Toronto skyline transformation

The transformation of Toronto's skyline from 1880 to today

There's few more obvious ways to track the growth of a city than by charting the transformation of its skyline.

Perhaps this is especially the case with a city like Toronto, where developments have seemed to come in major stages, whether this be the rise of the Royal York Hotel in the late 1920s, the Toronto Dominion Centre in the late 60s, or the addition of the CN Tower in the mid-70s.

The photos below speak mostly for themselves in this capacity. Toronto now boasts one of the most impressive skylines in the world, but if you go back to the outset of the 1960s, there's nary a modern building in sight. We are a thoroughly contemporary city in this capacity.

Behold, the transformation of the Toronto skyline from 1880 to today.

Late 1880s

toronto 1880s

Photo via the Toronto Archives.

1914

toronto skyline 1914

Photo via the Toronto Archives.

1919

toronto skyline 1919

Photo via the Toronto Archives.

1920s

toronto skyline 1920

Photo via the Toronto Archives.

1930s

toronto skyline 1930

Photo via the Toronto Archives.

1940

toronto skyline 1946

Photo via the Toronto Archives.

1957

toronto skyline 1957

Photo via the Toronto Archives.

1964

toronto skyline 1964

Photo via the Toronto Archives.

1967

toronto skyline 1967

Photo via the Toronto Archives.

1974

toronto skyline 1974

Photo by mdintenfass.

1981

toronto skyline 1981

Photo Mike Dunham-Wilkie.

1990

toronto skyline 1990

Photo via the Toronto Archives.

2001

toronto skyline 2001

Photo by Phillip Dines.

2007

toronto skyline 2007

Photo by josche.

2010

toronto skyline 2010

Photo by steve colwill.

2016

toronto skyline

Photo by Nicoli OZ Mathews.

2022

toronto skyline

Photo by Marcanadian

Lead photo by

The Toronto Archives


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