Seen on Warden Avenue… A building with a mural by Mediah (aka Evond Blake) on the upper level, and decorated blocks spelling ‘Scarborough’ in the front. Each letter looks to be an animal-like character.
Same building, another side. A windowless canvas for “Drift Appendar”
Same site (building with Mediah mural is just behind the container).
Feed Scarborough (part of the Scarborough Food Security Initiative, an organization that runs community gardens, food banks and many other programs).
below: View from a lane that runs behind the north side of Dundas West, walking west of Dufferin. The alley also runs east of Dufferin but that will have to wait for another day. The large brick building on Dufferin is St. Annes parish hall. St. Annes church is behind, facing Gladstone Ave. The vacant lot on left was a parking lot not long ago but now it is now a construction site.
below: It looks like changes are coming on the Dundas West side of the lane as well. A concrete wall/fence has been partially demolished and there are construction fences behind some of the buildings. According to the Urban Toronto website, two 8 storey developments have been proposed – one fronting on Dundas and the other on Dufferin, with the alley remaining between them.
below: Behind Dundas West… but not for much longer.
below: Artwork by Cuban artist Supermalo5, aka Fabian Lopez who always includes a little question mark in his work along with the incorrect equation 2 + 2 = 5
below: Two big round black eyes
below: Street art painting, abstract, by Mony Zakhour
below: Screenshot from Google street view, captured in 2019. The houses on the left are now gone – you can see the blue and white development notice sign in front of them. They are now part of the vacant lot/construction site pictured above. You can also see that the lane here is Boland Lane. It runs perpendicular to Dundas West.
below: A quick look at what else is in Boland Lane
below: “Embrace what makes you unique even if it makes others uncomfortable”
below: “Perfection is the enemy of greatness”
Continuing behind Dundas….
below: Layers, old and new as well as wood, brick, and glass.
below: Rooftop decks and terraces above and street art covered garages below including a flaming hot kitty painted by Christina Mazzulla.
below: A trio of grey masked foxes (wolves? dogs?) covering two doors. This painting goes back to at least 2017 and possibly 2015 and before.
below: The lane meets Awde Street, with a teal colored garage door. Awde is only a block long, and is not the original Awde Street. Apparently what is now Croatia Street was once Awde (1908) and there is a plaque to prove it.
below: That brownish wall in above picture (where there is now a stack of firewood), was once covered with a painting. This is it in 2015.
below: Awde Street, streetview from 2019.
At this point, the lane makes a 90 degree turn towards Dundas – and lo and behold, there is even more artwork to see ( also by Mony Zakhour?)
below: On the north side of Dundas West, there is a large mural titled, “Three Sisters” painted by Paula Tikay and Aner Urra. I discussed it in a blog post from 2019 (Three Sisters, Tikay and Aner)
… and that’s the end of the alley!
Small bit of trivia: I once found my great-great-grandfather, John Marshall, and his family in a Toronto phone book from about 1910 (I can’t remember the exact year). They were on Gladstone Ave. When I went to see if I could find the house, I discovered that the number corresponded with a vacant lot (parking lot?) adjacent to St. Annes church.
Federal Street is a short narrow street near Dundas and Dufferin. Like a few other Toronto streets, it is more a lane than a street.
below: Dundas Street West at Federal
below: No Exit, a dead end street
below: Wires in all directions – standing tall like a tree in winter.
below: Another lane, another time. There is another lane that runs perpendicular to Federal that looks like it might be interesting to explore but it will have to wait until another day.
below: Maximum width, 2 metres.
below: A winter cyclist.
below: Looking north, back to Dundas
below: This mural was painted at least 10 years ago – but the tagging across the bottom by The Half Decent is more recent.
below: This is what it looked like in August 2015.
Photo Source: As I Walk Toronto blog, 15 Aug 2015
“The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” is now showing at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). It features 90 works by more than 60 artists. Some of them are shown here….
below: Portrait of a day when 103 of members of the Toronto Hip Hop community got together in one place, August 2024. The photo was taken on the steps of the Liberty Grand at Exhibition Place by photographer Patrick Nichols.
This exhibit has also been seen in Baltimore and St. Louis.
“Placing fashion, consumer marketing, music, videos and objects in dialogue with paintings, sculpture, poetry, photography and multi-media installations, the exhibition considers activism and racial identity, notions of bling and swagger, as well as gender, sexuality and feminism.”
below: Painting by Zeh Palito,a Brazilian artist who seems to like pink. Title: “It was all a Dream”.
below: Cardi B., aka Belcalis Marlenis Cephus, with unity on her arm by Hassan Hajjaj. She is considered one of contemporary music’s top female artists.
below: “Live Culture Force 1’s”, 2022, by Aaron Fowler. They are gigantic Nike Air Force 1 sneakers that have been made out of car parts. Contemporary art seems to like big things – Once upon a time back in 1960s there was a giant hamburger on display at the AGO. I wonder if the creator of that hamburger, Claes Oldenburg, realized what he started (and whatever happened to it anyhow?). Tangent alert – The AGO purchased the hamburger in 1967 for $2000.
below: “Swamp Boy” by Amani Lewis
below: “Real Negus Don’t Die” by Fahamu Pecou. Reflects on the idea that death can’t stop us and perhaps touches on the idea that immortality comes through remembrance.
below: “The Minister of Enterprise” by Kudzanai Chiurai. Oversized shades indoors, a big cigar, and some bling. Add some swagger.
below: I made a mistake with this room. I initially thought, what a waste, a whole room for a red puffy jacket. Turns it, it’s a godsend for instagram ready selfies. Lots of room, mirrors behind the jacket, and presto… many, many pictures on Instagram and TikTok. I should have taken the time to wait for people to get in my way!
below: “Louis Uluru”, 2009, by Luis Gispert. Looking at Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock, in Australia), from the comfort of a very well-appointed car.
below: Hanging from the ceiling, a collection of one glittery pair of Adidas sneakers and many brown work boots, some sparkly with glitter and some not. Bejewelled kicks. “Cloud Break”, a sculpture by Devan Shimoyama
Exhibit continues until April 2025.
Cliffcrest is a neighbourhood in Scarborough that includes a section of Kingston Road between Brimley and Bellamy Roads. The southern boundary is Lake Ontario including the eastern portion of the Scarborough Bluffs.
below: At the corner of Kingston Road & St. Clair is one of the Scarborough Heritage Trail murals funded by Mural Routes. It is “In The Way of Progress” and shows a Kingston Road radial railway car at Stop 17 with Scarborough High School (later changed name to R.H. King Academy) in the background. It was painted in 1996 by Phil, Jennifer, and Jamie Richards.
below: 1922, Kingston Road looking west towards St. Clair with Scarborough High School near the intersection.
Source: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1488, series 1230, Item 2064
In 1893 the Toronto and Scarborough Electric Railway, Light and Power Company started running a one car train along Kingston Road. The tracks went as far east as West Hill. A couple of years later, this line became part of the Toronto and York Radial Railway (TYRR). The TYRR had four branches radiating from the city, one to the west, 2 northward, and this one east along Kingston Road. The stops on the Scarborough route were numbered, starting at Victoria Park Avenue. Stop 17 was at St. Clair East & Kingston Road.
below: This 1922 photo is actually from a bit farther west, at Victoria Park. What I wanted to show was how the railway tracks just ran between the road and the sidewalk. Very simple infrastructure! Not too feasible in a city, but in 1922 this neighbourhood was more rural than urban (and they still got transit!)
Source: City of Toronto Archives, Series 71, item 1607
below: You can’t see it in this photo but the mural above is on the wall of Stop 17 Variety (by the parking lot on the right).
below: From 1973, forty years ago – looking at the southeast corner of Brimley and Kingston Road. The bus is northbound on Brimley.
Photo Credit: Richard Glaze photo 1973, Transit Toronto website. If you are interested in anything to do with transit in Toronto, check out their website. They have an extensive collection of photographs, maps, and documents. They also feature all the latest news about slow downs, route changes, and service advisories (among other things).
The same motel is still on that corner of Kingston Rd and Brimley. I don’t have the exact replica photo but this is what the Hav a Nap Motel looks like now.
below: Moving slightly west, photo taken from approximately the corner of Brimley and Kingston Road.
Once upon a time, Kingston Road was a major east west route in and out of the city. There were many motels along here. Their heyday was the 1950s and the bigger, fancier ones are long gone, leaving behind some of the smaller ones.
below: As a shoutout to these motels and their stoy is this sidewalk box decorated with images of old motel signs. The Americana and the Roycroft signs can be seen on this side.
below: The Americana Motel still exists in the Cliffcrest neighbourhood (close to Brimley). The Roycroft is farther east, beyond McCowan.
below: Henry’s Motel
below: The sign of things to come.. and yes, it’s a condo with retail at street level.
below: The north side of Kingston Road, just east of Brimley – it looks like changes are happening here too.
Brimley Road is also the main access for Bluffers Park at the foot of the Scarborough Bluffs.
below: Dairy Queen at Kingston Road and Harewood is closed for the winter
below: An alley runs behind the south side of Kingston Road
below: Mailbox with a porpoise (or two)
below: On the side of a Wild Wings restaurant.
below: Carusos Fruit Market, Groceries, Hardware & Gift Items
Other Scarborough Heritage Mural posts:
1. Heritage Murals – Kingston Road, 2014
3. Heritage Trail Mural 8, 2014
4. Scarborough Bells, 2020
5. Birch Cliff, Kingston Road, 2021
As Chinese (or Lunar) New Year approaches, I thought that I would give you a quick tour around Chinatown as it appears in January after a little snow. Most of the pictures were taken in the vicinity of Spadina and Dundas. Some shots are ‘iconic’ views, others not so much.
below: This girl has been carrying her soup bowl for many years! She has appeared on many Instagram pages and on many other sites. She may even be on your phone. The “BEST” is a more recent addition!
below: Spadina Avenue
below: Cute little red stuffed snakes for sale.
below: Yes, there is a very large black bear that patiently sits beside the door of one of the stores on Spadina.
below: Looking in the window of a Vietnamese store – boxes of things, band-aids, cotton balls, eye care massagers, and many brands of green tea.
below: The east side of Spadina
below: Yin Yang mural – Yin and Yang, two interconnected forces that are complementary yet opposing. Together they are dynamic system that is greater than the sum of the two parts.
below: On the wall to the left is part of a mural that features the Great Wall of China.
below: Behind Dundas
below: “The Herd-Boy and the Weaver-Girl”, a mural that illustrates a story. It designed and painted by Allan Bender, John Nobrega, and Stacey Kinderwas (2017)
From Mural Routes website: “A very long time ago, when the King of the Sky created the heavens, he decorated it with stars and asked his beautiful daughter to help him by weaving the clouds and mists. It was a long task and when the king noticed his daughter looking tired and drawn, he ordered her to take a break and go out to play among the stars. The princess headed down towards the Milky Way to bathe, whereupon she came across a handsome herd-boy grazing his water buffalo by the banks of the stream. To this day, on the seventh day of the seventh month of every year a great King sends a flock of magpies over the Milky Way to form a bridge to ensure the return of his daughter. The weather must be clear on this evening or the lovers cannot cross the celestial river to meet each other. If it rains the pair must wait another year. On a clear night you can see their two bright stars together in the sky. If it rains it is said that the drops falling to earth are the tears of the Weaver-Girl Princess.”
below: The next two pictures are parts of a mural by June Jieun Kim.
below: Pho Hung, Vietnamese restaurant at Spadina and St. Andrew, northwest corner
below: Huron and Grange, southeast corner
below: Bay and gable houses on Huron
below: Looking south on Huron towards the downtown core
below: Shopping on Spadina
below: Lucky Moose Food Mart after dark
below: Summer Sun Spa, and others
below: Yunshang Rice Noodles
below: Happy Lamb Hot Po, Zao bar and grill, and one that I can’t read.
below: Spadina and Dundas after dark
Happy New Year!
My previous post, “skateboard portraits” was from a walk down Graffiti Alley the other day. This post contains more photos that I took that snowy afternoon… so, let’s take a look!
below: Uber 5000’s yellow bird is still walking his dog and singing a song on this side of this red brick building. It’s at least 10 years old? The black and grey portrait on the right is much newer.
below: Profile portrait by TheHalfDecent
below: “Let them drink beer”, a stencil from D. Terra
below: A 33wallflower33 pasteup in the foreground, with a corner of one of Nick Sweetman’s bird murals in the background.
below: A collaboration between Nick Sweetman and Shanehuss produced this drippy, melting jaw portrait.
below: The top portion of ” RIP King Reign & Son of Soul” remains. This tribute mural was painted by Elicser Elliott and Omen514. I am not sure who is responsible for the newer painting on the bottom, the one in yellows and blues. That’s probably a ‘signature’ in the bottom left but I don’t recognize it.
below: Graffiti Alley in the snow.
below: Sun of Aquarius (aka Andre Mandela Lopez) painted this naked figure with brown wings and bird mask
below: A pole covered with knit squares while T-bonez is shushing you.
below: A pointy nosed, long snouted dog by Mr. Myl, aka Luis Casas, who was originally from Havana Cuba.
below: Another Mr. Myl dog, this one with its blue eyes popping out. I don’t think that it’s because of the woman next to him. “Para mi Tita” is Spanish for “For my aunt”.
below: Blue haired woman by April Showers
below: And another blue haired woman…..
below: … and a third. I think that I see a trend. Methinks April Showers likes blue hair.
below: An anti-camera, anti-photographer image, “Gimmy a break, clik, clik, clik” featuring uber 5000’s yellow bird and blue cat, with the Pink Panther is a supporting role. Love the red specs!
below: Poser bunny in red
below: He (she?) seems puzzled by the snow?!
below: Is it a man or is it a chicken? A red headed cigarette smoking, spray painting character by Tuffytats
below: This one looks more like a chicken should look, so fowl.
below: An environmental message – “Got mercury?” from a non-profit group trying to raise awareness of the impact of mercury poisoning on indigenous communities.
below: Good Luck!
below: Another 33wallflower33 vintage woman.
below: Chubby purple cheeks gives a thumbs up
below: Still reaching out and trying to touch someone…..
Graffiti Alley is still an interesting place to explore. Unlike some street art locations that have succumbed to the scrawls and tags of the less well-intentioned, good art and ideas can still be found here. At present, adding to the eclectic nature of the graffiti in Graffiti Alley are a few interesting portraits done on half skateboards (or at least on wood in the shape of a skateboard). Most are screwed onto wooden utility poles. This post was from January 2025 – a year later I found some skateboards that either I had missed the first time, or they had been added later. I also found that some of the originals had been defaced. I have mixed the two sets of photos into this post.
below: One on natural wood colour and the other in vibrant red. The sticker says Positive Creations. This is the 2025 version.
below: Photo taken in 2026
below: 2025, pink and blue women
below: A man with a mustache that looks a bit like Freddie Mercury
below: Three on the same pole in Graffiti Alley – A red person with shaggy hair and light blue glasses as well someone with very long orange hair.
below: At the bottom, a quizzical look on a pink face.
below: From 2026 (as are the rest of the images)
below: Old Joy is also a 2026 addition.
below: These may have been included in the above images from 2025 but they have been defaced so much that I am not sure. The top one looks like it might have been a multi-legged creepy crawly thing with pincers in front.
It’s possible that there are more…. Also, if anyone has any idea as to who has painted these, please let me know!
below: 504 King streetcar on a snowy January afternoon
As you all know, Toronto is being demolished and redeveloped. Almost every part of the city is affected by the construction of new condo buildings or the upgrading of public transit. It can be difficult to keep up documenting the changes! A few weeks ago I posted some pictures from Queen & Spadina where Metrolinx is building a new subway station for the Ontario Line. The next stop west from there is at King and Bathurst.
Infrastructure Ontario wants to build what they call a Transit-Oriented Community (TOC) at King and Bathurst. The gist of the plan is that these sites will feature high density development around transit hubs. Some of the plans for condo and office may still be at the concept level but the new subway station work is well underway.
below: Looking south on Bathurst from King. On the southwest corner is the Wheatsheaf Tavern which has been here since 1849. The exterior of the building hasn’t changed much in 170 years! It remains untouched by today’s construction.
below: The Banknote Bar on the southeast corner is now gone, or at least most of it has been demolished. The north facade will be incorporated into the new station, the King-Bathurst station (Are they really going to call it that? So Dull. So Bland.).
This 4 storey brick building was previously a Bank of Montreal. It was built in 1901/02 for the Canadian Biscuit Company. It then had a series of tenants until 1923 when Bank of Montreal moved in.
Previously, a mixed use development rising above the old brick structure had been proposed for the site (prior to Metrolinx). Cancelled. At this point there is no other development on this corner.
below: Looking east on King
You can see that the corner (above picture) is now covered by a very big white temporary structure where construction of another station underway. What will be revealed? Plans suggest a mixed office/residential tower above with rebuilding of most portions of the TD bank that was on the corner, as well as the building directly east of it. No car parking spots, bikes only. Concept stage? Or further along? One day we might find out!
Last, the northeast corner –
below: Clock Tower lofts dominates the corner. There really are two clocks on the side of the building, both of which are difficult to see. But that doesn’t matter since they don’t work anyhow.
below: 1919 photo of the Clocktower Building. It was in bad shape in 1980 and was demolished. The Clock Tower Lofts (above) replaced it. In 1919 it was home to Otto Higel Piano Company. The church in the background is St. Marys Roman Catholic church at Bathurst and Adelaide.
photo credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 3008
The building dates from 1895; it was built for the Toronto Lithographing Company who used it until 1901. Next, the Newell & Higel Co. Ltd take over the building where they manufacture piano actions, keys and hammers, and organ keys, reeds, and reedboards. By 1912 they employed 450 people. They developed a Player Piano that became famous around the world and business boomed. They expanded the building north to the corner of Adelaide Street West.
By the way, a Player Piano is one that plays itself. The 1920’s were their heyday but advances in technology, especially the introduction of radios and record players, helped kill the Player Piano. By the 1930s production ceased.
below: A 1970s view of the northwest corner.
photo credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1526, File 7, Item 5,
below: Looking out the window of the Wheatsheaf Tavern. How many people have sat here and looked out this window? What did they think about?
Pacita Abad (1946-2004) was born in the Philippines. During the Marcos regime, she left Manila intending to study law in Spain. Instead, she ended up in the USA.
below: “Old Dhaka” (Bangladesh) 1978, oil on canvas
Many of the artworks that were on display were large-scale hanging trapuntos, a form of quilted painting made of stitched and stuffed canvas.
below: The central piece in this image is “LA Liberty” 1992. Here Abad recasts Lady Liberty as an “International Lady of Color” as opposed to the very white, very European, statue that exists in New York City.
below: “If My Friends Could See Me Now”, An American Dream with all the trappings of a ‘typical’ middle class life.
below: “Subali” 1983. Acrylic, oil, gold cotton, batik cloth, sequins, rick rack ribbons on stitched and padded canvas.
below: Many of the fabric pieces had marine themes like this very big octopus in “My Fear of Night Diving” 1985. It is 130 x 170 inches (or 330 x 432 cm).
below: Details, striped braiding sewn on to make the seaweed
below: Some of the pieces were hung such that the stitches on the back were visible. Also interesting.
Regrettably, this exhibit closes today.
as I walk Toronto 