40 Wonderful Photos of Yonge Street, Toronto in the 1970s

Yonge Street is one of the oldest streets in Toronto, Canada, but few of its current buildings date back to much before 1900. It is generally considered to be Toronto's main street and claims to the longest main street in the world, running from the shore of lake Ontario in the Harbourfront neighbourhood to Lake Superior, a total distance of 1,896 km (1,178 mi).

Yonge Street Mall, circa 1971.

Yonge Street Mall, circa 1971.

Fashion show, Yonge Street Mall, circa 1971.

View of crowd walking through Yonge Street Mall at Gould Street, August 17, 1971.

Music World store at southeast corner of Yonge and Gould.

“Yonge” canopy along Gould Street.

Chess match outside Sam the Record Man.

Chess in the shadow of Funland.

A&A Records & Tapes, Thrifty’s, and the Great Chocolate Chip Cookie Machine viewed from Elm Street.

A later view from Elm Street.

Northwest corner of Yonge and Elm.

McGill Street before it was closed off at Yonge.

College Park Shops.

S. S. Kresge store, southeast corner of Yonge Street and Carlton Street, circa 1979.

How the scene shown at the beginning of this column turned out.

A&A Records and Steele's Tavern on Yonge Street at Elm Street, circa 1975.

Bassel's Restaurant at Yonge and Gerrard Streets, 1979. Bassel's was a landmark on the Yonge Street strip, catering to hockey fans and Ryerson students and faculty. It originated as a lunch counter in the 1950s, and had evolved into a restaurant and tavern by the 1970s.

Coronet Theatre at Yonge and Gerrad Streets, 1979. The cinema marquee sign indicates that Clint Eastwood's "Every Which Way But Loose" and George Burns' "Oh God" are playing.

Looking north on Yonge Street at its intersection with the side street called Dundas Square, circa 1979. The building called Dundas Square, containing a Classic Book Store, has since been demolished to make way for a public square called Yonge-Dundas Square.

Pedestrians walking north on Yonge Street at its intersection with Dundas Square, circa 1979.

Eaton Centre Yonge Street, circa 1979.

The former North Toronto Station circa 1975, serving as a Liquor Control Board outlet. The clock on the historic clock tower has been replaced with a modern clock with the National Trust logo.

Oddfellows' Hall at the northwest corner of Yonge and College Streets, with a branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce at grade, circa 1970.

The Imperial Theatre in Toronto, 1972. In this image, "The Godfather" is shown on the marquee as playing in the cinema.

PCC streetcar on Queen Street at Yonge, 1979.

PCC streetcar on College Street at Yonge, 1979.

Row of shops at Yonge and Yorkville, circa 1975.

The former Royal Bank of Canada building on the northeast corner of Yonge and Bloor Streets, 1974.

Southwest corner Dundas Square and Yonge Street,  circa 1979.

The store front of the "United Notions International Boutique" on Yonge Street, circa 1971.

Yonge and College Streets, 1979.

Yonge Street, looking north towards the intersection with Gould Street, 1971.

Yonge and Gould Streets looking north, towards a Bank of Commerce branch, 1979.

Yonge and Gould Streets, looking north-east, circa 1979.

The William Reynolds Block at Yonge and Gould Streets in Toronto, circa 1979.

Yonge Street looking east on Maitland Street. 1960s-era Village Green development visible in background, circa 1975.

Looking south down Yonge Street, at Teraulay Street, towards the Imperial Theatre, circa 1971. Teraulay Street was closed in the late 1970s and is now occupied by part of the Eaton Centre. The Imperial Theatre is currently the Canon Theatre.

The former C.J. Frogley Bakery building at 850 Yonge Street, looking northwest towards Yorkville Avenue, circa 1973. The two buildings in the foreground (the Frogley building containing a closed sewing centre, and the building next door with a hearing aid shop) still exist, with the red Frogley building (since repainted) having been home to a cookbook store for many years (which closed in 2014 to make way for a residential condominium building). The grocery store on Yorkville Avenue, in the background of this photo, became a Loblaws, and was demolished to make way for a park and a residential condominium.

Yonge Street looking north, 1972.

The west side of Yonge Street, immediately north of Albert Street, with the old Eaton's Main Store visible south of Albert Street, circa 1971.

(Photos © City of Toronto Archives)