Once it was the hinterland but now it feels like the city just goes on and on and on….
below: In 1955 this was the view looking south on Yonge from just north of Cummer/Drewry. This was the center of the community of Newtonbrook, named after the Newton Brook Wesleyan Church founded in 1857. A general store and post office were opened here in 1863 on the northeast corner of Yonge & Drewry (possibly the buildings on the right side of this photo).
photo credit: James Victor Salmon, found on Toronto Public Library website (public domain).
below: It’s not taken from exactly the same viewpoint (traffic!) but this is what you see looking south on Yonge Street now.
below: Looking north up Yonge Street from just south of Cummer/Drewry. The large house is on the southeast corner of Cummer and Yonge.
photo credit: Tim Chirnside, found on Toronto Public Library website (public domain)
below: The intersection of Yonge and Cummer (to the east) and Drewry (to the west) today. The large house in the black and white photo above would be on the far right of this picture.
below: Yonge Street is also Provincial Highway 11.
below: It is a major transportation/transit route.
below: Happy Nowruz! or in other words, Happy New Year! It is the Iranian New Year; the beginning of spring; a new day! The banners were by sponsored by Tirgan, an organization that “promotes cross-cultural dialogue between Iranian-Canadians and the global community at large.”
below: There are many other cultures that are well represented in this part of the city.
below: Like so many parts of Toronto, there is a lot of redevelopment taking place. Blue and white development notice signs are everywhere.
below: To be (possibly) replaced by 25 storeys, 347 residences and a daycare.
below: Seoul Plaza with it’s Korean BBQ restaurant and other businesses (not all Korean) – also with a development notice sign in front. I’m not sure of the size of the development but it looks like your average 20ish storeys on podium condo.
below: Looking south from Moore Park Ave
below: Looking north to the intersection of Yonge and Steeles. Steeles Ave has been the northern boundary of the City of Toronto since 1953. All of the tall buildings in this picture are north of Steeles and are in Thornhill (York Region).
below: Pro Ukraine stencil graffiti.
below: I’m not sure what the spring will do but someone has been putting up a lot of posters for the Communist Party.
below: A little orange character pasted to a pole; the work of kode_dipz aka Kyara Cabrera Fong
below: Because of the construction of a new condo at Richmond and Augusta there has been scaffolding in a section of Graffiti Alley. The other day some of it was being dismantled. This woman is more visible now but some of the bars remain.
below: Leslieville mural on the west wall of Dave’s Hot Chicken, Queen Street East location.
below: I spotted a very similar piece of paper downtown but with words about knowledge and ignorance (see previous blog post). I wonder how many of these are tacked up around the city? These words can be attributed to American economist and social theorist, Thomas Sowell (b. 1930).
“We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody’s responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did.”
below: Beside Jimmy Simpson Park there are four stainless steel pennants, each with a word – coursing, disappearing, trembling, and returning. These are part of a series of three installations called “Time and a Clock” by Eldon Garnet in the area.
below: Boston Discount Store with it’s red and white KitKat advert
below: posters and protests and one very muscular man three times.
below: Queen and Jones Pawnbrokers
below: Eddie’s Convenience with a range of tests available. I first read it as though Eddie was also selling pregnancy tests!
below: It’s now been 2 years since COVID was declared a pandemic.
below: Queen East mishmash of rooflines. Newer boxy construction butting up against older original half gables with their gingerbread still intact.
below: In a lovely older brick building with little architectural details, Fortune Smoke & Gifts Store along with Butchers of Distinction
below: Busy Street runs parallel to Queen, one block north. It was once a very busy street.
But now it is much quieter. Some of the buildings on the north side were once stables for the teams of draft horses that delivered the goods from the nearby Queen Street stores.
below: The horses have long disappeared and the buildings have been repurposed.
below: Another little upper storey addition above Cask Music and Samaira’s.
The alley and parking lot behind the south side of Gerrard Street between Rhodes Avenue and Craven Road has a lot of street art. Most of it was described back in November 2015 in a post titled: Udlaakut, good morning (Inuit for good morning).
below: Mural by Timmy Drift aka Tim Schjins
below: A newer painting is this Alley Cats mural which is over 14′ high and is the work of Swizzle Studios (aka Rob Elliott and Andrew Horne)
below:Jim Bravo and Ema Ciobanico (2020) painted murals with Little India Bazaar themes over two buildings – one on the NE corner of Gerrard and Ashdale and the other across Gerrard on the SE corner.
below: On the northeast corner of Gerrard and Ashdale is the west wall of Kohinoor Foods – people with balloons, flags, and lotus flowers.
below: Visual noise and friends, slaps in an alley.
below: I have blogged about this mural before – Four-D by Alexa Hatanaka and Patrick Thompson at Gerrard and Woodfield, 2013.
below: An elephant above the vape shop
below: Mr. Monopoly tries to run away with the loot (by kransky)
Oakwood Village BIA is centered on Oakwood Avenue, south of Eglinton West.
below: “Celebrating Queer Black Lives (2021) by Curtia Wright. This is also part of a STEPS project, I HeART Main Street, which features 26 murals on “Main Streets” in Ontario this year.
below: We are all Canadians, and with a big heart too
below: Sidewalk games
below: Sidewalk vowels
below: Shiny palm tree about 5 metres tall – an art installation from 2010 on the traffic island where Oakwood meets Vaughan Road. It serves as homage to the neighbourhood’s Caribbean community.
below: Rusty the Snowman!
below: La Cubana, Supermercado Latina.
below: Recently sold, Open Bible Baptist Church, just south of Eglinton.
below: Old gate in front of new (or being renovated) house
below: Where WTF = Wear The Facemask!
below: Reggae Lane, just south of Eglinton. The mural in the background was painted by Adrian Hayles in 2015. Better pictures of it are on a previous blog post about Reggae Lane
below: Waiting…..
below: Never Give Up!
below: Looking north up Oakwood to Eglinton West. The construction of Oakwood station still has a long way to go! The previous blog post (‘Eglinton and Oakwood’) looked at this intersection/construction.
Another Crosstown update…. The first of the new LRV trains are going through tests on the eastern end of the Crosstown line where the tracks are above ground. Work continues on the underground portion. Although Eglinton Avenue isn’t as much of an obstacle course through orange cones as it used to be, there is still a lot of work to be done. This is what it looks like at the moment at Eglinton West and Oakwood.
below: Still working on Oakwood station.
below: Looking west along the north side of Eglinton from Oakwood
below: Asian Massage Therapy Center seems to have survived the upheaval but many storefronts are empty.
below: Dodging orange cones and traffic
below: Canadian Korean Buddhist Association and Nadines Hair Studio along with some good news perhaps – an “opening soon” sign on Betta Yaad seafood catering. If google is correct, ‘yaad’ is Jamaican patois for ‘home’.
below: The River Restaurant & Bar beside Weemedical Society.
below: Peoples Choice Grocery, Casual International Hair Salon, and a few porta-potties
The most exact information that I can find for an opening date for the Crosstown LRT is 2022.
Today, the intersection of Finch and Weston Road is a mess. Metrolinx is preparing to start construction on the Finch LRT, more than 12 acres on the southeast corner is being totally rebuilt, and water mains along Finch are being upgraded. The intersection also has the misfortune to lie in a hydro corridor.
below: Looking west on Finch at Weston Road.
below: Canadian Pacific tracks cross Finch just east of Weston Road
below: Emery train station just after 1900. This was a a flag station built for the Toronto Grey and Bruce Railway in 1870 (i.e. trains only stopped if you flagged them down). In the early 1880s the line was acquired by the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Photo source: Toronto Public Library
Like the rest of the GTA, development here began as a village that supported the surrounding farms. In 1796, Isaac Devins and his wife Mary Chapman were given 200 acres of land, south of what is now Finch Ave from Weston Road to Islington. Devins had worked with Governor Simcoe as a superintendent on the construction of Yonge St. Two of their grandsons opened businesses near the corner of Finch and Weston Road. – one was a blacksmith and the other a carriage maker. A brick schoolhouse came shortly after 1850 and the Methodist church followed in 1869. A post office was established in 1879… and Emery was officially a village.
Celebrating the history of Emery are some plaques on display at a couple of bus stops on Weston Road. The one below describes two musicians with local roots, Claudio Vena and Alfie Zappacosta. Both men have streets named after them.
below: Finch West Mall was built in 1971 on the southeast corner of Finch and Weston Road on what had previously been farm land. Step-brothers Aubrey Ella and Orrie Truman had farmed here since 1930. …. but you can’t go shopping there any more. [transcription of the text can be found at the bottom of this post]
below: Development notice sign at the site of the former Finch West Mall. The proposal includes 5 towers, 2237 residences ranging from bachelors to 3 bedroom, some retail, and a park. All rentals.
below: Construction is only in the early stages so there isn’t much to see
below: Preparations for the construction of the Finch LRT are underway.
below: But not always well thought out – here sidewalk access ends but the only way to go is to cross Finch in mid-block with no help
Also like many places in Toronto, Emery has become very multicultural.
below: African Food & Groceries as well as Comida Colombiana
below: A Vietnamese restaurant and a West Indian grocery store
below: North York Sikh temple
below: Confusion?
below: More restaurants and businesses
below: Ghanaian Presbyterian Church, since 1994 (as seen from Finch Ave)
below: Prayer Palace
below: Lindylou park
below: Emery Creek south of Finch
below: Finch Avenue West, looking eastward towards Weston Road
below: Slightly closer to Weston Road (from Lindyloou park looking northeast)
below: Not taken from the same spot but also Finch Avenue West, looking eastward towards Weston Road in 1958 when Finch was still a dirt road. The brick building is Emery Public School (built 1914); and it looks like it had a portable in the yard… and is that an Elmer the Safety Elephant flag? The school was demolished shortly after the picture was taken. Photo source: Toronto Public Library, photo by James Victor Salmon
below: Farther east, now past Weston Road. If you go even farther you will come to Hwy 400
below: Most of the area north of Finch is zoned for light industry including this business, the making of prefab concrete staircases. With all the condo development in the city at the moment, there must be a lot of demand for these stairs!
below: Another vacant lot
*****
Transcription of Plaque (above):
“Emery’s first large indoor shopping complex was built in 1971. It was called the Finch West Mall and was located on the southwest corner of Finch and Weston Road… Prior to the mall being constructed, the land was used for farming. A farmhouse, barn, and some other farming structures remained on the property up until the construction of the mall began in the early 1970s. Aubrey Ella and Orrie Truman built a farmhouse on the lot in the 1930s just south of the intersection of Finch and Weston Road. During this time, the entire property permitted wide range agriculture with even an arena for sheep.” “The opening of the Finch West Mall in 1972 was a big hit for the community. A sizable Towers outlet first appeared but it swiftly merged into a Zellers retail store. Zellers was the principal leaseholder located at the far north end of the mall. Safeway Canada quickly decided to build a grocery store connected to the south end of the mall.” “In 1973, McDonald’s restaurant was added onto the site but as a separate building situated at the far south of the property. It was one of the first McDonald’s restaurants opened in Canada along with another outlet at Dufferin and Wilson. This McDonald’s even featured an outdoor sitting patio with six stone tables made out of lightly coloured presses marble complete with matching benches. Close to this historical marker was a dirt trail that was upgraded into a long set of wooden steps that permitted pedestrian entrance onto the site.” “On occasions local bands were permitted to conduct live concerts right in the mall.” “When Zellers shut down their store in the 1980s, Canadian Tire quickly opened an outlet to take its place. However, they too decided to close their doors at the turn of the new millennium. The commercial banks began moving out and countless other stores too. The mall had ceased to have sound commercial value and disappointingly started to become an endless array of dollar stores.” “The owner of the mall (Medallion Properties) recognized these telltale signs and thought it might be ideal for a development upgrade which could inspire financial resurgence within the general community. The City of North York Planning Department made a recommendation to establish a Business Improvement Area (BIA) to stimulate economic recovery.” “With the organized structure of the Emery Village BIA in place, city staff suggested creating a new secondary plan for the entire general community…The mall was demolished in 2006.”
*****
One of life’s unexpected coincidences… I didn’t read the text before I took the picture so it wasn’t until a few days later that I saw the name Orrie Truman. I have Trueman ancestors in this area… was he related? Orrie Truman was Orrie Levi Richard Trueman. I don’t know where the name Orrie comes from but Levi and Richard were his grandfathers, Levi Coulter and Richard Trueman. William Mellow Trueman married Eleanor (Nellie) Coulter and Orrie is their son. William died shortly after and Nellie subsequently married Ella. Going back a generation, William Mellow Trueman is the son of Richard Trueman and Rebecca Mellow who happen to be my great great great grandparents. My great grandmother, Ina Rebecca Moore was named after Rebecca Mellow, her grandmother. Ina would have been Orrie’s first cousin. Question: What relation am I to Orrie Trueman?
A few weeks ago I read a blog post about Agincourt history in Bob Georgiou’s Scenes from a City. It reminded me that I had once tried to walk that area but I only got discouraged because of weather (grey, damp) and nostalgia. Sheppard Avenue just east of Kennedy now has this large concrete underpass (Metrolinx/GO trains) which was a shocking change from my childhood memories. My parents were living here with their parents when then met and my paternal grandparents remained in the neighbourhood until they passed. One of my great-grandfathers lived on Agincourt Drive in a house that backed onto the railway tracks.
This time round, I waited for a sunny day before I tried walking here again. For the most part, I walked Sheppard Avenue East between Kennedy and Brimley and the photos below are what I saw – what you see there these days. If you are more interested in the history of the area, then you need to be reading Bob’s blog as mentioned above.
Let’s walk!
below: The area’s Asian character is very obvious.
below: Nutriever?
below: West Highland Creek, north of Sheppard
below: Are you in the market for a used truck?
below: If not a truck, how about a car? I passed at least three used car lots.
below: The old Agincourt GO station has been demolished and a new one is being built.
below: Bell Canada (It’s a white building)
below: In a front yard on a nearby street….. I have many questions.
below: Looking east just before Midland Avenue
below: Part of the reason that Sheppard and Midland looks so empty is this vacant site on the southwest corner. There was once a Lumber King Home Centre here, then it was a flea market and used car lot, but now it’s an empty building on an otherwise vacant 4.7 acres. A plan for 80 townhouses and a park was filed back in 2015 and seems to have been winding its way through the development process ever since.
below: A quick rest at the intersection where there are actually some people. I miss interacting with the people that I see as I walk around… and I’m sure that you’ve noticed the lack of people in these blog posts.
Also, re the TTC – this is Sheppard Avenue, home of the Sheppard subway, or is it LRT now? As I was researching development at 4181 Sheppard, I discovered that Metrolinx has been applying for easements along Sheppard in preparation for anything that might be built on that street.
below: There is always something to remind us of life’s situation these days, such as this ad that was on a bus shelter. I liked the hashtag at the end, #PracticeSafe6ix
below: Knox United Church was built as a Free Presbyterian church in the 1840’s but became Knox United in 1925. This was when the Presbyterians merged with the Methodists to form the United Church of Canada. (Although not all Presbyterian churches went along with the merger).
below: Agincourt Baptist Church
below: There is a second overpass in the area. The CPR tracks pass over Sheppard between Midland and Brimley, just west of Canadian Pacific’s Toronto Yard.
below: On this overpass is a mural by elicser
below: Running parallel to the south side of the CPR line and Sheppard Avenue is a large industrial complex belonging to the International Group of Companies.
below: Toronto has 85 BIAs (Business Improvement Areas) including Sheppard East Village which includes Sheppard between Midland and Markham Road.
below: At Glen Watford and Sheppard there is a large new Seniors residence planned.
below: In the meantime, there are empty stores.
below: North Scarborough Memorial being renovated but the old gate remains.
below: Agincourt Elementary School. Built in 1915 as a Continuation School, (grades 9 and 10) but used as an elementary school since Agincourt Collegiate was built in 1930.
below: (Snow)man down! You’d be tired too if you had to stand outside all winter!
below: Mystery ‘All Way Stop’ in the Walmart parking lot.
Birch Cliff, where one of the predominant themes is birch trees.
Such as this mural on the side of the public school.
The other theme in this stretch of Kingston Road seems to be the blue and white Toronto notice of development signs and the consequent empty buildings.
The old….
… and the new. This is the only building that is close to being finished. If the drawings on the development signs are to be believed, there will be several more in the neighbourhood just like it in a couple of years time.
below: Kingston Road is quite close to Lake Ontario. At this point the only thing between the road and the water is the grounds and golf course of The Toronto Hunt Club, a private members only club.
below: 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. It’s also part of the Heritage Trail murals, a Mural Routes project.
Plaque beside the mural says: “Scarborough Rifle Company marching to the Niagara Frontier, June 1, 1866. In 1862 the Scarborough Rifle Company was organized with headquarters in a school at Eglinton Avenue near Markham Road. It was the first of several militia companies formed in York County. The company was rushed to the Niagara frontier three times in 1865 and 1866 to defend Canada against the Fenians. The Scarborough Rifle Company later became No. 1 Company in the 12th Battalion of Infantry, the forerunner of Queen’s York Rangers.”
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below: A smaller mural on the right hand side of the above one features portraits of two men, Captain Norris and Lieutenant Taber, soldiers in the Fenian Raids of 1866.
below: Another Heritage Trail mural – “Mitchells General Store” by Phil Irish, 1998. Mitchells store was one of the first businesses established in the Birch Cliff area. The same store is mentioned in another Scarborough history mural just a bit north on Warden Avenue (see Scarborough Bells)
below: An elaborate home for the birds with a tiny outpost below.
below: Ready for social distancing when you’re feeling down in the dumps.
below: Buster’s ready to play
below: This guy needs a beer
below: Looking in a window – framed pictures, old records, a trunk and a tripod.
below: A Beckers store, you don’t have to be that old to remember Beckers do you? The original Beckers Milk Company was founded in 1957; they had five convenience stores that were open 7 days a week, 14 hours a day. By 2006 when the company was sold to Alimentation Couche-Tard, there were 500 stores. Most were converted to Macs convenience stores stores. In 2013 the Beckers label was brought back and apparently there are now 45 Beckers stores.
It’s late December and the Christmas season is upon us. The winter solstice has arrived with its short day light hours… If you can call the greyness of today “day light”.
Santa in his sleigh, Yonge Dundas Square
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Nathan Phillips Square
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Like Decembers past, The Bay has installed holiday displays in some of their windows. Unlike past years, there are no elves or Santa, or even any human form. The robots have taken over and everything has been automated.
Candy canes are packed
and toys wrapped, with a beep and a whirr.
Ornaments are crafted with A.I. and a software update.
Even Santa’s wish list is machine made.
The elves have been kidnapped? Or just sickened with Covid. We’ll probably never know (does Siri know?) but it seems rather fiendish and cold to remove the “human touch” in a year where we’re all 2 metres apart and not hugging anybody.
Stay warm
Stay safe
And may your Christmas be as bright as possible.
as I walk Toronto 