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Title: |
Undated photos - H. W. Petrie's Cyclorama building, Toronto |
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Source: |
Toronto Public Library Digital Archive |
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Insert Date: |
11/14/2018 9:16:39 AM |
Thanks to Suzanna Wray for forwarding us these images. The Cyclorama building was located on Front Street between York and Simcoe, close to Union Station.
The Cyclorama was built in 1887 by the Toronto Art Exhibit Co. "Cycloramas" were popular at the time. They were used for exhibitions of giant joined paintings, that when seen from the viewing platform, created an immersive experience, usually of a famous battle. Actors, lighting and even smoke were used to further the effect.
By the late 1890s the Cyclorama had fallen in popularity and the Toronto building was seized by the city for non-payment of taxes. By the early 1900s the H. W. Petrie company had taken possession of the building which they used as a machinery showroom. In the 1920s the building converted to a parking garage for the nearby Royal York Hotel, then it was converted to a Ford dealer showroom, then back to a parking garage, then a Swiss-themed restaurant, and then it was torn down in 1976. |
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Petrie Emporium, 1922
H. W. Petrie's Machinery Emporium, 1906
Cyclorama as Ford dealership, 1953
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