bayst

From Flickr: “Elections/Ontario, 1908 June 8 Looking south on Bay St. to Melinda St.” by Toronto Public Library Special Collections

Down south, it’s election time! Before Twitter, we relied on slower means of communications. Below, a crowd of concerned Ontarians await the result of the provincial elections on June 8, 1908, at the corner of Bay and Melinda. Creator: Unknown Date: 1908 Identifier: B 10-36a Format: Ephemera Rights: Public domain Read More →

From Flickr: “Fire (1904); Bay St., looking south-weat from north of Wellington St. W., Toronto, Ont.” by Toronto Public Library Special Collections

On April 19, 1904, fire ripped through downtown Toronto in what is now the Financial District. It started in a tie factory. Wooden exterior fire-escapes and window-sills meant it spread quickly. New-fangled elevators became chimneys. Because of the strong winds and cold, ice congealed on the telegraph wires, the streets Read More →

From Flickr: “Canadian Feather & Mattress Company, Melinda St.,north side, east of Bay St., fire, May 9, 1905” by Toronto Public Library Special Collections

Taken just a year and a few weeks after the Great Toronto Fire of 1904, this dramatic shot of the fire at the Canadian Feather & Mattress Company on Melinda St. just east of Bay Street, illustrates the difficulty that the new taller buildings posed to firefighters. The relatively newly-developed Read More →