Entries Tagged 'Architecture in the City' ↓

This photo was taken in 1945.

Then:

This building was the “Hotel Quigley”.

The structure draws it’s inspiration from mixed architectural styles. Seemingly, a mix mash of Art Deco and Art Moderne, which were popular from 1920 to 1945 with traces of Georgian and Tudor.

The building features quoining (the stone forming the external corner of the exteriour wall), the entranceway is in the middle and the windows are all common architectural styles of the Georgian Era. The windows are known as 8 x 8 sash windows (consisting of two frames that contain 8 panes of glass). The sashes are placed one above the other so that one can slide over the other.

Now:

The building still exists, but it’s far from what it used to be.

The brick and timber decor has been stucco’d and painted over. Why the owner decided on mustard yellow and blue is anyone’s guess. The decorative windows have also all been replaced. The old hotel signage above the entrance which was a popular feature of the Art Moderne Era is also gone and replaced with a dull banner ad.

Today, the main floor is occupied by Wise Guys Bar and Grill while the upper floors are rental apartments. While the rest of the commercial buildings along Danforth between Woodbine and Main aren’t particularly interesting, 2301 Danforth is just obnoxious (in my opinion of course).

This photo was taken in 1925.

Then:

The photo focuses on a house that is labelled “smallest house on Davenport”, and although it’s very small, it’s also fairly modern relative to the house next door. If you compare the architecture side by side, you’ll notice obvious differences. Examining the feature house, you notice that the brickwork is clean and even, practically perfect. Meanwhile, the house next door illustrates Edwardian characteristics. The brickwork is messier and uneven in areas. Simple, long rectangular doors and windows are also particular to Edwardian architecture. The feature house showcases triangular bay windows, which aren’t typical of any era – perhaps customized to the owner’s taste.

Although the photo shows rowhouses, the feature house was not part of the original build and would have been added on to the set of rowhouses some time after.

Now:

The rowhouses have been demolished. In 1994, a condo townhouse complex was built. Though hard to tell by the recent photo, the architecture can be described as Art Moderne. The look can be summed up in one word – streamlined (note the stucco exteriour). A basic rectangular building can be made “Classical” by the addition of columns, or architraves (the moulding around a window or door).

Circa 2000:

Notice how much the trees have matured over the last 18 years?

This photo was taken in 1974.

Then:

The narrow Victorian semi-detached house was run by Olga Karabanow as a home for tourists, known as “The Karabanow Tourist House” for 30 years until she died. The semi was sold to the Singer family in 1995, who had plans of converting the building into a school. However, it was hard to change the home’s reputation and with constant demand for room rentals, the couple decided to keep it a guest house.

Now:

The house is now called “Global Guest House of Toronto”.

The architecture hasn’t changed, with the exception of a new coat of paint over the gable decor (trim covering the triangular portion of the wall between the edges of the sloping roof) and the addition of the door canopy. The canopy takes away from the authenticity of the building, but perhaps the addition makes the property seem more like a business and less like a residence.

The neighbouring building to the left has been demolished, and replaced with a parking lot. At least there are a few trees left.

Looking east along Queen St W, just past Ossington Ave.

Then:

This photo was taken in 1919. The set of rowhouses is a display of Toronto’s Victorian architecture, as evident by the mansard roof, dormers, decorative dentils below the roof, narrow round top windows with brick quoining. The colours of the brick would have originally been a combination of yellow and red.

Now:

The buildings depreciated over time and each of the owners maintained their property in their own manners. The obvious change here is the colour of the brick. Some of owners painted over the brick to reflect their business’s brand or perhaps reflect their own personal taste. The roofs would have all been replaced. One owner added shutters to the window, while another added a balcony.

The end result is an inconsistent look across the row, but on a busy street like Queen West, business owners strive to stand out. These days, blending in doesn’t generate business.