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

nuns and weddings…

Posted: June 15, 2025 in galleries
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… and a few things more from TMU Image Centre exhibits.

First, the main gallery of the Image Centre is showing a collection of the work of Clara Gutsche, winner of the 2024 ScotiabankCONTACT Photography award.  One of her series features photos of Quebec nuns, “The Convent Series”, taken before 1999.   Hence “nuns” in my title –   The “weddings” in the title comes from another exhibit here – a collection of portraits of brides and grooms over the years.

a woman looks at framed photographs on a gallery wall, TMU Image Centre gallery, Clara Gutsche show

black and white photo from convent series by clara gutsche, nun with painting, on display at TMU Image Centre

framed black and white photo from convent series by clara gutsche, nuns in black and white habits lined up in a hallway

framed black and white photo from convent series by clara gutsche, nuns outside hitting tennis balls with tennis racquets, against a wall

framed colour photo from convent series by clara gutsche, nuns in red playing croquet outside

There are other series of her work also on view including some taken inside a Catholic high school.

4 framedcolour photos on a gallery wall, all are interior shots of a catholic high school

girls sitting at desks in a school by clara gutsche

This is only a small sample of Gutsche’s work.  You can see more at the Image Centre until 2nd August 2025 – The originals look better than my copies!!

 

Let’s move on to the happy couples….

“Something Old; Something New – The Wedding Photography Collection of Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash” is  the full title of the exhibit.  The title says it all.  The exhibit gives a glimpse into the history of photography and the techniques used to produce images.  It also takes a look at a sliver of social history… especially with respect to clothing styles.  All the photos were donated to the Image Centre by Bulger and Lash in 2023.

photo of a wedding party, from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

photo by Karl Speiss, 1855, black and white, of a bride and groom, from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

portrait of bride and groom in a fancy oval frame, from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

bride and groom portrait, old, on red carpet, man with top hat,

on a gallery wall, image of bride and groom, from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

bride and groom, bride with head covering typical of roaring 20's

below: “Meilleurs Vaux pour votre Bonheur”, 5th of Jan, 1910

French postcard made with image of bride and groom portrait, Meilleurs Vaux pour votre Bonhour, 1910, with green 5 cent stamp

from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre. Groom in a top hat, bride in a white coat with many small buttons, and a high collar

Unfortunately the exhibit has ended.

 

behind Shaw Street

Posted: June 4, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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Like an illustration in a book with no words, the story is in the picture and its interpretation is up to you.  Raccoons in masks and red capes performing (dancing?) while other raccoons sit in trash cans watching?  A whimsical mural by Emily May Rose – if you follow this blog, or if you are familiar with Toronto street artists, you will recognize this immediately as one of hers.  These cute little raccoons appear in many places around the city.  How many have you spotted? This particular mural is in an alley behind Shaw Street (east side) and north of Queen.

mural by Emily May Rose on a garage door in an alley, masked raccoons with red capes cavorting, one in a garbage can

close up of a raccoon in mural by Emily May Rose on a garage door in an alley, masked raccoons with red capes cavorting,

Some other street art seen in the alley…

below: A legless robot effortlessly glides around although it also looks like he might be aimlessly floating through space. He was painted by Brian Porter

painting of a cubic headed robot with two arms and no legs,

below: Monotone and angular, a very large squirrel is watching you (another Brian Porter piece).

a large squirrel painted on a garage door, lots of straight lines and angles, in shades of black, white, and grey

below: A woman entwined with a creature with a bird head (but scaly legs?) lying on the ground? flying in the air? swimming in the water?  The mural was painted by Birdo, aka Jerry Rugg.

mural by Jerry Rugg, birdo, of a woman and a bird like creature entwined and lying down, in an alley

below: Flowers basking in the rays of sunshine on a summer day

street art mural artwork on a garage door, flowers with a yellow sun shine and rays of sun in the background

below: Lots of purple flowers!

street art mural artwork on a garage door, all purple flowers

below; Pikachu seems happy enough, but that cup…  I look at that and I think of Mr. Bill.  Mr. Bill had dark round eyes and a big round red mouth.  For those of you young ones who are wondering what I’m talking about, Mr. Bill was a little figure made of clay who appeared on SNL starting waaaay back in 1976.  Oh Nooooo!!

artwork on a white garage door, face, red arm, hand out, holding piccachu and a coffee cup with a face on it

below: Rainbow unicorns, just in time for Pride month.

painting on a white garage door of rainbow striped unicorns under blue clouds and an apple tree

part of a colourful mural on a white garage door, squiggly shaped creatures some wormlike, some butterflies, some with big bulging eyes

below: Home is where the heart is.  It also seems to be where the sun shines and the flowers grow profusely.

garage door in alley, painted blue, with hearts and flowers on it, as well as a bright yellow sun in the corner

alley scene, row of houses at the end,

below: Marshmallows with stick arms and army boots!

on a wood garage door in an alley, a graffiti piece that looks like two marshmallows, one for head and one for body, with stick arms, wearing boots

below: Some dragons breathe fire so I’ve been told.  This purple dragon seems to have a different trick!

on a white garage door, a purple fire breathing dragon chases a few stick figure people, there is a green vine growing over the garage and covers the fire

below: A little blue bear with a happy face balloon, a sticker by doll face one.

stiicker on the back of a traffic sign, little blue bear holding a yellow happy face balloon

below: Graffiti stickers on a TTC No Dumping sign.

no dumping sign on a brick wall, with 2 graffiti stickers on it, one is urban ninja squadron t bonez on a motorbike, the other is a black and white man's face

 

red brick wall where some bricks have been painted different colours. a couple of the bricks have been stamped with the words Citadel Made in Canada

below:  And last, street art of a slightly different, but very similar, sort…. Someone’s little gallery

bike parked in front of a black wall with seven paintings mounted on it

Queen West-ish

Posted: June 3, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, public art
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a yellow lovebot sculpture, with a red heart, on the counter at Nadege bakery

A Lovebot!  What a great way to start a day.  These two “live” at Nadege Bakery on Queen West.  The one on the left looks a little like mint ice cream with chocolate chips!  Or else the poor guy has some wickedly strange skin condition.

below: Washing the window makes for more reflections!

man washing inside of window, reflections of other people, cars, and buildings in the same window

below: The Ordinary

two signs above two adjacent stores, one on left says the ordinary, the one on the right says type.

below: And the not so ordinary

a little painting of a black bird with a long neck pecking at someone's brown hair, small painting mounted on a wood utility pole along with traffic signs, no parking

This is a “walk with friends” post.  Last Wednesday I walked with the Wednesday Walking Gang, most of whom I have known and walked with for years. Our “route” took us around the neighbourhoods to the west and south of Trinity Bellwoods Park.  We walked on streets such as Walnut, Stafford, and Shaw.

 

a woman walks down an alley towards a car parked by a garage

We saw houses, lots of houses…   some new…..

new three storey house on Stanley Terrace which is narrow street with park on the other side of the street

new addition to a house, with black cladding, older part of house is red brick

…  some old …

row houses, brick painted white house on left, then a blue house, and then brown, with a lot of green plants in the front yard.

green house with elaborately decorated front porch

…. and many in a row

a row of houses on Shaw street, mansour roofs, two storey,

… and even one with a pirate flag

front porch of a house, with a pirate flag on display

below: It’s great walking in May when spring gardens are in full bloom.   There were lots of front yards with interesting plants to look at.

an open picket gate by a front yard full of spring greenery as well as a tree with red leaves

below: Purple irises

purple irises in bloom in the front yard of a house

below: White clematis flowers

white clematis flowers growing against a grey wall

green shrub growing in front of a shiny surface wall with black paint graffiti that looks like a face

among many green plants and leaves, a small white statue of an old man, standing with two smaller people, one under each arm.

below: Geraniums in the window.

a brick house with lots of windows, pots of red geraniums are in the window

below: There’s something in the window – and it doesn’t look like flowers!

a cut out of a male body builder in just his skimpy underwear, flexing his muscles in an athletic pose,
hanging on the outside of a building in a lane, a painting of a dog, along with a Christmas wreath

below: Ready for summer?

backyard, semi divided house, patio table and chairs in the backyard along with a grey umbrella that is folded up

backyard space of a three storey brick building, with exterior metal balconies and access stair cases,

 

worker in yellow vest and hard hat controlling traffic on Shaw street because part of road is closed, rowhouses behind,

below: Utility pole replacement in progress – wow!  are those poles tall!

large flatbed truck carrying new utility poles parked on shaw street, workmen

construction workers standing around outside, by a sign on its side that says come in, we're open

orange do not enter sign on yellow metal fence in front of a red container

below: Three hoppers (funnels?), remnants of an industrial past.

three large metal hoppers, funnel shaped, at the top at roofline of brick building, old, once an industrial use

looking in through open door of mechanic's garage, swivel chair, shelves of tools

below: Queen Street, looking east from Shaw.

people waiting to cross intersection, queen at shaw, looking east on queen, TTC streetcar coming westbound stores, and other people, truck stopped at the red light, painted side of building on northeast corner

below:  Queen West at Walnut Ave where 7-Eleven gas is on the southeast corner (and gas is 135.9/litre).  St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church is the large red brick building on the north side of Queen West.

7 Eleven gas station on the southeast corner of Queen Street West and Walnut Ave., with St. Nicholas Ukrainian RC Church across the street

below: The north end of Toronto’s Stanley Park (not quite as big as the one in Vancouver!)

a woman with two dogs on leashes, walking across a park

There were two billboards, back to back, near King and Strachan that were part of the CONTACT Photography Festival.  They both had large images from Alanna Field’s “Unveiling” series.

spadina auto service, mechanic, building, with large billboard above with image by Alanna Fields, art, for contact photo festival

image of young black men, by alanna fields, on a billboard

construction site, with billboard above, billboard has image of black man with red background

There were other portraits seen along the way….

below: An orange painting on a white garage door, by doktor karayom.  Here little people seem to be emerging from this poor person’s head.  A little foot in one ear and an exploring hand reaching into the other.  Two cheeky little faces too.  I can’t imagine that that would be comfortable!

orange paint on white garage door, a large face with other smaller heads coming out of it, doktor karayom, in an alley

below: A bit more realistic, but still with a touch of macabre – young person with four hazel eyes painted by Alex Garant.

portrait of a young boy street art mural on the side of a house, boy has four eyes, one set right above the other, also two mouths

below: Normal eyes, blue eyes, on this woman with the long brown hair. Painted by Spud1

street art mural on a garage door in an alley, a portrait of a woman with long brown hair and blue eyes, by spud1

street art mural on a garage in an alley, a portrait of a woman with long brown hair blowing a dandelion, seeds into air, by spud 1

below: There was also the face of a queen, a portrait of Queen Victoria, in a Queen West (no, not Queen Wet!) mural near Trinity Bellwoods Park by Electric Coffin and Denial (aka Daniel Bombardier).

Queen West mural featuring portrait of a queen wearing a crown

below: Four goofy faces in all the wrong colours – great whimsical silliness

urban art painting ona garage door, 4 silly goofy faces in bright wrong colours, green faces, red eyes, or big yellow eyes,

below: There are no human faces here in this Birdo (aka Jerry Rugg) mural but there is an alligator (crocodile?) with red eyes and big teeth as well as a shark lurking at the bottom.

mural by Birdo, aka Jerry Rugg, on a two storey black building, a crocdile or alligator head, and a shark along with the geometric shapes that mark his work

below: Owl in the night sky, a painting by Christina Mazzulla

street art mural of an owl, white face, orange features

below: For many years there has been a white albino squirrel that lives in or near Trinity Bellwoods park.  Here, Ted Hamer has painted it on a Bell box by the sidewalk on Shaw.

painting by Ted Hamer, of the white albino squirrel that is seen at Trinity Bellwoods park, on a metal bell box on the sidewalk

 

below: Swan

mural of a white swan on pink background by the entrance to a store on Ossington

below: A large snake is coiled up and squeezed into the confines of the fence.

street art painting of a snake with its tongue out, on a fence, with houses and backyards behind

below: Rowell Soller’s work covers the front of this garage.

front of garage in alley covered by street art painting in red, yellow and blacks, by Rowell Soller,

below: Curves by Flips

street art painting by Flips, pink and white swirls and curls, with 5 orange plastic bollards in front of it

below: One could argue that this is actually a bench.

an old dark green wood bench with graffiti on it that says this is a sign. it also has the number 3333 painted on it.

below: Urban Ninja Squadron gets together with Cosmo and away they fly!

sticker graffiti on green metal box, visual noise and urban ninja squadron collaboration with cosmo. t bonez is helping to fly a flying saucer

below: A warning sign – this area is remotely monitored…

a city of toronto street sign for Ossington Ave., by a traffic light also a poster with a picture of Jesus that says warning this area is remotely monitored.

below: Do you have any photos sitting around the house just taking up space?

4 small photos tacked onto a wood utility pole with purple push pins

on a red and white, my name is sticker.. a black drawing of a face with Z shape eyes and triangle nose, lots of teeth in mouth, two ears,

below: Can you see the donuts?

large graffiti slap on cement utility pole, in pink, blue and purple

side of a Canada Post mailbox covered with graffiti stickers as well as small ads

three small graffiti stickers on the side of black mailbox

blue baseball hat in the window of a store, embroidered with the words good vibes only

Thanks everyone!

a group of people walking down an alley with garages on both sides, and taller buildings at the end

children walking past a group of photographers and giving them strange look

 

Garden dreaming

Posted: May 30, 2025 in galleries
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“To Dream of Other Places” is an art installation by Emmanuel Osahor that is now showing at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery.  All pieces have ties to a garden in one way or another.

people in an art gallery, looking at art, taking pictures of it, walls are painted in a garden scene in blues, large paintings on top of that

The exhibit starts with a seven etchings in a series titled “A Chair Outside”.  Using different techniques, Osahor presents his version of different garden scenes that he is familiar with – gardens in which he has found solace.

etching by Emmanuel Osahor at Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, black, grey tones, window of a house with tree and garden in front

Etchings are made using metal plates covered with an acid-resistant substance (usually wax).  An image is created by removing sections of the wax and then subjecting the plates to acid. The acid will eat away the exposed metal.  When the plate is then used to make a print, the exposed areas remain white.  That’s a very simplistic description of the process because I know that there are lots of videos on the internet that can explain it much better!

etching by Emmanuel Osahor at Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, black, grey tones, tree, grass, plants,

The main part of the exhibit is a large room with walls that have been painted, floor to ceiling, in a fairly abstract garden scene predominantly in blue tones.  This sets the scene, a night garden.

night garden effect, paintings by Emmanuel Osahor, walls painted in garden scene in blues, other paintings of outdoor garden scenery hung on top of the blues

Several large paintings of garden scenes hang on the blue walls.

lawn chairs, night garden effect, paintings by Emmanuel Osahor, walls painted in garden scene in blues, other paintings of outdoor garden scenery hung on top of the blues

night garden effect, paintings by Emmanuel Osahor, walls painted in garden scene in blues, other paintings of outdoor garden scenery hung on top of the blues, two young women taking selfies

night garden effect, paintings by Emmanuel Osahor, walls painted in garden scene in blues, other paintings of outdoor garden scenery hung on top of the blues

night garden effect, paintings by Emmanuel Osahor, walls painted in garden scene in blues, other paintings of outdoor garden scenery hung on top of the blues

There is a second series of small etchings as well.   More gardens, but this time based on visits to National Trust gardens in the UK.

black and white etchings of garden scene

black and white etchings of garden scene

My usual warning – these photos are pictures of pictures in a gallery setting.  The real thing is much better.   The paintings are bigger – a bigger experience and a bigger visual impact.

Osahor’s paintings and etchings are on display until mid September 2025.

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