TO Cityscapes

Toronto Through My Lens

Category: Historical buildings (Page 3 of 3)

10 Scrivener Square

February 7, 2023 / / 2 Comments

What do you do with an abandoned old train station? Why, turn it into a high-end LCBO of course!

Located just off Yonge Street near Summerhill Avenue, this structure used to be the North Toronto Railway Station. It was in service from 1916 to 1930, and closed in 1931 after Union Station opened downtown.

In 1916, architects Frank Darling and John Pearson were assigned the task of creating a new North Toronto rail station. The centrepiece of their plan was a 140-foot clock tower inspired by the Campanile in St. Mark’s Square in Venice. Built by the P. Lyall & Sons Construction Company, the station went on to service the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) line running across Toronto.

Globe, September 10, 1915

This station was the first building in the city to be constructed of Tyndall limestone from Manitoba, supplied by The Wallace Sandstone Quarries.

When then-Mayor Tommy Church laid the cornerstone on September 9, 1915, he praised the CPR for being the first railway company to give Toronto proper recognition. He hoped the station would be the first of a series of railway gateways to the city, improving inter-city commuting. When passenger service began on June 4, 1916, destinations included Lindsay, Owen Sound, and Ottawa. The most popular route was Montreal, which attracted wealthy businessmen who lived nearby.

Globe, June 15, 1916

When Union Station opened in 1927 and the Great Depression followed shortly thereafter, the North Toronto Railway Station, which served smaller towns in Ontario and was originally meant to augment the bigger station, began to suffer. The last paying passengers filed through the station on September 27, 1930. Brewers’ Retail moved into the northern portion of the terminal building in 1931.

Ticket area, circa 1916
City of Toronto Archives

The station was re-opened, briefly, at 10:30AM on May 22, 1939, when King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth (mother of Queen Elizabeth II), arrived for their first visit to Toronto. This was the first visit to Canada by a reigning British monarch. The King was also officially the Canadian monarch, marking the first visit by one to the city. The royal couple departed Toronto through Union Station. Shortly after World War II, returning soldiers passed through the North Toronto station; they were its last rail passengers.

The building has been protected under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act since October 13, 1976.

Inside The Building…

You want booze? There’s nothing you can’t find here – champagne, wine, beer, vodka, gin, whisky, scotch, tequila – you name it, they have that and a lot more. They also carry extensive vintage and imported liquor.

Staying true to the building’s roots, aisles and signs echo its past life

The station has a much, much longer history than I’ve noted, so if you’re interested in reading a more in-depth article, click here for the wiki.

CLICK HERE TO BROWSE ALL THE SHOTS FROM THIS CITYSCAPE

Gibraltar Point Lighthouse

January 14, 2023 / / 3 Comments

For today’s TOcityscapes we’ll go outside the city just a bit – out to the Toronto Islands, specifically, to take a look at the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse.

The Gibraltar Point Lighthouse was Toronto’s first lighthouse. It was built in 1808, was originally 52 feet tall, and had a fixed white light that burned sperm oil. In 1832, the lighthouse was raised an additional 30 feet to bring the total height to 82 feet. At this point, an improved lighting system was installed. After 1863, coal oil was used to light the tower.

John P. Rademuller was hired as the first keeper of the lighthouse. He served there until he met a tragic end, as reported in the January 14, 1815 edition of the York Gazette:

Died on the evening of the 2nd of January, J.P. Rademuller, keeper of the lighthouse on Gibraltar Point. From circumstances there is moral proof of his having been murdered. If the horrid crime admits of aggravation when the inoffensive and benevolent character of the unfortunate sufferer are considered, his murder will be pronounced most barbarous and inhuman. The parties lost with him are the proposed perpetrators and are in prison.

Three months later, the Gazette reported: No conviction of the supposed murderers of the late J.P. Rademuller. Though the details of what happened that night in January 1815 have been lost, legend has it that soldiers from the York Garrison visited Gibraltar Point that night to obtain beer from Lighthouse Keeper Rademuller. Some accounts say the Keeper refused to sell to the soldiers, and others claim he overcharged them, but all agree that the soldiers became enraged, killed the Keeper, and disposed of his body.

James Durnan and his son George, who between them kept the light from 1832 to 1905, were both known to talk about the murder of the lighthouse’s first Keeper, and in 1893, George Durnan uncovered a jaw bone on the point. Due to the mystery surrounding the demise of Keeper J.P. Rademuller, rumours persist to this day that Gibraltar Point Lighthouse is haunted.

The lighthouse was electrified during the winter of 1916–1917 and Blake Matthews, the light’s last official Keeper, left the following year.

The characteristic of the automated lighthouse was changed in 1945 from flashing white to fixed green, and it retained this latter signature until it was deactivated in 1959 and replaced by a nearby tripod tower that displayed a flashing red light.

Metro Parks took over lighthouse operations and made renovations in 1961-62. Currently unused, the lighthouse is occasionally open for public tours, including the annual Doors Open Toronto weekend.

Distillery Winter Village

December 24, 2022 / / 2 Comments

After years of planning to attend and then never going (hearing reports of the crush from massive crowds had turned me off), I ventured down to the Distillery District’s Winter Village last night. Luckily (for me, anyway) we’d had the big “storm” last night and the weather was not great; this kept a lot of people away. The event has become so popular and crowded over the years that the Distillery’s Winter Village is now a ticketed, timed event – at least during the evening hours on the weekends.

I’ve always wanted to photograph this event during a white Christmas, so last night’s storm worked in my favour. Also, the temperature kept a lot of people away: it was -12°, with the “feels like” wind chill dropping the temp to a balmy, breezy -27°. I bundled up and was good to go, although my hands were turning into blocks of ice while hanging on to the camera… talk about suffering for your art.

This year’s 51-foot tall white spruce Christmas tree has been designed by Parfums Christian Dior. It features 70,000 twinkling lights, 400 custom midnight blue ornaments, 1,700 shiny and matte gold balls, and 1,000 custom DIOR star charms. Over 500 hours of labour went into creating this sparkling, one-of-a-kind tree.

The historic Distillery District has 65+ local shops, restaurants and cafés. Many of these were in full operation for the Winter Village event, plus vendor cabins offered specially curated seasonal items and gifts. Several food cabins also lined the cobblestone streets.

Distillery Winter Village, shot with a fogged-up lens & six-point star filter
CLICK HERE TO BROWSE ALL THE SHOTS FROM THIS EVENT

The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto

December 10, 2022 / / 2 Comments

The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto is a private club which brings together writers, architects, musicians, painters, graphic artists, actors, and others working in or with a love of the arts. Located at 14 Elm Street, the Club is located in an historic building called St. George’s Hall.

St. George’s Hall is designated as a National Historic Site. The mandate of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto is to: advance the arts and letters, by and through its members who practice and contribute to the arts, in the conviction that the arts are essential to a healthy, enlightened society.

The building was built by the St. George’s Society in 1891. The Arts and Letters Club leased it in 1920 and purchased it in 1986. The 3-storey building has been extensively renovated and is wheelchair-accessible.

The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto has been designated a building of National Historic Significance by the Government of Canada.

The Great Hall

The Great Hall is home to a cathedral ceiling, large fireplace, a choir gallery, a well-equipped stage and a Steinway grand piano, no less. The numerous wall banners celebrate the names of illustrious early Club members.

The Great Hall holds rotating exhibitions of paintings, drawings and photography; the Hall also serves as an intimate concert hall and theatre. Its principal function, however, is as a dining room, where members and their guests dine and socialize around refectory tables.

The Lounge

Second Floor

Elevator self portrait, on the way to top floor

The Boardroom

The Library

The Basement

Entrance / Lobby

The entrance displays some of the Club’s Presidential portraits. They continue around the ceiling of the lounge . Each Club President selects a Club artist to create a portrait at the end of the President’s term.

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