Canadian skylines of the past

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Odd to think that Toronto had winter...

We still do though we don't seem to get the big dumps of snow anymore. 10cm and they make a big deal out of it.

Some old T.O Cop shots.

source: torontopubliclibrary.ca

Yonge St., e. side, s. of Adelaide St.
1896


Queen St. West, looking west from east of Yonge St
1890


Police Station, Toronto, Harbour police patrol, foot of John St
1929



Arrested While Distributing Literature; Able Pearl Pearl and the police constable who arrested him to-day at Spadina Ave. and Queen St. while distributing communist literature
1929



Doel, John, house, Adelaide St. W., taken from the north west corner of Bay St, now home to the St Regis Hotel
1925


"This picture makes me laugh"
C.N.E. Lost Children Tent
1923


Disturbance Began when two strikers slipped through police lines and boarded the Kenora. Here; three policemen grab one of the men who got aboard. Three men are being held for questioning
1946


Police Station, Toronto, Court St, north side, between. Toronto & Church Sts
1952


Finds Queen's park really closed; The free speech rally in Queen's Park Saturday afternoon failed to materialize when Jack MacDonald and his Communist followers found that when Chief Draper said Queen's Park was closed; he meant it. The photo above shows MacDonald being firmly removed from the forbidden area by two police inspectors. He made spasmodic attempts to speak but the police kept him moving.
Date Unkonwn


Communists' welcome parade dispersed; Fists were used and some stones were thrown when police broke up a parade to welcome the homecoming of Sam Carr. Communist; last night
Date Unknown


Bye bye Birdy; Blue Jays mascot B. . Birdy is loaded into a police wagon by officers Doug Walker, left, and Peter Button after being arrested for jay walking in front of Metro police headquarters yesterday
Date unknown


Canada - Ontario - Toronto - Metro Police - Station
Date unknown

[TorontoDrew]

Since I did Police, figured the FD should be next.

source: torontopubliclibrary.ca
1858
Fireman; Alexander Jacques, in uniform as foreman of the Rescue No.2 engine, Volunteer Fire Dept, Toronto


1860
Fire Hall, Toronto, Court St., north side, between Toronto & Church Sts., Toronto, Ont



1936
Dome of Ontario Hospital set on fire by lightning bolt. A bolt of lightning in the thunderstorm which hit Toronto to-day struck the dome of the Ontario hospital; Queen St. W


1904
Fire (1904); aftermath of fire, Bay St., south from Melinda St


Fire (1904); aftermath of fire, Bay St., looking north from north of Esplanade W., Toronto


Fire (1904); Bay St., looking south west from n. of Wellington St. W., Toronto, Ont


1942
To drag injured airmen from crashed planes or burning buildings; the training station firemen don asbestos crash suits and plunge into the blaze. Pictured is a ghost


1946
Toronto Island residents want a jeep to supplement the motorcycle now used by firemen. When the alarm rings; the firefighters grab necessary equipment and chug off to the hose box nearest the blaze. W. Gratton drives and J. Porter carries valise


1953
Firemen at Etobicoke township's new fire hall work two shifts (so here are pics of each shift)

[11a2b3]

Downtown Ottawa mid 1970's by Ross Dunn, on Flickr

From Sparks St. Looking west 1971 by Ross Dunn, on Flickr

[11a2b3]

CP, Toronto, Ontario, 1976 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by 11a2b3

CP, Toronto, Ontario, 1976 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr

I truly love, and miss the old school TO skyline. Elegant and imposing bank towers sharing tight spaces with art deco skyscrapers. And swaths of parking lots of course. Still, though I think it was a lot more beautiful than the beast we have today.

[11a2b3]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I truly love, and miss the old school TO skyline. Elegant and imposing bank towers sharing tight spaces with art deco skyscrapers. And swaths of parking lots of course. Still, though I think it was a lot more beautiful than the mess than the beast that we have today.

Agreed. Old school Toronto skyline had more character.

[Rico Rommheim]

Meanwhile, I'd argue that the Montreal skyline has never looked better and more balanced as it is today. I'm actually not a fan of the mid 60's expo skyline, with its unfocused cluster of towers.


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7871/...5de47a98_o.png

It's true though, that with at least 3 separate downtown clusters vying for supremacy, the skyline has always been fragmented. It's only now coalescing.

[SignalHillHiker]

Sad before/after with the older photos from Facebook, new one from Google Streetview.

Today (Duckworth Street side):



Previously:

(Duckworth Street side)


(Water Street side)


And a few other random ones from FB.



Procession on Patrick Street.



On Water Street.





Street grid prior to the construction of the harbour arterial and widening of New Gower. Almost all the lower left is one wide highway/ramps now - and almost all the centre is gone for Cabot Place complex, City Hall, Mile One Centre, etc. lol

[Coldrsx]

Gosh darn.

Downtown


UofA - Downtown across the river.

https://twitter.com/hippersons/statu...20754093797377

[kool maudit]

Wow! All those streets of monotonous '70s and '80s boxes had Denver-style brick storefronts. All those streets of slapdash residential towers once hosted impressive houses.

I always thought that the reason why the vernacular architecture of the Alberta cities was so dismal is because they are so new. But Edmonton was once a genteel, red-brick Mountain West town of impressive scale and expanse. What a shame.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

Meanwhile, I'd argue that the Montreal skyline has never looked better and more balanced as it is today. I'm actually not a fan of the mid 60's expo skyline, with its unfocused cluster of towers.

Not a chance, the Montreal Skyline is joing the ranks of Toronto and Vancouver with it's new crop of bland glass towers, not to mention they are all roughly the same height essentially flattening out the peaks it once had. All of the high quality towers from the past are blending into or being lost behind the mass of new mediocre condos.

[yaletown_fella]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I truly love, and miss the old school TO skyline. Elegant and imposing bank towers sharing tight spaces with art deco skyscrapers. And swaths of parking lots of course. Still, though I think it was a lot more beautiful than the beast we have today.

FCP looked amazing here when it was covered in carrera marble and one uniform colour, much better than after the reclad.

I also prefer the red "brick" on top of what is now Brookfield Place. I think it was replaced with the green "TD" brick around 2002.

Still would take the filler over the parking lots though.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by yaletown_fella

FCP looked amazing here when it was covered in carrera marble and one uniform colour, much better than after the reclad.

I also prefer the red "brick" on top of what is now Brookfield Place. I think it was replaced with the green "TD" brick around 2002.

Still would take the filler over the parking lots though.

I can see what you're saying regarding FCP:


https://urbantoronto.ca/database/pro...e-rejuvenation


https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...dian_Place.jpg

I personally think I prefer the re-clad, which better highlights the corner detail. I also find that the reflectiveness of the new material gives the tower a clean, modern look without taking away from the original design.

As for Brookfield Place, I'm unable to find any images that show what you are referring too.

[SKYSTHELIMIT]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I can see what you're saying regarding FCP:


https://urbantoronto.ca/database/pro...e-rejuvenation


https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...dian_Place.jpg

I personally think I prefer the re-clad, which better highlights the corner detail. I also find that the reflectiveness of the new material gives the tower a clean, modern look without taking away from the original design.

As for Brookfield Place, I'm unable to find any images that show what you are referring too.

I think he was referring to it being the old Canada Trust Logo originally. I may be wrong but I vaguely recall that from when first completed.

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Not a chance, the Montreal Skyline is joing the ranks of Toronto and Vancouver with it's new crop of bland glass towers, not to mention they are all roughly the same height essentially flattening out the peaks it once had. All of the high quality towers from the past are blending into or being lost behind the mass of new mediocre condos.

The few newer glass towers in Montreal are still very marginal in the skyline compare to Toronto and Vancouver. Montreal is still very much dominated by mansory or metal buildings facade and the old classic office towers are still clearly dominating the skyline. Fact is, the Montreal boom is vastly concentrated in the 8 to 20 stories buildings that don't have any impact on the skyline at all.

March 2020


https://www.flickr.com/photos/dnr23/...iQAwr8-2iQEUYZ

[Coldrsx]

Been there a few times, but was that circular building ever meant for much more? 30-40?

[_Citizen_Dane_]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

Wow! All those streets of monotonous '70s and '80s boxes had Denver-style brick storefronts. All those streets of slapdash residential towers once hosted impressive houses.

I always thought that the reason why the vernacular architecture of the Alberta cities was so dismal is because they are so new. But Edmonton was once a genteel, red-brick Mountain West town of impressive scale and expanse. What a shame.

Edmonton historian here: I mean, you might get that impression from the aerial views but it really wasn't a "red-brick Mountain West town of impressive scale and expanse," with the exception of the actual business/retail core, which back then only extended, really, from 97th Street west to 102nd between Jasper and 102nd Avenue — roughly an expanse of like what, ten square blocks? A good chunk of that in view of the first picture really wan't even storefront's anyways, the whole centre-left is focused on the warehouse district, most of which is actually preserved one block west of your first streetview (which also erroneously calls the great Art Moderne styled 1939/53 former Hudson's Bay Co. Store a "monotonous '70s and '80s box.")

[Dwils01]

This is the only picture I could find with the old logo.


Source:http://greatstructures.info/canada.htm

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Dwils01

This is the only picture I could find with the old logo.


Source:http://greatstructures.info/canada.htm

Thanks for posting. I've never seen it with the old logo. Quite frankly, I didn't know what the old logo even looked like.

[Gresto]

I don't remember the old reddish top either, but I have always found that scaffolding-like spire looks terribly chintzy.