“The Old Union Station, G20-Style”
Front Street look east from Simcoe Street. 1907-2010
Before and After will appear each Friday showcasing mixed Then and Nows by local artist and Toronto history enthusiast Alden Cudanin.
photo from Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, it 0535
4 comments
I usually don’t like how these images are mixed together. I prefer to see comparisons as separate, complete, images.
But this one works, really, really well!
The old Union Station headhouse was built in 1895 and demolished in 1931. The very first Santa for the first Eatons Santa Claus parade in 1905 descended from the tower before boarding his “sleigh” for the store on Queen Street. Presumably he had come by train from Eatons big new store in Winnipeg.
The lot in the right foreground at the corner of Lower Simcoe became the turning loop for the Yonge streetcars until 1954 when the subway opened.
Canadian National Railways then built their Telecommunications building on the site. This was one of the first office buildings in the city to be air conditioned because it was filled with early computer equipment that was very temperature sensitive. I believe that the building now houses routers and other equipment for Toronto’s internet infrastructure.
I really like this one as well. It demonstrates that many landmark buildings, though demolished, still capture our interest and are still relevant in contemporary Toronto.
Perhaps some can be rebuilt one day as is done in European cities. I’m not thinking of the old Union Station specifically, but we’ve certainly demolished many architectural achievements of previous generations of Torontonians.
Vic – I have had a few requests to include the comparison shot of my mixes. I will certainly try to include them in my posts.
A.R. I think it would be great to bring back some of the buildings or build new ones with a historical twist. It’s not like we don’t know what they look like. That’s an idea I would love to see turned into a reality.