Canadian skylines of the past

[TorontoDrew]

Eaton's might be kind of odd now......

[Rico Rommheim]

I`m glad that the old BoM logo is still on their Montréal HQ though.

[J.OT13]

Great shot of Ottawa. The website dates the image as 1831 however, based on the depiction of Notre-Dame Cathedral with completed spires on the upper-left, and the lack of construction on Barrack Hill (later Parliament Hill) near the centre of the image, I would date it somewhere around 1858-1859.

Chaudière Falls are on the bottom, Wrightsville (later Hull) on the left, LeBreton Flats on the lower-right, the Central Business Disctrict at the centre-right and the Byward Market on the upper-left (behind and at the right of the Cathedral).


https://ottawarewind.com/2018/04/10/...rliament-hill/

Similar angle from around 2010. The Chaudière Falls, Cathedral and LeBreton Flats are cut out of the image.


https://www.couvrette-photography.on...l-photography/

An image looking the other way towards what will become Parliament Hill and the Central Business District. Chaudière Falls and Bridge can be seen at centre-right. The Cathedral is out of frame to the left. Harder to date without the Cathedral, but due to the lack of construction on the Hill, it's probably around the same time as the first image.


https://ottawarewind.com/2018/04/10/...rliament-hill/

Similar angle, again around 2010. Chaudière Falls and bridge cut out.


https://www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-...tos-of-ottawa/

Chaudière Islands, now part of the Zibi development, in 1910.


https://ottawarewind.com/2018/04/10/...rliament-hill/

Zibi as proposed, just about the same angle. This image is wider than the 1910 version.

https://ca.linkedin.com/company/zibi-canada

[SignalHillHiker]

A few from the City of St. John's taken shortly after the Great Fire of 1892. First one is well after, with rubble etc. all cleared and a couple of buildings rebuilt (though most of what you see on the left side did in fact survive the fire).









*****

And a couple from Memorial's Archives from before the fire.

1870s:



1880s:

[SignalHillHiker]

One of the very few positive changes.

George Street used to be a back lane between Water Street and New Gower Street. It was mostly loading docks and like.

Here's a sample from 1985:



There were still a few businesses fronting onto George Street back then, mainly (at that time) shameful things like biker bars, gay bars, etc.

And the same stretch in 2018:

[Black Star]

Those are awesome

[SignalHillHiker]

A few from 1976.

031 1976-08 Newfoundland Trip - St John's from in front of the Confederation Building by Chris Robart, on Flickr

That intersection at centre bottom is now the busiest in the city. Had no idea there used to be a few houses there.

033 1976-08 Newfoundland Trip - St John's Memorial University from Confederation Building by Chris Robart, on Flickr

038 1976-08 Newfoundland Trip - St John's by Chris Robart, on Flickr

Giant scar where the Central Slum was.

040 1976-08 Newfoundland Trip - St John's and Harbour by Chris Robart, on Flickr

[Chadillaccc]

East End of Stephen Avenue - 1950s?


https://www.sprawlcalgary.com/erosio...enbow-archives

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^Cool stuff.

Not sure this is the 50s. I'm sh*t with cars but I suspect this might even be as early as the 1930s, maybe the 40s.

Any car experts out there?

[MonkeyRonin]

Most of them look like 40s-era cars to me. 1930s car designs weren't quite so big & bulbous. Just given the lag between them rolling off the assembly line and becoming widely seen on the street though, if it's not the 40s it could still potentially be the very early 50s.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^There's one older car in the photo but, yeah, I'm with you.

Other clues:
Suits and fedoras could place it at any point after 1930 (I'm guessing);
Neon signage, again, probably after 1930, more likely the 40s;
Parking meters, apparently, first came into use in Canada in the early-40s.

Yeah, it seems possible this is the early-50s. However, I don't see any evidence of those big, beautiful 50s cars, so I'm going to put money on it being the late-40s.

Fun game! Great idea for a new thread! Guess the date of the photo...

[Andy6]

I would put it at 1948 or 1949. You could go on the U of A's Peel Prairie Provinces website and check the Henderson's Directories to narrow down when these businesses were all in existence simultaneously.

It doesn't have the feel of the war years to me and I don't think it could be more than a year or two into the 1950s at the outside.

It's 5:04 in the afternoon, if that's any help!

It's interesting to see ... Calgary is where my dad grew up in the early 40s and it helps me put an image to some of the stories he used to tell.

[SignalHillHiker]

The saddest before/after possible in St. John's. Even worse than Atlantic Place, even worse than leveling the Central Slum (saving that old, knotted street grid but replacing the dilapidated shacks would've been ideal), is what we did to the Riverhead neighbourhood.

The core of St. John's used to be about twice the size that it is today. We destroyed a small portion of the East End of downtown, and almost all of the West End of downtown.

Then:



Now:



Then:



Now:

[J.OT13]

Union Station and the Château Laurier around 1909 vs present day.



https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...00982474096641

York Street in the ByWard Market 1909 vs 1950s vs present day.




https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...56905478672386
https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...80270271270913

O'Connor at Sparks, 1901 vs present day.



https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...23928876486656

Entrance Bay 1900 vs present day.



https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...89489510748160

ByWard Market looking south-west, 1948 vs present day.



https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...64831060496384

[J.OT13]

Hull side of the Interprovincial Bridge. No date on the first image, but it's somewhere between 1900 and 1968.



https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...37935251349504

Union Station from the Château porte-cochère, somwhere around the 20s vs present day.



https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...80539260182529

ByWard Market looking east down George, 1920 vs 2020.



https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...61540371668992

ByWard Market around 1920 vs 2020.



https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...37137910861824

Notre-Dame Cathedral:



https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...84572331827200

War Memorial u/c in 1938 vs present day.



https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...78377141063685

[TorontoDrew]

Published 167 years ago today.


source: torontopubliclibrary.ca
On Toronto Bay

This Print is dedicated by Permission to The Officers of the 83rd Regiment, / by the Artist. / Ackermann & Co. Direxnt. / Printed by Day & Son Lithrs. to The Queen. Shore and buildings imaginary. The 83rd Regiment, of which Downman was a Lieutenant, was in Toronto July 1842 - Spring 1843

[Coldrsx]

https://twitter.com/IanOyeg/status/1245936721729998848
@ianoyeg
(source - Edmonton Archives)

[Innsertnamehere]

Always so odd to think that Toronto Bay originally had small bluffs.

I mean you can still see them today in the topography, with the steep grade drop south of Front Street, but still.

[Coldrsx]

Odd to think that Toronto had winter...

[craner]

That 1970 Edmonton shot ... is ... simply ... Awesome !