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This is the only known photograph of a downtown building long gone

Before it was the TD Bank, there was a grain dealers business at 106 Hurontario Street

Until 1914 municipal staff working in Collingwood’s Town Hall would have seen this unassuming wooden building when looking out of the Town Hall’s west-facing windows. Today, this site is home to the Toronto Dominion (TD) Bank at 106 Hurontario Street.

When this photograph was taken in 1912, the building housed T. Long and Bro. Provision and Grain Dealers and was one of many sites owned by the Long brothers.

To better understand the building’s placement, a photograph of the Norman Rule Livery has been included (Photograph 2). The south side of the Long building is just visible along the photograph’s right side. The Rule Livery is the present location of the National Bank at 108 Hurontario Street.

A handwritten note on the photograph’s front indicates that the building was “Removed [in] 1914”. This is the only known photograph to directly feature the wooden building. In its place, the new home of the Bank of Toronto was constructed, officially opening on December 19, 1920, under the management of C.W. Pangman (Photograph 3).

The Bank of Toronto was originally located in the three-storey brick building presently housing Collingwood Flowers and Home Decor (formerly Smart’s Flowers) at 56 Hurontario Street and Haven Home and Gift at 54 Hurontario Street.

If you have a story to share about today’s featured photographs, please contact museum staff at [email protected].

Remember This is a weekly series of historic photographs submitted by the Collingwood Museum to CollingwoodToday.ca. These photographs were originally collected and documented by the Huron Institute in an historical catalogue entitled Huron Institute Paper and Records: Volume III. Much of Collingwood’s early history has been preserved due to the dedication and foresight of the early museum’s founders, namely its secretary-curator David Williams, upon its establishment in 1904.