Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Hillcrest Motel -- Toronto, Ontario
General material designation
- Graphic material
Parallel title
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Item
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
c. 1960s (Creation)
- Creator
- Canadian Postcard Company
- Place
- USA
Physical description area
Physical description
2023.000.25: Postcard
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
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Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Custodial history
Scope and content
Front: Colour image. The image shows the front of a two storey building. The building has light brown brick along the left side and bottom. Along the top and half of the bottom storey, is white walls. There are balconies/railings along the top floor. At the corner on the left of the building, there is an overhang over a wall of windows. In front of the building, there is a road with multi-coloured cars in front. Behind the building and the very right edge, are trees with green leaves. At the bottom, there is a line of yellow text.
Back: Plain white back. There is a line of vertical text down the centre which divides the postcard. There is a paragraph of text on the left side and a few lines of text on the right.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script note
Mark / Inscription text: HILLCREST MOTEL – TORONTO, CANADA
Mark / Inscription type: Title
Mark / Inscription description:
Mark / Inscription technique: Printed, yellow ink
Mark / Inscription position: On front, bottom
Mark / Inscription language: English
Mark / Inscription translation: N/A
Mark / Inscription text:HILLCREST MOTEL / 2143 Lakeshore Blvd. West / TORONTO 14, CANADA / Conveniently located in the west end of Toronto on / Highway No. 2 (Lakeshore Rd.) - Just off the / Queen Elizabeth Highway – Ten minutes from the / centre of town. / A luxurious modern motel. Units complete with four / piece bath – individually controlled heating and air / conditioning – wall-to-wall broadloom – free televi- / sions – radios – telephones – 100 yards to find restau- / rants. Beach and lawn overlooking Lake Ontario and / Toronto Bay. Member Hilton Carte Blanche. Open / year round. / Phone: 255-7711
Mark / Inscription type: Hotel details
Mark / Inscription description:
Mark / Inscription technique: Printed, blue ink
Mark / Inscription position: On back,
Mark / Inscription language: English
Mark / Inscription translation: N/A
Mark / Inscription text: AAA / CAA
Mark / Inscription type: Sponsor branding
Mark / Inscription description: Two ovals circling both texts
Mark / Inscription technique: Printed, blue ink
Mark / Inscription position: On back, on either side of the hotel details
Mark / Inscription language: English
Mark / Inscription translation: N/A
Mark / Inscription text: 27088-B
Mark / Inscription type: Serial number
Mark / Inscription description:
Mark / Inscription technique: Printed, blue ink
Mark / Inscription position: On back, bottom left corner
Mark / Inscription language: English
Mark / Inscription translation: N/A
Mark / Inscription text: PRINTED / IN / U.S.A.
Mark / Inscription type: Maker mark
Mark / Inscription description:
Mark / Inscription technique: Printed, blue ink
Mark / Inscription position: On back, to the right for the serial number
Mark / Inscription language: English
Mark / Inscription translation: N/A
Mark / Inscription text: Canadian Post Card Co. Ltd., Toronto 3
Mark / Inscription type: Maker’s mark
Mark / Inscription description:
Mark / Inscription technique: Printed, blue ink
Mark / Inscription position: On back, printed vertically down the centre in the middle of the page
Mark / Inscription language: English
Mark / Inscription translation: N/A
Mark / Inscription text: Post Card
Mark / Inscription type: Branding
Mark / Inscription description:
Mark / Inscription technique: Printed, blue ink
Mark / Inscription position: On back, on right side about one-third down from the top
Mark / Inscription language: English
Mark / Inscription translation: N/A
Mark / Inscription text: PLACE / STAMP / HERE
Mark / Inscription type: Instructions/postage box
Mark / Inscription description: A rectangle made of 6 dots along the top and bottom and 9 dots along the left and right surround the text, the dots range in size
Mark / Inscription technique: Printed, blue ink
Mark / Inscription position: On back, upper right corner
Mark / Inscription language: English Mark / Inscription translation: N/A
Location of originals
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The Canadian Post Card Co. was founded in early 1910 by Donald Alexander Lynn of Toronto. Prior to founding Canadian Post Card Co., Donald A. Lynn was the manager of the Underwood & Underwood office in Toronto from 1897 to 1910. The company was active from at least 1911 through 1969.
The Hillcrest Motel neighboured the North American Motel at 2143 Lakeshore Boulevard West (or 199 Lakeshore Road). The Hillcrest Motel opened in 1949 by Mr. Gadzala (no first name given). The hotel was passed down to the owner’s son Edward Gadzala and was then partly run with Dave Gadzala (the grandson of the first owner). It was built on the waterfront to attract people. By 2008, the Gadzalas owned the North American Motel as well, but it is uncertain if they were the original owners or if they later purchased it sometime before 2008. In 2007/2008, the Gadzalas sold both motels to a developer and were eventually torn down in the spring of 2008. The Hillcrest was one of the last hotels on the Motel Strip to be demolished. The motel was featured in various film and tv shots, such as the TV series Due South and Jude Law's Repossession Mambo. Legend has it that Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper wrote Easy Rider during a debauched night in one of the rooms. A modified version of the motel's iconic modernist sign has long been used in the logo for Showcase's Fridays Without Borders.
In the 1940s-1960s, Etobicoke saw a rise in motels due to motor vehicles becoming more accessible and widely used. Motor hotels (motels) became prominent tourist destinations. Etobicoke Lakeshore’s prime motel era is seen in many postcards from the time period (primarily shots from Mimico and New Toronto). Replacing the traditional cottage industry in Long Branch, local sites hosted waterfront beaches, attractions, and quaint motels with easy and affordable access for local tourists following Lakeshore Road as the main link between East (Toronto), and the West (Buffalo and Niagara Falls) along the shoreline. Construction of the 401 and QEW diverted traffic away from the Lakeshore, causing a steep decline in Mimico’s motel industry in the 1980s, with the last structure demolished in 2012. Many of these sites were replaced by condos as tourism moved away from the area.
The date of this postcard is unknown. There is very little information about the publisher or the hotel itself. The best assumption is that it is likely from around the 1960s. This date is based off similar postcards found of the same design which were dated 1960 and 1962.