Queens Quay Through the Years

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Many areas of Toronto have seen a lot of change over the years. There’s been so much development throughout the city that diving into historical photos is so interesting! You can always pick out a few familiar things but so much has been added to our skyline. Queens Quay is one area where there has definitely been a lot of change. From the development of the Corus complex to Sugar Beach, there has been many improvements to the area.

Looking back at the history behind Queens Quay, the first streetcar tracks were laid back in 1927. Back then the area was almost entirely industrial and it lasted that way until around the 1970s. Streetcar service along Queens Quay stopped 50 years after the tracks were put in and then once again returned to the area in 1989 when the area was shifting away from being so industrial.

By the 1980s, the waterfront was beginning to be bought up by real estate developers. Now that things were looking less industrial, it was beginning to change into the waterfront that we know and love today. Developers recognized that this was a prime space for people to live and over the years made it into one of the more desirable areas in the city. Besides, who wouldn’t want to live along the waterfront?

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All photos via City of Toronto Archives

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