Then and Now: Toledo and Vicinity
1902 Walking Tour
A map-driven walking tour of Toledo in 1902 using original Sanborn maps from 1902 and 1904 as well as Google Street View for virtual tours. This evolving exhibit will soon include vintage and current photographs, and public input on the identities of establishments is highly welcome. [Exhibit link]
Lost Landmarks: Historic Toledo Buildings That Have Been Demolished or Altered
Toledo, like most modern cities has lost its share of early historic landmarks. This PDF document remembers a few of the most notable that are long gone or altered. Each page offers a turn-of-the-century postcard or view with a photograph that duplicates (as closely as possible) the postcard view. Commercial, industrial, public, residential, natural and recreational sites are featured. This information is based on an exhibit of early postcards presented by the Ward M. Canaday Center in 1993 entitled, "Wish You Were Here!" This exhibit was funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council. A primary resource for the original exhibition's text was William D. Speck's 1983 thesis entitled, "Lost Toledo: A Study of Demolished Architecture in Toledo, Ohio." The Columbia University student of Historic Preservation documented 156 "historically significant" structures that had been destroyed or significantly altered. All of the modern photographs were taken by William Hartough of the University of Toledo's Public Information Office. [Document link]
Talking to Stone: Historical Markers in Toledo
A monument is a curious way to record history. It is the oldest, most ancient form of history writing (what else is a pyramid or a statue but a memorial of some past?) and still remains a popular means of expressing historical ideas. Like the ancients, our society still etches its feats and stories in stone and metal. [Exhibit link]
Virtual Tours through Space and Time
Explore these virtual tours and collections in HistoryPin with past images superimposed on current Google maps. These tours are based on a series of student projects in the History of Department at the University of Toledo over two decades ago.
HistoryPin Collections
Wish you were here! Toledo's Lost Landmarks
HistoryPin Tours
WhatWasThere
This portal works like HistoryPin: it allows users to create a profile and submit photos and descriptions to appear over a specific location on the map. The site defaults to Toledo, but you can add a different location to view user-contributed photos for the location(s) of your choice. As of now, there are 386 images. [Site link: WhatWasThere.com]
Related Exhibits
Toledo Properties Nominated for the National Register of Historic Places (Architecture)
Lucas County and the city of Toledo have a number of structures listed on the register, but hundreds more have been nominated over the years and not been approved for the list. These nominations are a rich source for local history, as they contain detailed descriptions of buildings, some of them since demolished, as well as brief histories of their origins, builders, and prominent occupants. [Exhibit link]