Yonge looking north from Temperance, 1903 (1/86)
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in Europe we did not have AC either in the houses and buses. We kept windows open, we walked too during busy times. The problem I see it is if you are in a wheelchair or walk with difficulty
Everyone rode the streetcar. That’s probably why it came every three minutes.
And they road the streetcar probably because they could not afford an automobile. Times have changed. I hated the Red Rocket in the summer in the 1960s and 70s, because they didn’t have AC. Not a pleasant ride to and from the office
In the 1960s and 1970s, AC was pretty unusual. Few people had it in homes or cars. My parents lived in a house built in the 1920s and when it was hot they sat outside on a stone porch with bamboo awnings keeping the sun at bay. Some of us used to sleep out there because the third floor was unbearable. In a car, if it was hot you just rolled down the windows to get a breeze while it was moving, and same thing with a streetcar.
Fortunately, I got a job in a large insurance company whose building was state-of-the-art so I didn’t swelter. I didn’t know anybody in the 60s who had AC in their home, but it was great to live in the Beach.
I lived in Bloor West Village, and I too worked for large corporations in office buildings (Manulife, Confederation Life, CIBC, Bank of Montreal, TSX) downtown. That was a long trip downtown via streetcars; dressing carefully for the trip was important, and I kept a sweater or light shirt at the office to keep warm in the AC office. This makes me think that we were more used to going without AC in the 50s and 60s than we are now. In fact, I don’t remember more than a few days each summer when it was that hot.
It would be interesting to know how many of these buildings are still standing. Not many. Some of the buildings are beautifully designed and it’s a shame to have them replaced by glass and steel towers.
Only 120 years ago. I wonder how it’ll be in 2143 …
That was the year my grandpa and his twin sister were born in Toronto