Captain Hawley and others

Posted: September 12, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, stores
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below: This lane was recently named for William Hawley, a retired Toronto firefighter and Leslieville resident.

sign for Captain Hawley lane, with new third and fourth floor additions to a building in the background

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

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

young man crossing Queen Street near Leslieville mural, and beside a TTC streetcar

Leslieville mural

below: “Community” by Candace Bell on Queen East

painting on sidewalk traffic box, in front of store, on Queen Street East

below: Who is the photographer?

a camera is set up on a tripod, on the sidewalk outside a cafe, man sitting on chair nearby, another man sitting too

workman in hard hat and work boots, spray painting a line on the pavement, street,

below: Stores on Queen East.

stores on Queen Street east

below: Northeast corner of Larchmount and Queen East.

intersection of Larchmount and Queen Street East , northeast corner

queen street east, north side

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

sun gas services station on queen street east

below: An afternoon break on a patio.

woman on patio of duke tavern, red building with mural on the side, white umbrellas,

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

mural, line up of men wanting to enter the duke tavern, men's entrance, plus a boy sitting on the steps outside

mural, line up of men wanting to enter the duke tavern

below: Leslie and Queen East south side,

glass of bus shelter, with Leslie St sign on it, people walking on sidewalk, front of Shish restaurant on Queen Street, construction on southeast corner of Leslie and Queen in the background

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

workmen talking, construction site, Leslie street at Memory Lane

below: Houses on Leslie, south of Memory Lane.

houses, Leslie Street and Memory Lane,

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

row of houses on leslie street, one has a bright turquoise front door and the one beside it has had a third storey added to it

below: 27 Leslie Street

small blue building at 27 Leslie Street

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

Note on pole that says, but someone ha written over it, no truth to this

toronto street sign for eastern avenue, on a pole covered with vine and ivy

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

gas station on Eastern ave, scene of a recent fire

men boarding up burned out gas station
AMCO gas station on Eastern ave, scene of a recent fire, with backs of houses beside it

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

text street art by Nigel Smith, on old office building, two signs, one says text and the other says Navalny

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

temporary building structures on a large vacant lot
no trespassing sign on fence surrounding a large vacant lot on Eastern Avenue

… and now the laneway scenes …..

below: Starting with the now  ubiquitous laneway garden suite

new infill house development in a lane

low burlap barrier draped across an alley, repairs being made to the concrete and pavement behind the barrier

a large billboard on Eastern avenue, with advert for second cup coffee shop, summer drinks

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

back of house, alley view, square red brick two storey house, one window, wood fence

alley views, back of two semi detached houses, that share a chimney, one green siding and one one white siding

white camper of RV parked behind house, goldenrod weeds growing by the back door.

back of house, alley view, painted wood fence, lots of trees

vines growing on overhead wires, over a lane, with garages along the sides of the alley

back of house, alley view, wood fence, white sun umbrella, grey cover on barbecue

back of house, alley view, white house, white van parked behind, green wood fence

backyard alley view, back of newly renovated house, expanded, fence down at back, bags of yard waste

backyard alley views, old tire, trash bins, rooftop terrace with umbrella

small red car parked in a lane, line of garages, tall trees,

backyard alley view, overgrown grass and shrubs, hard to see the house, chainlink fence and gate

backyard alley view, lots of stuff, including a shopping cart full of basketballs and soccer balls, chairs, sheets and clothes hanging from a yellow rope clothes line

chainlink fence, old painted wood, rusty metal, latch, gate in an alley

red gate in an alley, with black line drawing on it, locked, latch,

old plywood on a fence, once painted red, now faded to slightly orange red, with dirt splotches and worn areas, texture, pattern, abstract

 

Sunlight shining – Biidaasige – and Lookout too.

Posted: September 6, 2025 in construction, locations, nature, waterfront
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A new park in the Port Lands has opened.  Biidaasige Park.  Biidaasige translates to “sunlight shining towards us”.

new mouth of the Don River, flowing into Lake Ontario, through Biidaasige Park on toronto eaterfront, toronto city downtown in the background

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

north end of new yellow bridge in the portlands, over the Don River, with walking trail along the river, Lafarge cement in the background

newly planted trees along path in biidaasige park, with toronto downtown in the background

a mother pushing a stroller walks on path n biidaasige park, toronto skyline and highrises in the background,

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

two white scottie dogs, scottish terriers, at playground at biidaasige park

kids on a zip line at biidaasige park

How many animals can you spot?

playground structure made of old logs, looks like a beaver dam, with wood sculptures of beavers on top

large wood playground structure in the shape of a raccoon

large wood playground structure in the shape of a raccoon

boy jumping off a large wood carving painted to look like a giant eagle, biidaasige park playground

large white wood play structure in the shape of a snowy owl

large white wood play structure in the shape of a snowy owl, in a playground

cyclists on path, biidaasige park, beside raccoon play structure

group of people using the new grills, barbecues, at biidaasige park

walking and biking path through biidaasige park towards red bridge on commissioners street

Don River flows through wetlands and grssy area, towards new red bridge, port lands

two women on the shore of DOn River

greenery, shrubs and plants in foreground, lafarge cement, yellow bridge in background, biidaasige park, don river

newly planted trees in front of Don River as it goes under new yellow bridge

water lilies in don river, a walking path beside the river

small access area to Don River with walking and cycling path, biidaasige park,
two pale purple chickory flowers poke their heads out from between slats of a wood fence

A black wasp has found a swamp milkweed flower.

a black wasp on top of a pink flower of a swamp milkweed plant

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

temporary toilet faciities in a portable building, white, by sidewalk, port lands, by biidaasige park

workmen doing garden work in park at portlands, with lafarge cement silos in the backgroun

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

path leading to Leslie Lookout park, and its repurposed concrete tower

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

view from tower at leslie lookout park, along ship channel to the west

inside the leslie lookout park tower, looking northwest towards city skyline

sand beach and muskoka chairs at leslie lookout, overlooking ship channel, and next to an industrial site

at leslie lookout, towards CN Tower and city ckyline, overlooking ship channel,

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

below: Unwin Avenue

Unwin Ave looking east towards the Hearn generating station and its very tall smokestack

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

hearn generating station building, behind fence with vines growing on it

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

hearn generating station building, with blue and white development notice sign on the fence

hearn generating station building and driveway with gate

sign saying construction zone ends is lying on the ground surround by weeds including yarrow

a dump truck parked beside a large pile of dirt, industrial site behind it

constuction, workmen and equipment, working along the banks of the new mouth of the Don River, as seen from under the yellow bridge

dump truck on street, across intersection from a group of cyclists

a cyclist rides on Commissioners street in the port lands

on a utility pole, two signs, one with arrow pointing right for Don Valley Parkway north, and one toronto city street sign for Villiers street

villiers street scene

abrupt end of the elevated portion of the Gardiner Expressway on the north side of port lands redevelopment activity at the corner of Villiers and Munitions

dump truck on flattened pile of dirt, immediately south of end of the gardiner expressway

port lands redevelopment activity at the corner of Villiers and Munitions

a small orange and white cone covers the top of a pipe coming up from underground, a bulldozer in the background, vacant land, just dirt

red dump truck releasing its load of dirt, adding to dirt on vacant lot in port lands

bulldozer, or front end loader with load of brown soil, heads out gate of construction site towards road, CN TOwer and toronto skyline in the distance

graffiti, bright red heart on a wood pole, with other sctibbles and scrawls on it

graffiti sticker of a poodle head by dogma, beside red arrow pointing to fire extinguisher

black eyed susans, yellow flowers with black centers

a little bit of Sherbourne in the sun

Posted: September 3, 2025 in construction, graffiti and street art, old buildings, public art, transportation
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a little bit of Church Street, on the run…..

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

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

 

inside a coffee shop, de mello coffee, counter has mirror below so that reflections of backs of people sitting are seen from the waist down

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

statue, sculpture, in post-media news building lobby, a group of 3 people reading, 2 sharing a bench, and one boy lying on the ground.

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

anser graffiti face drawn in black on a white wall in an alley

graffiti artist anser, blue line drawing of a face on a green garage door

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

city of toronto street sign for bloor street east, with header of upper jarvis

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

jarvis street, south of bloor, looking south

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

ishkozi park on huntley street, with large metal sculpture, and rainbow painted benches

 

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

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

set of 3 rowhouses, red brick, bay and gable, with taller apartment buildings and condos behind them

two older large red brick residences near Bloor and Sherbourne, three storeys each, with large newer glass and steel condo behind

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

older white two storey house, with development notice sign on the front lawn

older brick residences on a side street near Jarvis and Bloor, with large Rogers headquarters building behind

 

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

workman at a construction site

hoardings around a construction site at Howard & Sherbourne, design by Sarah Klawiter, abstract shapes that look a bit like a city scene, with trees and grass, as drawn by a child

below: A cheeseburger with a sesame seed bun!

bell on the handle bar of a bike, shaped like a cheeseburger with a sesame seed bun

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

wood park bench with graffiti, words that say my heart is in heaven, also Lisa and Jerry 4 ever

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

apartment buildings and new highrise glass and steel condos, looking north on Jarvis, west side of the street, at Gloucester

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

older brick building with fancy brick work, rounded windows, and a turret

old lamp posts by a brick building

bay windows and stone work above the entrance to the Earl, a low rise apartment building

below: Church Wellesley village, neighbourhood number two.

street sign for Wood st., with header of Church Wellesley village in rainbow stripes, old Maple Leaf Gardens in the background

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

old Maple Leaf Gardens on the northwest corner of Church and Carlton, now part Loblaws store and TMU athletic facilities

Church street side of old Maple Leaf Gardens, art deco brick work

a man sits in a TTC streetcar in downtown Toronto as another streetcar passes it, going in the opposite direction

below: Lots of pink on Maitland Street.

old houses on Maitland street, now stores and businesses, one is painted bright pink with a turquoise door

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

small statue in a garden, surrounded by flowers and flowering shrubs
metal circles for locking bikes to, painted in rd, orange, and yellow, in front of a store with a window display that says love sholdn't be bottled up

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

grey plant pot in a macrame holder, with three naked Ken dolls sitting inside it

metal fence in front of store window painted in rainbow colours, reflections in the glass

convenience store, lower level, steps down to it, on church street, with rainbow canadian flag, ad of lott max lottery, ups store ad,

part of a mural by Barbara Hall park, a young person with a long rainbow banner

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

mural in Barbara Hall Park, tribute to Sarah Hegazi, large black and white portrait, with text, rainbow painted benches in front, park

below: Patchwork teddy bear graffiti sticker by artsbyabe

graffiti sticker, patchwork teddy bear with a black eye, in the background, a rainbow coloured crosswalk

two men walk past Soy Boys massage on church street
sidewalk traffic box painted in blues and purples with large text that says It's all about drag

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

O'Gradys tavern on Church street, with rainbow crosswalk in front of it

man in blue hard hat a construction site on church street

construction site with digger in the middle of an intersection, church street

policeman directing traffic in front of a ttc bus, a man on an electric scooter,

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

doorway of a school with rainbow stripes and hearts, and some words in indigenous language

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

city of toronto steeet sign for Grrard St East, with header that says Garden District

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

city of toronto steeet sign for Grrard St East, with header of McGill Granby Village

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

Old town toronto city street sign for historic queen district, queen street east
top of a TTC streetcar at church and queen

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

two streetcars going in opposite directions about to pass each other at corner of church and queen, a man on a scooter is also in the intersection
black and white photo of a couple standing on a street corner while a TTC streetcar passes them, both are wearing hats, she is looking for something in her bag and he is watching her

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

beside construction zone, workman waiting for group of people to pass before letting a dump truck pass through gate

person walking a small black dog on sidewalk beside construction zone at king and church

west side of St. James cathedral on Church Street, construction machinery on the street, were pavement has been removed

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

looking southeast at the corner of king and church streets, workmen on the road, pavement removed, closed to traffic,

below: Still King and Church but a slightly different angle

at king and church, construction fence, on west side of church, looking at southwest corner of the intersection BMO bank

buildings on king street, engel and volkers, old brick buildings, newer glass behind, street torn up for ontario line constrcution

below: … Also King Street

sidewalk patio on king street, with red umbrellas and decorated with lots of flowers including pink petunias

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

O'Briens tavern, Leader Lane

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

front of O'Briens tavern, Leader Lane and Colborne street, an old yellow buolding with blue trim

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

northeast corner of Front and Sherbourne streets

Phew! Time for a rest!

workmen sitting and having a rest on the job site

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

by the large clock on the side of P.J. OBriens on Leader Lane, by their guiness ad,

market day

Posted: August 14, 2025 in general Toronto
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A few scenes from the St. Lawrence Market on a busy summer afternoon

red, yellow, and orange cherry tomatoes, grown in Ontario, for sale, also some mangos and bananas, saint lawrence market

bakery and sandwich counters at saint lawrence market - parmigiana on a country bun, or a pea meal bacon sandwich,

a woman peers over the top of a display case full of cakes and pastries as two other women decide what to buy

piles of pasta in different shapes, for sale, saint lawrence market

crab legs and salmon pieces for sale at st lawrence market

baskets of peaches, baskets of strawberries and little boxes of blueberries

people waiting for food at Yianni's deli counter in st lawrence market

pedestrians on market street outside st lawrence market

bunches of asparagus for sale, 2 for seven dollars

a woman in produce, fruit, section of st. lawrence market, looking at small baskets of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries,

a man in jeans and blue shirt, holding red shopping bag, is looking at a display case full of different kids of cheese

display case full of raw fish for sale, salmon, shrimp, and others, at fishmonger, st. lawrence market

a man reaches out to serve prepared food, st. lawrence market

different kinds of kebabs, uncooked, for sale at st. lawrence market, including mango salmon kebabs

bright yellow teddybear sunflowers for sale, in a bright green plastic bucket

a boy in a T shirt with bright colours and busy patterns, holds a drink, behind him is young man carrying containers of take out food, St. Lawrence market

St. Lawrence market man in shorts and sandals buying food from bakery, glass cases with other baked goods on display in the picture as well

St. Lawrence market, open top fridge for cheese, mostly brie cut in wedges, and wrapped in plastic, for sale

group of older people standing outside st lawrence market on a summer afternoon

dense and denser

Posted: August 11, 2025 in construction, intersections, old buildings, public art, transportation
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…. another visit to Yonge and Eglinton

people crossing Eglinton Ave towards entrance to building on southwest corner of Yonge & Eglinton where there are images of people painted on the window

Of course, this is also the location of the Eglinton station on the mysterious Eglinton LRT.  The underground walkways between it and the Yonge – University subway line are complete, as is the entrance on the south side of Eglinton.   The latter is a large building and it will definitely help with the flow of traffic… but it sits idle.

northern new entrance to Eglinton station on LRT line, behind fence, no public access

new entrance to Eglinton station on LRT line, behind fence, no public access, on west side, with old Canada Square development behind

below: All of the old Eglinton station bus bays are long gone.

new Eglinton station Metrolinx entrance for LRT and subway, still closed to the public, with older Canada Square buildings around it

below: Canada Square, home to Canadian Tire head office for more than 50 years, was built in the 1960s and 70s.  It consists of two towers connected by a lower section – it is this middle connecting piece that has the vertical concrete slabs on the exterior. These verticals are on both the Yonge Street side (below) and this motif is repeated on the back of the building (see photo above, behind the new station entrance).   Earlier this year, Canadian Tire announced that they had renewed their lease for another 20 years and that the building was going to be redeveloped/upgraded/modernized in the near future.

a man walks down Yonge St., past vertical concrete slabs on canada square building, light and shadows

below: Northwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton

reflections in the glass on the northwest corner of yonge and Eglinton with Cineplex theatre, Winners store, Pickle barrel restaurant, and Rexall drug store, 2200 Yonge Street

people walking on the west side of Yonge, north of Eglinton

below: The Duke of York pub at Yonge and Roehampton

corner of Roehampton and Yonge, Duke of Kent pub on the corner, along with Chloes Nails, the Stag Shop

below: The old Postal Station K has been incorporated into a new condo development. The older building dates from 1936; it was built on the site of Montgomery’s Tavern (made famous in 1837 when it was the epicenter of William Lyon MacKenzie’s rebellion). It was a big square building but with Art Deco elements around the entrance. Because it was built in 1936, it actually featured (and still does) the Royal Insignia of King Edward VIII whose reign was very short-lived because he abdicated the throne only 11 months after being crowned.

old post office on Yonge street, is now the bottom part of a new condo development

below: North of Montgomery/Broadway more development.  More cranes.

looking north on Yonge street towards Montgomery, old brick and stone building on the corner, many cranes in the background

below:  About 15 years ago, North Toronto Collegiate  (NTCI) was rebuilt on Broadway.  The new school was incorporated into a condo development.  At the north entrance to the school is an artwork by Catherine Widgery’s called “Mindshadows”. It is a 20 foot high stainless steel cube on legs that is covered with numbers, letters, and words. Serene, provoke, laugh, loud, big, spirit, and up are some of the words.

entrance to North Toronto collegiate institute, with public art in front.

below:  View from Broadway of the North Toronto football field and track and some of the condos that surround it.

football field and track, par tof North Toronto Collegiate, surrounded by tall condos and apartment buildings

view west from football field and track, partof North Toronto Collegiate, many tall condos

below: Looking north from Roehampton

looking south from Broadway, football field and track, part of North Toronto Collegiate

below: At the south entrance to NTCI (on Roehampton) is another public art installation.  “What’s your name?” by Ilan Sandler (2011) contains the first names of all the NTCI students since the school opened in 1912.  Each name only appears once – but there are still 2053 different names such as Sven, Connie, Marlee, Janis, Lola, Ephraim, Bryan, and Snezana.

Part of What's your name, an art installation by Ilan Sandler, a list of over 2000 names, in concrete,

The neighbourhood that is north of Eglinton and east of Yonge has been the home of many apartment buildings for at least a few decades.  A growing number of them have been replaced by taller glass and steel condo developments, especially since the city has targeted the area for “… tall buildings and an intense concentration of office, retail, institutional and residential uses…” (quote comes from Yonge Eglinton Secondary Plan, 2018)

exterior staircase beside a building, narrow space between two older brick apartment buildings

older lowrise apartment building

below: Old style (1920s?) 4 storey walk-up apartments.  There was a time when this type of architecture was common and these apartment buildings are (were) scattered around the city.  There aren’t as many as there used to be although some, like this one, has been renovated and kept in good shape…. a testament to their good design.

4 storey brick apartment building

below: Concrete building from the 1970s at 2323 Yonge …

reflections in the windows of a 1970s concrete building, vertical windows with deeply recessed windows

below:  …   but it too has a blue and white development notice on the side of this building.  Fifty eight stories with 40 car parking spots but room for 350 bikes.

blue and white city of toronto development notice sign on yonge street

below: St. Monicas church, an A-frame structure built in 1959, is set well back from the street with a parking lot in front.

st monicas church, A frame building from 1959, and parish hall, with large parking lot in front

below: One of the many stained glass windows inside St. Monica’s church.  This image shows a window that features gold crossed keys which are a symbol associated with St. Peter.  These are the keys to the Gates of Heaven.  The church website describes this window as representing the (Catholic) Sacrament of Reconciliation (the pardoning of confessed sins).

stained glass window in St. Monicas church

 

below: Redesigned.   From the KPMB website, this is rendering of the proposed new St. Monica’s church.  It has been brought forward closer to the street which also allows for a new condo tower behind.  That’s the plan.

rendering of new redeveloped St. Monicas church on Broadway Ave., as proposed by KPMB, image taken from their website

below: Beside the church is St. Monica’s school.  The original brick building was built in 1916.  A few additions have been added over the years.

st Monicas school, brick building built 1917, with yellow brick addition from the 1960s

reflections of new glass and steel condos in the back window of a small white van or truck

red and black machine parked by hole at construction site

sidewalk closed in front of Akoya, new condo on Broadway, as they finish work on the front entrance and landscaping of the building

narrow walkway with wooden rail, above a large hole in the ground at a construction site

density of residences, highrise condos and apartments around Yonge and Eglinton, glass and steel towers, new developments

density of residences, highrise condos and apartments around Yonge and Eglinton, glass and steel towers, new developments

density of residences, highrise condos and apartments around Yonge and Eglinton, glass and steel towers, new developments

crane used in construction of new tall glass and steel condos, in front of other new high rise buildings near Yonge and Eglinton

below: Changes are also happening to the west of Yonge Street. For instance, this building on Eglinton between Duplex and Henning is coming down.

development notice signs beside a demolition site, partially demolished building, on henning ave,

multi level building in the process of being demolished, exterior walls all gone.

below: Old, new, and in between

Henning Ave., older single family homes with construction of new condos started beside them, crane,

below: Remnants of what used to be.

2 old sets of stairs, side by side, once lead to houses, houses now demolished, stairs now behind construction fence, diggers and other equipment in the background

demolition, debris hanging from ceiling

demolition site

yellow digger, at construction site where a building is being demolished, revealing older interior walls painted in bright colours

below: As I am sure you are aware, I have blogged about Eglinton Avenue before.  Back in 2015 (ten years ago!!) I posted this photo of Eglinton and Duplex.  Both glass buildings are now gone.  The Toronto Hydro Systems building (the short brick one) at the northwest corner of Duplex and Eglinton remains – it is the one with the coloured patches on the wall in the photo above.

looking east along Eglinton Avenue towards Yonge street with Duplex Ave in the foreground. The old Toronto Hydro-Electric building is in the picture, with a newer structure with a glass front beside it. New buildings between Duplex and Yonge on the north side of Eglinton are also in the picture.

below: Same corner, slightly different angle, taken this past week.

looking west along the north side of Eglinton, toronto hydro electric systems brick building on the corner, demolition of other buildings beside it

below: After the glass clad building on the northeast corner of Duplex and Eglinton came down, the backside of the Yonge Eglinton Center was exposed (on the right) as well as another tower (in an area that needs to be explored more!).

concrete tower

 

young woman with a pink ponytail, pink top, and pink backpack, walks a dog on a leash, crossing street on Yonge, dog is small and white with pink tail and pink ears.

sign that says slow, upside down and leaning against a fence, construction site in the background

below: With thanks to my mother who walked with me that day.

older woman standing in front a fence with two development notice signs

a woman holding a cup of coffee walks on sidewalk, along Eglinton, while a man sits of the steps of a building

defaced TTC bus stops sign on Eglinton, for routes 13, 32, and 61

What remains

Posted: July 12, 2025 in history, old buildings, transportation
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There is talk about what to do with the Scarborough Rapid Transit (SRT) line that runs from Kennedy station, north to Lawrence and Ellesmere, and then east to Scarborough Town Centre.   The SRT was built in 1985 and then closed in July 2023.  The concrete and glass infrastructure still remains.  The tracks are gone.   A few years ago, I went for a ride on the SRT (blog post is  Are you going to Scarborough? ) but I never checked out the stations themselves.  Since I am not sure how much longer they are going to exist, I thought I’d better take a look before it’s too late.

below:  Lawrence East station nestles under the bridge where Lawrence passes over railway tracks between Kennedy Road and Midland Avenue.

low flat concrete building, Lawrence East station on now defunct SRT line. It is under a bridge, under Lawrence Avenue.

looking in the windows of lawrence east rapid transit station, now empty, reflections of outside as well

below: Although the SRT tracks have been removed, other tracks remain.   These tracks continue on to Agincourt GO station and points farther north.

behind chainlink fence, train station, but with tracks removed.

below: Looking south

chainlink fence, with railway tracks behind, two sets of tracks, the ones in the foreground have been removed

below: Signs for 54A and 954 Lawrence buses

overhead signs for lawrence bus routes at old lawrence east station

below: If you wanted to cross the tracks, this was the fastest way…

stairs for underground passage to cross subway tracks at lawrence east station, round hole with stairs in the middle,

stairs down to underpass under railway tracks at lawrence east srt station, metal doors locked closed,

north side of lawrence east srt station

northwest corner of lawrence east srt station

below:  Permanently closed

poster on door of srt station, picture of old srt subway car, notice that the line is permanently closed.

below: Mike Myers Drive with Lawrence East station in the background.

below: A short distance north of the Lawrence East station is the old Ellesmere station.  It too is under a bridge (under Ellesmere of course!).  It is smaller than the Lawrence East station

south side of Ellesmere station, with tracks now removed, curved glass structure under a bridge,

below:  Ellesmere station also has the circular hole for the stairs leading to an underground passage.  The station looks like a big glass tube.

ellesmere station, east side, with blue railing around circular hole, long glass tube structure in the background that is the station, bridge overhead

 

looking in window of ellesmere srt station, reflections, sign saying southbound to kennedy

below: Someone is missing their lock.

three toronto bike lock rings, painted red, one with a rusty chain and combination lock still on it.

After Ellesmere station, the SRT turned east, diverging from the other set of tracks.  Midland station was just after the turn – on Midland between Ellesmere and Progress.  Sorry, no pictures (busier street, no parking).  Although the architecture is similar (a glass tube), Midland station is built on top of a bridge, above the road instead of below it.   From Midland the trains went directly east to Scarborough Town Centre.   For most of thee eastern section, the tracks run behind industrial or light industrial land.  I haven’t been able to find out if there is any access or if it is all fenced off.

below: East view of Scarborough Town Centre station with covered walkways from both the federal government building on the left, and the shopping center on the right.

a TTC bus passes by Scarborough Town Centre station with its now abandoned elevated tracks

below: No trains run here anymore, but the station is still used for buses with the elevated rails being used as a roof.

TTC buses loading and unloading at Scarborough Town Centre, seen from above, from the walkway between station and Scarborough Town Centre

people opening doors going into Scarborough Town Centre

below: Pillars supporting the elevated tracks still run through the parking lot of Scarborough Town Centre to McCowan.

pillar P53, and others behind it, SRT tracks at Scarborough Twn centre parking loto

below: McCowan station was the eastern end of the line.

McCowan SRT station, glass, reflections in the glass

below: McCowan station viewed from the east side. The tracks continued a short distance to the SRT yard where trains were housed and serviced.

east side of McCowan Scarborough Rapid Transit station, elevated line for transit

elevated tracks for old scarborough srt, in front of a tall condo building

below: At McCowan, Scarborough Transit Connect is partnered with Metrolinx to build the new Scarborough Extension subway from Kennedy station to a new terminus at Shepherd and McCowan. See a previous blog post, Intersections –  McCowan and Sheppard for some photos from

fence around construction site, Scarborough Transit connect, working on new Scarborough Town Centre station for Scarborough extension of line 1 of TTC subway

below: Traffic on McCowan is impacted by the subway extension construction

looking north on McCowan at Progress, by old McCowan srt station, concrete barrier narrowing the street, construction on the right

below: One more view of the construction at McCowan station

below: And last, I found evidence on a pole in the parking lot at Scarborough Town Centre that indicates that I have missed the Rapture; they left without me. I guess that I am stuck here!

graffiti sticker on a pole that says Rapture Jesus took us home

Royal York to Kipling

Posted: July 11, 2025 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, transportation
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This walk started from Royal York subway station.  In general, I walked westward first along Bloor Street (to Islington) and then on Dundas West.   The stretch of Bloor West at Royal York is part of The Kingsway neighbourhood.

 

front of Kingsway cinema on Bloor Street West

blue sign that says welcome to the kingsway, on bloor street west near royal york

two blue chairs beside a metal table, in an open window of a restaurant beside the sidewalk

below: Squares of yarn, some crocheted and some knit, cover a red frame heart similar to others that ShowLoveTO have placed around the city.

crocheted squares or knit squares cover a heart shaped frame, yarn,

below: There are more yarn decorations around the metal frame protecting this tree on Bloor Street West.

yarn squares encircle a pole on bloor street west

below: Also, a little Zen Garden Planter to support the CNIB since June was Deafblind Awareness Month – the planter accessories were provided by The Gardener, a local flower store.

in a sidewalk planter on Bloor West, a little brown miniature pagoda and a sign that says Zen Garden Planter for CNIB donated by The Gardener

below: Bloor West – bike lanes, sidewalk patios, and construction.  Welcome to summer in the city!

construction signs on Bloor Street West, with bike lanes, and sidewalk patios

below: Bloor West glass towers

tall uilding in background seen between two tall closer glass office buildngs

below: One wall of Brentwood Library and the small garden on the north side of the building.

large windows at brentwood Library, some clear, some green, and some blue, trees and a bench in front, some reflections in the glass

below: Old gnarly tree with Kingsway Baptist church in the background

old tree with rough bark on trunk, and large twisty branches, house and church in the background,

below: Just west of Royal York, at Montgomery Road, the subway emerges from underground.

looking west from Montgomery Road towards high rises near Islington, TTC subway tracks in the image as well

small park on Montgomery Road, between two houses, with TTC subway tracks below

The Mimico Creek passes under Bloor between Royal York and Islington.  Tom Riley Park follows the creek on both sides north of Bloor  until it then passes under Islington close to the intersection of Islington & Dundas West.

workmen, up on a crane, city of toronto works department, trimming and pruning trees in a park

a mother and two kids watching a duck on the shores of mimico creek on a summer day, leaves, reflections in the calm water

below: Another angle of the subway at ground level.  Here is looking east as it runs through Tom Riley Park (and if you could see further, you could see where it goes back underground at Montgomery)

pine tree growing in front of opening for entrance to subway, train coming out of tunnel, TTC

below: Islington subway station and bus bays.  A very large parcel of land on the northwest corner of Islington and Bloor is taken up.  Opened May 1968.

buddhist monks and other pedestrians, walking on sidewalk on islington past islington subway station, curved roof of bus bays at station, ttc, highrises in the background

below: A messy corner, at Aberfoyle & Islington (just north of Bloor)

danger due to construction sign at the corner of Aberfoyle ad Islington

long set of stairs up hill to apartment building

below: Just north of Bloor, Islington passes under railway tracks.

looking north on islington, underpass under railway, traffic ign for exit to burnhamthorpe road and dundas street west

below: Islington Towers with a fountain in front. The parts of the fountain that are brown were once blue.  It was designed and constructed by Alfio Bartoletti in the 1960s.

islington towers, apartment building from the late 1960s, with a fountain in the front

below: Across the street from the Islington Towers, a highrise with a more modern design (for better or worse, your decision!).

entrance of new condo tower being built on islington

below: Corner of Cordova and Central Park Blvd with new condo development

corner of Cordova and Central Park Blvd, new ondo being built on the corner, construction fence, and signs, traffic light
woman with gray hair, wearing jeans, walking on sidewalk part vacant lot with fence,
blue and white development notice sign, fallen on ground, behind metal construction fence

In this part of Toronto, Dundas is north of Bloor.

intersection of Dundas West and Cordova and Burnhamthorpe Road, people waiting to cross intersection, with crossing guard

Now you are in Islington village, home to over 20 murals depicting scenes from the history of the neighbourhood.  I documented these back in 2014 in a blog post, Islington Heritage Murals.  The murals are still there and are in good shape.

one of the Islington heritage murals

one of the Islington heritage murals, winter scene, with firetruck, people skating, also painting of a refreshment stand with food and drink for sale

one of the Islington heritage murals

Are cars always getting in the way of public transit?

a white car is parked in front of one of the Islington heritage murals, boy hanging off side of a local train

woman standing in front of one of the Islington heritage murals, children fishing in a creek, with fish and other marine life in the water

below: Not a heritage mural, but painted by Moises Frank for a collaborative project between Arts Etobicoke and the City of Toronto, the Dundas West #NoVacancy project.

mural by moises frank, sleeping person, slightly abstract

below: On the same building as the above mural, is this painting.  Once it was the Chinese Food Gallery, now it is vacant and surrounded by a fence.  A development notice sign on the fence says that a permit for a five storey mixed use building has been applied for.

two storey building, with sign, chinese food gallery, now all boarded up, with mural on the front as well

weeds growing in front of door and building now boarded up, particle board, painted with abstract mural now faded and peeling.

As you walk west on Dundas, you approach the intersections of Dundas, Bloor, and Kipling.   There is a lot of construction,  happening here, mostly condos.

many construction cranes in the background, a fenced off park area in the foreground

below: A park, Dunkip Park, is also being created.  Dun as in Dundas plus kip as in Kipling.

 

new park being developed, dunkip park, at dundas and kipling

temporary closure sign, falling over, against wood snow fence, by park that is being developed

man crossing street, wide intersection, car approaching as man now has red light

below: A very big hole in the ground.

large hole for construction of condos on kipling

below: Kipling Street bridge over the railway tracks

kipling bridge over railway tracks, looking north

below: Looking east along the railway tracks from on top of the bridge at Kipling (back towards Islington).

looking east along tracks from on top of bridge at kipling

below: Kipling subway station is the west terminus of the TTC Line 2 and was opened in November 1980.  It connected Line 2 of the subway with GO service to the west.  Pictured here is part of the south side showing three of its twenty concrete arches. These are similar to the arches at Islington station, but not identical to them.

rounded roof of Kipling TTC subway station, semi circles, with three newer condo buildings behind

below: North side of Kipling station, back in 1980 when it first opened, north side bus bays

Toronto Public Library, TOronto Star archives, 1980 photo of Kipling subway station, black and white photo

below: Graffiti stickers in the parking lot.  A well-suited duck in a hurry by giacco.ca and a boxy snail by Sketch Nate (aka Nate Galbraith)

two graffiti stickers on a red box in a parking lot, on top is a duck wearing blue clothes and on bottom is a snail with a box on its back
below: Eastbound out of Kipling station. The older Line 2 subway trains still have a window that you can look out.

looking out the front window of a TTC subway train as it leaves Kipling station, traveling east

along the St. Lawrence

Posted: July 7, 2025 in galleries, history
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In 1869, Canadian photographer Alexander Henderson (1831-1913) was commissioned to take a series of photos along the route of the new Grand Trunk Railway between Montreal and Toronto.  These images were for a travel book, “All-round Route Guide” to sell to tourists and settlers along the route.  This Montreal to Toronto section followed the north shore of the St. Lawrence for most of its route.  The railway had opened in 1856 and more routes had been added (to Portland Maine! to Sarnia!) or were planned. 

below: Lumberer’s Shanty, Lievre River, Quebec, before 1865

albumen print, vintage black and white photo by Alexander Henderson of a lumberer's shanty in winter, small log cabin structure covered with snow, Quebec

A recent exhibit at Artspace TMU (at 401 Richmond) showcased albumen prints of some of Henderson’s photos along with photos taken by Dawson Cox.  All of Cox’s images were mounted on particle board.  The exhibit was titled, “Like the Seams of a Coat”.

below: Camera store, corner of Clark and St Antoine, Montreal.

photo in a gallery, by Dawson Cox, of stores in Montreal,

below: Victoria Square, Montreal, about 1872

old photo by Alexander Henderson, of Victoria Square in Montreal, albumen print, in a gallery, taken in 1872

below: Group shot

group photo, on a hill above a small town

below: Group shot, 1870s style – G. Company of 78th Highlanders, taken by Alexander Henderson

vintage black and white phiti, Group of G. Company of 78th highlanders, taken around 1870 by Alexander Henderson

Coat seams are usually hidden but they are essential to holding everything together. Important yet unseen.

below: Cox’s photo of torn graffiti on an old brick wall

below: Lake, Saint Bruno Mountain, Quebec, before 1865

old photo of a lake and st Bruno Mountain in Quebec, 1860s
photo of a village with a church
photo of a stuffed fox, mounted standing on all fours and seeming to walk

below: L’Anse a l’Eau, Saguenay River, Quebec, 1868

old black and white photo, a lone scrawny pine tree on a rock overlooking the Saguenay River in Quebec, with village below, village of L'Anse a L'Eau

oak trees and pin holes

Posted: July 6, 2025 in abstract, galleries
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Back in June at ASpace Gallery  (one of the galleries at 401 Richmond West), there was an exhibit that was also part of an MFA in DocMedia thesis.  Part of the exhibit consisted of photographs made with a pinhole camera.  These cameras were mounted on various parts of an old oak tree. The exhibit can also be viewed as a look at the relationship between the photographer,  Lisa Murzin, and an old oak tree.  If trees could communicate, what would they say?  What do they see and how do they view the world?

 

Whatever you think of the premise of the project, the images from the pinhole camera are intriguing.

drops of rain
the river’s thread
left behind
a stream of water maneuvers the crevice

 

Ontario Line – north end of Pape

Posted: June 22, 2025 in construction, locations, stores, transportation
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On a hillside along the Don Valley Parkway (DVP), there is a large construction project underway.  This is where the new Ontario Line subway will go underground after crossing the DVP by bridge.

construction site at north end of Pape, on hill overlooking Don Valley Parkway, workman leaning on fence, new entrance to Ontario Line being built here

From this angle it’s difficult to see the work that has been done on the north side of the DVP but the ground has been cleared for construction of the support pillars for the large bridge that will take the LRT from Don Mills Road to this point at the top of Pape.

looking across the DVP from north of Pape

It has altered the quiet East York neighbourhood at the north end of Pape.

sidewalk closed, cross left, new stop sign, at Minton Ave., make way for Ontario Line construction

top of Pape Ave., now a construction site

houses, red brick, two storey, on one side of the street, hoardings for construction on the other side

Ontario Line construction has also affected Pape Avenue.  Here at Cosburn, a long stretch of what used to be stores and restaurants are now behind plywood hoardings.   The main entrance to the station will be on the northwest corner of Pape and Cosburn.  The final decision on the look of the station is not yet made (according to the Metrolinx website) but at least some of the renderings show that Infrastructure Ontario is involved and maybe the site will include other uses such as housing or offices.

an older woman pushes her shopping under a passageway alonside plywood construction hoardings. Tops of old buildings about to be demolished can be seen on top

Demolition has started but it looks like this project is going to take a while.   The subway is going to run just west of Pape, under these buildings.  Construction will kill (has killed?) street life but traffic shouldn’t be affected as much.  Someone somewhere made that decision.

demolition of an old building, behind green hoardings

woman with a cane and pulling a shopping cart, walks past a construction site with green hoardings

below:  Some of the buildings from the back side, behind the plywood

back of buildings, alley view, empty and waiting for demolition, ontario line work, on pape,

 

big crane, construction site, apartment buildings in the background

below: There is a large Coca-Cola advert on the side of the building that is about to be demolished.
coca cola ghost sign on the side of a building about to be demolished

utility pole wrapped with pape village sign in red, beside plywood hoardings, mcdonalds in the background

below: Bethany Baptist Church

bethany baptist church on pape ave

looking west on cosburn at pape, construction of new subway station

looking west on cosburn at pape, construction of new subway station, with two red benches in the foreground

three young men sitting outside a coffee shop on pape avenue

payday loans, signs all over building on pape
below: There are little semi circular “ears” at the top of this building.  I doubt that they had a function but along with the 3-D pattern across the top of the building, it adds a little bit of interest to the street scene.

row of brick stores on pape including 1000 variety

below: Cat and dog at Floyd … while the crossing guard takes a break.

intersection of Pape and Flloyd, with cutout images of cat and dog high up on the brick wall of the nearest building, crossing guard is sitting on the bench

mural on the side of El Greco restaurant, a woman drinking a large mug of coffee

street art mural of an ancient Asian warrior

ghost sign on brick wall, auto mechanic ad,

large red vinyl arm chair with old fashioned hair dryer

Back in November 2024, I posted some photos of the changes around Pape station (at Danforth).  I ended that post just north of Danforth with the comment, “There is another station under construction at Cosburn, a few more blocks north but that’s for another day.”  I guess that you could say that now is that day.

below: The top sticker is for the Lemon Bucket Orchestra and on the bottom it’s something about Kirby and Zaku and if you are into such things you might understand the reference.

graffiti stickers on a pole, including one for the Lemon Bucket Orchestra

graffiti stickers, catchoo and trp613

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