Peter Mohan
Peter Mohan on the left in 2010 and on the right in 1965.
AUDIO INTERVIEW
SUMMARY
July 22, 2014
00:28 RAVINES: Peter talks about playing in the ravines; his house was across from the continuation of Lonsdale Road that terminated at the ravine.
00:50 All the paths were wild then and there weren’t any condo buildings.
01:05 LIFE OF A CHILD: One thing he remembers from his childhood is riding around the streets on his bike when everything was much quieter.
01:40 LIFE OF A CHILD / RESTAURANTS: Peter remembers going after school to Kresges where the Shoppers Drug Mart is now. They would sit at the old style soda fountain counter and get cheap drinks and toast. None of them could afford much back then.
02:03 Where the Loblaws is now was much the same back then, It had a soda counter there where they would go for lunch or after school for a treat. Those places were reminiscent of the 1940s
02:36 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE: Talking about his memories of St. Clair and how they weren’t actually great – he would go from his house at Bathurst and St. Clair to the Cole’s bookstore to read books. He would ride his bike there everyday to get books. It was where the LCBO is now, and back then it was not great looking. “A lot of it filled space for me until I got to my destination.”
03:42 RESTAURANTS: There were some memorable places, including Da Maria’s Pizza where he would go with his family, and Archer’s for a special occasion (on the north side of St. Clair between Arlington and Atlas). It was a very “different establishment” for the area because it was an old-school steak house with red leather booths. They’d serve big steaks with the sides served separately.
04:35 SHOPS: Peter doesn’t remember much about the strip.
04:39 ENTERTAINMENT: On the north side of St. Clair there was a great cinema – the Vaughan Cinema – from the 1940s.
05:27 Memorable Events: Peter tells the story of the night the Vaughan Cinema opened; the projectionist hung himself in the projection booth. Forever afterwards people would see his ghost wandering around.
06:06 How the space changed businesses and ownership.
06:12 In the late 1970s and early 1980s it was a review and art house theatre that did well.
07:02 RECREATION: On the south-east corner of St. Clair and Bathurst, upstairs, there was a Bowlerama where the kids would go; it was popular in the neighbourhood.
07:33 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE: Peter talks about the changes on the street and how it took a long time for it to change.
07:58 DOMESTIC LIFE: He and his wife lived on Oakwood and then Pinewood and now they live south of St. Clair.
08:20 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE: For a long time he hoped better businesses would move in, seemed that all that would open were more variety stores. New businesses would fold either from lack of customers or lack of business acumen.
08:45 BUSINESSES / RESTAURANTS: Things really started to change when Ferro opened and then the Rushton and Catch; they became anchors to bring people and businesses to the area. Really has taken off.
09:15 TRANSIT: The streetcar lanes have been a pain for drivers – the traffic has congested – but there has been a proliferation of businesses in the last 15 years.
09:47 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE: There has been a greater mix of cultures, restaurants and businesses in the area, which is maybe why St. Clair has attracted festivals such as Salsa on St. Clair. He says the development of the Barns has created a great magnet for culture, art, music and theatre. “Golden time for the St. Clair stretch, now.”
10:31 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE: Peter stayed in the area for more than 40 years. It’s a great neighbourhood to live in, raise children, walk around.
11:06 TRANSIT: Peter has memories of riding the St. Clair streetcar. “That was what you did.” You had to use it to get anywhere. “It was your lifeline.” It was great, ran on time.
12:00 He remembers missing a stop maybe when he was a teenager and tipsy.
12:19 WYCHWOOD BARNS: He would go to fundraisers for the revitalization of the Barns.
12:41 When he was young it was “just this dead spot” a boarded-up place that wasn’t used. It was a great building in disrepair, it peaked your interest as to what might be in there, but it was a “dead issue.” He is not sure if the Barns were used in the 1970s.
13:38 TRANSIT: There was a streetcar line up Bathurst.
14:05 DOMESTIC LIFE: He lived on the other side of Yonge Street as a kid, quiet neighbourhood, close to his school.
14:37 His parents moved to a bigger house in the St. Clair area, which was a great place to grow up, great neighbours.
15:00 SCHOOLS: He went to Holy Rosary School, St. Mike’s. Lots of things happened around the school, go to dances and play hockey at arena.
15:22 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE / LIFE OF A CHILD: They would ride bikes around at night, hang out in the neighbourhood as kids, go to Casa Loma.
15:38 When his children were young Peter and his wife lived on Oakwood and had friends who also had children. They are still friends. It’s a good neighbourhood for making and maintaining friendships.
16:40 Neighbourhood “Scotch Club” includes friends from those days meet monthly.
17:00 Talking about the neighbourhood and friendships: it’s not a “snooty” neighbourhood; there are a lot of people from different backgrounds; it’s diverse culturally and economically; people are nice and support each other; it’s an “interest diverse” area.
18:01 Scotch Club is a good example. Everyone comes from completely different walks of life but come in with interesting life experiences to share.
18:38 Peter still finds that people will become friends with the people who live very close to them or who are involved in the same kinds of projects in the community. The biggest thing was making friends with parents of their children’s school friends’ – Hippo School, Cherrywood, McMurrich, Winona
19:50 Peter thinks his children have had similar experiences to him having grown up in the same community.
20:06 Oldest son lives in the east end. Other son and his daughter have stayed close to the neighbourhood and stay connected to it. Still friends with people they grew up with.
21:14 LIFE OF A CHILD: There were more opportunities in the neighbourhood for his children than for him growing up in the 1960s and 1970s.
21:55 When he was growing up it was unstructured, kids running wild.
22:05 His children had more structured experiences.
22:24 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE / LIFE OF A CHILD: The shared experience is the closeness and the relationships that he and his children made in the neighbourhood.
22:42 SCHOOLS: St. Mike’s good school academically but he was more involved in the arts. The school was better known for hockey at the time. Was a good school for a lot of people.
24:15 Peter doesn’t think St Mike’s was involved with the community too much, they were their own thing.
22:56 ACTIVISM: He doesn’t remember any activism going on in the neighbourhood back then; his impression is that it was less than now but can’t say for sure.
24:56 Peter remembers the action to stop the Spadina Expressway as a big thing, but he wasn’t involved.
25:18 MEMORABLE PEOPLE: Marshall McLuhan lived in Wychwood Park and you’d see him around. Don Franks (the actor) lived on Tichester and you might see him around.
26:29 PLACES OF WORSHIP: Peter attended Holy Rosary church on Walmer Rd.
26:39 LIFE OF A CHILD: He still has friends he made during his school years in grades 6 and 7. He has picked up friendships all over.
27:24 RESTAURANTS: Kentucky Fried Chicken was there for a long time.
27:37 Once he was old enough to have a beer (or convince a waitress he was old enough for a beer) they went to The Cottage, on the south side of St. Clair just west of Bathurst. Later became Legends, and now it’s something else.
28:22 SHOPS: On the north side of the street was the Open Window bakery – a great bakery.
29:04 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE: It’s always been a really good neighbourhood, become a great neighbourhood. Level of activism and engagement across the board is amazing. Lots of great things at the Barns, Churches offer community outreach with shelter and meals, people INVOLVED in all kinds of cultural events. An exciting area.