Skyline Hotel, Etobicoke, c. 1962

The Skyline Hotel, c. 1962. Image: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1464 File 24 Item 5.

Midcentury hotels are one of the first things that got me into urban history. There is just something about their design and the role that they tended to play that proves endlessly interesting. Although hardly competition for the Constellation Hotel down the road (now demolished), the Skyline recently caught my eye.

Continue reading Skyline Hotel, Etobicoke, c. 1962

An Eastward View of the Wood-Wellesley Improvement Area, 1969

An unidentified CMHC photographer captures the view from an upper balcony (or perhaps the roof) of the Westbury Hotel in Toronto on June 19, 1969. Image: CMHC, 1969-544.

Of the things I’ve hoped to see more often appear on the CMHC’s FTP site since it began being indexed by Google a few years back, I must say that it is photographs that I’ve wanted to see more of. Although I love the slow (but consistent) digitization of print materials, there is something to be said for high-quality scans of colour slides from the Corporation’s archives that really make so much come alive. A small handful of images from Toronto taken in 1969 and 1971 has always been interesting to me.

Continue reading An Eastward View of the Wood-Wellesley Improvement Area, 1969

Trillium Terrace, Etobicoke, c. 1956 & 2015

In 1955/56 the Etobicoke Council documented the location for the then-controversial sewage treatment plant along the Humber River. When looking through issues of the Etobicoke Guardian from the era, it was clear that, as a political topic, the plant soaked up much of the local government’s time.

The Mann Avenue Project (Strathcona Heights), 1947

Bulletin-Mann

(Download PDF)

One of the most interesting affordable housing developments in Ottawa’s history has been, at least to me, the so-called Mann Avenue Project, later renamed to Strathcona Heights. I have written about it briefly before on this site (and it has figured into other writing). The CMHC recently put a scanned copy of this small development bulletin on its FTP site and I figured that it would be nice to share.

Though undated, the bulletin appears to have been published some time around late 1949 or early 1950, just before its residents voted to have it officially renamed to “Strathcona Heights”.1It was renamed at the request of the Mann Avenue Community Council, a group of residents formed the previous fall. See “Community Council Being Formed at Mann Avenue,” Ottawa Journal, September 26, 1949, p. 21; “Mann Avenue Project Now Becomes Strathcona Heights,” Ottawa Journal, November 8, 1950, p. 1.

I am not certain about where being locally referred to as “Ottawa’s New Town” came from, as it does not appear to have been printed in the local papers or anywhere else but this bulletin.

Notes

Notes
1 It was renamed at the request of the Mann Avenue Community Council, a group of residents formed the previous fall. See “Community Council Being Formed at Mann Avenue,” Ottawa Journal, September 26, 1949, p. 21; “Mann Avenue Project Now Becomes Strathcona Heights,” Ottawa Journal, November 8, 1950, p. 1.

Spremo does Casa Loma, 1970

Looking northward in 1970. Image: Boris Spremo / Toronto Star / Toronto Public Library, Baldwin Collection, Item TSPA 0109754f.

I don’t have anything much to say about it other than I’ve been reminiscing lately about my visit to Casa Loma in the early 1990s. This is one of my favourite Boris Spremo shots (amazing how they tend to involve St. Clair in some way) and one that I would take myself today, given half the chance.

Sherbourne and Bloor E, 1982 and 2016

“For an active Canada.” 1982. Image: David Cooper / Toronto Star / Toronto Public Library, Baldwin Collection, Item TSPA 0003817f.

It was made effective April 1, 1982. The federal government designated Metropolitan Toronto as a bilingual service area. With a bit less than two years beyond it and the 1980 Quebec referendum, the government’s decision to take out some of the billboards en français seulment – in Toronto of all places – was seen by some as a political move. While it was to some degree, it was also a move that also recognized the presence of a Francophone community in the Toronto area.

Continue reading Sherbourne and Bloor E, 1982 and 2016

Queen East and Sherbourne, 1981 and 2016

The former Canada Tavern at the southwest corner of Queen East and Sherbourne, 1981 and 2016. The stories some have shared at Vintage Toronto are pretty well expected. Though clearly on the dive side of the establishment ledger (and Moss Park had long been mixed), it was at least enough on the up to be the site of the Star’s New Years’ reporting in the late 1970s.1”First baby greets New Year,” Toronto Star, January 1, 1978, A1; “Sunday goes with a swing in hotels and taverns,” Toronto Star, January 3, 1979, A3. By 1999, however, fortunes had waned, and the corner became better known for poverty and substance abuse.2Catherine Dunphy, “Crack corner: Drugs are turning a vibrant slice of Toronto’s downtown into an urban wasteland,” Toronto Star, February 20, 1999, B1, B4.

In more recent years, it was slated for replacement-by-condo, but things have since quieted on the site and it has been boarded up for years. Much like Norm’s Open Kitchen, the Canada Tavern has figured into the memories and imaginaries of Toronto writers.

Notes

Notes
1 ”First baby greets New Year,” Toronto Star, January 1, 1978, A1; “Sunday goes with a swing in hotels and taverns,” Toronto Star, January 3, 1979, A3.
2 Catherine Dunphy, “Crack corner: Drugs are turning a vibrant slice of Toronto’s downtown into an urban wasteland,” Toronto Star, February 20, 1999, B1, B4.

Then & Now: Main Square, 1971 and 2016

Main Square, under construction in 1971. Image: Rob Pineault / Vintage Toronto.

The four-tower Main Square development was planned in 1968/69 and was part of an effort to deliver quality housing at an affordable rate. Situated on land that was held by the CNR, Main Square was expected to house 1115 families at completion. Half of the units were reserved for so-called “$5000 a year families” costing $125 per month at opening. The shopping concourse was expected to help depress the costs further.1Mack Parliament, “East end high-rise expected to house 1,115 families,” Toronto Star, May 7, 1969, B38; “Housing Costs: Villains and Answers,” Toronto Star, April 13, 1971, 6.

A Google Maps approximated view.. Image: Google Maps, July 2016.

 

Notes

Notes
1 Mack Parliament, “East end high-rise expected to house 1,115 families,” Toronto Star, May 7, 1969, B38; “Housing Costs: Villains and Answers,” Toronto Star, April 13, 1971, 6.

CMHC Presentation Drawings, 1970 (Part 1: Antigonish, NS)

CMHC Presentation Drawings (1970).

Admittedly, I’m something of a document packrat. If a document, file, or collection is interesting to me and I am able to collect, I will. It’s partially why I have terabytes of digitized materials collected and why I haven’t yet found a way to stop. One source that I check on a near-daily basis is the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC’s) FTP site. It first came to my attention a few years back when they began to allow Google to index it and I have been watching since.

Continue reading CMHC Presentation Drawings, 1970 (Part 1: Antigonish, NS)