Here's what Etobicoke suburbs looked like in the '50s and '60s (PHOTOS)

Then and now: Here's what Etobicoke looked like in the '50s and '60s (PHOTOS)

Etobicoke Clerk's Dept.

To say that Etobicoke experienced a population boom after the ’50s and ’60s is an understatement. Two decades after the Second World War, the population jumped from a mere 40,000 to a massive suburb with more than 200,000 residents. Of course, this influx of people meant a high demand for houses, shops, offices, schools, and, naturally, more roads to get people to these places.

And, like most North American suburbs, Etobicoke was designed to be very much a car-dependent place.

“The car was king,” according to the online exhibit Etobicoke: A Modern Suburb by the City of Toronto. And this is evident in the number of gas stations, the size of the parking lots outside shopping malls, and the homes with big driveways and garages. There were also car dealerships and colourful motels, ideal stops for out-of-town drivers.

Here are some photos from the Etobicoke Clerk’s Department that offer a unique glimpse of everyday life in Etobicoke during the ’50s and the ’60s and what they look like today.

Shopping Centres

Residents likely did their weekly groceries at shopping centres such as Bloordale and Evan’s.

Bloordale Service Centre, ca. 1963/Etobicoke Clerk’s Dept.

Evan’s Shopping Centre, ca. 1956/Etobicoke Clerk’s Dept.

And then there’s Humbertown Mall and Thorncrest Plaza, both of which are still very much a part of Etobicoke’s landscape.

Humbertown Mall, September 1961/Etobicoke Clerk’s Dept.

Thorncrest Plaza, ca. 1956/Etobicoke Clerk’s Dept.

Built between 1955 to 1956, the two malls are just a four-minute drive from each other and continue to be popular spots.

Here’s what Humbertown Mall looks like now.

Google Street View

And Thorncrest Plaza appears to be as busy today as it was in the ’50s.

Google Street View

Car dealerships

Rambler Dealer, Islington Avenue facade, August 1961/Etobicoke Clerk’s Dept.

Since you definitely needed a car to get around, residents could buy a car or perhaps trade in their existing ones for a fancier model at car dealerships such as Rambler.

Rambler Dealer, Bloor Street facade, August 1961/Etobicoke Clerk’s Dept.

Today, there’s no sign of Rambler anymore but according to Google Maps, the area does have a Sobey’s and the Islington subway station, which opened in 1968.

Google Street View

Gas stations

White Rose Gas Station, September 1961/Etobicoke Clerk’s Dept.

Drivers going to work or running errands were likely to stop and fuel up at places like White Rose Gas Station. It has since been rebranded as a Shell gas station and can be found on the north-eastern corner of the intersection of Islington and Dundas Street West.

This is what it looks like now, according to Google.

Google Street View

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Motel Strip

Lake Shore Boulevard West, looking east, ca. 1961/Etobicoke Clerk’s Dept.

With people driving long distances, motels quickly popped up along busy highways resulting in Etobicoke’s colourful motel strip located between Humber River and Mimico Creek. The picture above shows Silver Moon Hotel, the Dutch Sisters’ Inn and Hotel, the Rainbow Mote, and the Sunshine Tourist Court.

Since visitors had to eat and find things to do, the place also had bars, dance halls, and drive-through restaurants.

Silver Moon Hotel on Google Street View in 2007

The area started to decline during the ’70s and until 2007, you can still see the by-then-abandoned Silver Moon Hotel on Google Street View.

Google Street View, 2021

Today, as it is with most places in Toronto, the area is now dominated by rows of towering condominiums.