Ossington Avenue may now be known for its restaurants and bars today but a decades ago, the west end street was considerably more down on its luck.
We took historic photos of the avenue and its neighbours and matched them with modern-day snapshots. Take a look at the interactive sliders below to see just how much the neighbourhood has changed. All modern day photos are by James Bombales. All historic pictures are from the Toronto’s Public Library’s Digital Archive unless otherwise specified.
129 to 133 Ossington Avenue, 1943
Image: City of Toronto Archives, Series 372, Item 857
Ossington and Queen, Columbia Hotel, 1955
Gates of Trinity College, 1916
Image: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 1516
128 Ossington Avenue, 1940
Image: City of Toronto Archives, Series 372, Item 745
Ideal Bread Company, 183-193 Dovercourt Road, at Argyle Street, 1923
Image: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1034, Item 839
Ossington Avenue and Argyle, looking west, 1958
Image: City of Toronto Archives, Series 372, Item 750
Ossington Avenue at Foxley Street, 1920
Image: City of Toronto Archives, Series 372, Item 878
Ossington at Bloor Street, looking east, 1931
Image: City of Toronto Archives, Series 71, Item 8413
Ossington and Bloor, looking north, 1931
Image: City of Toronto Archives, Series 71, Item 8414
Want to see more? Check our history sliders of Dufferin Street, Midtown Toronto, Roncesvalles, Yorkville and Spadina.