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rfmcdonaldblogTO's Derek Flack has a nice photo essay exploring the literal genesis of Queens Quay on Toronto's waterfront, with plenty of beautiful images.
To walk along Queens Quay these days, one might imagine that it's always been Toronto's lakefront street. It's certainly been built up enough over time to make it seem as though as it's been around as long as Toronto itself. But, of course, in the grand scheme of things, our waterfront promenade isn't so old at all.
queens quay history torontoPrior to the mid 1920s, downtown Toronto's most southerly street was the Esplanade. In fact, many major north/south streets terminated at Front, which at the time was more aptly named than it is today. But as the city grew upwards, it also grew outwards. By 1926, a significant chunk of the inner harbour had been filled in as part of an extensive in-fill project.
And so Queens Quay was born.
[. . .]
Originally the street was little more than a promenade and streetcar tracks, but over time it developed into a bonafide thoroughfare. By the dawn of the 1930s, city-bound residents were flocking to the ferry docks in the summer for the short trip to the Islands. The service was run by the TTC back then, which is at least partially why the street was well served by transit from the beginning.
