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Yorkville then and now: University Theatre
Posted on by Bazis Inc.

Today, Yorkville is known for its upscale boutiques including Louis Vuitton, Prada and Gucci as well as for its luxury hotels such as the Four Seasons and the Park Hyatt. In addition, Yorkville is also home to Exhibit and Crystal Blu condominiums.

Back in the 1970’s however, the area was once home to a number of cinemas including University theatre.

The University Theatre was once the largest movie house in Canada and was also a centre for the Toronto International Film Festival. It was located on Bloor Street just west of Yonge Street and was one of Toronto’s premier cinemas.

Opened in 1949, the University Theatre was a single screen theatre that housed 1300 people and was a popular venue for cinema fans throughout the 1950’s all the way through to the 1970’s. However, as the 1980’s rolled around, multiplexes became more popular and single screen cinemas became less economic.

In 1981, Famous Players made the decision to demolish the theatre and in response,  film enthusiasts and heritage groups waged a campaign to keep the cinema open. This delayed its closing for several years but it was eventually torn down in 1986. Today a Pottery Barn stands where the University theatre used to be.

Eglinton station back in the day
Posted on by Bazis Inc.

As you probably already know, E Condos will have an underground connection to Eglinton Subway Station. This is just one of the many changes that Eglinton Station has seen over the years since it opened to the public back in 1954. Let’s take a look back at what it originally looked like in those days. Continue reading →

Yonge and Eglinton: Past, present and future
Posted on by Bazis Inc.

Yonge and Eglinton will experience a dramatic transformation once E Condos takes up permanent residence at 8 Eglinton Avenue East in 2017. In many ways though, Yonge and Eglinton has always been a neighbourhood of transformation and a lot has changed at this intersection over the last 200 years.

Back in the 1930’s for example, the Toronto Dominion Bank used to sit at the northeast corner of Yonge and Eglinton.

The building now looks completely different from what it looked like in the 1930’s and Dominion Bank has been rebranded and is now called TD Canada Trust.

The bank will experience yet another makeover when it is incorporated into the design of E Condos. It will be one of the retail spaces that will occupy the ground floor of E Condos in 2017.

The southeast corner of Yonge and Eglinton has seen a lot of changes too. Back in the early 20th century, the intersection had several residential homes, some of which were converted into shops. The one in the photograph below for example, sold cigarettes, cigars and tobacco.

Many of these shops and residential homes were later turned into commercial buildings and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce opended a branch at 1 Eglinton Avenue East in the 1930’s.

The bank is still there today and like many of the buildings on Yonge and Eglinton, it looks completely different from what it looked like 80 years ago.

Here are a few more old photos of Yonge and Eglinton along with some recent ones.

And of course, here’s what Yonge and Eglinton will look like in 2017.