20 Vintage Streetscapes of Toronto, Hamilton, Scarborough, Ontario Place & More

For our fourth installment of vintage postcard streetscapes of Toronto we have some real gems -- including some of harbourfront, Ontario Place in its heyday, Scarborough, a couple of Hamilton (I am well aware Hamilton is a great city in its own right, I just added them as they are very cool) and even some photos from around the year 1900!

(Click on images to enlarge)

Waterfront at night, 1972. Note that Commerce Court West is under construction. 

The Yonge Street Wharf in 1890. The waterfront has been filled in greatly since then so that this location is now actually buried under the Yonge St. railway overpass.

Eglinton and the Don Valley Expressway

Macdonald-Cartier Freeway 401 looking west at Dufferin St. Yorkdale is on the left and the Etobicoke and Mississauga skyline do not yet exist. Note the total lack of traffic! Maybe at 3 a.m. it looks like that now.

From the back "Canada's architectural jewel, The Scarborough Civic Centre rests in the heart of this dynamic borough, along with the major Scarborough Town Centre Shopping Complex" 

Note the total lack of density and development around the "architectural jewel".

Water fountain at Spadina and College, 1899

Road work on Spadina, c. 1899, as a streetcar passes.

Two-horse streetcar on the Woodbine to St. Lawrence Market route, 1898

Front St. near the St. Lawrence Market, 1902. That is the spire of St. James Cathedral in the back right.

King St. near Yonge looking east 1886

Aerial view of Casa Loma

Now tragically mothballed by the Liberal government, Ontario Place in its heyday!

Ontario Place Marina

The wonderful Children's Village at Ontario Place that I loved as a kid. Long gone due to too many do-gooders getting all up in arms about broken bones, head injuries and a general lack of safety!

York U. From the back "Scheduled for years more growth, York University is presently the third largest centre in Ontario with an enrollment in excess of 25,000 full and part time students on over 600 acres of land for future expansion"

Hamilton City Hall and Civic Square

A view of King St. in Hamilton

See also: 20 Vintage Toronto Streetscapes of Yonge St, Yorkville, Kensington Market & More! (Plus one bonus one of Oshawa)

See also: 10 Vintage Toronto Postcard Streetscapes (and one bonus one of Port Credit!)

See also: 11 More Vintage Streetscape Postcards of Toronto, Etobicoke, Hamilton & Oakville

10 Vintage Toronto Postcard Streetscapes (and one bonus one of Port Credit!)

I am very fond of both vintage postcards and streetscape photography generally so I was thrilled to stumble upon a collection of Toronto postcards in a South Etobicoke antique store (called Treasure Hunt and located just east of Islington and Lake Shore) that were both.

Here are ten of these cards as well as a bonus one of Port Credit. They all come from between the late 1950's and the late 1970's.

(Click on images to enlarge)

Yonge St. at night

(from the back of the card "Said to be one of the longest streets in the world. This area of Toronto is called "The Strip" and has a myriad of lights, nightclubs, movies, discotheques and even burlesque shows." It also describes Toronto as Canada's "second largest city" still!)

The Lord Simcoe Hotel

(University Avenue at King St.)

Ontario Science Centre

(note the lack of background buildings!)

Skyline from Ontario Place 

(no condos!)

The King Edward Hotel

Inn-on-the-Park

Yorkdale Shopping Centre

The Ford Hotel

O'Keefe Centre for the Performing Arts

(again, note the lack of any high-rise buildings in the background!)

 Downtown Toronto

(Note the horrible Exhibition Place stadium at bottom left!)

Port Credit - Marina Area

(You know what is missing in the background here? Mississauga!!!)

See a second installment!: 11 More Vintage Streetscape Postcards of Toronto, Etobicoke, Hamilton & Oakville