Archive for the ‘graffiti and street art’ Category

behind Dundas, near Dufferin

Posted: February 5, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art
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below: View from a lane that runs behind the north side of Dundas West, walking west of Dufferin.   The alley also runs east of Dufferin but that will have to wait for another day.  The large brick building on Dufferin is St. Annes parish hall.  St. Annes church is behind, facing Gladstone Ave.  The vacant lot on left was a parking lot not long ago but now it is now a construction site.

man on bicycle, snow covered alley, vacant lot on left, backs of buildings on right, church at end of alley, St. Annes parish hall, workman arts

below: It looks like changes are coming on the Dundas West side of the lane as well.  A concrete wall/fence has been partially demolished and there are construction fences behind some of the buildings.  According to the Urban Toronto website, two 8 storey developments have been proposed – one fronting on Dundas and the other on Dufferin, with the alley remaining between them.

partial concrete wall, in an alley, with a row of buildings behind it, construction fence, snow,

below: Behind Dundas West… but not for much longer.

backs of two storey brown brick buildings, metal exterior stairs, doors, snow covered backyards,

below: Artwork by Cuban artist Supermalo5, aka Fabian Lopez  who always includes a little question mark in his work along with the incorrect equation 2 + 2 = 5

metal construction fence across the backyards of old brown brick buildings on Dundas West

construction site on Dufferin, just north of Dundas

construction site on Dufferin, just north of Dundas

fence around vacant lot, now construction site at lane and Dufferin, also at Boland Lane

alley view, back of old brick building with three doors on upper level, garage doors and single doors on lower covered in street art,

below: Two big round black eyes

behind 1512 Dundas West, a little mushroom shapred creature with two big black eyes, outlined in pink

below: Street art painting, abstract, by Mony Zakhour

street art mural by Mony Zakhour in alley behind Dundas West on garage door

close up of part of abstract mural by Mony Zakhour

street art mural by Mony Zakhour in alley behind Dundas West on green and yellow door

below: Screenshot from Google street view, captured in 2019.  The houses on the left are now gone – you can see the blue and white development notice sign in front of them.  They are now part of the vacant lot/construction site pictured above.  You can also see that the lane here is Boland Lane.  It runs perpendicular to Dundas West.

 

blue door with faded paint and a metal grille in front of it, beside a garage door with graffiti on it including the words Idle no more. Upper storey has an exterior door that goes nowhere

below: A quick look at what else is in Boland Lane

boland lane, looking towards back of dundas west, snow covered graffiti on walls of building on the left

below: “Embrace what makes you unique even if it makes others uncomfortable”

text graffiti that says embrace what makes you unique even if it makes others uncomfortable

below: “Perfection is the enemy of greatness”

text graffiti that says perfection is the enemy of greatness

graffiti on a grey wall, two images, one a woman in purple with blond hair and yellow t shirt and one more abstract, blue naked woman from waist up

old grey wood door in a grey building, with one rusty step, snow on step, graffiti on door and building

Continuing behind Dundas….

below: Layers, old and new as well as  wood, brick, and glass.

graffiti sticker, man's portrait in blue, on a black wall with red face graffiti behind

below: Rooftop decks and terraces above and street art covered garages below including a flaming hot kitty painted by Christina Mazzulla.

garage in laneway with street art murals on side as well as on garage door.

below:  A trio of grey masked foxes (wolves? dogs?) covering two doors.  This painting goes back to at least 2017 and possibly 2015 and before.

black and white mural on a garage door of at least three wolf-like creatures

below: The lane meets Awde Street, with a teal colored garage door.  Awde is only a block long, and is not the original Awde Street.  Apparently what is now Croatia Street was once Awde (1908) and there is a plaque to prove it.

end of alley, at Awde street, backs of two storey brick single family homes, with garages. snow, some cars,

below: That brownish wall in above picture (where there is now a stack of firewood), was once covered with a painting.  This is it in 2015.

garage door with a picture on it titled Casa Nostra, a picture of a man playing a large guitar and a woman standing beside an outdoor table with food on it.

below: Awde Street, streetview from 2019.

At this point, the lane makes a 90 degree turn towards Dundas – and lo and behold, there is even more artwork to see ( also by Mony Zakhour?)

bright mural in alley

below: On the north side of Dundas West, there is a large mural titled, “Three Sisters” painted by Paula Tikay and Aner Urra.  I discussed it in a blog post from 2019 (Three Sisters, Tikay and Aner)

man in laneway walking past a large mural, Three Sisters,

… and that’s the end of the alley!

Small bit of trivia:  I once found my great-great-grandfather, John Marshall, and his family in a Toronto phone book from about 1910 (I can’t remember the exact year).  They were on Gladstone Ave.  When I went to see if I could find the house, I discovered that the number corresponded with a vacant lot (parking lot?) adjacent to St. Annes church.

Federal Street

Posted: January 31, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations
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Federal Street is a short narrow street near Dundas and Dufferin.  Like a few other Toronto streets, it is more a lane than a street.

garage at 1 federal street, with mural on it, woman's portrait, gate beside garage, dead end street, other garages on the right side

below: Dundas Street West at Federal

on dundas west, south side, looking at entrance to federal street

below: No Exit, a dead end street

yellow no exit sign, sticker graffiti on the pole beside, mural in the background, feelings boi sticker,

federal street, south end, houses on left side, backyards of parallel street on the right, garages in front of fences

below: Wires in all directions – standing tall like a tree in winter.

utility pole in lane, with many wires going in different directions, like branches of a tree

alley view, back of houses, one with no fence, showing snow covered backyard and driveway, row houses, one green with no window and the other white with upper storey window

very south end of federal street

below: Another lane, another time.  There is another lane that runs perpendicular to Federal that looks like it might be interesting to explore but it will have to wait until another day.

snowy lane, in winter, many garages,

below: Maximum width, 2 metres.

lane, sign saying maximum width is 2 metres, garages, snow,

below: A winter cyclist.

behind a white building, exterior stairs to upper level, a parked bike, a concrete wall with graffiti, snow on ground,

below: Looking north, back to Dundas

looking northward on federal towards dundas, snowy day , mural by the half decent,

below: This mural was painted at least 10 years ago – but the tagging across the bottom by The Half Decent is more recent.

mural that has been tagged by the half decent, on federal street by dundas west
below: This is what it looked like in August 2015.

large colourful mural on the side of building, two stylized musicians, a drummer and a guitar player as well as two people dancing.

Photo Source: As I Walk Toronto blog, 15 Aug 2015

pedestrian with orange backpack walks on snow covered sidewalk on Dundas West

side of a building, including door and window, covered by large mural, now with bottom part tagged over

Cliffcrest

Posted: January 28, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, history, locations, transportation
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blue and white Scarborough street sign, Kingston Road, in Cliffcrest

Cliffcrest is a neighbourhood in Scarborough that includes a section of Kingston Road between Brimley and Bellamy Roads.  The southern boundary is Lake Ontario including the  eastern portion of the Scarborough Bluffs.

below: At the corner of Kingston Road & St. Clair is one of the Scarborough Heritage Trail murals funded by Mural Routes.   It is “In The Way of Progress” and shows  a Kingston Road radial railway car at Stop 17 with Scarborough High School (later changed name to R.H. King Academy) in the background.  It was painted in 1996 by Phil, Jennifer, and Jamie Richards.

mural on the side of a building by a parking lot on Kingston Road, Scarborough scene, old rail car public transit stopping by old high school, at stop 17, cow lying down near rail car

below: 1922, Kingston Road looking west towards St. Clair with Scarborough High School near the intersection.

Source: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1488, series 1230, Item 2064

In 1893 the Toronto and Scarborough Electric Railway, Light and Power Company started running a one car train along Kingston Road.   The tracks went as far east as West Hill.  A couple of years later, this line became part of the Toronto and York Radial Railway (TYRR).  The TYRR had four branches radiating from the city, one to the west, 2 northward, and this one east along Kingston Road.  The stops on the Scarborough route were numbered, starting at Victoria Park Avenue.   Stop 17 was at St. Clair East & Kingston Road.

below: This 1922 photo is actually from a bit farther west, at Victoria Park.  What I wanted to show was how the railway tracks just ran between the road and the sidewalk.  Very simple infrastructure! Not too feasible in a city, but in 1922 this neighbourhood was more rural than urban (and they still got transit!)

1922 photo of Kingston Road, looking west from Victoria Park

Source: City of Toronto Archives, Series 71, item 1607

below:  You can’t see it in this photo but the mural above is on the wall of Stop 17 Variety (by the parking lot on the right).

small tree in front of a store, Stop 17, Variety, on Kingston Road,

below:   From 1973, forty years ago – looking at the southeast corner of Brimley and Kingston Road.  The bus is northbound on Brimley.

black and white photo by Richard Glaze taken in 1973 at the corner of Brimley and Kingston Road, found on Transit Toronto website

Photo Credit: Richard Glaze photo 1973, Transit Toronto website.  If you are interested in anything to do with transit in Toronto, check out their website.  They have an extensive collection of photographs, maps, and documents.  They also feature all the latest news about slow downs, route changes, and service advisories (among other things).

The same motel is still on that corner of Kingston Rd and Brimley.  I don’t have the exact replica photo but this is what the Hav a Nap Motel looks like now.

Hav a Nap motel, sign in front of motel, Brimley and Kingston Road
below: Moving slightly west, photo taken from approximately the corner of Brimley and Kingston Road.

entrance driveway to Hav a Nap motel showing some of the buildings, Brimley and Kingston Road

Once upon a time, Kingston Road was a major east west route in and out of the city.  There were many motels along here.  Their heyday was the 1950s and the bigger, fancier ones are long gone, leaving behind some of the smaller ones.

below: As a shoutout to these motels and their stoy is this sidewalk box decorated with images of old motel signs. The Americana and the Roycroft signs can be seen on this side.

sidewalk box decorated with images of old motel signs, Kingston Rd and Brimley, Americana Motel

below: The Americana Motel still exists in the Cliffcrest neighbourhood (close to Brimley).  The Roycroft is farther east, beyond McCowan.

Americana Motel sign in yard of the motel, red brick buildings,

americana motel on kingston road

below: Henry’s Motel

Henrys Motel on Kingstson Road, newer condo in the background

below: The sign of things to come.. and yes, it’s a condo with retail at street level.

redevelopment notice for property at the corner of Kingston Road and St. Quentin

old building, cafe, on Kingston Road with painting in the covered windows, redevelopment notice on front, snow on ground

Scarborough house on St. Quentin Ave., birch tree in front, snow covered front lawn

below: The north side of Kingston Road, just east of Brimley – it looks like changes are happening here too.

north side of Kingston Road, east of Brimley, long fence or hoardings, with apartment buildings behind.

Brimley Road is also the main access for Bluffers Park at the foot of the Scarborough Bluffs.

yellow traffic sign in a residential neighbourhood that says no access to Beach or Bluffs sat and Sun and Holidays from May 1st to Sept 30th

below: Dairy Queen at Kingston Road and Harewood is closed for the winter

looking across Kingston Road to a Dairy Queen and another storefront that is two 2 storey brick building. sign says Horizon

below: An alley runs behind the south side of Kingston Road

path laneway with snow, behind houses, with wood fences between lane and backyards

a big red handprint painted on a wood fence, as seen in an alley

snow covered lane, back of stores and buildings on Kingston Road, two storey, exterior stairs, porches, balconies, doors, and windows,

jumble of wood, dead leaves, caught between chainlink fence and wood fence

in an alley, many ladders leaning against a tree behind a building

curved porch and front steps in front of a house where some of the rocks are painted bright colours

fake street sign on a wood fence that says beach bum blvd

rowhouses on Kingston Road three storeys high, with trees in front,

renovated and enlarged modern house in between two older brick bungalows

winter street scene in Scarborough, single family homes,

older brick 2 storey home, with garage at side, large snow covered front lawn, large trees beside house, dormer style windows on top floor

below: Mailbox with a porpoise (or two)

in front of a house, a mailbox that looks like a dolphin is holding it up, smaller baby dolphin sits at parent's feet

below: On the side of a Wild Wings restaurant.

mural in brown tones, on side of wild wing restaurant, back to camera, adult male cowboy walking beside younger boy, with cowboy hats and chaps, younger one has a lasso

dark blue cars, in snow, parked at used car lot on Kingston Road, ASD Auto sales

plastic santa claus stands outside a restaurant window, with words printed on window: burgers, souvlaki, steaks, chicken

below: Carusos Fruit Market, Groceries, Hardware & Gift Items

front of Caruos Fruit Market, Groceries, Hardware and Gift Items

Other Scarborough Heritage Mural posts:

1. Heritage Murals – Kingston Road, 2014

  • The Half Way House’ by John Hood, 1990. (Midland & Kingston Road)
  • ‘The Bluffs as Viewed by Elizabeth Simcoe c. 1793’ by Risto Turunen, 1992.

2. Cliffside Murals, 2017:

  • ‘Spooners Garage’ by Phillip Woolf, 1992.
  • ‘H.M. Schooner, Onondaga c. 1793’ by Jeff Jackson 1992.
  • ‘Cliffside Golf Course’ by Dan Sawatzky, 1991.
  • ‘The Half Way House’ by John Hood, 1990. (Midland & Kingston Road) (repeat)
  • ‘The Bluffs as Viewed by Elizabeth Simcoe c. 1793’ by Risto Turunen, 1992.(repeat)

3. Heritage Trail Mural 8, 2014

  • “Building the Addition to the Wesley Methodist Chapel, Highland Creek, Winter” by  John Hood , assisted by Alexandra Hood and Zeb Salmaniw, 1994.1867”

4. Scarborough Bells, 2020

  • scenes from early Scarborough, painted by painted in 2012/2013 by De Anne Lamirande.  Under a railway overpass.

5. Birch Cliff, Kingston Road, 2021

  • On the side of Legion 13 on Kingston Road is this large mural. Painted in memory of Max Silverstein, by John Hood with help from Alexandra Hood and Asif Khan, 1991. Restored in 2010 by Blinc Studios. “Scarborough Rifle Company marching to the Niagara Frontier, June 1, 1866.”
  • “Mitchells General Store” by Phil Irish, 1998.

 

 

 

Out with the Dragon, In with the Snake

Posted: January 25, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations, stores
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As Chinese  (or Lunar) New Year approaches, I thought that I would give you a quick tour around Chinatown as it appears in January after a little snow.  Most of the pictures were taken in the vicinity of Spadina and Dundas.   Some shots are ‘iconic’ views, others not so much.

below: This girl has been carrying her soup bowl for many years!  She has appeared on many Instagram pages and on many other sites.  She may even be on your phone.  The “BEST” is a more recent addition!

the word best is written on the sidewalk with an arrow pointing to restaurant with a large statue of a chinese girl dressed all in red holding a large white and red bowl. she is winking

below: Spadina Avenue

chinatown stores, with lots of signs, spadina at glen bailie

bikes chained to fence, in snowy alley, with street art on the wall and an ad too

part of a chinatown mural, elderly person in a blue cap with small child

below: Cute little red stuffed snakes for sale.

little stuffed toy snakes in bright red, for sale at a store in Chinatown

below: Yes, there is a very large black bear that patiently sits beside the door of one of the stores on Spadina.

large sculpture of a black bear sitting outside a chinese store, evening, lights on inside

below:  Looking in the window of a Vietnamese store – boxes of things, band-aids, cotton balls, eye care massagers, and many brands of green tea.

looking through front window of an Asian store, window is full of merchandise

crossing Dundas at traffic lights to northwest corner of Dundas and Huron

below: The east side of Spadina

looking across spadina avenue, trees in median, winter, line of stores on the other side, lights on, late afternoon

below: Yin Yang mural – Yin and Yang, two interconnected forces that are complementary yet opposing.  Together they are dynamic system that is greater than the sum of the two parts.

a yin and yang circle and dots mural in blues and oranges, on a brick wall,

below: On the wall to the left is part of a mural that features the Great Wall of China.

chinatown alley with mural of the great wall of china on one side, back of houses and garages at the end of the alley, snow, winter,

alley scene, back of houses, parking spaces, fence, snow, graffiti

  below: Behind Dundas

man pushing a cart along lane, in snow, with garages on his right, some with street art, utility pole with street light, tall buildings in the distance,

sign on orange wall that says no graffiti please

 

alley in chinatown, winter, snow, one building covered with street art

mural on a building in laneway in chinatown, black man, with pink boxing gloves,

below:  “The Herd-Boy and the Weaver-Girl”, a mural that illustrates a story.  It designed and painted by Allan Bender, John Nobrega, and Stacey Kinderwas  (2017)

outdoor patio, in winter, with snow on tables, beside a large mural, chinatown,

From Mural Routes website: “A very long time ago, when the King of the Sky created the heavens, he decorated it with stars and asked his beautiful daughter to help him by weaving the clouds and mists. It was a long task and when the king noticed his daughter looking tired and drawn, he ordered her to take a break and go out to play among the stars. The princess headed down towards the Milky Way to bathe, whereupon she came across a handsome herd-boy grazing his water buffalo by the banks of the stream. To this day, on the seventh day of the seventh month of every year a great King sends a flock of magpies over the Milky Way to form a bridge to ensure the return of his daughter. The weather must be clear on this evening or the lovers cannot cross the celestial river to meet each other. If it rains the pair must wait another year. On a clear night you can see their two bright stars together in the sky. If it rains it is said that the drops falling to earth are the tears of the Weaver-Girl Princess.”

bench in front of a wall with street art, snow, people passing by on sidewalk beside it

stores and buildings on east side of spadina

merchandise for sale outside a store, red and gold chinese new year items, snow on shelves, winter

front of a store in chinatown, goods on display outside

below: The next two pictures are parts of a mural by June Jieun Kim.

window of a store, with mural on wall below, woman in a pink cap and a scarf around her shoulders

mural of a chinese dragon under windows of a store

delivery truck in alley that dead ends at huron street, orange square house at end of alley

below: Pho Hung, Vietnamese restaurant at Spadina and St. Andrew, northwest corner

large red brick building on northwest corner of spadina and

below: Huron and Grange, southeast corner

block of row houses with stores at ground level, including T and C hair salon, southeast corner of Huron and Grange

below: Bay and gable houses on Huron

upper storey of a row of bay and gable houses on Huron St., one in red, one in pink and a light grey one

below:  Looking south on Huron towards the downtown core

looking south on Huron st., just south of Dundas, towards downtown. winter, snowy. large trees.,

backyards and houses seen from a wintery snowy chinatown laneway

looking down the space between two houses, graffiti on the fence, snow on the ground, multiple exterior staircases

north side of Dundas, chinatown, three buildings including Asian Legends restaurant

outside wall of a restaurant, pictures of menu items on plates, also lights in the shape of a basket of steamed dumplings, a bowl of ramen noodles, and a drink with a straw and a slice of lemon

outside asian store, door open, ceramic pots for sale, clearance sale sign in window

signs in chinatown, on dundas, spa, printers,

canadian flag on sign for canadian souvenir store on spadina

many signs on businesses in chinatown, dundas street

dundas at Jean Lumb Lane, south side, man on sidewalk pushing baby stroller, snow,, winter,

dundas in chinatown, after dark, people on sidewalk, reflections on the wall, pink sign over door that says spa

below: Shopping on Spadina

woman in side store, seen through glass in door

below: Lucky Moose Food Mart after dark

night time, moose market on dundas street, lit inside

below: Summer Sun Spa, and others

below: Yunshang Rice Noodles

night time, yunshang rice noodle restaurant on dundas, with food delivery cyclist outside on bike

below: Happy Lamb Hot Po, Zao bar and grill, and one that I can’t read.

night time, 3 large signs lit, one for happy lamb hot pot and another for zao bar and grill, third is in mandarin language only

below: Spadina and Dundas after dark

night time photo of Spadina and dundas, looking east on Dundas, traffic, pedestrians, lights, signs, snow,

Happy New Year!

First 2025 visit to Graffiti Alley

Posted: January 23, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations
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My previous post, “skateboard portraits” was from a walk down Graffiti Alley the other day.   This post contains more photos that I took that snowy afternoon… so, let’s take a look!

below: Uber 5000’s yellow bird is still walking his dog and singing a song on this side of this red brick building.  It’s at least 10 years old?  The black and grey portrait on the right is much newer.

Graffiti Alley street art paintings, many, including uber 5000 walking dog and singing,

below: Profile portrait by TheHalfDecent

Graffiti Alley street art painting, profile portrait of woman in black and purple, car parked in front of it

below: “Let them drink beer”, a stencil from D. Terra

below:  A 33wallflower33 pasteup in the foreground, with a corner of one of Nick Sweetman’s bird murals in the background.

pasteup by 33wallflower33, a black and white vintage photo of a woman, cut to oval shape, on a red surface. graffiti alley, a mural by nick sweetman is in the background, a blue bird in flight

below: A collaboration between Nick Sweetman and Shanehuss produced this drippy, melting jaw portrait.

street art mural, calligraphy in grey tones is the background, man's portrait with red skin, purple hat, metal frame glasses, the bottom part of the face is either washing away or melting.

below: The top portion of ” RIP King Reign & Son of Soul” remains.  This tribute mural was painted by Elicser Elliott and Omen514.  I am not sure who is responsible for the newer painting on the bottom, the one in yellows and blues.  That’s probably a ‘signature’ in the bottom left but I don’t recognize it.

Graffiti Alley street art painting, 2 men wearing caps, King Reign and Son of Soul tribute mural, also a uber5000 little yellow bird with a tea cup in his hand

part of King Reign and Son of Soul tribute mural by Elicser Elliott and Omen 514, with newer abstract mural covering the bottom part

below: Graffiti Alley in the snow.

graffiti alley in the snow

below: Sun of Aquarius (aka Andre Mandela Lopez) painted this naked figure with brown wings and bird mask

in an alley, exterior stairs to upper level balcony in alcove with two sides painted with murals, including one by sun of aquarius

below: A pole covered with knit squares while T-bonez is shushing you.

Graffiti Alley street art painting, on wall, pole in front of wall that is covered with knit squares, also a pasteup of urban ninja squadron, t bonez

below: A pointy nosed, long snouted dog by Mr. Myl, aka Luis Casas, who was originally from Havana Cuba.

mr myl street art painting in graffiti alley, on bright pink background, an orange and yellow dog with log snout and orange teeth, small ears, sitting position

below: Another Mr. Myl dog, this one with its blue eyes popping out.   I don’t think that it’s because of the woman next to him.  “Para mi Tita” is Spanish for “For my aunt”.

mr myl street art painting in graffiti alley, on bright pink background, an orange and yellow dog with log snout and orange teeth, small ears, sitting position, beside a portrait of a woman holding a large calla lily, with text

below: Blue haired woman by April Showers

below: And another blue haired woman…..

below: … and a third.  I think that I see a trend.  Methinks April Showers likes blue hair.

grey car parked in parking lot at end of alley, murals painted on the walls, stickers cover the signs

below: An anti-camera, anti-photographer image, “Gimmy a break, clik, clik, clik” featuring uber 5000’s yellow bird and blue cat, with the Pink Panther is a supporting role.   Love the red specs!

street art on a wall by stairs, pink panther, uber 5000 yellow bird, tags, also uber 5000 complaints about photographers

below:  Poser bunny in red

street art, red poser bunny

below: He (she?) seems puzzled by the snow?!

a young person with short dark hair, and a yellow t shirt, mural in graffiti alley

below: Is it a man or is it a chicken?  A red headed cigarette smoking, spray painting character by Tuffytats

street art painting by tuffytats

below: This one looks more like a chicken should look, so fowl.

below: An environmental message – “Got mercury?” from a non-profit group trying to raise awareness of the impact of mercury poisoning on indigenous communities.

graffiti on a wall, yellow bird from uber5000, red and turquoise character with devil horns and furry hair

graffiti alley in the winter, snowing, some snow on the ground

below: Good Luck!

street art painting, green background, a red apple sitting on 2 books, an arrow runs through the apple

graffiti alley mural, guitar player, red guitar, also an elicser elliott piece of a person wearing a rabbit hat

below: Another 33wallflower33 vintage woman.

graffiti on a wall including woman in bikini by 33 wallflower 33.

below: Chubby purple cheeks gives a thumbs up

street art painting of a large purple monster face

below: Still reaching out and trying to touch someone…..

old telephone booth in graffiti alley

street art mural, asian woman with purple hair tied up on top of her head with glowing lantern

graffiti on a wall including a red heart with J + J written in the middle

skateboard portraits

Posted: January 22, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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Graffiti Alley is still an interesting place to explore.  Unlike some street art locations that have succumbed to the scrawls and tags of the less well-intentioned, good art and ideas can still be found here.  At present, adding to the eclectic nature of the graffiti in Graffiti Alley are a few interesting portraits done on half skateboards (or at least on wood in the shape of a skateboard). Most are screwed onto wooden utility poles. This post was from January 2025 – a year later I found some skateboards that either I had missed the first time, or they had been added later. I also found that some of the originals had been defaced. I have mixed the two sets of photos into this post.

below: One on natural wood colour and the other in vibrant red.  The sticker says Positive Creations.  This is the 2025 version.

two men's portraits painted each on half of a skateboard, attached to a pole in graffiti alley. one is black line drawing on natural wood colour, and the other is very red

below: Photo taken in 2026

3 skateboard portraits with a large street art painting of a man's face, in grey tones, behind

below: 2025, pink and blue women

two women's portraits on a skateboard. Top one is turquoise and the bottom one is pink

below: A man with a mustache that looks a bit like Freddie Mercury

man's portrait painted on half of a skateboard, attached to a pole in graffiti alley

below: Three on the same pole in Graffiti Alley – A red person with shaggy hair and light blue glasses as well someone with very long orange hair.

portraits painted on half skateboards, 3 different men, one in red, one in orange, and one in pink, all on the same pole in graffiti alley, work of positive creations

man's portrait painted on half of a skateboard, in red, shaggy hair, and wearing light blue glasses, attached to a pole in graffiti alley

below: At the bottom, a quizzical look on a pink face.

pink man's portrait painted on half of a skateboard, attached to a pole in graffiti alley

below: From 2026 (as are the rest of the images)

graffiti alley, portraits on broken skateboard,

below: Old Joy is also a 2026 addition.

portrait of a person with log hair and glasses, painted on a broken skateboard also the text old joy, written 4 times in stencilled capital letters

portrait of a woman in yellow with blue outlines, short hair, on a broken skateboard

yellow outlline drawing portrait on red background, painted on a broken skateboard

below: These may have been included in the above images from 2025 but they have been defaced so much that I am not sure.   The top one looks like it might have been a multi-legged creepy crawly thing with pincers in front.

two defaced, painted over with other graffiti, portraits on skateboards, on wooden pole in graffiti alley

It’s possible that there are more…. Also, if anyone has any idea as to who has painted these, please let me know!

abandoned site, Baldwin & Spadina

Posted: January 18, 2025 in graffiti and street art
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There once was a building on the southwest corner of Spadina Ave and Baldwin.  That building is long gone but the hoardings around the vacant lot have become a home for graffiti.  Although advertising posters sometimes take over some of the space, there is often new graffiti too.

This is what was there in January 2025.

below: The Last Laugh by Nigel Smith.

graffiti on old hoardings at baldwin and spadina, a sign that says the last laugh, words written in red capital letters on black background

below: Paste-ups on plywood.   On the left – a City Kitty character in big pink frame glasses (and what’s that on his head?!).   Small black and white pasteups include Visual Noise with Urban Ninja Squadron.

pasteups on plywood hoardings

below: WOW! He is not dead yet.  Live!  Let Live!

three drawings on a fence, one red, one white, one blue, lines, face, and words, he is not dead yet, ugly, beauty

below: Two pieces by Bao aka (Bao Pham) who seems to like to mix cultural icons that aren’t usually associated with each other.

graffiti by Bao Pham, Trans Quebec, Beatles as storm troopers in a shield shape

below: “Fab Four Troopers” Quebec highway sign

graffiti by Bao Pham, Trans Quebec, Beatles as storm troopers in a shield shape

below: “Return of the Boom Bap Trooper”

graffiti street art by Bao Pham, storm trooper from Star Wars movies holding a ghetto blaster on his shoulder, wearing rapper jewellery

below: A woman’s portrait among the advertisements.

posters on hoardings, some advertising television programs, some HIV education website and in the middle is a graffiti street art picture of a woman with flowers in her hair

below: “Frida Moss”, A Frida Kahlo and Kate Moss mash-up, also by Bao

graffiti picture of a woman (photograph) with flowers in her hair and a cigarette in her hand

below: A green catchoo looking atch youcatchoo green rectangular face paste up

below: Ouch!  Another Urban Ninja Squadron paste-up, this one in collaboration with Dio Tha Dog.

visual noise, and urban ninja squadron black and white paste up on a pole

This post also appears in Eyes on the Streets blog

signs of change

Posted: December 12, 2024 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations
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…. from a walk on Kingston Road near Guildwood GO station.

orange ribbon tied to a chainlink fence that is coming apart at the top corner, strands of barbed wire on top, with empty old building and vacant lot behind

below: First sign.  Sign of distress, of times gone by.

old sign for bob johnston chevrolet dealer on kingston road, graffiti on it

Bob Johnston Chevrolet was on Kingston Road until it went out of business in 2007.  The property became a used car lot.  It backs onto the parking lot for the Guildwood GO station

below: A sign with no relevance.  A sign that says “vehicles protected by security systems” but it’s been a long time since anyone parked back there.

fence and locked gate in front of a vacant lot that used to be a parking lot, sign on fence that says vehicles protected, GO train in the background at Guildwood station

below: Other, much newer, signs have appeared on the property. They are a street art installation by Nigel Smith that appeared a few months ago.

Funnily Enough

funnily enough, graffiti street art sign on grey, billboard sized, paired with joking apart, by Nigel Smith

and Joking Apart

joking apart, graffiti street art sign on grey, billboard sized, paired with funninly enough, by Nigel Smith

And last, a sign that tells another story – a Development Notice sign that dates from 2021.  It suggests that 996 residences in 4 towers all with large podiums, will be built.  Some will be rentals. Back in 2008, the original change of zoning from commercial to mixed commercial/residential allowed for buildings up to 8 storeys.  The process limps along as the property changes owner and the height limits are appealed.

graffiti on a development notice sign on fence beside an abandoned and now derelict former car dealership, some large font lettering graffiti on the sign

The process is also slow because of the people and organizations that get a say.  Traffic studies, Urban Forestry opinions, as well as TTC and Metrolinx.  Apparently there is a Line 7, the Eglinton East LRT that will (might?) run here.  It has been proposed, accepted, and…..  don’t hold your breath.  The Eglinton LRT is 14+ years old and still not operational.   If it gets off the ground in its present plan, it will run east from Kennedy (& Eglinton) to Kingston Road, then northeast on Kingston Road to Morningside.  Finally, north to Sheppard (via UTSC) where it will loop back to join the Sheppard line.   On that cheery note, I will leave you with a few images from around the property taken on a snowy December day.

some snow, some weeds growing in the cracks, an old parking lot, with some tall light standards still standing, looking toward Kingston Road

snow covered tire left behind in an old parking lot

a tall light standard with two lights at the top has fallen over and is lying on the ground in some snow, with weeds

cracked pavement and a faded yellow wheelchair symbol in front of a derelict building waiting to be demolished, once was a car dealership

yellow graffiti scribbles on blue painted wall, abandoned building, weeds growing in front,

vines growing on derelict and empty building

peeling blue paint on old garage door, snow in front

chainlink fence with abandoned building behind

entrance to old abandoned car dealership, painted blue, over sign that said night deposit box

chainlink fence with strands of barbed wire on top, with empty old building and snowy covered vacant lot behind

large concrete barriers to block entrance to a parking lot

old light standards stand tall in a weedy snowy empty parking lot

College to Elm

Posted: December 9, 2024 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, public art, stores, windows and walls
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…. A short distance but with a lot happening.

An early morning walk with a weak winter sun low in the sky.  Tall buildings that cast shadows, or reflect light.  Patterns of light and shadow.

below: Crossing Yonge from Carlton to College

people crossing intersection of college and yonge, walking westward, towards TTC streetcar that is heading east, in front of College Park, with old red brick building on the north side of college street

below: North on Yonge.  The facade above Shoppers remains.  “….has design value and technological merit as a representative of the 1950s Toronto School of ‘Picturesque Modernism’ in its expressive use of concrete seen in the cantilevered canopy and decorative piercings of the concrete screen for the above-ground parking, in the ‘egg-crate’ elevations designed to reduce solar gain, and in the predominant white aesthetic of glazed white brick and concrete surfaces.” (form City of Toronto report on heritage inclusion)

below: Rising above Yonge and College

tall new condo tower above older red brick building on northwest corner of Yonge and college

below: Looking north, up the canyon that Yonge has become.  The very tall building that is obviously under construction in the distance is at Yonge and Bloor.

looking north on Yonge, from College, towards two very tall condo developments at Yonge and Bloor, shadows because of buildings, blue sky, not much traffic

below:  Empty, boarded up and waiting its turn. Southeast corner of College & Yonge.  I have vague memories of a candy store on this corner although I think that there were a number of businesses that passed through here.

brick building with rounded edge at front, now empty, southeast corner of Yonge and College, construction at street level in front of building

below: The east half of Yonge street in front of College Park is now a construction zone.  An additional entrance on the east side of Yonge along with more elevator service between street and track levels, is being built for College subway station.  Are there any streets in the downtown area that don’t have partial closures for construction?

small construction site on yonge street, taking up space on the street, in front of College Park shops

below: Sunspots, reflected light on the side of College Park

construction equipment

below: More emptiness, more waiting.

metal grille gate covering window of a store or restaurant that is now closed, old doordash sign in the window

below: Granby and McGill are two streets that run parallel to College but don’t actually meet Yonge Street, pedestrians only here

person walking through pedestrian zone between yonge street and sheard street at the end of mcgill

below: Looking back at Yonge Street from the same spot.  When the area was pedestrianized back in the 1980s, the city purchased added the arch.  The arch came from St. Andrews United Church at Bloor and Park Road (not on this site, moved here).  The mural on the wall, right hand side …

old stone arch remains, on yonge street near Sheard and McGill streets

… is The ‘History of Music on Yonge’ mural that covers two large walls on the same building.  This is the south side of that building.   It was painted by Adrian Hayles and features music legends who played in Toronto in the 1950s and 1960s.

History of Music on Yonge mural, south side,

Brown Derby tavern and Steeles tavern part of mural

part of History of Music mural by Adrian Hayles, group of male singers in black shirts, white ties, and black stripe on white suits

On the north side of building, the mural shows Ronnie Hawkins, Glenn Gould, Dianne Brooks, Jackie Shane, Muddy Waters, Shirley Matthews, B.B. King, Gordon Lightfoot, and Oscar Peterson.

history of music on yonge mural by Adrian Hayles, north side, Massey Hall, Gordon Lightfoot, B.B. King, piano player, tall, vertical mural

part of a mural by Adrian Hayles, piano player with multicoloured keyboard

below: Behind Yonge street, between Granby and McGill (Joseph Sheard parkette)

Joseph Sheard park in Toronto, old brick house, with many tall trees, some new condos

new condo towers downtown

below: Looking north up Yonge from Granby

looking north on yonge from granby, just south of college

below: Aura

looking south on yonge by ikea store and fusettes restaurant

below: People on a corner… To the woman in the brown coat – A penny for your thoughts (Does anyone use that expression anymore?)

two women holding bright green coffee cups, talking to each other, man in background crossing the street,

below: The southeast corner of Yonge and Gerrard is still a construction site….

redevelopment of building on southeast corner of yonge and gerrard, old facade being saved

below: …. but now it is on its way up!

redevelopment of building on southeast corner of yonge and gerrard, old facade being saved

below:  On the northeast corner, also Yonge and Gerrard is an older building that is still standing… for now.  An almost obscene 76 storeys with 828 residences.  No car parking; parking for 828 bikes only.   May I recommend the elevator repair business as a career prospect for those who are looking for ideas?  Also, we could have quite the discussion about bikes and bike lanes……

blue and white city of toronto development notice sign

 

man talking on his phone, walks under covered scaffolding, beside hoardings with painted diagonal stripes in yellow and blue

people walking on sidewalk, approaching covered scaffolding at construction site

looking through scaffolding, to west side of yonge, older 1800s buildings with mansour roofs, H and R block, cotti coffee,

yonge street, motorbike parked outside cotti coffee

below: Looking south on Yonge from Elm

street scene, looking south on yonge from elm, towards yonge dundas square, now called sankofa square

upper levels of buildings on west side of yonge, just north of dundas, includingmcdonalds,

below: The Zanzibar Tavern glows in the morning light

view from Elm street, looking north at Yonge, zanzibar strip club glows in the morning sun, condo redevelopment on the northwest corner of yonge and elm

below: Hoardings around the construction site on the northwest corner of Yonge and Elm

artwork titled Homecomings on the hoardings at construction site, northeast corner of elm and yonge,

below: Orange! Even more construction on Yonge, this time the southwest corner of Yonge and Elm

elm street, south side, looking east, at yonge

below: No more pizzas here.

damaged exterior wall on now abandoned pizza pizza restaurant, orange and yellow ties on point, some missing

below: Looking west on Elm

person walking on sidewalk on elm street, walking west from yonge

below:  A quick stop at the Cong Caphe.  That’s an iced coconut coffee!!

bouquet of flowers on a coffee shop table along with a cinnamon bun and an iced coffee drink

 

Dr. Adams was here

Posted: December 7, 2024 in graffiti and street art, history
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Dr. John Gennings Curtis Adams left a small mark on the city just over a hundred years ago.

a Heritage Toronto plaque on the sidewalk outside an old three storey brick building that is boarded up and covered with graffiti. Plaque tells about Dr. Adams who was a dentist in the late 1800s.

Dr. John G.C. Adams (1839-1922)  Dr. John G.C. Adams is regarded as the father of public health dentistry in Canada.  His Methodist faith inspired him to become Canada’s first resident dental missionary.  He funded and operated the first free dental hospital on the continent in 1872, primarily treating poverty-stricken children and their mothers.  Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children opened three years later and, in 1883, Dr. Adams became its first dentist of record. 
In the building here, Dr. Adams operated Christ’s Mission Hall and Dental Institute from 1897 until 1899 when the City closed it for non-payment of taxes.  A champion of preventative health through education, Dr. Adams advocated for dental check-ups in public schools and dental treatment for underprivileged children.  His recommendations were finally realized in 1911 with the beginning of dental check-ups in Toronto schools.  Canada’s first publicly funded free dental clinic opened two years later.

Although Adams  had a mission here, it was only for a few years and he lost possession because he didn’t pay his taxes.  So I am not sure why the plaque is here (to bolster the heritage designation of the building?).  It’s earlier history is just as interesting, if not more so. Before Adams, it had been a coffee shop run by The Toronto Coffee Association Coffee House – off on a tangent for a moment. the Coffee Houses of the 1880s and 1890s were in response to Prohibition laws and many were run by the Temperance League.   I found a thorough, well-written history of these coffee houses as well as Bay Street at the time at Scenes from Toronto

If you have passed by the intersection of Bay and Elm (just north of Dundas), you may have noticed the building on the southwest corner.  It’s been derelict for quite a few years now.  It has become a small canvas for some graffiti artists; although it gets ‘cleaned up’ every once in awhile, traces remain.  Dr. Adams wouldn’t recognize it… nor would he approve of it!

below: Two faced

bits and pieces of posters that have been put up on boarded up window on abandoned building, layers, including partial faces of two men

an old arched window in a building that is now boarded up, graffiti and posters on the plywood

below: Like a repeating pattern on wallpaper or fabric, columns of men with the same hair cut and facial features.  An army of clones.

graffiti paste up poster, repeating black heads in columns and rows, torn bottom

black ink drawing of a man's face and hand on white, drawn on old posters on a graffiti covered wall

below: Mexican Jesus

on a wall with remnants of posters and graffiti, black drawing portrait of a man with long shaggy hair

below: 33wallflower33

black and white paste up graffiti, grey tones, images of women, by 33 wallflower 33

black and white paste up graffiti, grey tones, images of women, by 33 wallflower 33

graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building at 55 Elm street

abandoned building with windows boarded up, graffiti

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building , someone has written free gaza and someone else has added from hamas

collage made with layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building at 55 Elm street

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building, including a braid and a small heart

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building with graffiti text written across the top that says Jesus is God

This building, 55 Elm, is at the east end of a row of bay & gable houses from the late 1800s.  All of them are empty and boarded up, awaiting the usual fate of such properties in this city.  The image below is a screenshot of the row of houses that was included in the 2021 City of Toronto report (pdf) that designated the row as heritage properties.  The study was prompted by the possible tear down of one of the houses in 2019.  In other words, these have been empty for a long time.

bay and gable houses on elm street, 57 to 71 Elm

  These houses back onto a large parking lot.  The last few photos are a quick look at remains behind.

graffiti on the back of a brick building, pink, large 3 letters,

graffiti text tags on the back of empty houses

exterior stairs at back of house, two storeys, leading to turquoise doors

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

back of building, looking up to rooftop and metal vents, tall skyscraper condos in the background, used to be matagali restaurant, sign still there

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