Church-Wellesley Village Toronto

This was a steak house in 1972, and it’s still a restaurant in 2018. Hair of the Dog, Wood Street at Church. CBC’s free-standing television tower & offices are in the background.

The laundromat above, on the southeast corner of Maitland Street at Church in 1972, is now the Church Mouse Pub.

The parking lot opposite Maple Leaf Gardens in 1972 is now being replaced by two condo towers.

Northeast corner of Maitland and Church remains much the same as it was in 1972.

The Loblaw’s store and parking lot (1971) have been replaced by Barbara Hall Park. The Monteith Street townhouses remain intact, but their white paint has been removed. All archival photos are from the City of Toronto Archives & Sidewalk Labs’ OLD TORONTO project.

It’s the invasion of the condo developers, and we could all see it coming. TORONTO’s little gay village (aka Church-Wellesley Village) will soon be surrounded on all sides by construction cranes. This is prime real estate in the heart of downtown, and the influx of hundreds of new apartments will no doubt change the neighbourhood’s character – maybe for the better, maybe not.

A few of the buildings going up on Church Street and its immediate vicinity are illustrated below – #1) 70 Carlton Street, 41 storeys, not yet approved, Tribute Communities; #2) 365 Church Street, 30 storeys, Menkes Developments; #3) 66 Isabella Street, 23 storeys, Quadrangle Architects; #4) 81 Wellesley Street East, 28 storeys, Aragon Developments. This list doesn’t include new high-rises on Wellesley Street West, the Ryerson University campus, Church and Dundas Street East, Church and Queen Street East, and further south.