alley | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘alley’

Irene Ave

Posted: January 16, 2015 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: African, alley, animals, back, Bloorcourt, buildings, Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre, colourful, colours, CONC, faces, graffiti, lane, lion, Loft, loftycsei, man, motifs, murals, people, photographs, photos, street art, Toronto, tribute, urban, woman, youth

Irene Ave. is a short street that runs behind the north side of Bloor Street West between Carling and Shaw streets, just east of Ossington Avenue. Irene Avenue Parkette takes up most of the south side of Irene Avenue. There is an alley that runs between the park and the back of the stores on Bloor West.

The Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre, through the Graffiti Arts portion of their LOFT program, has sponsored a number of murals in this alley.

This is what it looked like on a cold afternoon last week.

The next picture was taken in June of 2012.
The mural is still there but I couldn’t take a proper photo of it last week as there was a car parked too close.

When I walked around the block to check out the fronts of these buildings, this is what I found

Street art mural by elicser of three men on a bench. One is smoking a cigarette, one is reading and one is holding a lunch box in his hands.

A mural by Elicser and to the right the LOFT Youth Centre for Social Enterprise and Innovation.

behind Honest Eds

Posted: January 4, 2015 in graffiti and street art, landmarks, locations
Tags: alley, bathurst, Bloor, Bloor village, boxing, cars, CONC, dog, graffiti, gym, history, Honest Eds, jazz, Loft, Mirvish, Mirvish village, murals, musicians, parking lot, players, southern accent, store, street art, trumpet, victory cafe, woman

Honest Eds, a Toronto icon, at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor since 1948

Standing on Bloor street looking south through the alley beside Honest Eds store. There is a glass covered walkway between the buildings on either side of the alley. On the side of the wwalkway is a sign that syas 'Honest Ed Alley'. The alley leads to a parking lot.

Looking south from Bloor Street towards the parking lot behind Honest Eds.

There are a few murals on the buildings that back onto the parking lot.

mural on a two storey light grey brick building showing musicians.

Trumpet players on the back of the Victory Cafe at the corner of Markham and Lennox Streets

large mural of a woman with boxing gloves on. Beside her is a picture of a large dog's face.

Woman with boxing gloves has been on the back of Trainers Fitness for a few years. The newer dog is painted on the back of A Leg Up Pet Services.

The back of two buildings with a narrow passageway between the two. Both are two storeys high. The one on the left is painted light purple and has the words Southern Accent written in yellow letters. The one on the right is a mural of a man paddling a canoe down a tropical river, with a monkey and a parrot also in the picture.

Purple behind Southern Accent restaurant and a mural painted by Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre through their LOFT program.

finding green in the alleys

Posted: November 30, 2014 in abstract, general Toronto
Tags: alley, brick, cracked, dead leaves, garage, gates, graffiti, hinges, lane, metal, painted, rust, tags, Toronto, weeds, wood

The other day I walked a number of lanes and alleys, Max Hartstone Lane, Ken Lai Lane, and Oscar Ryan Lane, to name a few.

I’m not sure if it was the greyness of the day or the preponderance of ugly tags but I was feeling rather uninspired as I walked. An interesting green wall caught my eye so I started searching more out green things. This is the result of that search.

Scarfo Lane

Posted: November 29, 2014 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: alley, bird houses, birds, blue, carrying, city, deer, dog, flowers, flying logs, garage door, graffiti, lane, logs, machinery, murals, painting, paisley, red, street art, Toronto, urban

Yesterday I came across some interesting colourful garage doors on Scarfo Lane that I have not seen before. I didn’t see any signature on them so I don’t know who painted them.

Walking south from Herrick Street…..

and then walking north from Herrick St…..

an alley with garages on both sides, also tall trees that have lost their leaves, small piles of dead leaves along the sides of the alley.

Looking north from Herrick St.

it used to be Kromer Radio

Posted: November 27, 2014 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: alley, bathurst st., construction, development, graffiti, Kensington, Kromer Radio, lane, man, no Walmart, painted, purple creatures, red face, redevelopment, RioCan, street art, Toronto, Walmart, words

In February 2014, plans to build a large Walmart store on the site of Kromer Radio (420 Bathurst St., just south of College) were shelved. Kromer Radio was an electronics store and they occupied the building between 1974 and June 2012.

The alley behind the building has been a graffiti site for a number of years.