Then and Now: Dundas and Sterling

Are you interested in old photos of our neighbourhood, and watching how this area has changed over time? Well, then keep an eye on this website, as I will be posting a collection of "Then and Now" photos. Most of the historical photos will be from the City of Toronto Archives, and current photos taken by current local photographers. Many of these were previously on display at the Perth-Dupont branch of the Toronto Public Library as part of the Fuzzy Boundaries project.

Do you have any old photos of this neighbourhood? Please feel free to get in touch if you're willing to share them!

This comparison is from the southern tip of our neighbourhood at the intersection of Dundas St. and Sterling Rd. The old photo is from 1923, and the modern one was taken in 2009. The water tower is gone, streetcars are now in mixed traffic rather than in their own right-of-way on the north side of the street, and there are more trees. The Tower Automotive building still stands tall, although it is vacant inside. In the grand scheme of things, the view at this point hasn't changed too much!

THEN:
March 21 1923: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 1628March 21 1923: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 1628

NOW:
October 18 2009: Photo by Vic GedrisOctober 18 2009: Photo by Vic Gedris

Bonus: Here is a photo taken from roughly the same spot by local photographer Martin Reis.

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An interesting note is that

An interesting note is that in the old photo is a gazebo tram stop and today there is the Railpath map and starting point. Sometimes I would give anything to go back for one day and walk up from Dowling Ave. in my long time home of Parkdale all the way up Sorauren and then Sterling and Perth to where I live today; to see (and smell!) it all and meet a few folks who shaped my community today.

Old TTC gazebo

There are some better views of that gazebo in these photos: here and here. Maybe I'll post then'n'now for those ones someday too.

Or imagine having Google Streetview available for dates in the past? In the future, I wonder if Google will make older versions of Streetview available for browsing.