A few submitted to the Facebook group "You know you grew up in St. John's when..."
The "Octagon Castle", which has since burned down, and from which the Octagon Pond area gets its name:
Monarchist Pride in the 1930s:
And the famous Bowring store.
It still exists:
"Few companies in Canada can claim as rich and long history as Bowring. Established in Newfoundland in 1811, Bowring is one of the oldest and most respected names in Canadian retailing."