construction | as I walk Toronto

Archive for the ‘construction’ Category

changes, again… and again….

Posted: May 15, 2026 in construction, intersections, locations, stores
Tags: Annesley Hall, architecture, Bloor St., brutalist, concrete, condos, construction, COR, Cottage Lane, Cumberland Street, downtown, Flavelle House, glass towers, Justus Becker, La Scala, Manulife centre, mural, Museum subway station, Planetarium, Robert Barron stables, ROM, St. Nicholas St., stores, William McElcheran, windows, Yonge St.

After I got off the subway at Bloor but before I got to the street, the first construction change of the day hit me in the face (luckily not literally!). Bloor Street East is now a mess.

below: “The Bay” sign has been removed from the old store. Founded in 1670 to control the fur trade in the area, the Hudson Bay Company used to lay claim to being North America’s oldest continuously operating company. The company went bankrupt late in 2025 and all of their stores have closed including this one. The complex (includes 34 storeys above) was opened in 1974 and was referred to as the Hudson Bay Centre. Now it is just 2 Bloor St. East. The next question is how does one re-purpose a large windowless space on a busy street? (personal aside – I started by honeymoon at the Plaza II which was the original hotel in the complex. I won’t tell you how long ago that was, but the Quebec Nordiques were in a playoff game that day).

below: Upwards at Yonge & Bloor

Of shorts and strawberries, and hoping for spring . So far it’s been a cool (or rather cold) May.

Shorts!

below: On the south side of Bloor is another concrete building from the 1970s, the Manulife Centre, which has undergone a transformation at street level in recent years.

below: Found on the City of Toronto archives website, a photo from its early days. (As another aside, after graduating from high school, I worked for a few months at a store in the basement – back in the day when Ashleys, Creeds, and Birks had stores there. Bay Bloor Radio may be the sole survivor?)

vintage photo, faded colour, from City of Toronto Archives, manulife center at Bay and Bloor (southeast corner), concrte brutalist architecture

source: Fonds 200, Series 1465, File 750, Item 14

below: A contrast between the Manulife Centre and the new towers on the south side of Bloor (east and west of Yonge)… even the upper levels of the Hudson Bay Centre can be seen in the distance.

below: A little farther west on Bloor…. another concrete building with recessed windows. Very much the style at the time!

below: Northwest corner of Bay & Bloor with yet another concrete building from the 1960s and 1970s (1200 Bay Street was built in 1966). The last time that I walked here, the lower levels were boarded up and painted black. Now they are hiding behind a large expanse of Tiffany Blue. There are rumblings of an 87 storey tower being built here. Dutch Dutch developers Kroonenberg Group and ProWinko filed a development application with the city to build such a tower back in 2020.

below: Looking west on Cumberland Street

below: But there are things that don’t change – like cars getting stuck in an intersection on a red light.

below: Never ending renovations at the Royal Ontario Museum

below: It has been sitting empty for years. The McLaughlin Planetarium closed in 1995 after the provincial government cut its funding. It wasn’t even thirty years old at the time; it opened in 1968. It is a big cement box with a large dome on top and is not very photogenic! It was sold to the University of Toronto back in 2009 but it is only now that redevelopment is about to occur.

below: Backside view. This post has been difficult to write – so many changes. One of the reasons that I started this blog was to document the changes happening in the city. I hadn’t expected those changes to be quite so relentless. Never ending. A perpetual motion machine of changes. Are we tired of winning yet? This picture is already out of date – there are photos of the demolition popping up online now that show the dome broken open and disappearing.

below: Museum subway station is getting a new elevator entrance from the sidewalk on University Avenue in front of where the Planetarium is/was.

below: Little blue signs of spring dot the lawn. Emmanuel College (U of T) is in the background. It is affiliated with the United Church of Canada and is one of the members of the Toronto School of Theology.

below: Part of University of Toronto Law School.

below: Annesley Hall, Victoria University, U of T,was built in 1903 in the Queen Anne Revival style. Annesley Hall was the first university residence built for women in Canada and is still used as such. (What?, no changes?)

below: Charles Street West where a few original houses remain steadfast.

below: Still on Charles Street – but it is a perspective that is now very common around the city as everything moves upward, taller and taller. Egos get stoked and massaged as yet another “tallest” tower gets built, only to be outdone by someone else down the line….

below: “La Scala”by by Canadian sculptor and architect William McElcheran. The women are walking up the stairs, or walking around in circles…

below: A peak at what is behind – lots of balconies and stairs and even an upper level addition.

below: St. Nicholas Street runs parallel to Yonge, one street west. It runs south from Charles Street to Wellesley.

below: 81 St. Nicholas is this red brick building with the interesting contrasting brick detail across the top. It was built in 1912 and is known as the Robert Barron Stables. In 1889 Robert Barron built a store at Yonge and Charles. A few years later he added this building, his stables, behind the grocery store.

below: There are stretches of Yonge Street where there are many closed storefronts. This usually indicates that a developer is sitting on a chunk of properties and is in the process of accumulating more… or is waiting for approval to redevelop what he already has. Nothing moves quickly. It’s just sad to see the emptiness and decay in the meantime.

below: Filed under “learn something new everyday” is the fact that there is such a thing as soy milk volcano buns. I assume that they are $7 each and not $70!

below: Charles Street East (just east of Yonge). The large mural on the side of the apartment building is “Toronto & Stadt Frankfurt Am Main” and it was painted by Justus Becker (aka COR). The reflection within the glasses depicts the skylines of both Toronto and Frankfurt and represents the sister city relationship between the two cities. See that orange and white awning? That’s a gelato place – a fabulous gelato place!… and that is where I ended my walk, almost a circle back to Yonge & Bloor.

intersections – Dufferin & Queen

Posted: May 11, 2026 in construction, graffiti and street art, history, intersections, old buildings, transportation
Tags: catchoo, CN rail, construction, D7606, development, donuts, Dufferin St., feelings boi, geekypet, GO Transit, graffiti, Grow Up Art, history, Milky Way, murals, Queen Street West, raccoon, railway tracks, sentient cookie, sketchrat, stickers, The Turd Reich, trp613, TTC, urban ninja squadron, visual noise, vivvy, zonr

The intersection of Dufferin and Queen Street West is dominated by the CN railway & GO transit tracks. Large underpasses to the north and to the east define the character of the streets here.

Between 1881 and 1891, the population of Toronto more than doubled, from 86,415 in 1881 to over 181,125 ten years later (numbers are from census data). As the city expanded, infrastructure struggled to keep up as it usually does. It was decided that Queen Street needed an underpass instead of a level crossing. In 1896 the first bridge was built. At this time, Dufferin street ended at Queen to make room for the tracks. Dufferin was now divided into a north and south section.

below: This is a 1898 photo from the City of Toronto archives showing the new railway bridges over Queen Street West. The view is westward. Dufferin is difficult to see in this image but it ends under the railway bridge that is farthest away. Parkdale train station would have been just outside the picture on the left side. It was closed by 1970.

below: Still on Queen Street and still looking west but from farther back from the railway bridge which is now in the distance. The big square-ish building on the right is a Veterinary Surgeon’s office. The ad on the side of the building is for ‘The Sun’ where you could find the highest grade of bicycles, manufactured by G. T. Pendrith. The photo was taken in November 1896.

black and white photo from late 1890s, Queen street looking west towards railway tracks and Dufferin Street

source: There are many places to find this photo on the internet. This copy came from Wikimedia Commons.

below: Looking east along Queen from Noble Street, past Dufferin to the railway tracks, 1954. The Gladstone Hotel in the distance. There is a Shell gas station on the southwest corner, and although it’s difficult to see, a policeman is standing in the intersection directing traffic.

black and white photo from Toronto Public library digital archives

source: Toronto Public Library digital archives. Photographer – James V. Salmon

below: Southwest corner today …. that Shell station is long gone. A newer condo development fills that corner (built since 2010).

below: The stone wall along the east side of Dufferin looks very similar to that of 1954. The buses have been modernized though – we now have new shiny red hybrids.

The “Dufferin Jog” was fixed in 2010 when another railway bridge was built.

below: Looking north up Dufferin during the construction of the bridge, 2010. This is another image from the City of Toronto archives.

construction of the bridge for CN rail and GO transit, to eliminate the dufferin jog, 2010, from city of toronto archives

source: Fonds 601, Series 2860, File 4, Item 1 (City of Toronto archives)

below: North on Dufferin today (not exactly the same view as above). Bus lanes, or rather transit priority lanes, have recently been painted red. The red brick building on the east side of Dufferin still remains.

below: There are changes coming to the northwest corner of the intersection. This photo was taken from the corner of Noble and Queen and is generally north looking.

below: Hoardings on the north side of Queen

below: The view behind the hoardings

To the west of the tracks is the Parkdale neighbourhood with its colours and idiosyncrasies.

The Milky Way runs parallel to Queen on the south side. There has been lots of street here and I have blogged about it before, 5 times before as it turns out. The first time was back on 2015 (Walking the Milky Way) and the most recent was in 2023 (Aging on the Milky Way)

below: On the north side of the railway tracks, there is a pedestrian crossing and bike path. There is also a quiet corner with a couple of benches. The rest of the images in this post were taken on that pedestrian crossing.

below: The Turd Reich – a wonderful series of paste-ups of our “favourite” men in uniform. Donald Trump, Elon Musk, British MP Nigel Farage, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, JD Vance, and Vladimir Putin have been dressed up as World War II Nazi soldiers. This collection first appeared in London, England about a year ago. They are they creation of Grow Up Art.

below: A hole in the fence, with a well worn and muddy path!

below: Thing 1 and Thing 2, right out of the Cat in the Hat.

below: A little red X marks the spot

below: We are all connected

below: Every man needs a muse. Who is your Venus?

below: “Always remember you’re Heart & Soul, you are Loved 4 ever. Trust me.”

Graffiti by: Catchoo, D7606, Feellings Boi, Geekypet, Sentient Cookie, Sketchrat, TRP613, Urban Ninja Squadron, Visual Noise, Vivvy, Zonr (and others)

late April searches

Posted: May 3, 2026 in construction, locations, nature, transportation
Tags: armillaria, bridges, construction, Crothers Woods, flowers, fungus, GO train, Ontario line, spring, trains, trees, trilliums, yellow trout lily

… and meanderings.

transmission towers and wires among the tree tops

X marks the spot

The original plan was to find a good place to find out how far the Ontario line construction has progressed on the portion of the line that crosses the Don Valley Parkway.

A quick reminder – this is a photo (lifted from the Metrolinx website) of the bridge in question. The bridge in the background is the Millwood Bridge. On the north side of the bridge will be the Thorncliffe station on Overlea Blvd. Immediately after the southbound trains cross the Don Valley Parkway, they enter the Minton Place tunnel which is at the north end of Pape Ave. The rest of the journey is underground. [One problem with this image – when is the traffic this light on the DVP? Like, never. Certainly not during the day.]

Our starting point was a Crothers Woods trail, specifically at the trail head behind Loblaws. There is a plaque here to honour Thomas Hauser.

circular, like a bike wheel, plaque mounted on a large rock at the start of a trail, in memory of Thomas Hauser

“In memory of Thomas Hauser Thomas had a passion for mountain biking and dedicated countless hours to help in the restoration and enrichment of the trail system in the Don Valley. Thomas’ positive attitude and hard work in this area demonstrated his love for adventure and the outdoors. “

There is also a sign that warns against walking the trail if it is muddy. Yes, it was muddy but that didn’t stop us… at first. The trail takes you downhill to river level. Just before going down, there were a lot of sirens, police cars and fire trucks, on Redway Road. This is the road that seemingly ends at Loblaws, but actually goes downhill and then runs parallel to the train tracks by the Don River (apparently it is also home to the longest staircase in the city, 194 steps, but we missed that).

There are a few signs of spring in Crothers Woods these days but in general it’s still rather grey.

below: Trilliums

below: Yellow Trout Lilies (Erythronium americanum), also known as dog-tooth violets, with it’s droopy flowers and mottled leaves.

below: It almost looks like string art but it’s actually the remains of a fungus, Armillaria root rot (Armillaria mellea), a parasitic fungus that grows under the bark of trees. It is found in soil and can attack trees (especially unhealthy ones) starting from the roots. It grows upwards, invisible, until it chokes the tree and the tree dies.

Rather than dodging puddles and trying not to slip in the mud, we retraced our steps. At the moment, no pedestrians are allowed on the Redway Road hill but that seemed like a better route to try…..

below: Bottom of the hill, Redway Road

… And there we found the construction site. But we also found a GO train that was stopped on the tracks (hence all the sirens). Unfortunately someone was hit by the northbound train and died at the scene. At this point, 5 days later, I haven’t been able to find any information beyond that.

Construction pictures:

below: The buildings on the left are at Overlea and Millwood. The Ontario Line is elevated as it parallels Overlea Blvd (where the Thorncliffe station will be). It then crosses Millwood which is where the new bridge begins. The white (erosion protection?) covers the hill that is part of the support for the elevated tracks. I wonder if construction is impacted by the transmission lines running to and from the Leaside Transmission Station (also at Overlea and Millwood)?

below: Partially completed concrete support between the railway and the river. The men in the white pickup truck have the job of making sure that it is safe to cross the tracks.

below: The concrete support in the photo above is now on the far left. The details aren’t easy to spot but the white horizontal lines on the far right mark the site of the Minton tunnel. Between the partially finished support and the tunnel are both the Don River and the Don Valley Parkway. Trains will pass over the traffic on the DVP.

long awaited ride to Kennedy

Posted: April 22, 2026 in construction, public art, transportation
Tags: construction, Eglinton Ave East, Louie Witthöft, LRT, Metrolinx, people, redevelopment, Rodney Latourelle, Sarah Morris, Scarborough, streetcar, trains, TTC

As everyone knows, the Eglinton LRT took FOREVER to plan, build, and test. Way back in June 2021, I posted about going to Kennedy and Eglinton to see the first LRT trains being tested (On a mission to Kennedy station). Little did we know then that it would be almost five years later before the trains came into service.

below: Some of the stations have artwork (six of them I think). This is the glass and mirror installation at Eglinton, “Light from Within” by Louise Witthöft & Rodney Latourelle (Witthöft Latourelle)

below: There is also some colour at Don Valley station (formerly known as the Science Centre). “Total Luna Eclipse” by Sarah Morris is a series of circles and overlapping circles in bright colours.

below: This is the interior of the concourse level on one of the subway stations along the Eglinton line. I am not sure which one it is because they all look the same. White everywhere, with an elevator in the middle.

below: Waiting on the platform at Don Valley, the last underground station before the tracks surface on their way eastward towards Kennedy.

below: My apologies Scarborough, but you are rather dull to look at from this angle….

below: But most of us don’t ride transit for the scenery

Nothing really exciting but there is definitely a sense of relief that it’s finally open. It took too long and cost too much but it’s running….

In a lot of ways, the tracks running down the middle of Eglinton Avenue create a wall, especially for pedestrians. For better or worse though, this section of Eglinton has never been pedestrian friendly. It has been designed for cars. And that’s probably not going to change in the near future.

But the coming of the LRT will affect development along Eglinton (or rather, has already started to affect development).

below: 1900 Eglinton East – From shopping center with lots of parking, to four mixed use buildings up to 48 storeys high. Will the slow down in the condo market affect this? If you are interested in this, it is application number 19208733ESC21OZ and the link takes you to the relevant City of Toronto webpage (Good luck!).

below: At 1911 and 1921, out with the old and in with 8 buildings, 4 towers, a park, and 2 new streets. This is almost right across the street from the picture above (between Pharmacy and Warden). The application wasn’t completed until Nov 2025 so not much is going to happen here for a long time yet.

Redevelopment in Toronto is slow. This plaza (strip mall) at Kennedy and Eglinton was already boarded up in 2021. It looks a little scruffier and a little rougher now but otherwise, not much has changed in five years.

Construction along Eglinton East continues as Metrolinx builds the Scarborough Subway extension. This section of subway is an extension of the Bloor-Danforth line and will run from Kennedy station, east along Eglinton past Brimley before turning north. It ends at Sheppard and McCowan. Back in 2023 I visited that intersection and I posted some photos – Intersections – McCowan and Sheppard

below: Eglinton at Midland, looking northeast (on a rainy day).

walking towards the Pinnacle… and beyond

Posted: November 21, 2025 in construction, locations, old buildings
Tags: Alexandros, bearded prof, Between the Eyes, CIBC building, CN Tower, Dean Drever, dowtown, Gardiner Expressway, Harbour Commission Building, Pinnacle Group, Queens Quay, Richard Deacon, Royal York hotel, Scotiabank Arena, Sky Tower, Yonge St.

….with a group of friends on a grey November morning.

below: From Union Station, there are now plenty of routes to take indoors and we explored some of them (some for at least the second time but there are always changes or points of view that you miss the first time around).

below: Union Station has connected to Scotiabank Arena for a few years now.

below: And within the last year or two a pedestrian bridge over Bay Street has connected Scotiabank Arena with the new CIBC Square development on the other side of the street. This picture shows the exterior stairs of that new CIBC building as seen from the south side of that bridge. That’s a lot of climbing! So glad for escalators.

below: There is quite a view from the new CIBC Square park area including this one looking mostly southwest to the top of Scotiabank arena. The architectural details (some sort of overhang?) are on the new CIBC building

below: Looking north up Bay past the shiny sparkly gold RBC building to Old City Hall that’s almost hidden behind the newer towers.

below: You can also see the Royal York hotel on the other side of the railway tracks.

below: Cranes and the CN Tower make for a very downtown Toronto photo. Again, this is the view from the new CIBC Square. If you are interested, a year ago I posted more photos from this new park – Above the railway tracks at CIBC Square.

below: Work continues on the Union Station expansion and upgrades on the south side of the station. This work will provide the infrastructure needed for increased GO train service (more trains, more often). Comparing this photo to one taken a year ago there don’t seem to be many changes so I hope that most of the work has been inside (or else it’s going to be a very long time before this project is completed).

below: It is also possible to continue walking indoors through to the new GO Bus Terminal. This is the glass wall at the south entrance of the terminal on Lakeshore Blvd.

below: This is the view southwest from the corner of Bay and Lakeshore. Just beyond the exit ramp from the Gardiner is the Toronto Harbour Commission Building on Harbour Street – named as such back in the day when this was close to the shore of Lake Ontario. It was built in the Beaux-Arts style and was completed in 1917.

below: Harbour Commission Building, 1923, just over a hundred years ago. Photo from the Toronto Public Library, found online in their digital archives. Harbour Street was right on the shore! Everything that exists toady south of Harbour Street is built on landfill. That includes most, if not all, of the developments on Queens Quay.

below: A few steps later as we walked down Bay – this photo is now looking northwest back towards Scotiabank Arena and the Gardiner Expressway. So many new towers! The Telus building on the right is on York Street and immediately south of the tracks. On the left are twos tall building with an almost round structure on the top (with holes in it) – these are the ICE condo towers at 12 and 14 York.

below: On Queens Quay, a contrast between the Brutalist type of architecture of the textured concrete Westin Hotel and the newer glass and steel condo tower beyond it.

below: Also on Queens Quay (on the north side of Queens Quay between Bay and Yonge) there is a water feature at the horribly named Residences of the World Trade Centre

below: The same complex is also home to this mis-shapen peanut thing that is a sculpture, ‘Between The Eyes’, by Richard Deacon. Also, the brown building on the left is the old Toronto Star building at 1 Yonge Street. It was to be redeveloped into a condo tower but the market for condos is trash at the moment. The owner/developer, Pinnacle Group, has announced that they might try to convert the building into a hotel instead.

below: Now under construction is Sky Tower at Pinnacle One Yonge (on what was the parking lot behind the Toronto Star building).

below: 106 floors!! Final height will be 352 metres. May they never have elevator issues. May the underground garages never have water issues. The tallest completed building in the city is Aura at Yonge and College at 272m. A couple of others at Yonge and Bloor are under construction but even once they are finished, this Sky Tower will be the tallest. Remember that picture of the Royal York Hotel – when it was built in the late 1920s it was the tallest building in the city, and the first one over 100m.

below: When I was looking for older pictures of this area, I found this intriguing photo from 1984. Not that long ago, right? The Gardiner Expressway runs across the top and you can see the Toronto Harbour Commission building in the top left corner. The Westin Hotel is there (the two towers on a triangular base, bottom left). The rectangular tall building is the Toronto Star building at 1 Yonge. In other words, this is almost a map of part of our walk. A couple of things of note – first look how much surface parking there was! And second, what is that circular thing in the middle (and top) of the picture!!! On closer examination, it’s just an old ramp for the Gardiner and all the wasted space in the center. Harbour Street follows the curve on its south side. An incredible amount of space is devoted to the car.

below: Walking up the west side of Yonge. The blue building with all the diamonds and triangles is the back of CIBC Square – we have almost completed a circle.

below: More redevelopment and construction to the east of Yonge on Harbour. Harbour then merges with Lakeshore Blvd.

below: You should recognize the purpose of the exterior bracing on the brick building. The facade of this 1950s brick LCBO headquarters and warehouse is being saved during its transition to ‘Sugar Wharf’ with new towers, a hotel, a park, and more. A very familiar story that seems to play in a never ending loop.

below: North on Yonge

below: Under the Gardiner

below: Bird in flight but stuck to the concrete – a paper paste-up on a Gardiner Expressway pillar

below: I don’t think that this is Finch West.

below: Another bird in flight is ‘Eagle’ by Dean Drever, 2018. His beak is pointing to another new pedestrian bridge over Yonge Street that hasn’t opened yet. It is part of the CIBC development and will become part of the PATH system.

below: CIBC Square, north side construction. In the distance is Union Station; we have come close to walking in a circle. It wasn’t a very big circle but there were many changes and quite a few things happening. The CIBC Square development includes two towers on the east side of Bay, one on the south side of the tracks and one on the north. In case you didn’t realize it, the one acre “park” that they have developed is actually over the railway tracks. It’s a wonderful use of the space. I hope that the city sees that it is feasible to create public space this way. There has been a lot of chatter about how the city should create a park over more of the tracks and I hope that this spurs them on.

This walk was the 16th Anniversary walk for the Toronto Photowalks group. It was a rather large group of us that started from Union Station last Saturday morning.

Toronto Photowalks have walked twice a month since November 2009 with some exceptions during Covid lockdowns and restrictions. I first walked with them in early February, 2012. There have been 334 walks and most streets and alleys in the city (and sometimes beyond) have been covered at least once. Some weeks the group is small while at other times the numbers are a bit overwhelming but all in all, it’s a great group!

below: I am sure that the Bearded Prof is saying “Thanks for joining us!”

from Dupont to St. Clair West

Posted: November 12, 2025 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, public art, stores, transportation
Tags: Bareket, birds, bkez, Catherine Cachia, decorations, Dupont, Dupont subway station, Elicser Elliott, halloween, James Sutherland, Julia Prajza, murals, Nick Sweetman, pumpkins, signs, Spadina, stores, Troy Lovegates

Enter if you Dare!

A late October walk on a sunny day – starting at Dupont station which is just north of Bloor on Line 1 (That’s the University side of the Yonge-University Line for those of you who, like me, haven’t mastered the TTC numbering system yet!). We walked a few blocks on Dupont before going under the railway tracks to Bridgman, then took a quick turn on Albany to get to Davenport. A short block later we were on Bathurst. Vaughan Road veers left off Bathurst just south of Bloor. We meandered a bit north of Bloor before walking back to St. Clair West station.

below: A bright and sparkly flower blooms on the southbound platform of Dupont subway station. This is one of the mosaics designed by James Sutherland in the series “Spadina Summer Under all Seasons” found around the station.

below: More Dupont station flowers to greet subway travelers, this time on the concourse level.

below: Taking the escalator up inside the dome at street level.

below: There is a Nick Sweetman mural of birds that wraps around the curve of a bench.

below: The curve matches that of the domed entrance to the station on the southeast corner of Dupont and Spadina.

below: Casa Loma in the distance, on the hill beyond the tracks. This is the view on Spadina north of Dupont.

below: Northeast corner of Dupont and Spadina

below: Big rounded arches, rooftop terraces in the back, and two turrets, all at the corner of St. George Street and Dupont.

below: Looking north on St. George, towards Dupont, 1904. Working on the street. The house with the two turrets is already there. The duplex on Dupont at the top of the street still exists too.

below: The duplex (176-178 Dupont) is difficult to see because like so many other older residences on main streets, an addition has been added to the front to facilitate a store or a restaurant. At the moment, 176 Dupont is a Mexican restaurant, even though the says Pastrami (close enough!).

below: Bruno Men’s Hairsylist and his quaint little sign.

below: On Dupont, east of Spadina is this mural by Catherine Cachia

below: Cozy and euphoric.

below: Bete Suk, Ethiopian Coffee shop

below: Northwest corner of Dupont and Spadina, and another domed subway entrance.

below: Looking west on Dupont

below: Another, much clearer, example of the transition of houses to businesses by building additions in front, are these two – Krispy Kreme and the faded Modern Laundry & Dry Cleaners.

below: West of Dupont, there are still some garages covered in street art.

below: This is 390 Dupont Street, part of which is now a coffee shop/vintage clothing store. I am not sure what the history of the building is but when I tried to research it, I discovered that there is a condo development being proposed for the site.

below: This is the neighbouring property, 388 Dupont. Two years ago when I walked this stretch, there was a blue and white development notice sign in front of the building (Dupont Street Scenes). When the application for redevelopment was first filed (2020), it was for an 11 storey building involving 374 to 388 Dupont. By 2023 the plan had evolved to 12 storeys and now included 390 Dupont as well. Because the site is adjacent to the CP Railway corridor, a train safety derailment wall along the entire back wall is part of the plan.

below: Although there is no posted notice of planning applications for this building, it appears to be empty. The front door is boarded up and there is a No Trespassing sign in the window.

below: Two years ago this building was in the early stages of construction.

below: Another theme that occurs over and over again on the streets of Toronto – the jumble of different eras. Very old brick houses and new glass and steel towers mixed together along with ages in between. The smaller older structures dwarfed by the newer ones that tower over them.

below: The Troy Lovegates mural of 10 faces on Howland & Dupont is still there and still looking vibrant. If you are interested, there are more images of this mural elsewhere in this blog.

below: Running parallel to the railway tracks, and just north of them.

below: The north side of the CP Railway corridor shows signs of its more industrial past. This building with its curved glass sidelights and other small Art Deco finishes, sits empty. Previously it was home to a plumbing company but they have moved to new quarters elsewhere in the city.

below: Tarragon Village mural by Elicser Elliott

below: There is also this mural, just around the corner on Albany, “You are not alone”. It was painted by Julia Prajza and Bareket (bkez). ‘You Are Not Alone Murals’ is a public mural project with over 100 murals completed. Their goal is to “inspire artists to create murals in their communities–sparking hope, connection, and conversations about mental health.” (quote taken from their website, youarenotalonemurals.com).

mural on the front of a building, wrapped around the front door, in cursive, text says You are not alone

below: An intriguing series of photos in the windows… but I couldn’t get a closer look at them.

below: A large red heart and an even larger blue spruce tree.

;

below: The paintings along the concrete wall on the west side of Bathurst have all been defaced.

below: Another touch of Art Deco in the neighbourhood

below: Bathurst Street houses

below: Playing in the playground

below: Store fronts on Bathurst

below: Looking north up Bathurst where Vaughan Road exits left. Vaughan Road was built in the 1920’s along an older trail that follows a now underground creek. From here, it runs more or less diagonally north and west to its northern end at Dufferin and Eglinton.

below: Choice laundry in the old brick building, on Vaughan Road.

below: Also on Vaughan Road, Zoomiez Doggie Daycare and Vaughan Road Pharmacy.

below: We met a couple of strangers. They weren’t very talkative though so we kept walking….

below: The gateposts on Strathearn Road mark the entrance to the former village of Forest Hill. Forest Hill was incorporated as a village in 1923 and then annexed by the City of Toronto in 1967.

below: There is a metal plaque at each end of the Glen Cedar pedestrian bridge over the Cedarvale Ravine. This is the one at the south end. The text is taken from the lyrics of “Anthem”, a song by Leonard Cohen. The first bridge here was built by Henry Pellatt (the same man responsible for Casa Loma) in 1912. It became a pedestrian bridge when it was modernized in 1989.

brass plaque embedded in the concrete of a bridge railing

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your prefect offering.
There is a crack,
a crack in everything
it’s how the light get’s in
[and yes, the plaque has an apostrophe in gets]

glen cedar pedestrian bridge in late october when the trees were in their autumn foilage

below: Home is where our story begins.

below: At Bathurst and St. Clair – Da Best Pilipino Bakery and Deli

below: Waiting to cross Bathurst Street

below: Looking east on the north side of St. Clair, from Bathurst. St. Clair West subway station is just a few meters away.

below: There was once a gas station on the northeast corner of Bathurst and St. Clair West. Now it is a vacant lot with a few alien creatures like this one lurking about.

below: Happy Hallowe’en pumpkins! The frog’s not so certain though.

With thanks to Nancy who walked with me that day.

around Oriole station

Posted: October 17, 2025 in construction, transportation
Tags: 401, bridge, bridges, construction, GO, Leslie St., Metrolinx, oriole, pedestrians, sidewalks

Oriole GO station is on the Richmond Hill line. It is located at Leslie and the 401 highway and for many years the parking lot for the station was under the 401. With the recent changes to the Leslie/401 interchange, and all the construction that that entails, this parking lot is gone. Also, the old station building is no longer in use and the platform has been moved slightly north. A new metal pedestrian bridge has been built over the tracks south of the station to replce an older wood structure – this provides access to the residential area to the south.

below: Under the 401 highway

below: Access to Woodsworth park involves getting over the tracks via a new pedestrian bridge.

below: Caged!

below: The bridge is high! The top of it is level with the traffic on the ramp between the eastbound 401 and Leslie Street. This is the view north and slightly west from the bridge.

below: Another view from the bridge, this time looking northeast

below: Looking east over all the lanes of the 401, including the new Leslie Street on-ramp on the south side.

below: At track level

It was very quiet here. Oriole station is the first stop north of Union but trains only run during rush hours. There are four trains that run southbound in the morning and five trains for northbound trips in the afternoon. No trains stop here between 8:35 a.m. and 4:14 p.m. There don’t seem to be any stats online re the number of people who use this station.

below: Old station building in the background that is no longer is use (i.e. there are no washroom facilities here at the moment).

below: You may have seen this giant billboard if you have driven past on the 401. It stands beside the Oriole station platform. Recently, the platform was under under the 401 and therefore, protected from the rain. It has been moved slightly north to bring it closer to Leslie subway station (TTC)

below: All pedestrian access to the old station as well as the parking lot has been closed.

below: There is another entrance to the station at the north end where the tracks cross Esther Shiner Blvd. [extra note: Esther Shiner was a North York municipal politician who was first elected in 1972. She served as councilor, as well as a short stint as Deputy Mayor until her death in 1987.]

Not everybody walks to IKEA!

below: The tracks cross Esther Shiner Blvd, but the sidewalk doesn’t and all pedestrian traffic is routed to the south side. If you want to transfer to the TTC (Leslie station), there is a walk involved. It takes about 10 minutes I think.

below: Turn left at Old Leslie if you are looking for the TTC subway. Straight through gets you to Leslie Street (at North York General Hospital, north of the 401 highway and south of Shepard).

below: The signs still direct you to the GO station via under the 401….

below: …. but the road is actually closed to traffic.

below: Looking northwest across Leslie, south of the 401 (towards Yonge & Shepard).

below: Making sidewalks.

below: Old and faded, rules and regulations for prevention of the spread of COVID-19

Captain Hawley and others

Posted: September 12, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, stores
Tags: alley, backyards, Candace Bell, Captain Hawley Lane, cars, Duke Tavern, Eastern Ave., Elicser Elliott, garages, houses, lanes, Leslie St., Leslieville, Memory Lane, Nigel Smith, peeling paint, Queen St. East, residential, streetcar

below: This lane was recently named for William Hawley, a retired Toronto firefighter and Leslieville resident.

Captain Hawley lane runs north from Eastern towards Queen St East. It is west of Leslie Street. There are a few other little alleys in the vicinity all of which seem to be unnamed. This blog post shows some of the things seen in these alleys as well as on the major streets around them, Queen, Leslie, and Eastern.

below: Elicser Elliott’s Leslieville mural still looks great at Queen & Jones.

below: “Community” by Candace Bell on Queen East

below: Who is the photographer?

below: Stores on Queen East.

below: Northeast corner of Larchmount and Queen East.

below: Photo taken on a day when gas was $1.43 a litre, albeit full service which you don’t find everywhere these days.

below: An afternoon break on a patio.

below: Waiting to get into the Duke, Men’s Entrance

below: Leslie and Queen East south side,

below: Construction on the east side of Leslie – one of countless large holes in the ground.

below: Houses on Leslie, south of Memory Lane.

below: A house with a bright turquoise front door and another that is now taller and skinnier.

below: 27 Leslie Street

below: Non-believers on top – “No Truth to it!” over “Jesus saith unto him…. “.

below: On Eastern, the AMCO gas station is now closed because of a recent fire.

below: “Navalny” and “Text” by Nigel Smith

below: There is still a large vacant lot on the south side of Eastern Avenue (with views towards the Port Lands)

… and now the laneway scenes …..

below: Starting with the now ubiquitous laneway garden suite

below: These houses with the square-ish shapes at the back are disappearing as more and more home owners renovate and/or expand upwards. Brick is no longer the cladding of choice (and hasn’t been for a long time).

Sunlight shining – Biidaasige – and Lookout too.

Posted: September 6, 2025 in construction, locations, nature, waterfront
Tags: beach, Biidaasige, bike path, bridges, DOn River, hearn generating station, Leslie Lookout Park, park, playground, Port Lands, redevelpopment, river, Ship Channel, trees, Unwin Ave., Villiers, water, water lilies, waterfront

A new park in the Port Lands has opened. Biidaasige Park. Biidaasige translates to “sunlight shining towards us”.

It is centered around the new mouth of the Don River, with lots of walking and cycling paths that wind along the shores and through the newly planted shrubs, trees, and other native plants.

There is also a large playground where plenty of adventures await!

How many animals can you spot?

A black wasp has found a swamp milkweed flower.

below: The washroom facilities are still temporary (I hope!) but at least they exist….

… But there is more. Biidaasige is not the only new park in the area. Just to the east is the new Leslie Lookout Park that features this 10m tower that references the areas industrial history. It echos the silos of the past and provides an elevated viewing area.

below: The park is at the east end of the Ship Channel

Both parks are just part of the redevelopment of the Port Lands. The area has always been industrial, and many industries remain. Construction continues on other areas

below: Unwin Avenue

below: The old Hearn Generating Station still sits empty. It was built in the 1950s as a coal powered generating station but it was decommissioned in 1983. It has been used as a movie set location or as a backdrop for art installations but because of the huge costs involved (especially with cleaning up the interior to present day safety standards) this heritage site is vastly underused.

below: But now there is a development notice sign on the fence. Its present owner, Studios of America, has applied to redevelop the 30 acre site to include condos as well as other mixed uses.

a little bit of Sherbourne in the sun

Posted: September 3, 2025 in construction, graffiti and street art, old buildings, public art, transportation
Tags: anser, artsbyabe, Church Wellesley village, construction, Garden of Lost Boys, houses, housing, Howard St., Ishkozi Park, Jarvis St., King St., Leader Lane, Maple Leaf Gardens, Michael Snow, O'Gradys, P.J. O'Briens, redevelopment, Rogers, Sarah Klawiter, St. James Town, Upper Jarvis

a little bit of Church Street, on the run…..

And of course, a lot of in-between too. A bit of a random walk south from Bloor on Sherbourne, Jarvis, and Church. A zigzagging walk through four neighbourhoods.

But first, coffee! De Mello Coffee on Bloor has mirrors under their counter and it makes for some strange scenes.

below: In the lobby of Postmedia Place on Bloor Street there is this sculpture – three people reading newspapers.

below: I found not one, but two, anser faces of unknown vintage in an alley just west of Sherbourne

below: Upper Jarvis was neighbourhood number one that day. The north end of Jarvis Street is at Charles Street; here Jarvis splits into Ted Rogers Way (old Jarvis Street) and Mt. Pleasant.

below: Looking south along Mt. Pleasant immediately south of Bloor. If you can see the covered pedestrian walkway over the street in this picture, that is where Mt. Pleasant turns slightly left and becomes Jarvis Street.

below: Ishkozi Park is a small green space on Huntley (actually on the grounds of Rogers Toronto headquarters). The benches have been recently painted, but the large sculpture in the center has been there a while. The walking lady in the sculpture may look familiar and you may be thinking to yourself, “Where have I seen her before?”. The stainless steel sculpture is a giant tree and is titled ‘Red, Orange and Green’ and it was created by artist Michael Snow. …. Have you figured out why she looks familiar? … She was first spotted back in the early 1960s…..

The neighbourhoods along Sherbourne and south of Bloor are other rapidly changing areas of the city. On the west, many older homes still exist but they are empty and obviously waiting demolition (or inclusion into a large condo development?).

below: Once they were a few family homes, now they are a number of smaller apartments. Interesting brickwork.

below: Another ubiquitous development notice sign – this time to inform us of a very large two tower development that involves three streets, Huntley, Linden, and Selby. Portions of some of the older houses would be kept and the towers would be behind them. I did not do a complete research on the planning application (21 227527 STE 13 OZ) but it seems like city council didn’t like many parts of the initial proposal back in 2021/2022. I do not know what it’s status is now.

below: On the east side of Sherbourne, it is Howard Street that is torn up. This is the west side of St. James Town.

below: A cheeseburger with a sesame seed bun!

below: Someone’s heart is in heaven, but Lisa and Jerry 4-Ever!

below: Jarvis & Gloucester/Earl northwest corner. Some black, some white, and lots of grey.

below: Fancy brick work, rounded windows, and a turret!

below: Church Wellesley village, neighbourhood number two.

below: Once upon a time it was Maple Leaf Gardens, home to the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team (1931-1999). Now it houses a Loblaws grocery store and TMU athletic facilities (Mattamy Athletic Centre). Northwest corner of Church and Carlton

below: Lots of pink on Maitland Street.

below: Garden of Lost Boys – dedicated to the memory of friends and neighbours lost to the AIDS epidemic.

below: Hot tub macrame!! Finally, a use for those plant hangers that you (or your mother) might have – that you probably made back in the 1980s. If you don’t have such a thing, you can find this one in a store on Church Street.

below (also above): Tribute to Sarah Hegazi, written in 2020. “To my siblings: I tried to survive and failed, forgive me. To my friends: the experience was harsh & I was too weak to resist it, forgive me. To the world: you were cruel to a great extent, but I forgive.” Hegazi was an Egyptian writer and LGBTQ activist who was arrested and tortured in Cairo for waving a rainbow banner. She found asylum in Canada in 2018 but died by suicide in Toronto two years later.

below: Patchwork teddy bear graffiti sticker by artsbyabe

below: At the end of the rainbow you will find O’Gradys – in on of the few half houses that exist in the city.

below: On a school wall – a door with rainbow stripes and hearts along with Honesty (Gwekwaadziwin) and Wisdom (Newaakaawin)

below: Gerrard Street East and the Garden District,… now we are at number three.

below: … but wait, Gerrard Street East in McGill Granby Village? The difference of course is that one is on the west side of Church and the other is on the east. Neighbourhood number four.

below: By the time we get to Queen Street, we are in Old Town Toronto, Historic Queen Street and Neighbourhood number 5.

below: The round turret of that yellow building still remains. The green scaffolding keeps the facade stable while new development occurs around it. Some of you may be old enough to remember it as a Thriftys Sports Shop. The last business to occupy the space before demolition was Shawarma’s King.

below: Church street just north of King. Fenced off and closed to traffic.

below: The intersection of Church and King, looking towards the southeast corner.

below: Still King and Church but a slightly different angle

below: … Also King Street

below: Leader Lane runs between King and Wellington. After many years of “discussion” and planning, the part of Leader Lane that is south of Colborne just might get pedestrianized. This picture show the north half of Leader Lane and yes, that section has just been completely redeveloped around the older white building.

below: P.J. O’Brien’s has been on the corner of Colborne and Leader Lane since 1966.

A quick look back at Front and Sherbourne – this is the northeast corner of that intersection. A lot of new development here!

Phew! Time for a rest!

With thanks to all the friends that I walked with that day…. shown here doing what we all do best, play in our favorite photo places (in this case, Leader Lane, side of P.J. O’Briens)

as I walk Toronto

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