TorontoJourney416

TorontoJourney416 ✨Discover Toronto's history through a collection of vintage and contemporary photos, showcasing the city's past with its present.

✨March 28, 1949/March 14, 2026 – Looking north up Christie St, from south of Dupont St, in the Christie Pits and Seaton ...
06/04/2026

✨March 28, 1949/March 14, 2026 – Looking north up Christie St, from south of Dupont St, in the Christie Pits and Seaton Village neighbourhoods of Toronto.

✨The left side of the archive photo shows the Bank of Montreal in the foreground, with Planters Nut & Chocolate Co. Ltd. behind it. On the right side of the vintage photo, Merrilee’s Home Bakery is visible in the foreground, followed by Top Notch Snack Bar and the Dominion Bank. The building in the background was an Eaton Co. warehouse. Notice the “Military Hospital Zone Slow” sign in the right foreground; it referred to the former Christie Street Hospital, which was located just past the railway bridge, on the west side at 352-390 Christie St.

✨Today, the former bank buildings have been converted into restaurants, while the Planters Peanut factory has been repurposed for office and commercial use.

Archive Photo Credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 372, Sub Series 58, Item 1900 - Dept. of Public Works photographs

✨Between 1980-90s/May 3, 2026 – Looking towards the southwest corner of Bellair St and Critchley Ln, just north of Bloor...
06/04/2026

✨Between 1980-90s/May 3, 2026 – Looking towards the southwest corner of Bellair St and Critchley Ln, just north of Bloor St W in the Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto.

✨Once home to 4D’s Diner and later Flo’s Diner, the restaurant was demolished in the early 2000s to make way for the present-day mixed-use building. On Flo’s last day at that location in April 2000, the staff celebrated by dressing in 1950s clothing to thank their customers. They relocated to the 2nd floor of 70 Yorkville Ave. Flo’s closed in March 2024.

👉Toronto history at https://www.torontojourney416.com

Archive Photo Credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 1465, File 43, Item 49

✨Between 1885-95/February 15, 2026 – Looking south down Jarvis St, from north of Carlton St, in the Garden District and ...
06/02/2026

✨Between 1885-95/February 15, 2026 – Looking south down Jarvis St, from north of Carlton St, in the Garden District and Church-Wellesley neighbourhood of Toronto.

✨The archive photo shows Jarvis St when it was still a dirt road with horse-drawn wagons. In the distance, a horsecar can be seen heading west on Carlton St.

✨Although over 125 years separate the two photos, a few structures still stand today and appear in both images. That includes Grace Toronto Church, whose steeple is visible on the left, and Jarvis Street Baptist Church, whose steeple appears in the distance. Also, the homes in the right foreground, which were built in the 1860s and 1870s, remain.

👉Toronto history at https://www.torontojourney416.com

Archive Photo Credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1478, Item 12 - F.W. Micklethwaite photographs

✨Circa 1890/May 24, 2026 - Looking northeast towards the corner of Adelaide St W and Simcoe St in the Entertainment Dist...
06/01/2026

✨Circa 1890/May 24, 2026 - Looking northeast towards the corner of Adelaide St W and Simcoe St in the Entertainment District of Toronto.

✨Built around 1833, the corner building known as Bishop’s Block was constructed for John Bishop, a butcher and landlord. Initially, it was part of a group of five brick townhouses referred to as Bishop’s Buildings in newspaper articles from 1833 and on a city map from 1858. The building served as a boarding house and, from the 1880s until the mid-1960s, it housed several hotels, including the Senate House, the J.J. O’Connor Hotel, the Harry Clark Hotel, and, for many decades, Hotel Adelaide.

✨From 1965 until the 1980s, the Georgian-style structure operated as the Pretzel Bell Tavern. The site underwent redevelopment from 2009 to 2011, during which the building was dismantled and restored to its appearance prior to a 1910 renovation. Today, the heritage-designated building is home to Soho House Toronto.

Archive Photo Credit: Toronto Public Library Pictures-R-6627

✨1953/March 14, 2026 - Looking south down Yonge St from Bloor St in Toronto.✨The archive photo shows the streetscape ove...
05/31/2026

✨1953/March 14, 2026 - Looking south down Yonge St from Bloor St in Toronto.

✨The archive photo shows the streetscape over 75 years ago, when streetcars travelled along the two streets. On the left, there’s a Hires root beer sign, along with several shops, including United Cigar Stores, Laura Secord Candy Shops, and Uptown Lunch. In the distance, there is Stan Walker Furrier. In the foreground on the right is Frank Stollery’s men’s furnishings store.

✨In the present-day photo, the southeast corner on the left is now home to One Bloor, completed in 2017, while the One Bloor West condo tower is currently under construction at the southwest corner on the right.

Archive Photo Credit: Toronto Public Library Pictures-R-4062 - James Victor Salmon photographer

✨January 10, 1935/April 3, 2026 – Looking northwest towards the corner of Dundas St W and Roxton Rd, in the Little Italy...
05/30/2026

✨January 10, 1935/April 3, 2026 – Looking northwest towards the corner of Dundas St W and Roxton Rd, in the Little Italy neighbourhood of Toronto.

✨The Garfield Court Apartments were part of a complex of apartment buildings that occupied half of the block, to the laneway. Garfield Court first appeared in the Toronto City Directory in 1918 and was last listed in 1977. This complex included the Garfield Court, Prince Arthur, and Roxton Apartments, which have since been replaced by the present-day building that features the nameplate “The Roxton Group 1989.”

👉Toronto history at https://www.torontojourney416.com/

Archive Photo Credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 372, Sub Series 3, Item 1368

✨1972/March 14, 2026 – Looking towards the southwest corner of Gerrard St E and Jarvis St in Toronto’s Garden District.✨...
05/28/2026

✨1972/March 14, 2026 – Looking towards the southwest corner of Gerrard St E and Jarvis St in Toronto’s Garden District.

✨The archive photo shows the Avon Smoke Shop alongside a two-storey building that served as the Avonmore Hotel from 1891 until the early 1970s. In the late 1970s, the corner was converted into a parking lot. Since 1989, the present-day residential building has stood at the site.

✨One notable building visible in both photos is the one on the far left. Originally known as the Haddon Hall Apartments, this six-storey building at 262 Jarvis St was constructed in 1929 and designed by architect Norman Armstrong.

👉Toronto history at https://www.torontojourney416.com/

Archive Photo Credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 9, Item 5

✨Circa 1870/May 3, 2026 – Looking northwest towards the corner of Bloor St W and Avenue Rd in the Yorkville and The Anne...
05/27/2026

✨Circa 1870/May 3, 2026 – Looking northwest towards the corner of Bloor St W and Avenue Rd in the Yorkville and The Annex neighbourhoods of Toronto.

✨The archive photo shows the Tecumseh Wigwam at the corner. Built around 1820, the one-storey log cabin with a verandah became a popular drinking spot for “city toughs and a sprinkling of lawless university students.” Also known as “The Wigwam”, it was destroyed in the mid-1870s. Afterward, Albert Nordheimer of the Nordheimer Piano Company purchased the property and constructed his residence on the site, which remained until 1912, when it was torn down after the property was sold.

✨In 1927, construction began on what was initially intended to be the Queen’s Park Plaza—a luxury apartment hotel. The project ran into financial difficulties and in 1934, was put up for sale. The building was eventually completed and opened as the Park Plaza Hotel in July 1936. A north tower was added to the site in the 1950s. In 1999, Hyatt acquired the hotel and renamed it the Park Hyatt Toronto. In 2014, Oxford Properties purchased the property and, three years later, closed it for extensive renovations. In partnership with the Park Hyatt, the original south tower building shown in the present-day photo—now known as Two Avenue Road—houses 65 luxury rental units, while the north tower remains a hotel that reopened in 2021.

👉Toronto history at https://www.torontojourney416.com/

Archive Photo Credit: Toronto Public Library Pictures- R-1870

✨1972/May 24, 2026 – Looking northwest towards the corner of Dundas St E and Bond St, in the Garden District of Toronto....
05/26/2026

✨1972/May 24, 2026 – Looking northwest towards the corner of Dundas St E and Bond St, in the Garden District of Toronto.

✨A few of the businesses in the archive photo, from left to right, include the Imperial Hotel, Biggar Lock & Key, Old Stone Mill (clothing), Raffles Restaurant, the Windeler Electric Co. and Shaw Laboratories (dental products), located in the building that features the Reliance Engravers ghost sign. In the background on the right, the steeple of the First Lutheran Church is also visible.

✨A portion of this Dundas St E block, from Bond St to Victoria Lane, is being demolished to make way for a 21-storey TMU student residence. It is important to note that the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, located at 116 Bond St and completed in 1898, is listed on the city’s heritage register and is NOT part of the redevelopment.

👉Toronto history at https://www.torontojourney416.com/

Archive Photo Credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 13, Item 31

✨May 25, 2023/May 24, 2026 - Looking southwest towards the corner of College St and Henry St, in the Discovery District ...
05/25/2026

✨May 25, 2023/May 24, 2026 - Looking southwest towards the corner of College St and Henry St, in the Discovery District of Toronto.

✨The 2023 photo shows the restaurants and shops that once occupied the historic Bay-and-Gable homes at 191-199 College St. These buildings, which date back to 1887, will be part of a mixed-use tower being constructed at the site.

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