Yonge St. | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘Yonge St.’

walking towards the Pinnacle… and beyond

Posted: November 21, 2025 in construction, locations, old buildings
Tags: Alexandros, bearded prof, Between the Eyes, CIBC building, CN Tower, Dean Drever, dowtown, Gardiner Expressway, Harbour Commission Building, Pinnacle Group, Queens Quay, Richard Deacon, Royal York hotel, Scotiabank Arena, Sky Tower, Yonge St.

….with a group of friends on a grey November morning.

below: From Union Station, there are now plenty of routes to take indoors and we explored some of them (some for at least the second time but there are always changes or points of view that you miss the first time around).

below: Union Station has connected to Scotiabank Arena for a few years now.

below: And within the last year or two a pedestrian bridge over Bay Street has connected Scotiabank Arena with the new CIBC Square development on the other side of the street. This picture shows the exterior stairs of that new CIBC building as seen from the south side of that bridge. That’s a lot of climbing! So glad for escalators.

below: There is quite a view from the new CIBC Square park area including this one looking mostly southwest to the top of Scotiabank arena. The architectural details (some sort of overhang?) are on the new CIBC building

below: Looking north up Bay past the shiny sparkly gold RBC building to Old City Hall that’s almost hidden behind the newer towers.

below: You can also see the Royal York hotel on the other side of the railway tracks.

below: Cranes and the CN Tower make for a very downtown Toronto photo. Again, this is the view from the new CIBC Square. If you are interested, a year ago I posted more photos from this new park – Above the railway tracks at CIBC Square.

below: Work continues on the Union Station expansion and upgrades on the south side of the station. This work will provide the infrastructure needed for increased GO train service (more trains, more often). Comparing this photo to one taken a year ago there don’t seem to be many changes so I hope that most of the work has been inside (or else it’s going to be a very long time before this project is completed).

below: It is also possible to continue walking indoors through to the new GO Bus Terminal. This is the glass wall at the south entrance of the terminal on Lakeshore Blvd.

below: This is the view southwest from the corner of Bay and Lakeshore. Just beyond the exit ramp from the Gardiner is the Toronto Harbour Commission Building on Harbour Street – named as such back in the day when this was close to the shore of Lake Ontario. It was built in the Beaux-Arts style and was completed in 1917.

below: Harbour Commission Building, 1923, just over a hundred years ago. Photo from the Toronto Public Library, found online in their digital archives. Harbour Street was right on the shore! Everything that exists toady south of Harbour Street is built on landfill. That includes most, if not all, of the developments on Queens Quay.

below: A few steps later as we walked down Bay – this photo is now looking northwest back towards Scotiabank Arena and the Gardiner Expressway. So many new towers! The Telus building on the right is on York Street and immediately south of the tracks. On the left are twos tall building with an almost round structure on the top (with holes in it) – these are the ICE condo towers at 12 and 14 York.

below: On Queens Quay, a contrast between the Brutalist type of architecture of the textured concrete Westin Hotel and the newer glass and steel condo tower beyond it.

below: Also on Queens Quay (on the north side of Queens Quay between Bay and Yonge) there is a water feature at the horribly named Residences of the World Trade Centre

below: The same complex is also home to this mis-shapen peanut thing that is a sculpture, ‘Between The Eyes’, by Richard Deacon. Also, the brown building on the left is the old Toronto Star building at 1 Yonge Street. It was to be redeveloped into a condo tower but the market for condos is trash at the moment. The owner/developer, Pinnacle Group, has announced that they might try to convert the building into a hotel instead.

below: Now under construction is Sky Tower at Pinnacle One Yonge (on what was the parking lot behind the Toronto Star building).

below: 106 floors!! Final height will be 352 metres. May they never have elevator issues. May the underground garages never have water issues. The tallest completed building in the city is Aura at Yonge and College at 272m. A couple of others at Yonge and Bloor are under construction but even once they are finished, this Sky Tower will be the tallest. Remember that picture of the Royal York Hotel – when it was built in the late 1920s it was the tallest building in the city, and the first one over 100m.

below: When I was looking for older pictures of this area, I found this intriguing photo from 1984. Not that long ago, right? The Gardiner Expressway runs across the top and you can see the Toronto Harbour Commission building in the top left corner. The Westin Hotel is there (the two towers on a triangular base, bottom left). The rectangular tall building is the Toronto Star building at 1 Yonge. In other words, this is almost a map of part of our walk. A couple of things of note – first look how much surface parking there was! And second, what is that circular thing in the middle (and top) of the picture!!! On closer examination, it’s just an old ramp for the Gardiner and all the wasted space in the center. Harbour Street follows the curve on its south side. An incredible amount of space is devoted to the car.

below: Walking up the west side of Yonge. The blue building with all the diamonds and triangles is the back of CIBC Square – we have almost completed a circle.

below: More redevelopment and construction to the east of Yonge on Harbour. Harbour then merges with Lakeshore Blvd.

below: You should recognize the purpose of the exterior bracing on the brick building. The facade of this 1950s brick LCBO headquarters and warehouse is being saved during its transition to ‘Sugar Wharf’ with new towers, a hotel, a park, and more. A very familiar story that seems to play in a never ending loop.

below: North on Yonge

below: Under the Gardiner

below: Bird in flight but stuck to the concrete – a paper paste-up on a Gardiner Expressway pillar

below: I don’t think that this is Finch West.

below: Another bird in flight is ‘Eagle’ by Dean Drever, 2018. His beak is pointing to another new pedestrian bridge over Yonge Street that hasn’t opened yet. It is part of the CIBC development and will become part of the PATH system.

below: CIBC Square, north side construction. In the distance is Union Station; we have come close to walking in a circle. It wasn’t a very big circle but there were many changes and quite a few things happening. The CIBC Square development includes two towers on the east side of Bay, one on the south side of the tracks and one on the north. In case you didn’t realize it, the one acre “park” that they have developed is actually over the railway tracks. It’s a wonderful use of the space. I hope that the city sees that it is feasible to create public space this way. There has been a lot of chatter about how the city should create a park over more of the tracks and I hope that this spurs them on.

This walk was the 16th Anniversary walk for the Toronto Photowalks group. It was a rather large group of us that started from Union Station last Saturday morning.

Toronto Photowalks have walked twice a month since November 2009 with some exceptions during Covid lockdowns and restrictions. I first walked with them in early February, 2012. There have been 334 walks and most streets and alleys in the city (and sometimes beyond) have been covered at least once. Some weeks the group is small while at other times the numbers are a bit overwhelming but all in all, it’s a great group!

below: I am sure that the Bearded Prof is saying “Thanks for joining us!”

College to Elm

Posted: December 9, 2024 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, public art, stores, windows and walls
Tags: Adrian Hayles, arch, Aura, buildings, College St., condos, construction, Elm St., History of Music on Yonge St., hoardings, Joseph Sheard parkette, lights, McGill St., mural, redevelopment, Steps Art, trees, Yonge St., Zanzibar tavern

…. A short distance but with a lot happening.

An early morning walk with a weak winter sun low in the sky. Tall buildings that cast shadows, or reflect light. Patterns of light and shadow.

below: Crossing Yonge from Carlton to College

below: North on Yonge. The facade above Shoppers remains. “….has design value and technological merit as a representative of the 1950s Toronto School of ‘Picturesque Modernism’ in its expressive use of concrete seen in the cantilevered canopy and decorative piercings of the concrete screen for the above-ground parking, in the ‘egg-crate’ elevations designed to reduce solar gain, and in the predominant white aesthetic of glazed white brick and concrete surfaces.” (form City of Toronto report on heritage inclusion)

below: Rising above Yonge and College

below: Looking north, up the canyon that Yonge has become. The very tall building that is obviously under construction in the distance is at Yonge and Bloor.

below: Empty, boarded up and waiting its turn. Southeast corner of College & Yonge. I have vague memories of a candy store on this corner although I think that there were a number of businesses that passed through here.

below: The east half of Yonge street in front of College Park is now a construction zone. An additional entrance on the east side of Yonge along with more elevator service between street and track levels, is being built for College subway station. Are there any streets in the downtown area that don’t have partial closures for construction?

below: Sunspots, reflected light on the side of College Park

below: More emptiness, more waiting.

below: Granby and McGill are two streets that run parallel to College but don’t actually meet Yonge Street, pedestrians only here

below: Looking back at Yonge Street from the same spot. When the area was pedestrianized back in the 1980s, the city purchased added the arch. The arch came from St. Andrews United Church at Bloor and Park Road (not on this site, moved here). The mural on the wall, right hand side …

… is The ‘History of Music on Yonge’ mural that covers two large walls on the same building. This is the south side of that building. It was painted by Adrian Hayles and features music legends who played in Toronto in the 1950s and 1960s.

On the north side of building, the mural shows Ronnie Hawkins, Glenn Gould, Dianne Brooks, Jackie Shane, Muddy Waters, Shirley Matthews, B.B. King, Gordon Lightfoot, and Oscar Peterson.

below: Behind Yonge street, between Granby and McGill (Joseph Sheard parkette)

below: Looking north up Yonge from Granby

below: Aura

below: People on a corner… To the woman in the brown coat – A penny for your thoughts (Does anyone use that expression anymore?)

below: The southeast corner of Yonge and Gerrard is still a construction site….

below: …. but now it is on its way up!

below: On the northeast corner, also Yonge and Gerrard is an older building that is still standing… for now. An almost obscene 76 storeys with 828 residences. No car parking; parking for 828 bikes only. May I recommend the elevator repair business as a career prospect for those who are looking for ideas? Also, we could have quite the discussion about bikes and bike lanes……

below: Looking south on Yonge from Elm

below: The Zanzibar Tavern glows in the morning light

below: Hoardings around the construction site on the northwest corner of Yonge and Elm

below: Orange! Even more construction on Yonge, this time the southwest corner of Yonge and Elm

below: No more pizzas here.

below: Looking west on Elm

below: A quick stop at the Cong Caphe. That’s an iced coconut coffee!!

Dyke March 2024

Posted: June 29, 2024 in events, people
Tags: banners, costumes, crowds, dykes on bikes, flags, Gal Pals, Gals Together, groups, motorcycles, Olivia Chow, parade, people, photographers, photos, placards, police, rainbows, selfies, Yonge St.

Another June, another Dyke March!

Dykes on Bikes led the parade as usual.

below: Olivia Chow walks in the parade along with a Phenomenal Gaysian!

Hanging out at Yonge and Dundas

Posted: May 21, 2024 in people
Tags: people, talking, walking, Yonge Dundas Square, Yonge St.

This is just a post about people doing their own thing, going about their day. Nothing spectacular or wild & crazy, just a few ordinary moments in an ordinary day.

Most people are absorbed in their own small circle, or busy on their phones, and don’t pay much attention to what’s going on around them.

But sometimes the camera gets noticed.

And sometimes (well, often actually), I am not the only one. So does he have a photo (or 2?) of me and if so, what did he do with them? Delete? LOL

I would love to have overheard that conversation!

Nearby, Harry Styles may be about to get demolished but he doesn’t seem too concerned.

I hope that everyone had a good long May weekend! The weather was great this year, for a very pleasant change. On to summer….. !!

It’s a mess!

Posted: January 27, 2024 in construction, intersections
Tags: construction, hoardings, Ontario line, pedestrians, people, Queen St., sidewalks, Yonge St.

Queen Street is now closed to all traffic from just east of Bay Street to Yonge Street and again between Yonge and Victoria Streets…. for about four and a half years (any bets on 5 years? or more?). The new Ontario Line subway is being built here. There will be 4 stops along Queen – Moss Park which is between Sherbourne and Parliament, then Yonge, Osgoode, and finally a stop at Spadina & Queen before the line heads south to King Street and then the Exhibition.

Because of the existing infrastructure in the area there wasn’t much room for construction, hence the takeover of the street. 501 Queen streetcars and buses are diverting along Richmond and Adelaide streets.

It all makes for a complicated mess for pedestrians.

below: The first warning sign of changes ahead, a little orange sign that says that the sidewalk on the north side of Queen Street is closed between Victoria and Yonge.

below: Queen and Victoria, looking west towards the construction

below: Looking south on Victoria from Queen

below: Ontario Line hoardings.

below: Northeast corner of Yonge & Queen

below: Looking east from Yonge

below: Westward view past concrete barriers and wobbly green and metal fencing

below: Crossing Queen Street

below: From the Eaton Centre looking east past Yonge Street.

below: Entrance to the Queen subway station

below: A break in the construction zone for pedestrians.

below: Barricade across the sidewalk on the south side, by the Eaton Centre

below: Queen Street is closed in front of Old City Hall

intersections – Yonge & Empress Walk

Posted: November 19, 2023 in construction, graffiti and street art, public art, reflections
Tags: apples, Carillo Art Studio, Cristina Delago, cruz1, daniela rocha, Erika James, glass, Green Between, grocery, halloween, hearts, June Kim, Loblaws, luvs, Mel Lastman Square, Meridian Arts Centre, Misca, mural routes, murals, Nixo Street Art, North York Centre, Peter Hide, planters, reflections, Robin Hesse, sculpture, stores, Willowdale Mosaic Mural Project, Yonge St., Zgar

After a very warm October, colder November days aren’t always easy to get used to! The solution? There are lots of paces to walk in Toronto where indoor pathways can be used to warm up!

below: Loblaws at Empress Walk, our starting point that day.

below: Glass ceiling at North York Centre. Before amalgamation of the six Toronto boroughs into what is now the City of Toronto, this was a busier place as it is adjacent to North York City Hall where City Council offices and meeting spaces were.

below: Interior of the library

below: The next two photos are taken from the south entrance to the library. First is looking south along the edge of North York City Hall. A sliver of Mel Lastman Square is on the left.

below: Now looking east towards Yonge Street with Mel Lastman Square on the right.

below: West side of North York Centre (& library)

below: “Green Between” (1994) by Peter Hide stands beside Meridian Arts Centre on North York Blvd (not to be confused with Meridian Hall which is downtown at Yonge & Front)

below: Also North York Blvd., the south entrance to North York City Hall as well as the Board of Education building.

below: Benches! On Yonge Street

below: Fountain in the small park by Joseph Shepard Building (federal government). Now dry for the winter season.

below: Hearts on planters – These are 2 of the 19 hearts that make up the Willowdale Mosaic Mural Project. They were created by Robin Hesse and Cristina Delago under the auspices of Mural Routes. You can find them on West side of Yonge Street, between North York Boulevard and Upper Madison Avenue.

below: The Yonge Sheppard Centre on the northeast corner of that intersection has been renovated and the the exterior is totally changed/improved.

below: A pedestrian walks beside the Yonge Street side of the redesigned Yonge Sheppard Centre

below: Even though there are already a lot of condo towers in the area, construction continues on more of them. This new building is just north of Sheppard.

below: The Legion building (dark brown, with the Canadian flag) is now dwarfed by development around it.

below: There are still some sites that have not yet been redeveloped.

below: Public bulletin board with posters of a few of the people kidnapped by Hamas in Israel back in October.

below: In an alley near Yonge & Greenfield; a joint effort by Carillo Art Studio, Cruz1, Luvs (Moise) and Zgar as part of Bit Lane 2021.

below: A pink and purple tiger watches the blue jay standing on the branch by June Kim and Nixo Street Art (Erika James). The orange snake is the work of Muisca (aka Daniela Rocha)

below: More wildlife, a sparrow, in among the crates in a corner of the lane.

below: Lots of birds! On TTC property, Sheppard station bus loop, another mural by June Kim.

With thanks to my mother for being my walking partner that day (which as it turns out, was one of the colder days this month).

from the Distillery to Nathan Phillips

Posted: July 9, 2023 in alleys, construction, locations, old buildings, public art
Tags: 60 Queen St. East, Cherry St., city hall, construction, Darwin Peters, development, Frantz Brent-Harris, hoardings, Jamii, Mashkiki, Mill St., Morningstar Quill, nathan phillips square, old city hall, Ontario line, people, Queen St., sign, St. Lawrence market, subway, walking dogs, West Don Lands, Yonge St.

My previous post was about wandering around the Distillery District which by the way is 20 years old now. Back in 2003 it was surrounded by a part of the city that seemed to have been forgotten. In 2015 the PanAm games were held in Toronto. Athletes Village, i.e. housing for the athletes competing in the games was built new in what was now being called the West Don Lands. After the games, this housing was converted to “746 market-priced condos, 41 market-priced town homes, 250 affordable-rent apartments, 257 student dormitory units for George Brown College, office and retail units, and a YMCA recreation centre.” (Wikipedia) Development in the area continues on all sides of the Distillery.

below: Southside view of the new development on Mill Street (east of Cherry).

below: Northeast corner of Mill and Cherry. Part of this complex is a new Anishnawbe health centre.

below: Eastbound on Eastern Avenue at Trinity Street

below: Fire hydrant in a field of chicory, vacant lot surrounded by a fence.

below: Down and out. Grounded. Election signs left over from the recent by-election for mayor.

below: A large section of land at Parliament and Front that will become the site of Corktown station on the new Ontario Line is surrounded by hoardings. From here the line goes northwest to a new Moss Park station at Queen & Sherbourne – or it goes southeast to the existing railway tracks by the Lakeshore where it surfaces before a new station, East Harbour, at the foot of Broadview ( south of Eastern).

below: Nicholson Lane

below: There is a new mural on the St. Lawrence Community Recreation Centre painted by Darwin Peters from Pikangikum First Nation..

below: On the Esplanade

below: Photography exhibit along the Esplanade, “Mashkiki” by Morningstar Quill about life in Pikangikum First Nation. This photo shows a group of young women making ribbon skirts.

below: The exhibit was produced with the support of Jamii, a non-profit arts organization.

below: For those hot summer days when we’re all looking for a bit of relief!

below: Post more Bills

below: Working on the new north market building, St. Lawrence Market.

below: Looking westward from Front and George streets.

below: Lower Sherbourne

below: McVeighs Irish pub in an old building that is now surrounded by new developments, Richmond and Church.

below: The steeple of St James Cathedral peaks through the gap.

below: This is “Afrophilia”, an installation at the Toronto Sculpture Garden by Frantz Brent-Harris, a Jamaican artist now based in Toronto.

below: A closer look at two of the heads.

below: Crossing King Street.

below: Queen Street East

below: The present state of the northeast corner of Queen and Church (60 Queen St. East). Before becoming a placeholder for yet another condo development, it was a Shawarma’s King restaurant. That old yellow building may be living out its final days – since 2018 a very tall (54 to 57 storeys) building has been proposed for this site. The original proposal had the usual blah glass and steel at street level as shown on the condo website (queenchurch.com) but in November 2020 the existing building (and a couple of nearby buildings on Church St) was added to Toronto’s Heritage Register.

below: Queen Street is now closed at Church Street for work on the new Ontario Line subway. Rumour says that it will be closed 4 (5?) years. Yes, years. The subway will run under Queen Street and connect to the Yonge line at Queen and the University line at Osgoode.

below: Peering over the fence?

below: Looking west along Queen Street towards Yonge (behind the hoardings).

below: Trying to look west along Queen at Yonge.

below: The glass roof of the Eaton Centre is also being renovated and updated. Scaffolding now dominates the upper level of the mall.

below: More Queen Street closed… the closure runs as far west as Bay Street and Old City Hall.

below: Feeding the pigeons at Nathan Phillips square.

below: Group shot! A school group visiting City Hall.

below: Constructing a rainbow heart

below: …. which became an attraction before it was finished

below: Empty planters. Ugliness on Queen Street, right in front of Nathan Phillips Square and City Hall. Neglectful. Toronto can build it but Toronto can’t maintain it.

below: Mayor Gao for mayor! I don’t think that this was a serious candidate?! But then again, there were 101 people on the ballot in that by-election so maybe he was…..

Pride 2023

Posted: June 26, 2023 in events, people
Tags: crowds, flags, motorcycles, people, pink, pride, rainbow, signs, trans, trans flag, Yonge St.

Sunday’s Pride parade and related antics

Pride is big. By big I mean soooo many people and places happening all at once. I take pictures on that Sunday because I like mingling with the crowds, talking to people, and taking pictures of people who want their picture taken. Although I am happy to take posed shots, I prefer the candid shots. This set of photos is by no means comprehensive – that’s an impossible task. Instead it represents the people and events that I saw as I walked up Church Street, checked out the marshaling area for the parade, and then tried to find shady spots to stand to watch the parade itself (another impossibility!)… until I got too tired.

a December morning walk

Posted: December 9, 2022 in locations, old buildings, people, public art, windows and walls
Tags: Bay Adelaide Centre, Christmas ornaments, Christmas trees, decorations, East Centre, Gingerbread Lane, Linda Martinello, mannequins, Mappemonde, Nicolas Baier, rainy, red planters, reflections, Royal York hotel, Starbucks, Toronto Club, wet, Yonge Dundas Square, Yonge St.

Ahhhh December, that time of year when the mornings are dark, and even darker when it’s raining. But that’s no reason to stay at home!

below: The northwest corner of Yonge and Queen is still behind hoardings.

below: Even on a dark and foggy morning, Dundas Square is radiant. The colours that it casts on Yonge Street are dependent on the electronic billboards that dominate the space. A constantly changing light show.

below: Old style, simple, sidewalk to subway access.

below: The Christmas tree arrives at Yonge Dundas Square

below: When a damp December day gets wetter it’s time to go inside!

below: Snowpeople frolicking among the Christmas lights. December of course means Christmas and you know that the stores have been decorated for weeks already! Lots of Christmas stuff on display….

below: Multicoloured shiny balls on this Christmas tree

below: Hockey and rainbows

below: Another typical tree scene

below: Many trees in gold and silver in this Christmas dream (nightmare) bedroom scene. Jokes about Santa and naughty or nice are running through my head now!

below: Are those meant to be trees? An anti Christmas statement? Someone thinks this is being edgy or radical – a wink at climate change? The Christmas budget was slashed to smithereens and this was all that was left?

below: Come on in! I’ve been waiting for you (no trees here!)

below: Christmas shopping 2022.

below: A very tall tree stands on its own in a quiet corner behind the elevators.

below: A marble wall with a bas-relief artwork by Nicolas Baier with the title, “Mappemonde”It was made by cutting way pieces of the marble, leaving a tree-like network that could be roots and branches or it could be more technical man-made communication infrastructure….

below: Watching the World Cup 2002 from Qatar. As of this morning (9 Dec), eight teams remain – Brazil, Croatia, Argentina, Netherlands, Morocco, Portugal, England, and France,

below: Not a tree; instead it’s a collection of red, gold, and silver shiny balls in an metal inverted cone shaped frame.

below: Twin highly decorated, very brightly lit, Christmas trees at the St. Regis hotel.

below: A trend is starting to emerge… ye olde typical office building lobby tree. Tall, perfectly shaped, and classically dressed.

below: A new curved glass ceiling structure on Wellington Street beside the old red brick Toronto Club building.

below: On an interior wall there is a plaque describing the history of the Toronto Club building at 107 Wellington West. It was built in 1889 and inside you’ll find “a billiards room, reading rooms, and dining rooms finished with wood paneling and carving, stone and marble fireplaces, and plaster ceilings.”

below: Access to the Toronto Club may be difficult but this little area seems like a quiet oasis for anyone that knows of its existence. I didn’t try sitting down so I am not sure how security would react! Some buildings are more welcoming than others.

below: The pictures on the wall feature the rivers of Toronto – Humber, Don, and Rouge as well as the shore of Lake Ontario. They were painted by Canadian artist Linda Martinello (oil and graphite on drafting film).

below: The cows are lazing on the grass… perhaps they are waiting for someone to decorate the Christmas trees!

below: Gingerbread Lane at the Royal York Hotel

below: Up on the mezzanine level of the Royal York lobby there is a display of old black and white photos such as this one of the building of the hotel (about 1928). The pictures illustrate the early days of the hotel. There are also photos of famous people who stayed here. The lighting is terrible but the images are interesting.

below: The bar at the Royal York. Not a bad place to end a blog post!

a little bit of Yonge

Posted: September 28, 2022 in history, locations, old buildings, people
Tags: ads, billboards, Dineen Coffee, Eaton Centre, history, people, rain, reflections, stores, streetcar, Temperance St., tourist, TTC, umbrellas, Yonge Dundas Square, Yonge St.

Walking up Yonge Street on a grey damp September day – from Adelaide to Dundas

below: Southeast corner of Adelaide & Yonge: the (sort of) dome shaped entrance way with the stained glass roof is under renovation.

below: Walking his bike up Yonge Street

below: Looking north up Yonge Street from Richmond

below: Looking west on Temperance Street towards a wall of glass

below: Dineen Coffee on the ground floor the old building on the northwest corner of Yonge and Temperance streets. The coffee company took its name from the building – the Dineen Building, once home to furriers W. and D. Dineen Co. (until the 1930s). The building was built in 1897 and was added to the City of Toronto Heritage list in 1973. Ceilings in it were made of bronze and aluminum plates; this was the first time that aluminum was used as a building material in Canada.

below: Dineen Building, 1927. The 2012 restoration was very faithful to the original facade.

vintage 1927 black and white photo of the Dineen Building in Toronto, source, TPL, Toronto Public Library

Source: Online, Toronto Public Library Archives. Unknown photographer for the Toronto Star newspaper.

below: Streetcars on Queen West under the redesigned pedestrian walkway.

below: Looking north from Shuter Street. Since the late 1970s, the west side of this block has been dominated by the Eaton Centre. When the mall was first completed, it destroyed any street scene that had existed there. Subsequent alterations have improved this block at street level a bit.

below: Looking north up Yonge Street from Queen back at a time when the new Eatons store at the north end of the Eaton Centre was built (at Dundas, completed 1977) but the old stores on the west side of Yonge hadn’t been completely demolished. This photo was found online on blogTO – here’s the link to their site if you are interested in the history of the Eaton Centre construction.