Partner City
Toronto
Canada's Metropolis
Canada's largest city and the capital of its most populous province. Toronto has gone through many phases in its modern history, from Muddy York, to Victorian era Toronto the Good, and finally world-class multicultural metropolis.
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Then and Now Photos
Adelaide Street
Toronto Public Library E 9-207 Small On This Spot Enterprises
1874
Horse-drawn carts and piles of rubble line the sides of Adelaide Street. The photo was taken looking east from Victoria Street.
The Old Post Office
Toronto Public Library Z 3-1 On This Spot Enterprises
1867
Toronto's Old Post Office was built in the Greek Revival Style in 1852. It was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1958.
Homes on Spadina
Toronto Public Library E 4-86c On This Spot Enterprises
1870
Several simple houses line Spadina Ave, just by College.
The New Post Office
Toronto Public Library E 2-25b On This Spot Enterprises
1873
This view is looking up Toronto Street towards the new post office, which is under construction. You can see the front facade of the old post office at the far left.
News Stand
Toronto Public Library B 12-23d On This Spot Enterprises
1875
Several men stand in front of a large news kiosk set up on the sidewalk of Front Street.
Terry's Express
Toronto Public Library B 11-27b On This Spot Enterprises
1885
Carts of Terry's Express service with horses harnessed have been placed in front of the company offices for a portrait. The business seemed to specialize in delivering coal and wood that was used for cooking and heating.
Monro's
Toronto Public Library B 11-21a On This Spot Enterprises
1887
The building at right was the warehouse of George Monro.
Atlantic Tea House
Toronto Public Library B 11-8b On This Spot Enterprises
1885
Several people pose for a photo outside the Atlantic Tea House. Some of the children at the right are having a hard time sitting still for the camera. Brooms and other goods hang on the walls for sale.
A Horsebus
Toronto Public Library E 9-48 Small On This Spot Enterprises
1889
The photographer was standing right in front of a horsebus when he took this photo on King Street. The sidewalks are packed full of people.
Old Customs House
Toronto Public Library B 11-47a On This Spot Enterprises
1890
The elegant Italian Renaissance style customs house, located at the corner of Front and Yonge Street.
St. Lawrence Market
Toronto Public Library B 4-9a On This Spot Enterprises
1898
Up the street alongside the St. Lawrence Market.
Cows at Market
Toronto Public Library B 4-9b On This Spot Enterprises
1898
A herd of cows being shepherded into the St. Lawrence Market.
Boer War Decorations
Toronto Public Library -339673 On This Spot Enterprises
1900
Buildings on Temperance Street have been decorated with bunting to celebrate the return of Canadian troops from the Boer War.
King and Jarvis
Toronto Public Library E 9-229 Small On This Spot Enterprises
1909
Some rather simple buildings on the intersection of King and Jarvis.
Dentist Office
Toronto Public Library S 35-16 On This Spot Enterprises
1910
Showing a business block on Queen Street that survives to this day. The business on the corner houses a drug store and the dentist offices of one Dr. E.F. Willard.
Auctioning Buildings
Toronto Public Library B 13-31a On This Spot Enterprises
1910
A cart crosses the street in front of several buildings that have signs proclaiming they are being publicly auctioned.
Blowing Snow
Toronto Public Library X 64-108 On This Spot Enterprises
1900s
A man steadies his horse as a streetcar threatens to engulf them with a mountain of snow.
Doel House
Toronto Public Library X 64-24 On This Spot Enterprises
1905
The home of John Doel, photographed some decades after his death in 1871. He was an important reformer politician in early Ontario history, and was a prominent supporter of William Lyon Mackenzie during the Rebellion of 1837.
Doel House (2)
Toronto Public Library E 8-220 On This Spot Enterprises
1913
The home of John Doel, photographed some decades after his death in 1871. He was an important reformer politician in early Ontario history, and was a prominent supporter of William Lyon Mackenzie during the Rebellion of 1837.
A Traffic Cop on Bay St.
Toronto Public Library B 13-73 On This Spot Enterprises
1912
A policeman stands in the centre of the intersection of Bay and Adelaide as a cart rolls by.
Busy Bay Street
Toronto Public Library E 2-51a On This Spot Enterprises
1930
Cars, streetcars, and pedestrians on Bay Street at the outset of the Great Depression.