Danforth to Scarborough

Posted: November 21, 2020 in intersections, locations, stores
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Walking from Main Street east along the Danforth, with a diversion or two to see what we can see…..

part of a street art mural, a big eye, blue in the middle

a row of three two storey brick stores on the Danforth. Flat roofs, one in the middle is a computer repair shop. A small tree covers the front of one store, Danforth market is on the far right

furniture store in old two storey building on the Danforth with three big windows with save $ $ signs, old building with sagging roof.

old two storey brick building on Danforth, stores, pharmacy, walk in clinic, and carpet store, your carpet connection with rolls of carpet in the window

gas station, two pumps, star self service gas, cars parked behind at auto mechanic shop, top quality auto and cars r us toronto, open sign

woman walking on Danforth at Madeleine, past star self service gas station, large sign with price of gas as 98 cents a litre, computer store on opposite side of street

large sign on pole, stiches outlet, beside a driveway, stores across the street, divine photography

empty storefront on the Danforth

looking through the window of an empty store, pegboard, interior window, and wood paneling on some walls

looking through a large window of a store to see almost empty interior, a chair is there along with a rack for hanging clothes. people and cars are passing by on the street

empty store, for lease sign in the window, looking trhough to other side of street, as well as reflections from window, white bench on sidewalk, yellow truck parked on street

A cosy nook for a pigeon

a pigeon has found a place to sit on a broken opening above a door to lightmans store, glass door with brown paper covering it, white wood frame, painted, number 3270 in different colours

Milk plus convenience store with bright red and white sign saying milk plus milk plus. sign in window that says please do not steal

bar window, with Molson Canadian advert with red maple leaf, also coca cola sign with beer prices listed

signs on exterior of store, Formula 1 store, sells candles and religious items, also sign advertising Liqui Moly motor oils, additives, and car care from PJC Autoworks

below: Come on in and choose a wig while you wait for your like new used tires to be installed!

on a fence beside a store, advertising used tires for sale , like new, at thirty five dollars each. also a sign for visual beauty hair supply with a list of some of their products

Not all skeletons are kept in the closet.

Looking into a building trhough window, a skeleton is on display

hand painted sign on a chain link gate that says do not park in front door

In the category of “the unexpected”, old military vehicles.

old drab green military truck and ambulance with red cross symbol parked in front of a building

Small houses!

street scene - all the houses are small bungalows, large trees in the front yards, cars parked in driveways

intersection of Sneath and Lucy, in Scarborough, small houses,

small bungalow with small porch and flowers on the porch

below: This very small house with the big front yard, and a very overgrown yard at that, sits empty and alone.  “Danger do not enter” and “Private Property” signs are on the front door.   If you can get as far as the front door.

very small house with large front yard, yard is overgrown with long grass and weeds, boarded up with signs in the window

empty boarded up house with danger sign onthe front door

… even more overgrown and even more difficult to find the front door!

a front yard so overgrown with trees and greenery that you can hardly see the car in the driveway. The house is entirely hidden

an old car in an overgrown backyard, behind chainlink fence

A warning sign of a different sort.

sign in the shape of a dog bone, on a door, that says ring doorbell and run, the dog needs exercise

no parking sign on a brick wall, partially in english and partially in another language with a different alphabet

four orange and green taxis parked in front of a building that has a sign that says Oakridge Seniors Bocce Club

two men in lifts working high up on metal beams on a construction site

looking north on a side street towards Danforth, large multi storey apatment building

bungalow in the foreground, highrise apartment building in background

And last but not least, a patriotic splash of summer colour from July when I took these photos for the greyer days of November that we now find ourselves in.

lots of roses growing on a rosebush beside a white fence

canada flag design on plastic windmill in a planter in a backyard

Scarborough Bells

Posted: November 20, 2020 in graffiti and street art, history, locations
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Immediately south of the Danforth , the CNR tracks cross Warden Avenue. A heritage mural was painted there a few years ago.

a white pickup truck makes a turn at an intersection with a GO train going over a bridge in the background

The wall on the west side was painted first. In the centre is a portrait of Elizabeth Simcoe. In August 1793, Elizabeth Simcoe wrote that the bluffs reminded her of the limestone cliffs in Scarborough England. Apparently that led to the bluffs being called Scarborough Highlands. Scarborough village became the settlement near the Scarborough bluffs.

mural by De Anne Lamirande, portrait of Elizabeth Simcoe, in blue dress with white collar, large hat,

To the left of her is a painting of the Scarborough bluffs.

part of mural on side of railway underpass, Scarborough bluffs and Lake Ontario

And to the right, a steam train at the station.

one end of a mural showing a steam train coming into a station where a group of people are waiting

On the east side, a painting of the stone Bell estate house built in 1830 is in the centre. Although it is known today as the Bell estate, the original builders were Richard and John Thornbeck who obtained 100 acres on that site in 1828 (near presentday Warden and St. Clair). In 1861 this 4 bedroom house was occupied by Richard Thornbeck, his wife, six children and his widowed mother.

mural on railway underpass on Warden Ave by De Ann Lamirande, old stone house, Bells estate,

Thornbeck sold the house to William Bell in 1882. It was then home to a line of Bell decendents for over a century. It was Bell’s Scarborough Dairy from 1931 to 1943 when it was purchased by Donlands Dairy.  Part of the property was later owned by Beckers Milk who had a milk processing plant there until 1995.  In 2012 the house was empty and boarded up.

part of a mural, a black and white cow in a farmyard, behind a cedar rail fence, in front of an orange barn

cow, farmyard scene in a mural, beside sidewalk on railway underpass

below: On delivery, with horse and wagon from Mitchells. Arthur Mitchells Grocery store was an early landmark in the community of Birchcliff. It was on the corner of Kingston Road and Birchmount.

a man on a horse drawn carriage making deliveries, part of a mural

The mural was painted in 2012/2013 by De Anne Lamirande with help from Andrew Horne and Emelia Jajus

bronze city of toronto plaque describing the mural on Warden ave

This mural illustrates the Bell estate’s beautiful fieldstone house built in 1830, just east of Warden Avenue which was designated as a historical site in 2011 and still stands today. Established on the property was Bell’s Scarborough Dairy which flourished from 1931 to 1943. The A.H. Mitchell Grocery Store was located on Kingston Road and made deliveries in this area by horse and buggy. The centre columns feature Oak trees, the red Canadian Maple and Birch trees which represent the Oakridge and Birchcliff communities.

[note: Oakridge is north of the tracks while the community of Birchcliff is to the south]

With collaboration from City of Toronto and Mural Routes

chopsticks, plumbing, and a couple of owls

Posted: November 18, 2020 in graffiti and street art
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A silly title for a post about four east end murals on the Danforth by two artists. But diving right in…

On the side of the Chopsticks Restaurant is a mural, “Pollination of Oakridge” painted by De Anne Lamirande.

northeast corner of Danforth and Byng in Scarborough, a row of four brick two storey storefronts with apartments above. Chopsticks restaurant is on the corner, it has a large mural along its west wall, flowers and a monarch butterfly. Next to restaurant is a barber shop and then an empty store. Danforth Auto Parts is at the east end

Two pink lilies in the middle with purple asters on both sides. Bees and a monarch butterfly.

pink lilies in a mural with purple flowers and butterflies painted by De Anne Lamirande, at the corner of Danforth and Byng in Scarborough

below: Monarch butterfly in the purple asters.

from a mural, monarch butterfly in the middle of purple asters flowers

Nearby, is a mural on the side of the old Imperial Plumbing Supplies store.

on the side of a now empty Imperial Plumbing store is a mural by Basil Dwayne Jardine jr of a scene

A blue jay on a tree branch, a vintage gas pump, and a train that seems to be saying “I think I can, I think I can”, painted by Magic F. Wong (Magic Finnga Wong, Basil Dwayne Jardine Jr)

train in a mural

below: Even some bright flowers are having problems cheering up the sad looking door and window.

door with old blue awning above it, in the middle of a mural, 3 bright orange mailboxes beside the door

We’ve now covered the chopsticks and the plumbing so that just leaves us with a couple of owls keeping a watchful eye on the Danforth:
One in front of a birch tree and a night time sky…

an owl and white tree on blue background, mural

by De Anne Lamirande

and one with soft brown feathers. It almost looks cuddly although I’d be wary of that beak.

an owl mural

by Magic F Wong

back to the alleyway of dreams

Posted: November 17, 2020 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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Recently I was in the area east of Danforth and Main when I had one of those moments where I stop and say to myself “I’ve been here before”.   I recognized some of the street art in the lane  (see Alleyway of Dreams, 2016).  For this blog post, I have started with the artwork that I didn’t remember on the assumption that it is newer.   The murals that remain from 2016 all seem to be in good shape.

below: A collage of pictures called “Against All Odds” in the shape of a map.

collage of pictures and images on an exterior cement wall

below: On the same wall as the above is this mural of a swan.  My apolgies to Alika, Angela, Dylan, Molly, Serval, Bandi, Ludo and Weal (?) whose names I chopped off.  To the right of the swan, and behind a parked car is a piece by Mediah.

mural of a swan with a list of names to the left and a piece by mediah to the right

below: A hummingbird with a red hibiscus flower.

mural of a hummingbird with a red hibiscus flower

garages in an alley with garage doors that have been painted with street art, the garage in front has a light greens side door with two birds sitting on a braanch painted on it

Love birds of a different colour

street art painting of two birds sitting on a branch, a yellow bird and a blue bird with a white head.

below: There had been a fire in the back of a furniture store not long before I walked the alley this summer.

rubble, the result of a fire, sits in a pile behind a store in an alley, part of a chair sits on top

below: A black cat in the moonlight, sitting on some very curly branches.  This row of fences was painted in 2016.

mural on a fence in an alley, a black sitting on a tree branch with curly branches, moonlight behind the cat

below: This blue pug was here previously but the rabbit that was once beside it seems to have disappeared.

mural in mostly blue of a pug's face, dog with red tongue and brownish eyes, on wood
mural of a tiger's face on a garage door

below: The blue rhinoceros with the whimsical horn hasn’t moved either.

mural of rhino head and horn on a garage door in an alley, rhinoceros

below: Stay Out is still sprayed on the old wood door but now it has a new lock.  The blue 666 is also an addition.

old wood door beside metal garage door, outside, in an alley, large words spray painted on door that say stay out 666

large green plastic bag on the ground filled with wood palletts, in an alley, in front of a garage door with street art on it

below: “Bee Haven” from 2014.  One of the earliest bee/pollinator murals in the city.

mural of a hand holding a plant growing in a flower pot, plus bees,

bee with blue body and bum in a mural

hand holding a flower pot that is cracked because the root of the plant is growing, in a mural

below: Signatures.  The mural was painted by Elie J. Saad, Sarah Van Dusen, and Curtia Wright with help from Community Centre 55 kids.

back of a store on Danforth with apartments above

a legion of poppies

Posted: November 15, 2020 in graffiti and street art, locations
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This post might have been more appropriate for Remembrance Day but unfortunately I missed it by a few days.  But it is never inappropriate to remember and honour those who fought for Canada in overseas wars.

cars parked and a man sitting in front of mural in the side of Royal Canadian Lion branch 73, Oakridge Branch, poppies, a yellow airplane, beside an alley,

There is a mural that features lots of red poppies reminiscent of those growing in Flanders Fields during the First World War and now the symbol of remembrance every November.

lots of red poppies in flanders fields on a mural beside a legion hall, also a row of medals painted under a window

This mural is on the south wall of the Royal Canadian Legion branch 73 (Oakridge Branch) on Robinson Ave., just north of the Danforth, in Scarborough. It can be seen from the Danforth

mural in the side of Royal Canadian Lion branch 73, Oakridge Branch, poppies, a yellow airplane, beside an alley,

It was painted by Magic F. Wong aka Basil Dwayne Jardine jr. in the fall of 2016.

a yellow airplane, single jet, open cockpit, in a mural by magic f wong

a black silhouette of a soldier kneeling, the Royal Canadian legion crest and motto lots of red poppies in flanders fields on a mural beside a legion hall, also a row of medals painted under a window

 

at the car wash

Posted: November 14, 2020 in locations, old buildings
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The south end of Dawes Road dead ends at the railway tracks just south of the Danforth.   On this block there is an old abandoned car wash at 18 Dawes.

blue metal constructioon fence in the foreground with out of focus building behind, an old abandoned car wash

As it turns out, this sleepy little section of Dawes might be about to burst.   Being within walking distance of both Main subway station and the Danforth GO line makes it a wonderful location.  Three development proposals are being considered here.    First, two towers, 26 and 33 storeys with a shared 5 storey podium are planned for 10 and 30 Dawes (includes this car wash location).

blue spray paint lion's head with red eyes and nose, behind a green bush on a white concrete block wall

old metal air freshener dispensing machines, vending machines, empty, on the walls of an old car wash

empty air freshener vending machine, metal, on a wall, with doors broken off

graffiti in red and blue on the interior walls of an old abandoned and emptied car wash, blue daisy frowny face

graffiti in red on the interior walls of an old abandoned and emptied car wash

no trespassing sign on a fence around an old abandoned car wash

below: 12 Dawes Road might be the only original building remaining.

blue metal construction fence, empty parking lot beside building with a sign on it that says Gill Auto Collision

Across the street is 9 Dawes where two towers (24 and 30 storeys) with a shared podium have been proposed – with the usual bland nondescript street level nonsense.
To the south is 6 Dawes.  Here there might be three towers – 40, 46, and 49 storeys.  This development will also include a new community center as well as an entrance to the Danforth GO station.  It runs along the north side of the railway tracks from Dawes to Main.

That’s a total of 7 towers between 24 and 49 storeys in a small space at the end of Dawes Road.  The drawings for each proposal do not include the other developers’ towers so it’s difficult to picture the end result.  Crowded, yes. Manageable?  Who knows.

tall apartment buildings behind a tall plain grey wall, a street in front and then a vacant lot that's been paved over

10/30 Dawes – Planning Application Number: 19 124138 STE 19 OZ

9/25 Dawes – Planning Application Number: 19 186473 STE 19 OZ

Both of these developments are in the planning stage (started in 2019) and both require zoning by-law amendments.  Development can be very slow and changes often occur.

man aslepp outside on a grey chair and old mattress, red container bins behind him

the new Cherry Street bridge

Posted: November 13, 2020 in construction, locations, public art
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people standing on the cherry street bridge taking pictures of the new bridge

The latest attraction is the new Cherry Street bridge pictured here just after its arrival by barge from Nova Scotia where it was manufactured by Cherubini Group.   It’s a shiny white steel bridge with a red racing stripe.  It is 57 metres long and wide enough to carry LRT tracks and a pedestrian walkway.  Another identical bridge to go beside it for road traffic comes later.

new Cherry street bridge on a barge in the Keating channel, just arrived from Nova Scotia, CN Tower and Toronto skyline in the distance

construction ahead sign off to the side beside a chainlink fence with weeds growing behind it, afternoon sun is shining through fence

below: Digging up the city. Sometimes it seems like we are living in one big construction zone.

in the foreground, a red digger digs soil in the port lands, the CN Tower and toronto skyline in the distance

Cherry street in the midst of construction

The bridge is not the only “sight” at the Port Lands.  There is also a photography exhibit of pictures taken of the buildings before they were demolished.  ‘Framework’ by Vid Ingelevis and Ryan Walker.  This is part of the CONTACT Photography Festival that was originally scheduled for May.

below: Interior, 130 Commissioners Street (Coopers Iron and Metal, an old metal recycling facility).  The photograph is mounted on the roll-up door of one of the ESSROC cement plant silos –  now a heritage site.

large photo of an empty old warehouse mounted on an exterior metal door

below: Cleaning the streets.  The ESSROC silos dominate the streetscape here on Cherry Street (looking north towards the condos in the Distillery District).

three tall silos that were part of essroc cement plant, now a heritage site in the port lands, a street cleaner is parked on the road, two condo towers in the distillery district can be seen in the background

below: The back of one of the few remaining buildings as seen from Cherry Street.   It fronts onto Munitions Street.

back of an empty building, vacant lot behind, graffiti on walls

below: Cherry Street bascule bridge in the upright position.   Most of the Framework exhibit is down the center of Villiers Street on top of the remains of the old railway line. There are five panels like this one, each with a picture on both sides.

large photo being displayed outside at Port Lands, part of Framework exhibit by Vid Ingelevics and Ryan Walker

below: Most of the Port Lands redevelopment is occurring behind fences.

a wire gate on wheels in front of a construction site

piles of dirt, film studio, hydro wires,

below: A very large spike!

giant spike sticking out of an old piece of wood,dirty, on ground, in construction zone

hydro poles and wires in the distance, piles of dirt in the foreground

below: 130 Commissioners Street, September 2019

large photo being displayed outside at Port Lands, part of Framework exhibit by Vid Ingelevics and Ryan Walker

below: Abandoned gas station with its rusting gas pump.

old gas pump at now abandoned marine gas station beside the Keating channel, Gardiner Expressway, CN Tower and Toronto skyline in the distance

below: 99 Commissioners Street, July 2019

large photo being displayed outside at Port Lands, part of Framework exhibit by Vid Ingelevics and Ryan Walker

an old round rusty Viking brand sprinkler alarm on the outside of a building

corrugated metal cladding on a building with a window and an old rusty sign with graffiti on it

below: 97 Commissioners Street, August 2019

large photo being displayed outside at Port Lands, part of Framework exhibit by Vid Ingelevics and Ryan Walker

below: Commissioners Street closed to traffic.

road closed sign in the middle of the street, commissioners street in the port lands

Commissioners street construction in the port lands

below: Control room, Cherry Street bridge, July 2019

large photo being displayed outside at Port Lands, part of Framework exhibit by Vid Ingelevics and Ryan Walker

a bike leaning against a tree, the Keating channel behind it, as well as Port Lands construction.

a window with on old rusty metal grille covering it, and a white bucket hanging by a chain

below: 130 Commissioners Street, September 2019

large photo being displayed outside at Port Lands, part of Framework exhibit by Vid Ingelevics and Ryan Walker

draped black fabric forms a fence at a construction site, CN Tower and Toronto skyline in the distance

a vine with dried berries and leaves grows on a barbed wire fence

below: An old Urban ninja squadron sticker on a TTC bus stop sign

an old urban ninja squadron tbonez sticker on a ttc pole

below: Dump truck on Villiers Street

dump truck on road in Port Lands, construction

a tree with crooked branches in front of an Ellis Don blue fence around Port Lands construction site, CN Tower and Toronto skyline in the distance

Later: Just before sunset, the new bridge in the Keating Channel.  It has since been rotated ninety degrees into the proper alignment for the new segment of Cherry Street.   This job was made it easy by the fact that the bridge was mounted on a large turntable on the barge.  It now has to be welded into place.   The old bastule (lift) bridge now in place is slated for demolition in late 2021.

cherry street bridge and portlands from above

‘Framework’ will be on display until August 2021.

random posters

Posted: November 11, 2020 in graffiti and street art
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What motivates someone to put up a poster in public space? Protest? Humour? Marketing? Just because?  The first three photos are from two concrete poles on the West Toronto Railpath; the other three photos were taken in nearby neighbourhoods.

below: The picture on the right is from New York City’s first Gay Pride March on 17th July 1969.

posters on a concrete utility pole

below:  The book in the poster on the left is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, Maya Angelou’s autobiography of her early years.  The poster on the right looks like a copy of something from the 1950’s – a science fiction movie or a book?

paper posters on a concrete pole

below: “The Spirit Lives on, the Struggle is ours.
When life no longer has value and living still comes at a cost
Reset the clock of healing, never forgetting the loss.”

pink and white poster on a pole, along with a stencil graffiti of a cold coloured torso on blue background

below: No Police, No Prisons, No Pipelines

no police, no prisons, no pipeline, poster on a glass door

below: A collection of Black Lives Matter posters.  End Police Brutality; No Justice, No Peace;  Disarm, Defund, Diminish, Abolish.

construction hoardings with a door on it, posters have been glued onto the wood

below: Perhaps someone with a can of black spray paint is disgruntled?  Or just being a jerk?

posters on a wall, many have been spray painted over

north on Keele, south on the railpath

Posted: November 11, 2020 in graffiti and street art, intersections, locations
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Zoom zoom! Hop on and come along for a ride!

a radio flyer tricycle parked on the grass, with lots of fallen leaves, in front of brick apartment building

below: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. What direction should we go today? Where will your feet take you next? Thinking interesting thoughts as we explore. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself”. What have you created today? What should we create next?

a front porch with three plaques with saying on them

Rather lofty words and ideas when all we’re doing is walking up Keele Street… where just looking at the stairs makes me tired.

square, two storey brick duplex on a hill, with concrete wall in front, lots of steps going up

red vine covered concrete wall on Keele St., in front of houses up on the hill, steps up the houses

an old office chair beside a bench on the sidewalk

back lane, row of houses,

small statue of a couple embracing in a garden in a front yard

a small replica of a VW bus hanging from a tree. bus is painted white and blue and has a red heart on it

below: It was good fun to see an altered Neighbourhood Watch sign – great to know that some still exist. Five years ago (yikes!) I posted a collection of “good guys” that I had found around the city. I don’t know if Andrew Mutton, the man responsible, is still making them but I haven’t seen any new ones for a long time.

neighbourhood watch street sign with added picture of three characters from Star Trek

This November has started with wonderful walking weather.  In fact, the whole autumn has been a delight for those of us who like to be busy outside.  The colours of the trees, shrubs, and vines seem to be more vibrant this year and I don’t think that it’s wrong to say that the colours have lasted longer than usual.

vines on a concrete stair case, autumn colours

below: Keele and Annette

intersection of Keele and Annette

By the time you get to Keele and Dundas you are definitely in “The Junction” named for its proximity to the junction of a number of different railway lines.  In 1884 this area became the village of West Toronto Junction.

below: Looking north up Keele to Dundas.  Dundas is a long street that winds its way across the city.  Here in the west end, it runs north south as it crosses Bloor West.   Moving north from Bloor, Dundas parallels the GO tracks for a half kilometre or so and then bends almost ninety degrees to run parallel to the Canadian Pacific railway line.  The junction of these two railway lines is a short distance away (to the northeast)

intersection of Keele and Dundas, looking north on Keele

below: Walking on Dundaspeople and dogs walking along Dundas near Keele

items in a store window, vintage, old coca-cola sign and other memorabilia, also Royal Crown Cola bottles and wood box, a wood Flow wagon,

below: CP tracks

a wall of street art on the other side of the railway tracks

below: Back by the tracks

two shipping containers and some other junk used in a lot with a garden

below: The remains of a vegetable garden. Are these brussell sprout plants where the sprouts part have already been removed?

remains of a vegetable garden in November, tall plant, brussel sprouts, that have lready been harvested, a small fruit tree

From Keele, it’s a short walk east to the West Toronto Railpath which is on the east side of the GO tracks.  The northern most entrance to the path is off of Cariboo Ave which is a tiny one block street north of Dupont.  The southern end, although near College and Lansdowne, is actually where the GO tracks cross Dundas…. which is very confusing.  If you look at it on a map, it makes a lot more sense!

below: The mural, “Strength in Numbers” is still on the underpass walls at Dupont and can be seen from the railpath.  You can find more photos of it if you follow the link.

part of a mural, strength in numbers, on the concrete walls of an underpass

below: From the same bridge, looking east on Dupont.  The twin steeples belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Andrew the Apostle

looking east on Dupont, traffic on the street, stores lines streets

two people walking on an asphalt path past some small trees in autumn colours

below: Street art on the glass wall separating the path from the railway tracks.

yellow street art painted on glass wall beside West Toronto Railpath and railway tracks, large face with mouth open, hand holding 4 little figures that look like fingers

below: Hoardings.  Paintings.  In the middle is a section that has been painted with these words: “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members, a heart of grace, and a soul generated by love.: C.S.K.  [Coretta Scott King]

street art on hoardings around a building, west toronto rail;ath

below: Black Lives Matter, Run for Ahmaud, mural by kizmet32 and Francis Pratt. Tribute to Ahmaud Arbery who was out for a run when he was murdered by two white men, Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis

mural of a black man in the stance held at the beginning of a running race,

small graffiti of a cat's face on top of a larger red and white tag, on glass wall

below: Kizmet street art on a Henderson Brewery truck on Sterling Ave.

Henderson Brewery delivery truck covered with street art by kizmet, 3 faces in shades of blue, purple, pink, and turquoise

below: The West Toronto Railpath crosses Bloor Street.

railway bridge over Bloor West near Dundas, painted orange, construction on one side of the road so traffic diverted to the other side

below: The giraffe building at Dundas and Bloor is still there.

cyclist riding by construction on bloor street approaching dundas

below: That corner is getting a new mural, a thank you to front line workers during Covid. Borat has snuck into the photo too – but then his poster does say “Wear Mask, Save Live”. You can’t see all the words here…

painting a mural on the corner of bloor and dundas, a thank you to front line workers during covid

below: But they are more visible here….

a man stands at an intersection waiting for traffic lights to change, he's in front of Borat poster, wear a mask, save live, man sands where he covers the mask

below: Street art in a parking lot. The one on the right is kizmet.

two cars parked in front of a kizmet mural

below: The building makes a wedge. On the right is the wall in the photo above.

the point of a wedge shaped building with street art on both sides

fence covered with throwups and wildstyle around a low rise apartment building

below: Smash, crash, gambit

small round medallion shaped graffiti, carved figure with words crash smash gambit written around the outside

below: A skinless smoker with a third eye by bodh.io

sticker graffiti of a head without the skin, showing eye socket, muscles, teeth, top vertebrae, smoking a cigarette

below: Drible-drible with many noodles (?) and on a more political note, someone wants Doug Ford to resign.

dribble dribble sticker, feelings boi sticker and a sticker that says Doug Ford resign

below: A trio  – More feelings boi, a collaboration between him and tbonez., and a tribute to jazz musician John Coltrane.

three stickers on orange metal support of west toronto railpath bridge over Bloor. One is a portrait of a black man Coltrane, another is a feelings boi sticker and last is a sticker that is feelings boi along with urban ninja squadron,

… and that’s all for now!

yellow stencil graffiti on sidewalk, words that say buh bye

There are older posts with photos from the Junction and/or the West Toronto Railpath.  I’ve been walking and blogging long enough now that there is bound to be repetition!  If you are interested in more pictures, you can always search all posts in this this blog for “Junction”… or for whatever you want for that matter!

the purple house and its neighbour

Posted: November 11, 2020 in old buildings
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It’s not as purple as it used to be. Over the years it’s faded a bit. It wasn’t in good shape when I first saw it years ago; now it’s in even rougher condition. The ground floor storefronts are boarded up but whether or not the upper floors are unoccupied is questionable.

pale purple brick building boarded up, plywood on windows, yard overgrown,

The whole block (1423 to 1437, Perth to Sterling) has now been acquired by a development company but so far there has been no proposal for the site.

below: There can be delightful lines and colours in old things.

old window with metal bars painted over but rusting, board over window,

below: A bit of a squeeze. Plywood over a window, a shovel ready for winter (or left behind?), and a doorway hidden on the right.

very narrow entranceway between two buildings

below: Pasteups by some familiar names, Feelings Boi, Urban Ninja Squadron, and Sketchrat

paper paste ups on a plywood board covering a window beside door on abandoned building, Closed sign still on door

peeling posters on plywood on window of old building

below: The back has been turned into a storage place for cars.

used cars parked behind two empty buildings

cars without licence plates parked behind an old building, alley,

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