20 gritty photos of Toronto in the 1980s

Before towering glass condos reshaped Toronto's skyline and neighbourhoods like Liberty Village turned into densely populated residential hubs, the city had a rougher, grittier edge. 

During the 1980s, Toronto was marked by its flickering video rental signs, industrial waterfront, cheap baseball tickets, and live music scene.

Yonge Street and Queen Street West were constantly buzzing with chaos and glowing neon, and landmarks like Sam The Record Man and The Horseshoe Tavern helped define a generation of local culture and music.

Here are 20 photos of what Toronto looked like in the 1980s.

Queen Street

Queen Street looking east from Spadina, sometime between 1977 and 1983. 

Liberty Village

Southeast corner of Liberty Street and Mowat Avenue.

Liberty Street looking east from Jefferson Avenue. 

Yonge Street

Yonge Street looking south to Gould, sometime between 1979 and 1984.

King Street

View from the 16th floor of the Lord Simcoe Hotel, showing the new Massey Hall site in 1980. 

Port Lands

Looking northeast over the ship channel from the Port Lands, sometime between 1980 and 1988. 

Bathurst Street

View of Bathurst Street from the north at Front Street West in 1981. 

Dundas Street

View of Dundas Street West at Ossington Avenue from the northwest corner in July 1983.

Bathurst and Queen

Bathurst Street looking north to Queen, sometime between 1983 and 1985. 

Dundas and Beverley

Dundas Street West looking east to Beverley Street in 1980. 

Yonge and Dundas

Biltmore Theatre on the east of Yonge Street, north of Dundas, between 1977 and 1985. 

Flower vendor on Yonge Street, south from Dundas, between 1980 and 1983. 

Dundas and Yonge Street at night from the 6th floor of Eaton's in 1981. 

Yonge and Dundas intersection in 1983. 

Front and Spadina 

Front Street looking east to Spadina in 1986 or 1987.

Eastern Waterfront

Looking south to Redpath Sugar on the eastern waterfront, sometime between 1980 and 1987. 

Kensington Market

Kensington Avenue looking north from St. Andrew in the 1980s.

Parkdale 

Parkdale Library at the southeast corner of Queen and Cowan, sometime between 1980 and 1991.

Bay and Bloor

Bus loading on Bay Street north of Bloor, looking north. 

John and Front

John and Front looking northeast, sometime between 1983 and 1987.

What area of Toronto do you think looks the most different today?