A visual history of Bloor Street in Toronto

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A great photo of the old sign at Duffy's Tavern inspired me to fill in yet another gap in our series of historical posts about Toronto: Bloor Street.

Gooderham Residence (pre-fence) at St. George & Bloor, 1892

Although we've devoted some attention to the intersection of Yonge & Bloor, the rest of the street hasn't received its well-deserved time in the spotlight.

Bloor and Sherbourne, 1907

That's a bit of an oversight when you consider just how important an artery it is for this city.

Building up Bloor East toward Sherbourne, 1908

I suspect, however, that Bloor gets somewhat overlooked when talking about Toronto's grand streets because north/south corridors like Yonge and Spadina played a more important role in the early development of the city.

Bloor & Avenue Road, 1908

When Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe created Toronto's Park Lots in the 1790s, Bloor was the northern terminus of the long narrow estates that would eventually determine the general shape of the downtown streetscape.

Meteorological office at Bloor & Devonshire, 1908

Looking at photos of Bloor in the early 20th century, one realizes that the street didn't become the busy thoroughfare we know today until around the 1920s, and even then, the density was limited to the central stretch between Sherbourne and Bathurst or so.

Ossington & Bloor, 1911

Further to the west near High Park, the area around Bloor was downright bucolic. But you'd have to pass the industrial hub around Lansdowne on your way to the tranquil looking Mineral Baths, which are sadly long gone.

Bloor between Yonge and Avenue Road, 1912

On the other side of the city, the street actually terminated at Sherbourne prior to the construction of the Bloor Viaduct, at which time a section of the Rosedale ravine was filled in connecting the street southeast to Parliament and then across the two valleys to the Danforth.

Across from High Park, 1914

Along with the completion of the viaduct, the other watershed moment in the street's history was surely the arrival of the subway in 1966 (subsequently to be extended further east and west in 1968 and 1980).

Looking west on Bloor to Keele, 1915

Although Bloor was already an important street at the time, the presence of the subway still brought about profound intensification. Take a look at the Ellis Wiley photo looking west at Bay in 1970. The scene is almost unrecognizable.

Filling in Bloor East to connect with the Viaduct, 1915

Other parts of the street retain a more obvious link with the past, like the former dominance of Honest Ed's at Bloor and Bathurst, or the newly restored Bloor (Hot Docs) Cinema.

Looking east from Keeke, 1915

Bloor may not reveal much connection with the past along the unfortunately named Mink Mile, but further to the east and west, there's lots of the old character of the street still on display.