Archive for the ‘construction’ Category

Just what the doctor ordered?

Posted: April 23, 2024 in construction, locations, public art, reflections
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below: I’d heard that the old Coach Terminal was no longer in use (since mid 2021) but I hadn’t heard anything about its present status.  Now I know: Empty.  Abandoned.

old Toronto coach station, now empty with metal fence blocking entrances

below: Apparently the land is owned by the city. There is talk of redevelopment that includes affordable housing, office space, etc. I am not sure where the plans are at (does anyone?) at the moment.

old Toronto coach station, now empty with metal fence blocking entrances, Elizabeth street view, newer high rises in the background

below: Concrete.  Just a concrete wall…  But an interesting use of concrete.

decorative concrete wall, with vertical geometric designs

below: The sign says “weather” and the weather this day is miserable.  Wet. Grey. Luckily I had a rainy day plan….

plastic coated wire bundled up and inserted between brass plaque and wood pole, lots of staples and bits of old paper in pole, artwork scratched onto the brass, including the word weather

I was meeting friends at Starbucks at Sick Kids.

a woman enters through the large glass doors of Sick Kids newer building on east side of Elizabeth street

below: This is when I learned that Sick Kids Hospital is in two buildings that are across Elizabeth Street from each other.  Only one has a Starbucks!

Elizabeth street, bench on sidewalk, bridge over the street connecting two sick kids hospital buildings

below: Inside the bridge with its zigzagging light

interior of pedestrian bridge, glass walls, a zigzag shaped light in the ceiling, white floor,

below: A white goose

a white goose (not real) on a ledge by a fake orange door on a wall between real windows

below: One side of the atrium, 8 storeys high, in the older building on the west side of Elizabeth

large multi storey atrium of Sick kids hospital, with elevator and stairs and window to rooms on the sides

below: On the east side of Elizabeth Street is the new Sick Kids’ Patient Support Centre – we didn’t venture too far past the main entrance and bridge to the other building, but there was a lot to see just in this space!

coloured lights, glass walls, stairs, atrium of Sick kids

interior at Sick Kids, glass walls, painted murals on interior walls, chairs, coloured lights

blue stair case, hanging public art beside it,

a security guard sits in a chair by a door, a large mobile, or hanging public art installation with hundreds of metal bits floating in the space,

below: Swirly squiggly LED lights turn an ordinary ceiling into something more.

squiggly LED ceiling lights at Sick kids

below: Gerrard Street entrance to Toronto General Hospital (TGH)

Gerrard street entrance to Toronto General Hospital

below: Part of a conference room door.

fractal like design on door to conference room in hospital

below: There aren’t as many photos from TGH for a couple of reasons. First, regrettably (in hindsight) we didn’t explore much of it and second, although hospitals are generally public spaces they are also places where people expect privacy. So you’ll have to settle for some empty chairs and artwork in a waiting area. I suspect that a wander around all of TGH would provide ample material for its own blog post, just not today.

artwork on wood paneled wall and above three blue chairs

below: After TGH we entered MaRS – they call themselves “North America’s largest urban innovation hub”.  A modern building that incorporated part of an older stone structure that was built in 1913 as the original home of Toronto General Hospital.   Ooops, it’s not a building, it’s a “Discovery District”.

interior of mars tower, large escalator

below: 1923 view of Toronto General Hospital with College Street in the immediate foreground and University Avenue on the right.  There weren’t many tall buildings 100 years ago!

1923 colour postcard of Toronto General Hospital, a brick building on College Street

photo credit: Photo found on Wikimedia Commons, image is in the public domain.

As it turns out, MaRS doesn’t like cameras.  It was the only building that morning where security approached us.  Apparently you can take all the photos you want if you use your phone but cameras are not allowed.  Snuck in a few before we got told off.

interior of mars building

a man sits at a wood table, in front of a room with red sofas and chairs, with a glass wall between them

inside atrium of MaRS discovery district, large multi storey space with glass ceiling

below: Here’s the tunnel leading to Queens Park subway station.   Brightly lit but with the minimum of planning and imagination.

people walking through an all white tunnel connecting to the subway, well lit,

below: Back at ground level it’s a bit more interesting.

glass wall and large doors, university avenue entrance to mars building,

below: In front of MaRS is a sculpture of two men talking.

outside mars building on college street, two people are talking, also two bronze statues, buildings on college street

below: Dr. James Till (left) and Dr. Ernest McCulloch (right) having a discussion in the rain (with an onlooker).  There are lots of seats available so if you are passing by you can join the conversation.   The two men were involved in stem cell research at the Ontario Cancer Institute and at Princess Margaret Hospital in the 1960s.  They were pioneers in the field.

Doctors Till and McCulloch, bronze statues

below: Dr. McCulloch needed some help keeping dry!

statue of a man, bronze, holding a real red umbrella

below: Pardon the raindrop – across College Street from MaRS is (the first phase of?) the new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus (part of the University of Toronto).

below:  When I saw it, my first reaction was, “This looks familiar” … i.e. the recessed glass withing the window frame is reminiscent some concrete buildings used back in the 1960s such as the Clarke Institute just down the street (built in 1964).  There is also a similar “modernist” building from the same era at Yonge & Roehampton (just north of Eglinton).  I thought that it was interesting to see an older architectural “detail” show up in a modern building.  It’s a nice change.

closer look at cladding features, Schwartz Reisman building, new building on College St

below: Walking on University Ave… which is a mess on the southbound side between College and Queen Street West because of infrastructure upgrades.  Apparently the water mains here were 150 years old.

people walking in the rain on University ave where there is construction, yellow fence, Queens park building is in the background

below: Campbell Family Building, part of the front facade and doorway.  This building was constructed in 1935 for the Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario (later Ontario Hydro).  In the 1990s it became part of Princess Margaret Hospital.  Audrey Campbell was the daughter of Roy Thomson and it is her family that the building was named for (because of donations obviously).

front door of Campbell Family Building, an old stone building with large decorative glass rectangle above the door, but behind yellow construction fence because of work being done on University Avenue

below: Across the street from Princess Margaret Hospital, part of TGH.

Toronto General Hospital on University Ave., Robert McEwen Atrium, glass,

below: South on University Ave

looking south along the west side of university avenuse, from princess margaret hospital, on a rainy april day

below: Digging up the street in front of Mt Sinai Hospital

workman standing on sidewalk watching red digger dig up the street in front of him

a person stands under a small porch, beside stone columns, with Canadian flag behind

below: In a small space between two buildings on University Ave are a few small sculptures.  The building on the left is Mount Sinai Hospital where there is now an art gallery. The building on the right is Princess Margaret Hospital.

bronze sculpture outside, human like figure walking upright, greenish tinges

below:   This is a small part of the interior of the Hennick Family Wellness Gallery at Mount Sinai Hospital. All of the pieces are the work of Sorel Etrog (1933-2014, Canadian).

red sculpture in a gallery, human like shape made of two large screws

There is a plaque in Mt. Sinai that tells the story of The Ezras Noshem Society (Ladies Aid in Yiddish) led by four Jewish women who started raising money in 1913 for a new hospital. By 1922 they had raised $12,000 and in 1923 the Hebrew Maternity and Convalescent Hospital was opened at 100 Yorkville. They seem to be known only as Mrs. Cohn, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Spiegel, and Mrs. Adler (and others).  They also opened a Jewish Old Folks’ Home in 1917.
Contrast that to the “Hall of Chairs” – a hallway with the portraits of all the past “Chairs” of the hospital, all men.

below: Large mural on the side of the parking garage behind Mount Sinai Hospital

large colourful abstract mural on the side of parking garage behind Mount Sinai Hospital

below: Love Locks

large heart shape grid of metal wires with some filled with locks, in artwork called heart locks, on wall of parking garage

It would have been nice to get a break in the weather but the rain just kept coming.

a group of people huddled together in a bus shelter on dundas, a cyclist going past them, other people on the sidewalk

a man runs along dundas, on the street, cars there too

So a warm, dry place with coffee – with a shout out to Carbonic Coffee on Baldwin as well as thanks to Jeff, Paul and Perry who walked with me today.

taking pictures of cups of flat white coffee in a coffee shop

three people walking in the rain, on dundas street, one man has a black and white striped umbrella with a red border

continuing from Dundas West

Posted: April 19, 2024 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, locations, people, reflections
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Ready to roll again?!

people walking on sidewalk, past a sign for a sushi restaurant that says lets roll

 The last blog post ended at Dundas West Station where the Giraffe Building sits on the northwest corner of Bloor and Dundas  …. so let’s picked it up from there…..

large billboard on top of two storey building with upper level painted like a giraffe in brown and yellow, bottom level covered with ads and graffiti

If you go north on Dundas from here you’ll find yourself in the Junction.

below:  A quick peak north on Dundas West at Edna (first block north of Bloor).

southwest corner of Edna and Dundas West, standing in front of Mcdonalds at the subway station, a bus, some people walking, a man leaning against a telephone pole.

But not today.  Today we’re heading south on Dundas until it meets up with Roncesvalles.  Then we’ll walk generally north and east until we cross Dundas at Sorauren.  A brief stroll north on Sterling will bring us back to Bloor.   That’s the plan!

man holds a coffee cup as he walks past adverts on side of giraffe building

two people standing beside defaced mural in support of front line workers, dundas west and bloor

below: Crossing Bloor at Dundas

a couple walking together, crossing Bloor, with dollarama store and brick highrise apartment building behind them

man holds a piece of plaid fabric in his outstretched arms as he walks past advertisements on exterior of giraffe building

wood cutouts of people doing things, man holding a ball above his head, painted, mounted on exterior of red brick building, a school,

large painting of a glass half full of milk, on exterior of red building, word full written on the milk, beside Bloor Street fitness, with a large white boxing glove outside

below: Waiting by Jimmys Coffee

looking across Dundas West towards Jimmys Coffee, people waiting to cross with traffic light

below: Walking their bikes

a young man walks his bike on sidewalk past a store, reflections in the window
walking on Roncesvalles, a woman in a maroon skirt, a couple walking together

below: Jac’s Milk on Roncesvalles still has a mural depicting the 504 King streetcar.  The boys at the table were selling eye protectors for watching the solar eclipse (that dates this walk!)

Jac's Milk convenience store on a corner on Roncesvalles, TTC streetcar in mural on the side of the building, a person on a bike in the foreground

a woman walks her dog on the sidewalk, Roncesvalles

below: White Corner Variety

a person on a bike riding north on Roncesvalles, past Whites Corner Variety

below: Outclass reflections

a woman sits on a bench in front of a store window

below: Jogging on Roncesvalles

two women jogging on Roncesvalles at Howard Park

two young asian men working at a fruit and vegetable market, goods on sidewalk, some people passing by, a pile of orange in the foreground

below: Totally gutted

view from alley behind, most of interior of house has been gutted for a renovation

below: Also under renovations is the Hindu Prarthana Samaj Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Toronto.  Prior to being demolished, this was an old church building dating from 1886.  First it was Ruth Street Presbyterian Mission and then later it became Fern Avenue Church of Christ until the Prarthana Samaj congregation bought the building in 1979.  Soon it will look more like a Hindu temple!

hindu temple being renovated behind hoardings

backyard views, from laneway behind

garages in alley, dark green garage door, bright blue wall,

below: Flowers on the side of a garage in an alley

pinkish peach colour lily painted on a wall in an alley, also a purple rose in the painting

 

graffiti on a brick wall in an alley, blue eyes with text eyez

sticker of a heavily armed police man with a large gun on a pole in an alley

sign upside down, yellow sign says slow, alley,

below: New infill in an alley

new infill house in an alley

below: With another one under construction nearby.   Construction of these laneway homes was allowed beginning in the summer of 2018.  Since then, their popularity has blossomed.

infill housing being built in an alley, plywood

below: Wilson’s Variety & Grocery on a corner in a residential area.

small convenience store on a corner in a residential area, Wilson's Variety and Grocery says green and yellow sign across the top of the window, black bars on the window, Canada Post mailbox in front of the store,

small narrow house, two storey, large tree in front, gingerbread trim under eaves, very small front yard,

house on Sorauren, white fence in front, red trim on porch and awning over window

backyards, alley view, one with lots of stuff in the yard

below: No payment entertainment and BE BETTER where Sorauren meets Dundas West.

where Sorauren meets Dunda West, a big billbord, an old yellow building, and another building with the words be better written in big white capital letters

below: Same corner, southwest side.  Pink door beside Timmy’s Variety.

southwest corner of Sorauren and Dundas West, building with large white sign and pink features

below: The West Toronto Railpath runs up the east side of the railway tracks.

West Toronto Railpath north from Dundas West,

concrete supports under bridge, Bloor Street over railway tracks, covered with graffiti,

below: You can tell by the sweet chocolatey smell in the air that Nestle is still making chocolate bars and other candy here.

Nestle factory, with large faded ad for Aero chocolate bars

walkway bridge over Sterling Ave at Nestle plant

sign on grey corrugated metal wall that says Nestle, coffee crisp

below: You are greater than everything

orange diamond shape construction sign that has been painted over in yellow and blue, stencil of an open hand holding a flame, text that says you are greater than everything

below: Halfway up Sterling Ave, around the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), there has been a flurry of development activity.

back corner of MOCA, Museum of Contemporary Art, with new construction of a new building beside it, crane on top of new building, sign on the back of MOCA that says over asking under taking

Sterling Ave., new building under construction on right, MOCA on left, museum of contemporary art

below: Development on the north side of MOCA.

looking across a flattened vacant lot. dirt, to a line of new townhouses, as well as older single family homes with large trees in the backyard

looking down the side of a house, to see new townhouses in the background

old used concrete barriers lined up beside each other, being stored in a vacant lot, behind a fence

below: A pair of anser eyes

man in red wool hat taking a picture of anser eyes graffiti on grey wall

below: Land Back, Turtle Island style.

poster on a wood pole, turtle with red sash around middle, words that say land back

below: Catchoo paste-up, catching a hand grenade

small graffiti pasteups by catchoo, two green outstretched hands reaching for a hand grenade

below: One wet fish dripping on Feelings Boi.   The fish is probably the work of Rowan McCulloch.

feelings boi sticker, as well as a sticker with a black and white image of a fish

below: More houses….

older brick two storey single family home with single upper storey window, also a porch across the front of the house, with white metal railing on porch

two storey bay and gable house, painted blue with white trim

two storey bay and gable house, red brick,

chair on a porch with 3 pizza boxes on it, also a bike on the porch

below: A row of bay and gable houses.

row of two and three storey bay and gable houses, large tree in front

houses on Bloor West near Sterling

addition to front of house, extends to sidewalk, large window in front, with reflections, walls are painted in mural with purple sky, blue and red trees, and green grass

below: And that brings us back to Bloor …. Bloor Gift and Smoke Shop across the street from the north end of Sterling Ave

on Bloor West, at Sterling, old red brick building, with Bloor Gift and Smoke Shop

below: Looking west on Bloor from Perth.  The southwest corner remains vacant.  Old concrete steps go nowhere now, and haven’t for many years.  The old tires are a more recent addition to the landscape.  Unfortunately this one of the many sites in the city where development is in limbo.  As early as 2010 there was a 12 storey building proposed on this site (1439 Bloor West plus 80 Perth).  At the moment, there seems to plans in the works for a 14 storey building but the plans seem rather fluid (i.e. they keep changing).

intersection of Bloor and Perth, with vacant lot on southwest corner

below: Back in 2014 or 2015, the concrete walls of this underpass were painted with murals. Now almost all of it is tagged over or scrawled on. It’s a mess.

entrance to toronto railpath beside tracks on Bloor Street, concrete walls covered in graffiti

below: UP Express train stopped at Bloor West station on its way to Pearson Airport.  The UP Express was in the news this past week because Metrolinx decided to change the scheduling such that half the trains no longer stop at the Bloor and Dundas stations.   Cue the now-normal Doug Ford flip flop when there was a lot of very verbal backlash from the commuters that use these stations.  The regular schedule has resumed.

UP Express train in station, reflected in the windows of building on other side of tracks

From here it is a hop, step and a jump back to Dundas West station.

In case you are interested –  Ten years ago, the building that houses MOCA stood alone. Its life as part of Tower Automotive had ended and its new life as a gallery hadn’t yet begun.  Previous posts:

Tower Automotive 2013
Tower Automotive 2014
First visit to the new MOCA 2018

from Keele to Dundas West

Posted: April 11, 2024 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art
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A short walk between two subway stations….

below: Westbound subway enters Keele station.

black and white photo of a TTC subway headed to Kipling, enters Keele station at section of track that is above ground, buildings in the background

below: A view to the east of Keele subway station where the tracks are elevated and there is a large parking lot underneath (free parking on the weekend!).

elevated subway tracks on east side of keele station, with parking lot below and pedestrian entrance, highrises in the background

below: Some of the buildings that formed the north wall of the parking lot beside Keele station are no longer all there.  Only one of the buildings remains.

street art on the back of a brick building, parking lot in front

below: The demolished buildings were covered with street art including a mural featuring King Midas.  Where he used to be there is now a tall crane above and a large hole below.  Increasing density at transit stops is a good idea but this is yet another square box in glass and steel with bland and nondescript street level “appeal”.  I am not sure if it is the developers or the city planning office that is responsible for the lack of imagination and/or variety at street level; that requires more research and another blog post.

large crane and orange barriers along the edge of a construction site on bloor near keele station

below: When buildings come down, others are revealed.  Angles briefly open up.  Obviously (now) LMP, JETR, TEMPO and friends were here.

large tags on outside of building revealed when building beside was demolished

below: Running behind the south side of Bloor is this alley There has been street art here for years.

graffiti and street art in an alley behind Bloor near Keele subway station

below: Some of that street art, like this Uber5000 painting, remain intact.  Lucky yellow birds!  It’s also nice to see an old Lovebot (upper left corner).

uber 5000 mural with three yellow birdies sitting around a red table. One is reading a newspaper

below: Others haven’t fared so well – A waving hand and the top of a red cap are all that remain of this Elicser Elliott piece.  I doubt that the fat white letters are an improvement but that’s the way it goes.

old mural by elicser mostly tagged over by giant white fat letters, only the very top of original can be seen 0 a red cap and a hand.

below: An urban night scene.  King Kong once stood over it.

part of a mural, night scene, city, highrises with lights on, in black and white

below: Someone has hung this little framed picture on an exterior wall.  I think that it is an image of a flower or plant of some sort.

small framed picture surrounded by graffiti on an exterior wall in a lane

below: Another Uber5000 work with a yellow birdie in a red cap.

uber 5000 mural in an alley, a yellow bird in a red cap, a man with square red framed glasses

below: A Buddha prays among the lotus flowers and leaves.

mural in back of building, with window above it, stairs in front of it, buddha, lotus flowers and lotus leaves

murals on two sides of a building in an alley,

below: Another mural that has been left untouched is Movie Art Decor featuring Alfred Hitchcock directing ‘Psycho’ along with Marilyn Monroe and a topless Bruce Lee.

movie art decor mural in black and white with Alfred Hitchcock and Bruce Lee

a white swan painted on a sidewalk box

below: It looks a bit like a big white shark is coming after us.

text throw up tag street art

below: Stop!

a hand with open palm in a mural beside a small sign that says parking reserved

below: Remembering 1995.

text graffiti scrawled on wall, says remember 1995, of course not

below: Sunny backyard spaces

single storey extension on the back of a building in an alley, with street art painted on the side,

below: More backyard spaces.

small steps up grassy hill at the back of a building, alley view

below: Looking west towards Keele Station – alley, subway tracks, and a few highrises.

an alley behind bloor, looking west towards keele subway station

below: Waiting at Dundas West Station

a man in a red jacket sits on a bench at Dundas West station, waiting between two TTC streetcars

Dundas West station is at Dundas and Bloor.  Also on this corner is the Giraffe Building.   Many years ago (2007?) this property was bought by a developer who wanted to build the Giraffe Condos, a 27 storey project.  To promote the condo development, the typical two storey stores that were there became the Giraffe building that we have now.  But the city rejected that proposal saying that the structure was too high and the site seems to have been in limbo ever since.  It has changed hands a number of times.

along Dundas West, east side of giraffe building,

  In 2018 the site, along with one or two adjacent properties was purchased by a partnership between two companies, Trinity & Timbercreek.  Lo and behold, a 27 storey condo with 354 units was proposed and this time accepted.   Back to square one?    But that isn’t the end of the story… In January the site was back on the market.   It looks like not much is going to change for a while yet.

below: Northwest corner of Dundas and Bloor with a streetcar covered in a lipstick advertisement.

northwest corner of Dundas and Bloor, people crossing with green light, TTC streetcar covered in ad for lipstick, giraffe building,

below: Graffiti break dancer behind the Giraffe building

red on white painting of a break dancer, graffiti

below: Sarah has claimed the cat in the doorway.  Cool hat.

cat cartoon character, with purple hat over its eyes, white trench coat, mural in a doorway in an alley

below: A green laser beam from a fiery eye?  A burning tall skinny structure (like the CN Tower)?

external metal staircase outside building beside a mural on the other wall, an eye, with red flames on the top, a green laser-like beam coming out of the eye

below: That’s a strange way to open a door.

doorway mural, male character, in green clothing
below: A miserable little impish guy with an oversized green tongue.

If you are interested in the street art in the alley above,  there is a blog post from 2015 titled ‘old friends’ that shows more pictures (from 9 years ago!).  You can get a better idea of what has changed and what hasn’t.  King Midas is there too.

wandering the alleys

Posted: March 16, 2024 in alleys, construction, doors, graffiti and street art, old buildings
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….of Dovercourt and Bloorcourt (south of Dupont and east of Dufferin)

blue and white banner on a utility pole, dovercourt village

Apparently there are over 250 kilometres of alleys and lanes in Toronto.  I am not sure how many are in the Dovercourt Village neighbourhood, but here are some pictures of what I saw when I walked the other day.

looking down a laneway to where it dead ends at a residential street with two storey brick houses, there is ablack picket fence in the alley, the house on the left in the alley is being renovated and has scaffolding covering the side

In many ways there is a similarity to most lanes – the garages and fences, the two storey houses, mostly brick, a few old trees, and the pavement in rough shape but there is always some interesting things to be found.

looking down a toronto alley, no dumping sign, garages, back of brick house, glass and steel highrise condo in the background

below: Somehow the back part is still standing!

backyard of a two torey house, view from alley with fence down, wood addition on brick building is old and falling apart

backyards and rear of houses, view from the lane behind

below: A narrow, skinny house with an extra layer of blue tarp privacy.

blue tarp over a fence behind a house in an alley

below: Happy dancing in the streets of Toronto – or close enough!

on a white garage door in a lane, a black line drawing of the CN Tower, 3 people dancing, the sun, a tree and two dogs

garage in an alley with street art on door and on side of building. on the side is white throwup on exploding red, yellow, and orange background

parking space in alley with chain across it, garage,

below: Monsters romping and flying around the black and white city

white garage in an alley, with a red man door, drawing and painting on the wall

below: “I want a cup of chai from the former Pink Palace”.

graffiti in an alley, black animal (cow?) on brown, with text, I want s cup of chai from the former pink palace

brick tower, perhaps steeple in the background, brick house in the middle, and a small garage with graffiti on door, large tree in the foreground

view looking down an alley to where it ends at a street with houses, large tree in the foreground, tall white apartment building in the background

below: An infill house in the lane.

black clad two storey house, dwelling, infill in an alley

below: And another infill….

black clad two storey house, dwelling with a large window facing the alley on the upper floor, infill in an alley

below: Large blue bear mural on a garage door by Jeff Blackburn

mural by Jeff Blackburn of a large blue bear face with maroon nose and mouth, white teeth, furry,

view of adjacent houses from the alley behind

chainlink gate between two garages in an alley, with view into backyard

upside down street sign that says no parking in the alley, backs of houses in the background

below: Falling apart.  Fake brick.  Asphalt based siding such as this bit here became a popular  alternative to painting  wooden structures as early as the 1930’s.  It was very popular in the 1940’s and the 1950’s in North America where it was used both for low-cost housing (and garages) and for covering the deteriorated exterior walls of older homes.

old fake brick asphalt tiles broken, on a wood garagebelow: A few simple flowers

a simple mural of flowers on a garage door in an alley, with house next door under renovations

below: and a garage in need of some paint and TLC.

view from an alley, an old wood garage in peeling teal paint, two storey brick house with a small wood balcony on the upper level

below: “We are all sacred”.  Scared might work too.

words scrawled on a wall that say we are all sacred

below: Art before dishes – a wonderful sentiment that I hope you agree with!

on a brown garage door in black marker, a line drawing of a person holding a light, and text that says art before dishes

below: Another garage door, some more peeling paint, and a faded face with pointy ears.

paint peeling on a reddish brown metal garage, old line drawing in yellow paint of a face, splotchy where bare metal can be seen

in a lane, looking at the back of a house with a yellow door and a dark green garage

below: Building back and up

alley view of the back of a house that is being updated and renovated, most of the back is covered with plywood

below: An oldie, a Lovebot the robot

an old red and white lovebot sticker on a no parking sign on a garage in an alley

below: A surprise find, and another oldie – I didn’t realize that any of these old Rob Ford portraits by Spudbomb still existed. This one dates from 2011.  Remember those days?

black paint on a white garage door, an old spud bomb painting of Rob Ford, ex-mayor of toronto, painted in 2011

below: Bastards in rust

rusty hinge on wood gate, with word bastards scratched into the metal

concrete wall under metal window frame, rust has stained the concrete, two white eyes have been drawn on the rusty part so now it looks like a face

below: I am going to pretend that it says “Tag here”.

graffiti on a wall that says tag here

low view of alley showing mostly the pavement, cracked with dirt and wet spots, some garages along the sides

below: One more garage door

garage in alley, white door with street art on it

below: Someone’s lurking above us

small alley

below: One large iguana, or perhaps a chameleon.  Whichever it is, it doesn’t look very happy.

large green iguana in a mural, looks unhappy

below: The brick building is on Dovercourt, just north of Bloor…. which is as good a place as any to end….  until next time that is.

whit truck parked in a lane with construction on both sides, on dovercourt, just north of bloor

banner on a utility pole, bloorcourt,

It’s a mess!

Posted: January 27, 2024 in construction, intersections
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Queen Street is now closed to all traffic from just east of Bay Street to Yonge Street and again between Yonge and Victoria Streets…. for about four and a half years (any bets on 5 years? or more?).  The new Ontario Line subway is being built here.  There will be 4 stops along Queen –  Moss Park which is between Sherbourne and Parliament, then Yonge, Osgoode, and finally a stop at Spadina & Queen before the line heads south to King Street and then the Exhibition.

Because of the existing infrastructure in the area there wasn’t much room for construction, hence the takeover of the street. 501 Queen streetcars and buses are diverting along Richmond and Adelaide streets.

It all makes for a complicated mess for pedestrians.

below: The first warning sign of changes ahead, a little orange sign that says that the sidewalk on the north side of Queen Street is closed between Victoria and Yonge.

street scene, Queen St. East in front of Metropolitan United Church,looking west towards Victoria Street.

below: Queen and Victoria, looking west towards the construction

Queen Street East at Victoria. Street to the west towards Yonge street is closed, green and metal fence blocking traffic and pedestrians, construction site for new Ontario Line subway

below: Looking south on Victoria from Queen

looking south on Victoria Street, west side,from Queen, winter, some snow on ground, green fence blocking off Queen street for construction of ontario line subway

below: Ontario Line hoardings.

two people walking on sidewalk on Queen Street between Victoria and Yonge, fabric hoardings advertising construction of the Ontario line subway on their right

looking through metal construction fence, workmen on a construction site talking to each other

below: Northeast corner of Yonge & Queen

below: Looking east from Yonge

below: Westward view past concrete barriers and wobbly green and metal fencing

below: Crossing Queen Street

below: From the Eaton Centre looking east past Yonge Street.

below: Entrance to the Queen subway station

hoardings create a path across Queen street to provide access to Queen street subway station

below: A break in the construction zone for pedestrians.

hoardings create a path across Queen street to provide access to Eaton Centre

below: Barricade across the sidewalk on the south side, by the Eaton Centre

below: Queen Street is closed in front of Old City Hall

tower of old city hall with road construction in front of it

Never tired of walking Yonge Street.

Posted: January 2, 2024 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations
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This is a walk that started with the Sherlock Holmes wall behind the Toronto Reference Library that I noted in a prior post.  After a brief stop at Balzacs, we continued south on Yonge to Dundas.  With all the new development on Yonge there was a lot to see.  For the most part this is a documentation of the changes on Yonge Street and perhaps one day it will be part of “A history of” the area.

christmsd decprations, pine and pine cones, on light standard with 4 globe lights, tall condo in background

new glass towers, condos, being built behind old brick buildings on yonge street

below:  Asquith Ave, looking towards Yonge with the Toronto Reference Library on the right.   New condos rise above the old brick facades from the 1880s.

looking westward on asquith towards yonge, toronto reference library on the right

yonge street toronto street sign with upper part saying Bloor Yorkville, also red and white no entry sign with a sticker on it that says free palestine from hamas

below: Looking south on Yonge Street from just north of Bloor.  Bloor Street West now gets lost in the canyon between tall towers.  The one on the southwest corner of Bloor and Yonge is planned 91 storeys but is now between 1.2 and 1.6 billion dollars in debt.  The ONE. Now with an uncertain future.  The project was taken over by a court-appointed receiver back in October.

looking south on yonge, west side, from just north of bloor

looking up to top of condo tower being built, cranes, other tall buildings, one bloor west

looking north up yonge street towards bloor

below: Looking east on Bloor from Yonge.

bloor street, looking east, southside, from yonge,

below: What was once new is now old.

sign in an upper floor window that says always something new except the word new is worn out and parts are missing

below: The old Church of Scientology building remains empty and derelict.  It’s boarded up at street level and many of the windows are cracked.  The building has been empty since 2010.   Back in 2014/5  there was talk that the organization was going to totally renovate the interior and exterior of the building; there are renderings online of the proposed changes.  At that time they owed the city close to $100,000 in back taxes.  “This building is designed in the International Style, with a clean facade and balanced proportions ” is the beginning of a description of the property on the ACO (Architectural Conservancy Ontario) website as it apparently has a heritage designation.

 

old church of scientology building on yonge street, boarded up a street level, cracked glass windows,

 

below: Vapes, vibes, and cannabis.  A brief summary of downtown Yonge Street?

store fronts on the west side of yonge, south of bloor, Vapes, Cannabis,

below:  The northwest corner of Yonge and St. Joseph Street.  Bake Code, Sacred Seed, and Pay2Day.  Richmond Hill’s number one cake store is coming to the store on the south end.  The pictures look yummy!

old buildings from the 1800s on Yonge street, two storey, store fronts, brick, at St. Joseph street , Pay2day, Sacred Seed,

 

below: Southwest corner of Yonge & Wellesley

southwest corner of yonge and wellesley with old store fronts,

below: Same corner as the photo above, but from a slightly different angle to show the new curvy condo on the south side of Wellesley.

wellesley street looking west from yonge street, convenience store on southwest croner, noew curvy condo tower in glass behind it

below: More condo development.  This time on the north side Wellesley just west of Yonge.  Centre Court.

truck parked in driveway of gate 2 of centre court construction site

below: A new park on Wellesley, Lillian McGregor Park, named for Dr. Lillian McGregor (1924-2012), of Whitefish River First Nation, who was a nurse and a community leader.  She received many awards including the Order of Ontario and she was the first Indigenous woman to be awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto.

green supports on white sculpture in park

below: Artwork by Winnipeg artist, a crane by  Kenneth Lavallee in Lillian McGregor park.

sculpture of long necked goose looking down at goose egg, in park on wellesley ave in toronto

below: Spotted along the way, two shiny small pieces of graffiti – shine shoes sir.   By Rocky Zenyk.

brass puck on stone, graffiti, words cut into it

small brass plaque on a post, words engraved into it

below: But does it work?

old open style phone booth on yonge street, covered with graffiti

below: Kiokii And, Unicorn Beauty, and ABC Books.

store fronts on the west side of yonge, south of bloor, ABC books, unicorn beauty,

below: Menu in the window – potato noodles and ramen and more.

menu in the window of a chinese restaurant

below: If Chinese cuisine is not your thing, there is always tandoori chicken or palak paneer nearby.  “Come and enjoy your festive season with our specials”.

sign in window for kothur indian restaurant

below: And then for something different…. for dessert you can try ‘chilled mango sago cream with pomelo’ or ‘the bath teddy bear’, or many other different taste sensations.  I think that I need to start stopping at more of these places and actually sample some of these foods!

food pictures of items on menu in restaurant

below: Kobi Korean restaurant and Metro Cigar along with one industry that is booming along with Toronto’s construction craze, the toilet rental business!

porta pottie truck parked in front of stores on yonge street

below: At the intersection of Gloucester Street and Yonge is this new red creation, a sculpture by Albert Paley

red metal sculpture on sidewalk on yonge street
below: 33wallflower33 graffiti

33wallflower33 slap graffiti on a pole, 3 ladies in period costume, black and white,

33wallflower33 pasteup graffiti on the corner of a building, woman in long dress

signs on stores on yonge street

below: Available…. one shiny red Christmas elf costume complete with silly hat.  She doesn’t look very happy having to wear it!

young girl mannequim with long black hair, wearing a santa claus costume, or elf costume

below: A cheerful little bear welcoming you to College Park

shape of a bear in red toque and scarf, in lights, christmas decoration at college park

below: Construction, and one lane blocked, near College

looking north on yonge from college, withone lane of traffic blocked because of construction

below: Looking north on Yonge towards College Street.

looking north on yonge towards college, west side, hoardings between sidewalk and street

below:  Different architectural styles.

old three storey brick buildings on yonge street
below: .. with a closer look at some of the brick and stone details

close up view of architectural details on some brick stores on yonge street

below: More old architectural details seen on exterior walls along Yonge Street

black, top of column details on exterior wall
old round stone medallion on exterior of building

below: Southeast corner of Yonge & Gerrard, now an empty shell surrounding a hole in the ground.

southeast corner of yonge and gerrard, old building now just a frame as redevelopment of the site begins

below: Reflection of the old Charles Tavern tower, now part of a new condo development.

looking south on Yonge

below: More construction, northwest corner of Yonge & Elm where the facade of a building on Elm is being preserved.

construction site behind chainlink fence

ink and marker scrawls on coloured hoardings around construction site

below: The Zanzibar remains standing amid all the changes happening around it.

Zanzibar tavern on yonge, beside a cannabis shop

below: Reflections at Yonge and Gould (looking north)

Yonge street, tall buildings, lots of reflections,

below: Another view from Yonge and Gould, this time looking south to Dundas Street.

yonge and gould, looking south towards dundas street

below: If you look closely at the photo above, there is a store on very right that looks like the name starts with Fun.  This is Funduk, and if you look in the window, this is what you might see… Top row closest to the window is Special pomegranate with hazelnuts.  Beside it is almond paste with raspberry.  What choices!!

in a store window, rows of red rolls, turkish delight for sale,

signs and store fronts at yonge and gould,

Yonge and Gould, international food

people getting on and off a TTC streetcar on Dundas, with pictures on the side of the bus shelter in the foreground
folding metal grate over shop window, word toronto in red is written on the window

I’ll end this post with a selection of the small graffiti that I saw

below: Be a hero … or

black and white slap graffiti on a pole, be a hero, a man is holding a black umbrella over the head of another men, both men in black suits

below: Ride a broomstick … or

graffiti sticker on a black pole, woman riding a broomstick

below: Comment on Republicans …

pasteup slaps on metal box already painted

below: …. And wash it all down with an ice cream cone.

pink and blue melting ice cream, sticker on a pole, graffiti

graffiti sticker

stickers, graffiti on a pole

Well, Well, Well

Posted: November 27, 2023 in construction, locations
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Toronto’s newest downtown development is turning out to be a lovely surprise.  It can be described as a three level mall with four condo towers attached but that’s not giving it enough credit.   Fully pedestrianized inside – and that’s a very large city block (roughly between Wellington and Front, west from Spadina to Draper which is part way to Bathurst)  There are also an interesting variety of architectural features.   It is certainly a welcome departure from the usual “let’s see how tall we can make it” towers that are taking over the city.

interior view of the middle of the well, three storeys of brick mall with curved glass ceiling above

interior of the well

Looking straight up

Lower Level

covered walkways overhead, lower level of the well, small artifical christmas trees, workmen working, glass ceiling,

The “official opening” of the building was 17th November.  These photos were taken just before then when everything was being cleaned up and readied.

tall, vertical, but curved white roof supports at the well development in downtown toronto

brick and glass architectural details, interior, the well,

gold or brass coloured escalators from street level to lower level of the well, at spadina side entrance

stairs and escalator from lower level of the well to street level

By one of the Wellington Street exits, there is this sculpture.  This is “Emergence” by Dustin Yellin.  This picture is underwhelming I’m afraid, the piece is much much better in real life.   The general shape is human-like but it is made from many smaller scenes and details.  For instance, the head is actually a sphere that is being rolled up a mountain by two small figures.

sculpture, standing upright human shape

Reflections on the Spadina side

reflections in window of store at the well, downtown, with ttc streetcar, billboard with waving hand, mannequin in store, pedestrian walking past

a woman walks her dog through the well, towards exit on spadina, past large windows

workman finishing floor details in wellington market, inside the well, getting ready to open new store

Front Street

intersections – Yonge & Empress Walk

Posted: November 19, 2023 in construction, graffiti and street art, public art, reflections
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After a very warm October, colder November days aren’t always easy to get used to!  The solution?  There are lots of paces to walk in Toronto where indoor pathways can be used to warm up!

below: Loblaws at Empress Walk, our starting point that day.

Looking down from mezzanine level to lower level Loblaws grocery store

looking down from above to the produce section of Loblaws at Empress Walk, people shopping for apples

below: Glass ceiling at North York Centre.  Before amalgamation of the six Toronto boroughs into what is now the City of Toronto, this was a busier place as it is adjacent to North York City Hall where City Council offices and meeting spaces were.

large glass ceiling over walkway down centre of mall, North York Centre

below:  Interior of the library

interior of central library on Yonge, with rounded balcony sides on three levels

below: The next two photos are taken from the south entrance to the library. First is looking south along the edge of North York City Hall. A  sliver of Mel Lastman Square is on the left.

view from the back entrance to the library, looking south along the edge of North York City Hall towards Sheppard Ave

below: Now looking east towards Yonge Street with Mel Lastman Square on the right.

view from back exit of library, looking east along edge of North York Centre to Yonge St

below: West side of North York Centre (& library)

below: “Green Between” (1994) by Peter Hide stands beside Meridian Arts Centre on North York Blvd (not to be confused with Meridian Hall which is downtown at Yonge & Front)

metal sculpture beside sidewalk, brown, rusty, looks a bit like a face,

below: Also North York Blvd., the south entrance to North York City Hall as well as the Board of Education building.

North York blvd street scene

below: Benches! On Yonge Street

benches along the sidewalk on Yonge street

below: Fountain in the small park by Joseph Shepard Building (federal government).  Now dry for the winter season.

dry fountain in front of brick building, along with some trees with yellow and gold coloured leaves (autumn colours)

yonge street

two storey shops and restaurants on west side of Yonge Street, just north of Sheppard, with large residential building behind them

waiting for bus near Yonge and Sheppard

walking on Yonge near Sheppard

below: Hearts on planters –  These are 2 of the 19 hearts that make up the Willowdale Mosaic Mural Project.  They were created by Robin Hesse and Cristina Delago under the auspices of Mural Routes.   You can find them on West side of Yonge Street, between North York Boulevard and Upper Madison Avenue.

public art project on yonge street, heart shaped, decorated, on side of concrete planters on the sidewalk

public art project on yonge street, heart shaped, decorated with picture of willow tree, on side of concrete plan

below: The Yonge Sheppard Centre on the northeast corner of that intersection has been renovated and the the exterior is totally changed/improved.

below: A pedestrian walks beside the Yonge Street side of the redesigned Yonge Sheppard Centre

walking on yonge street beside new yonge sheppard centre

below:  Even though there are already a lot of condo towers in the area, construction continues on more of them.  This new building is just north of Sheppard.

construction site, building of new entrance to new condo, lots of glass, open door, can inside the interior

elevator on exterior of new highrise condo under construction on yonge street

below: The Legion building (dark brown, with the Canadian flag) is now dwarfed by development around it.

cement truck parked outside new condo building

below: There are still some sites that have not yet been redeveloped.

two storey brick commercial or office space, empty, for lease, on yonge street, brick building

a young woman pushes a baby stroller on sidewalk in front of a glass store front

tall glass buildings across yonge street at empress and park home

people waiting at a bus stop

below: Public bulletin board with posters of a few of the people kidnapped by Hamas in Israel back in October.

notice board on sidewalk covered with kidnapped notices of Isrealis kidnapped by Hamas in Israel

below: In an alley near Yonge & Greenfield; a joint effort by Carillo Art Studio, Cruz1, Luvs (Moise) and Zgar as part of Bit Lane 2021.

luvs and cas mural in north york alley

below: A pink and purple tiger watches the blue jay standing on the branch by June Kim and Nixo Street Art (Erika James). The orange snake is the work of Muisca (aka Daniela Rocha)

three murals on two sides of a building

below: More wildlife, a sparrow, in among the crates in a corner of the lane.

in a corner behind stores in an alley, a small doorway, some stacked crates and boxes, a mural on the wall of a sparrow

below: Lots of birds! On TTC property, Sheppard station bus loop, another mural by June Kim.

wall at Sheppard station TTC bus loop, mural of birds by June Kim, with Emerald condo development in the background

 

poster on grey wall, mostly torn off

With thanks to my mother for being my walking partner that day (which as it turns out, was one of the colder days this month).

reflections in puddle

reflections in puddle

intersections – McCowan and Sheppard

Posted: November 11, 2023 in construction, graffiti and street art, intersections, locations, transportation
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After years of false starts, indecision re routes, and all the other consequences of being City Council’s favorite political football, the new Scarborough subway extension is underway.

on black hoardings around metrolinx site, pink subway symbol, fallen street signs on their side at bottom of hoardings

Once upon a time, the extension was to only go to Scarborough Town Centre and was derided as the “One Stop Subway”.  Now it seems to be three stops from the present Kennedy station with the end point being at McCowan and Sheppard.  In true Metrolinx style, it seems like the last station is going to be called Sheppard East.  Such imagination! … to have three stations called Sheppard!  That seems to be the situation at present…. as for tomorrow’s situation?  Who knows…..

printed on hoardings around metrolinx site, map of scarborough subway extension from Kennedy to Lawrence to Scarborough Centre to McCowan

In case you’ve never been to that intersection, let me show you what’s there…..

below: Looking west on Sheppard approaching McCowan with Metrolinx site on the right hand side.  This construction site is very large and dominates the area.

looking west on Sheppard towards mccowan, metrolinx construction on right side

below: One of the entrance gates to the Metrolinx construction site.  Note all the stacked concrete sections that will form the tunnel walls.

gate across entrance to construction site, red crane inside, also partially curved structures that will form walls of circular subway tunnel

metrolinx site for mccowan station on SHeppard subway extension, red crane,

below:  This blue object is part of the equipment needed to move dirt brought to the surface by the Tunnel Boring Machine that is working underground (There is also a TBM working out in Rexdale on the Crosstown West).

large blue piece of equipment on construction site, made for moving dirt that has been removed from tunnel by tunnel boring machine

It is a very big machine

below: Gate B

Gate B of metrolinx sheppard extension site on mccowan, watch for oncoming traffic sign,

In general, the area south of Sheppard is residential while the area north of Sheppard is industrial or commercial.   Canadian Tire is on the northwest corner.

below: Apartments on Sheppard (south side, east of McCowan)

man walking past low rise apartment building with balconies, green fence beside sidewalk

below:  Because of the angle from which this photo was taken, the exact locations are slightly unclear.  The Medical Clinic is 4651 Sheppard East.  To the west of that is a vacant lot that used to be a gas station and it is on the SE corner of McCowan and Sheppard; it is in the process of being redeveloped.   The apartment building is actually on the SWt corner of McCowan and Sheppard.

apartment building and lowrise plaza with medical clinic, sheppard east

below:  looking east on Sheppard from McCowan

TTC bus shelter beside sidewalk on Sheppard East, hoardings or metrolinx construction site Sheppard East station, are behind the shelter

 

below: Walking McCowan north of Sheppard is partially impeded by a fence across the sidewalk…. but it is easily bypassed.  Nugget Avenue is just beyond the fence.

chainlink fence across sidewalk at Nugget Ave

below: Looking southeast from McCowan and Nugget where West Highland Creek branches.  The large Metrolinx site fills the triangle formed by McCowan, West Highland Creek, and Sheppard Avenue.  The white apartment building in the distance is on Sheppard Ave.

creeks north of Sheppard

The creek’s concrete bed might make for easy management of the water flow but it makes for an ugly scene – unfriendly to both nature and people.  There are parks north of here on both branches of the creek but here where most of the land use is industrial or commercial, little attention is paid to the esthetics.

dead vines on chainlink fence beside concrete bottom creek

graffiti on concrete sides of west highland creek

below: Dufferin Concrete at Nugget and McCowan

concrete plant in Scarborough

below: Nugget Avenue crosses West Highland Creek.  The plaza at 20 Nugget Ave, with the red and white stripes, was shut down (bought out) by Metrolinx.  Apparently, the two-acre property is needed for an emergency exit and underground tail track for the future Sheppard East Station.

bridge over creek at Nugget Ave

empty two storey plaza, lower level painted with red and white vertical stripes

empty building behind construction fence, red and white vertical stripes on lower level, window on upper level, three signs for businesses, Best Housewares Inc., BestFare travel and tours, and Babhis Beauty Salon

old banners on a chainlink fence advertising boxing week specials, ads for restaurant food,

below: Spotted on a bulletin board at a bus shelter on Nugget (It’s a collection of bible verses).

on public message board at a bus shelter, 4 pieces of 8 1/2 by 11 paper with typing on them, a collection of bible verses

below: Immediately north of Nugget Avenue are train tracks. This is the western edge of the large CPR Toronto Yard.  If you are interested in this yard and some of the trains, I blogged about it previously (Around the marshaling yards – with love and peace).

black tanker cars on railway bridge over McCowan

downward arrow shape painted in yellow and white on blue concrete under a brdge

below: North side of tracks along McCowan

concrete waterway and tunnel for west highland creek as it goes under the railway tracks

a banner for welcome to sheppard east village on a pole, with an autumn tree behind

vertical banner on pole on sheppard east for east sheppard village, picture of three people on banner

traffic signs and warning signs at entrance to construction site on mccowan road

dirt track uphill to the tracks

flock of birds on a wire

Dupont Street – the western end

Posted: October 26, 2023 in construction, locations, old buildings
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For the whole length of Dupont Street, from Avenue Road to Dundas West, the street runs parallel to, and south of, Canadian Pacific railway tracks.  The proximity to the railway was a major reason that the street was home to many industries.  Back in June I walked a section of Dupont east of Ossington (see Dupont Street Scenes).

A couple of weeks ago I explored west of Ossington and I’d like to show you a few pictures from that walk.  The last part of the walk was a wander through some of the streets and alleys south of Dupont.

the word dupont written in upper case block letters, black, on an old metal truck, barbed wire in front of it

below: There are still a few reminders of Dupont’s industrial past…

old light industry building behind chainlink fence

yellow front end loader in front of building, large green storage tank behind

red truck parked behind chainlink fence, sign on side of truck, on passenger door, says Supont Construction Supplies, building materials, ready made concrete

  Dupont has always been a very mixed street with residences

a front porch on Dupont, white wrought iron chair, also white metal railing, greenery in front, new condo development in the background

semi detached houses, two storeys, one large window in the upper storey, fire hydrant in front, parked motorcycle with cover a well in front

and businesses side by side.  A working class street.

old cars and trucks outside house and mechanic workshop on dupont

an orange vinyl padded chair on a porch with black wrought iron railing and a small white bookcase

food truck and two slush trucks parked beside empty commercial building

below: A more recent addition to the street – Sovereign Smoke (cannabis) sits beside the tire store (or mechanic).

line of tire shops and mechanics, with sovereign cannabis there too

red brick two storey building on Dupont, railway bridge in background, CIBC ad on billboard on roof of building, Sound PX

below: Looking west along Dupont towards Dufferin – where the Galleria Mall used to be there is now a wall of glass.

looking west on Dupont towards Dufferin, tall cranes and new condo highrise construction

Same site, different angle

construction site at dufferin and dupont

below: On the west side of Dufferin, the street is being reconstructed.

looking east on dupont towards redevelopment project at dufferin, many workmen making new sidewalks

below:Re-routing the sidewalk on the south side of Dupont at Emerson

south side of intersection of dupont and emerson, houses, new sidewalk route, black and orange traffic cones

below: Looking west on Dupont at Emerson.  The two tall buildings on the right are on the north side of the railway tracks.  The apartment building in the center of the photo was built in the 1960s or 1970s.

looking west on dupont towards lansdowne, pioneer gas station, apartment building from the 1970s

a row of two storey houses, one painted turquoise, in front of an apartment building of about 20 storeys

below: A colourful mural by Jacquie Comrie

below: Under the tracks near Lansdowne.

mural on underpass wall, construction on railway track above

part of Suitman mural on Dupont Street, 3 men in black suits, white shirts, and black ties, standing together. they all have large yellow halos, or circle auras around their heads

 The “Suitman” Mural was first painted and funded with $2000 received from the City of Toronto’s Clean and Beautiful program. But after Rob Ford was elected mayor of Toronto in 2010 and began his own “clean up” campaign, it was painted over with dull grey paint. Not a bright move considering that Joel Richardson was paid by the city to paint it in the first place. Late in October 2011 it was replaced with a similar mural as seen here. It took six weeks to repaint, 25 gallons of paint were used along with 100 large cans of spray paint.  Photos of the whole mural (on both north and south sides of the street) from 2011 and 2013 are on a previous blog post.

below: “And do thy duty even if it be humble, rather than another’s even if it be great. To die in one’s duty is LIFE: to live in another’s is death.” [quote from the Bhagavad Gita, a 700 verse scripture that part of the Hindi epic ‘Mahabharata’]

mural on underpass wall, construction on railway track above, along with elevated tracks being built above that

below: A GO train passes over the new elevated section of the tracks as it crosses Dupont Street. This is the Davenport Diamond Grade Separation project on the GO line to Barrie.

green and white GO train passes over new elevated section of tracks as it crosses Dupont Ave

below: Looking north from Wallace Ave (towards Dupont) at the south end of the 1.4 km of elevated track.  Although the tracks are functional, the streets and paths below are still a work in progress.

looking north from Wallace Ave along new elevated rail tracks just west of Lansdowne, construction underneath

below: (On Wallace by the new elevated tracks) A bull and a maze makes me think of the story of the Minotaur, a creature in Greek mythology with the body of a man and the head of a bull.   The maze, or labyrinth, was made for King Minos of Crete to hold the Minotaur.

mural, bull in pinks and purples, 2 large horns, ring through nose, in front of a maze, like minotaur

below: Around the corner from the bull is a mural by Emily May Rose. It faces the tracks on what is now a vacant piece of land – shall see what becomes of it.

mural by Emily May Rose on wall by new pathway on east side of elevated rail line, just south of Wallace Ave

below: An old “Stop Harper” sticker – topsy turvy but still hanging in there.  Almost as old and worn as the railing below it.

old stop harper sticker on a no parking sign, that is upside down,

The “Strength in Numbers” mural at the next  underpass to the west (by the West Toronto Railpath) has been tagged over.    The link leads to a blog post from July 2016 if you are interested in what it looked like when it was newer.

white words written on a red brick wall Jesus, blesses, immanuel, also a white cross

below: Dovercourt signs with a maple leaf in the center.  “Since 1985” refers to the founding of Dovercourt Village which is south of Dupont to Bloor between Christie on the east side and Dufferin on the west.

two Toronto street signs, both with Dovercourt top parts, Hallam st and Salem Ave

below: Alley infill – a tiny house!

small house in an alley, alley infill housing, or a large shed

and other small houses too.

two narrow bungalows side by side, 2 dark cars parked on street in front of the houses

below: Santo Antonio Coin Laundry

Santo Antonio Laundromat

a woman stands beside a store, in window of store is a yellow sign that says come in and try our delicious hot veal sandwiches

 

below: The red brick building was built in 1909 and it’s shape suggests that it was once a store.   Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, these stores were very popular and could be found in most neighbourhoods.   With changing lifestyles (cars, larger grocery stores) and laws (only residences in residential areas) these old stores became houses. Last year Toronto City Council passed a new by-law allowing small scale retail and service businesses in residential areas.

two houses, one on right is red brick with three upper storey windows, also a large green shutter, or covering over front window, square roofline

below:Lucky Convenience Store

man unlocks his bike in front of Lucky Convenience Store

glass window in door of closed variety store, Canadian flag hanging inside some notes and posters, door frame is pink

below: St. Ephrasinia Orthodox church (American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox).

rectangular two storey grey brick building, with a small silver dome and cross on top

red, white, and blue, barber pole on a wall painted orange with primary colour dots,

white stencil graffiti on a brick wall, image of a security camera

graffiti on a wood utility pole made from a vinyl LP record

below: Development notice – what appears to be an older building with three apartments might disappear to become a three storey building with ten units.   Nice to see higher density without the ego of the developers vying to see who can build the tallest building.

three mailboxes by a door along with a blue and white development notice sign

below: Making use of the tiny yard space – melon vines covering the fence and running along the walls.

melon vines

below: Another use of a front window! Whenever I see a house like this I always wonder if there are sentimental reasons why it is those particular items that sit there.  The roses with their purple ribbon were probably important as Mary now watches over them.  But one of these ducks has a dead plant – why?  What is on your front window sill?

ornaments along the front window sill, exterior

bright red flower growing in a front yard

It’s getting close to Halloween so don’t be surprised if there are some creepy folks lurking around!

Halloween decoration on a porch, a fake man with a chainsaw

a front yard full of halloween decorations such as skeleton, ghost, hands, eyeballs

But not everyone is scary…  Fatima and the scarecrow

on a pinkish red painted brick wall, a plaque for Lady of Fatima religious icon and a little scarecrow autumn decoration

blue stencil on sidewalk, graffiti, words that say be kind to yourself

A shout out to Cats Eye Coffee where we started that day.  Also, a thanks to Nancy who was my tour guide and walking partner!

coffee cup from cats eye coffee shop on dupont

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