Toronto

View from TD Tower, 1970

When opened in 1967, the main tower of the Toronto-Dominion Centre was the tallest building in the British Commonwealth. The following photos show the view from the 56th floor in March 1970.

Since then, a lot has changed in the downtown, and today, the view is very much different. Today, the TD Tower is the 5th tallest building in the city, surpassed by the First Canadian Place to the north, the Scotia Plaza to the north-east, the Canada Trust Tower to the south-east, and Commerce Court West to the east. (Zoning approval has been granted for construction of the Trump Tower, which, when complete, will be taller than all of these.)

The view to the north is dominated by the two towers of the City Hall, built a few years earlier in 1965. To the left and a couple of blocks further away is Queen's Park. Today, this view is blocked by the 72 storey First Canadian Place, built in 1975.

The tallest building to the east is St. James Cathedral. To the left is the St. Lawrence Market. In the distance are the Beaches. Today, this view is blocked by the 57 storey Commerce Court West building (completed 1972).

To the south, you see the Toronto Islands. One ferry is in view returing to the mainland, where you can now find Harbourfront. In the center foreground is the former postal building, which now houses the Air Canada Centre, home of the Maple Leafs and the Raptors. Today, you can see the two towers of the Royal Bank plaza. The green space at the foot of Yonge Street now holds the Toronto Star building.

The main east-west streets visible are (from left to right) Front Street, Wellington Street West, and King Street West. The factories, warehouses, railroad sidings, and parking lots are largely gone now, replaced by many new buildings, such as Metro Hall, the Metro Convention Center North, Roy Thompson Hall, the Rogers Centre (formerly Skydome), and the CBC Broadcast Centre. In the distance to the left is the Exhibition grounds.