargaming figurines and collectable cards.
 
Johnny Au said:
@AlbertC

Don't forget the Sword & Board! It's on Bloor and Brock behind the Pizza Pizza.

It's an excellent place to purchase wargaming figurines and collectable cards.
Click to expand...

Yep, also forgot to mention Ransack the Universe (I think it's one of the cooler store names in the city) for antiques and vintage items, Dead Dog Records for music vinyls and discs, along with a couple good bike stores.
 
AlbertC said:
Yep, also forgot to mention Ransack the Universe (I think it's one of the cooler store names in the city) for antiques and vintage items, Dead Dog Records for music vinyls and discs, along with a couple good bike stores.
Click to expand...
Yup love the area, there is also The 47 Bottle Shop by Margueretta that sells 100s of brands of local cider and beers:cool:
 
1/3 is just Park, 1/3 GO station, and rest for residential .... is not 2.45 Acres it's 0.85 Acre for 80M. plus they have to build a park and a station. very nice deal..
 
yahya said:
1/3 is just Park, 1/3 GO station, and rest for residential .... is not 2.45 Acres it's 0.85 Acre for 80M. plus they have to build a park and a station. very nice deal..
Click to expand...
Although I feel like the POPS space is not the greatest, I agree this is a very good deal. If only we got that kind of deal over at Danforth GO, instead of squandering and completely messing that up for life...
 
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Event Information: 1319 Bloor St W- Virtual Community Consultation Meeting

​
Date and time:Wednesday, April 14, 2021 6:30 pm
Eastern Daylight Time (Toronto, GMT-04:00)
Change time zone
Duration:2 hours
Description:
Join us for a Virtual Community Consultation Meeting to learn more about the proposed development application at 1319 Bloor St W, which will include presentations and a Question and Answer period providing local residents and stakeholders the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.
 
Towered said:
Wow! The building is still there - what's in the space now where the auditorium is/was? I'm wondering if all that gloriousness has just been hidden away fro decades and is ripe for a restoration similar to the recent one at the Paradise just down the street on Bloor, or the one at Dundas and Spadina, or the Parkdale one...
Click to expand...
Huh. I've always wondered about that odd 4-story section of building on the left there, which abuts St. Clarens. This view looks south, with Lansdowne on the right. Could that be an old fly loft at the back of the theatre? Would mean the theatre spanned an entire block from the front doors on Lansdowne, but it did seat almost 1,000.
1616016980041.png
 
ResidentWardo said:
Huh. I've always wondered about that odd 4-story section of building on the left there, which abuts St. Clarens. This view looks south, with Lansdowne on the right. Could that be an old fly loft at the back of the theatre? Would mean the theatre spanned an entire block from the front doors on Lansdowne, but it did seat almost 1,000. View attachment 306337
Click to expand...
I've also always wondered about this oddball building, but I think you might be onto something here. I'd love to know what that big windowless section at the top is used for now. Is it just a massive attic above the residential portion? Why didn't they ever bother to retrofit windows into it?
 
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