Friday, June 15, 2012

Half Beat Harold's

Half Beat Harold's Record Store. Does anyone know where this was?
Somewhere in Toronto I'm sure.
Thanks to Mark Moore for this photo.
Located at 2 Granby.
 Thanks to William Mewes for this scan from the 1967 Yellow Pages.
 This photo from Mark Moore.
This would appear to be it today. Note the brick detail around the windows.
 Harold was Harold Fagan (see comment below).


On Monday, March 6th, 1978, Harold and Florence Fagan, 63 and 62 respectively, were found shot to death in their home on Dewbourne Ave., near Bathurst St. and Eglinton Ave. W. Their chauffeur found their bodies when he came to pick up Mr. Fagan at 8:30 a.m. They are believed to have been killed late Sunday, the 5th. They were last known to be alive at 8 p.m. Sunday when their daughter telephoned.
Harold was a well-known, well-liked entrepreneur and concession stand owner at the Canadian National Exhibition, and police believed the killer’s motive was robbery and that he was familiar to the victims. The Fagans were reported to have kept $500 in their house, and police theorized the killer thought he would find more cash.
A year and a half later, the triple murder of the Airst family (see case #1 above) brought renewed interest to the murder of the Fagans because of the superficial similarities between the two crimes. Both sets of victims lived in the same area (about 1.5 km apart), were well-off, and were prominent members of Toronto’s Jewish community.

19 comments:

  1. I don't know where that was but it is so late '60s/early '70s...classic!

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  2. Is that a '67 Mustang parked out front? Niiiiice. There's something about the second story roof line of the building that's familiar, but I can't quite pin it down.

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  3. I don't know where it was but it's definitely Toronto. I found it referenced in a blog about the Toronto music scene in the 1960s.

    Nico b

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  4. I saw it referenced as well but up until now had never heard of it.
    All those posters on the outside remind me of the poster ads in National Lampoon magazine in the early 1970's.

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  5. The 1969 Yellow Pages show it as being at " 2 Granby Street"

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  6. I hope this isn't considered off topic but if any one wants any addresses looked up I have the 1947 and 1967 Toronto White Pages and the 1969 Yellow Pages.

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  7. Good detective work.
    It would have been on the N/E corner of Yonge and Granby.
    Before Granby was cut off from Yonge.

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  8. I have scanned and uploaded the advert from the 1969 Yellow Pages to my Flicker album.

    If GBC would rather grab the image from my album and post the actual image then delete this post or leave it up please do so.

    I tried to find a link to send an image but couldn't.

    With Thanks for the great site William Mewes

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/theghostofgraingertown/7396079482/sizes/o/in/photostream/

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  9. This is such great and fast results.
    Is William ' Anonymous' ?

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  10. That is me yes.
    When I originally posted I didn't understand how the system worked.

    ‹(•¿•)›

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  11. Cool William - Vintage Toronto is a group on facebook where I saw this photo and no one seemed to know where it was.
    You should go there and post this great ad and get credit for your work.
    Next - The Mews on Younge St. I have memories of a bunch of head shops on 2 floors inside this old Masonic Hall building.

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  12. Yes, thank you William for the contribution. And thanks to Mark M. for getting the allegorical ball rolling. I'm glad that people visit the site and are interested in Toronto's past (as well as the future, which appears to continue to advance).
    More Yellow Pages scans would be a good thread.

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  13. According to the advert they close at 12 PM which would be 12 Noon.

    I wonder if they actually meant Midnight ?

    Also doing window counting it looks like the back half of the building has been demolished and only the part closest to Yonge Street remains.

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    1. I have changed my mind about the back part of the building being demolished I think I was counting windows wrong.

      There are some photos from the 1976 - 1977 date range in the City of Toronto archives.

      BTW "Granby Street" was at one time called "Alice Street" I wonder when and why the change

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    2. Alice Street was a name for Dundas Street west of Yonge Street.
      Ann Street became Granby Street.
      Ann McGill married Bishop John Strachan and they had several acres of land in the area hence the street renaming. The acreage was a gift from James McGill. McGill Square is now the land under Metropolitan United Church.

      Just across the street, Eaton's College Street store occupies the land once used by Bishop Strachan School.

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  14. I've never seen such interest in a post! William I thought the same thing re: the back of the building having been altered but thought I'd go down and have a look re: Alice street, Alice ran east and west
    south of Dundas between Yonge and Bay. (See this post http://lost-toronto.blogspot.ca/2011/03/palace-street-schoolnow.html) Granby was formerly called Anne Street. Keep up the research.

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  15. I worked in 'Half Beat Harold's' part time Saturdays 1960-1962.
    Harold Fagan owned it. He and his wife were found murded many years later in their Forest Hill home. No suspect was ever found!It was south of Kresges on NE side of Yonge below Carlton looking North on Yonge.BOB MORRITT

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  16. Good comment. I'll look into the murder.

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  17. My dad is going to get such a kick when he finds out that a picture he took in 1970 caught the eye and memories of so many people.

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