THAT WAS THEN Archives

From stately hotel to strip club—the Empringham story

November 19, 2020February 6, 2023 Rodger Burnside Danforth Avenue, Empringham Hotel, Historical

The Empringham, Danforth or Play Pen — they’re all the same hotel, standing at Danforth and Dawes from the late 1800s into the 1980s.

*FEATURED THAT WAS THEN

Can you believe this century home still stands at Queen and Waverley?

February 27, 2020March 4, 2020 Rodger Burnside COBS Bread, Historical, La Sala Restaurant, Queen Street East, Waverley Road

We didn’t realize until inspecting the photo, featuring the Cobs Bread outlet, that the beautiful old wooden home from 1903 is still there too.

Beltline bridge over Yonge Street ion 1915

*FEATURED THAT WAS THEN

When horses passed UNDER the Beltline bridge

December 1, 2019February 6, 2020 Rodger Burnside Beltline Park, Iron Horse, Kay Gardner Beltline, Yonge Street

A photo from city archives in 1915 shows a time when the railway had taken over the Beltline crossing, leaving vehicles drawn by horses to pass under.

*FEATURED THAT WAS THEN

Now that the Yonge-Eglinton mess has been cleared up (almost)

October 24, 2019October 25, 2019 Rodger Burnside Eglinton Avenue, Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Yonge Eglinton Centre, Yonge Street

Yonge-Eglinton is back to being like any other big city of highrises, crowded sidewalks and clogged roads, which makes it a good time to have a look back.

*FEATURED THAT WAS THEN

When building transit was simpler at Mt. Pleasant and Eglinton

May 9, 2019November 24, 2020 Rodger Burnside Eglinton Avenue East, Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Mt. Pleasant Road, streetcar

When the Mt. Pleasant Road Loop was being built nearly 94 years ago, the work didn’t cause massive traffic jams as the building of the Eglinton Crosstown line does now.