The changing landscape of the Yonge and Dundas intersection

The Yonge and Dundas intersection has been a major shopping and entertainment focal point in Toronto for almost a century. It is probably the busiest intersection in Canada. My memory goes back to the 1960s when it was a place to go to buy records (at Sams the Record Man and A&A Records) and to listen to live music. My favourite stomp was the Colonial Tavern for jazz.

The Northwesteast corner of Yonge/Dundas in 1960.

The landscape changed dramatically by the late 1970s with the opening of the Eaton Centre. Many of the businesses on Yonge Street moved into the indoor mall and the Yonge Street strip went through a rapid decline. What was left on the strip was discount stores, arcades and strip clubs.

The Northwesteast corner of Yonge/Dundas in 1980 following the opening of the Eaton Centre.

The city approved a revitalization of the Yonge and Dundas intersection in the late 1990s with the construction of the Yonge-Dundas Square and the erection of massive electronic billboards modelling New York's Time Square. The Square and other developments led to the demolition of the rundown structures that had taken over the strip.

The Northwesteast corner of Yonge/Dundas today.

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