Tuesday Treasures

 May 2026 - Toronto ON

 Tom hosts Tuesday's Treasures.

Between 1880-83 - Looking north up Yonge St from Queen St in the Downtown Yonge area of Toronto.

Archive Photo Credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1478, Item 38 - F.W. Micklethwaite photographs

1938 looking north at Queen and Yonge

2026

The F. W. Woolworth building at 2 Queen Street West, located on the northwest corner of Yonge and Queen in Toronto, is a historic landmark designed in 1895 with a distinct curved facade. Woolworth's occupied this prominent site from 1913 until the 1960s, operating a popular "five-and-dime" store that served as a landmark near the Toronto Eaton Centre

You can see the five-and-dime in the 1938 photo.

 The building is famously known for its curved storefront at the northwest corner of Queen and Yonge, initially built for Philip E. Jamieson in 1895.

Woolworth's took over the space around 1913, following a brief tenure by S.H. Knox & Company. It remained a staple in downtown Toronto's retail scene for decades.

The site was later famous for having a lunch counter in the basement with a tunnel leading to the Eaton's store.

Following Woolworth's, the building served as a Tower Records and later an Atmosphere store, with the structure eventually undergoing extensive restoration and heritage preservation.

The building is still recognized as the F. W. Woolworth Building and acts as a preserved heritage component at 2 Queen Street West.