Bruce Bell – Two centuries ago north of Queen Street (then called Lot Street) was mostly forest complete with wild deer, hungry bears and fish-filled streams. It would be in this idyllic woodsy enclave that the affluent citizens of York ...
Read More »Hanlan’s Point was once known as Canada’s Coney Island
Bruce bell – On the hot sweltering Tuesday afternoon of Aug. 10, 1909, passengers lining up waiting for the ferry to take them to the coolness of the Toronto Islands could see a thin line of smoke rise above their ...
Read More »Duels were common when Parliament St. was in a forest
Bruce Bell – Present-day Parliament Street was once a rough road cut through a dense forest leading up to Lt. Gov. John Graves Simcoe’s country home, Castle Frank, that at one time overlooked the Don River at present day Bloor ...
Read More »Defunct Canary Restaurant inspired the name of a district
Bruce Bell – Toronto’s Corktown neighbourhood (south side of Shuter St. to the north, the Lakeshore to the south, River St. to the east and Berkeley St. to the west) began during the era of mass immigration thanks in part to ...
Read More »Bruce Bell: Drugs, sex, rock ‘n roll preceded Allan Gardens’ flowers
Bruce bell – In 1858 George William Allan a prominent Torontonian donated a 5-acre tract of land bounded by Carlton, Sherbourne and Jarvis Streets once part of his family’s enormous estate called Moss Park to the Toronto Horticultural Society. Two ...
Read More »House of Providence served Toronto poor of all faiths
By the 1850s Toronto’s meagre social and charitable services were becoming almost unmanageable. This was the era of mass immigration, and thanks in part to the railroad, the city was flooded with newly arrived Europeans looking for a better life. ...
Read More »Our history turned on a snowy Christmas eve walk
Bruce Bell – One of my favourite Christmas stories of days past is the one about George William Allan, the son of one of the wealthiest families in Ontario, who decided it was time to do something to help the children ...
Read More »The oldest bank building in Canada
Bruce Bell – The Bank of Upper Canada building on the northeast corner of George and Adelaide built between 1825-27 by Dr. W.W. Baldwin with the help of engineer Thomas Hall is the oldest bank building in Canada. This makes ...
Read More »Condo snuggles in comfortably with historic building
Bruce Bell – On July 1, 1914 the Dominion Bank opened its stunning new headquarters on the southwest corner of King and Yonge. From the moment you ascend its sweeping marble staircase leading into one of the most dazzling banking ...
Read More »Union Station: wooden shed to Beaux-Arts beauty
Bruce Bell — For the past few years Union Station on Front Street has been shrouded in white plastic sheets like a massive present waiting to be opened. When that day comes (maybe next year?) the colossal train station will ...
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