city | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘city’

watching it come down

Posted: March 9, 2015 in history, locations
Tags: apartment building, bricks, bunny, city, concrete, cranes, demolition, Dundas East, eating away, gone, history, machinery, poser, redevelopment, Regent Park, revitalization, Sumach St., Toronto, urban, workmen

Along with many other people, I have been watching the demolition on the southeast corner of Dundas & Sumach streets, part of the Regent Park redevelopment. This 14 storey apartment building was designed by Peter Dickinson; it was built in the late 1950s.

January 31st, 2015

I first saw this building being demolished on a grey day at the end of January.
I’m not sure when the demolition actually started.

A large 14 storey brick clad apartment building in the initial stages of being demolished.

Looking north up Sumach Street.

View of the interior of some of the apartments that were exposed when the exterior brick was removed. Some of the rooms are painted in bright colours, purples, pinks and greens.

The colours of past lives.

3 February

A workman dressed in orange coveralls works on the street in front of a building being demolished

It would have been a cold job, working outside during the coldest February on record.

Part of a 14 stprey apartment building that is being demolished. The exterior walls have been removed and some of the interior walls are buckling.

In the midst of demolition.

10 February

Two very large cranes are being used to demolish a large apartment building on the corner of Dundas and Sumach streets. Some men in bright yellow vests are directing traffic as some of the debris is falling towards Sumach street.

Looking across the intersection of Dundas and Sumach.

A purple and yellow sign against a metal fence that says Regent Park Revitalization Phase 3 has started. Demolition of an apartment in the background.

A view from the south.

Hydraulic crane and truck and other machinery used in the demolition of the building.

Looking west from River Street.

Vacant lot in the forground with demolition of a building in the middle. In the background are the new buildings that have been built in that area

Another view from River Street.

12 February

17 February

23 February

27 February

A man is taking a picture of a demolition in progress of an apartment building.

There were always a number of people taking pictures whenever I was there.

As part of the upper stories of an apartment are brought down, a cloud of dust forms as the debris hits the ground.

dust storm in the sunlight

28 February

… after 5 weeks, 6 March

A large hole in the ground where a building once stood, vacant land is around it. A street of houses in the distance, machinery to one side.

Just another hole in the ground.

Chinatown mural

Posted: February 27, 2015 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: Aaron Li-Hill, Alexa Hatanaka, alley, bike, child, Chinatown, Chinatown BIA, Chinese, city, downtown, Dundas St. West, lane, man, mural, people, street art, Toronto

Chinatown Mural
2011 by Alexa Hatanaka and Aaron Li-Hill
Commissioned by the Chinatown BIA & located in an alley near Dundas & Spadina.
The mural is based on scenes from everyday life in Toronto’s Chinatown.

by kids

Posted: December 7, 2014 in locations
Tags: Adam Beck Junior public school, art, artwork, buildings, city, CN Tower, dogs, elementary, exhibit, fence, flowers, houses, ladybug, mural, outdoors, painting, Scarborough, scenes, school, students, sun, Toronto, trees

On a fence at Adam Beck Junior Public school in Scarborough is a wonderful “mural” composed of pictures painted by some of the students. Kudos to all involved in the project!

A “Danger due to construction” sign, the CN Tower and a Toronto police car.
Ladybugs, flowers and trees.
On the very right is a picture that looks like a sunset or sunrise. What you probably can’t read are the words written on the blue stripe. They say, “the story of my life”.

Buses, soccer balls and a hat left on the fence.
Another CN Tower, an arena, and ice cream.
Stop bullying too.

A Canadian flag and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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.

under the tracks at Bathurst

Posted: November 28, 2014 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: bathurst st., bike, boys, bridge, city, cyclist, Elicser, faces, feet, girders, girls, hands, men, miniature, murals, painting, people, railway, reaching, road, sitting, sneakers, street art, Toronto, underpass, urban, watching, women

Murals painted by Elicser in 2014, under the railway bridge on Bathurst St., just north of Dupont.

It is difficult to do justice to the paintings with a camera because of the structure of the bridge. The following images are ones that I took yesterday. Yes, there are many!

murals in the park

Posted: November 26, 2014 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: basketball, city, CN Tower, colourful, David Crombie Park, downtown, Esplanade, green, hands, heart, horizon, murals, playful, playground, Scadding, sunset, train tracks, urban, waterfall

David Crombie Park runs along the south side of the Esplanade between Lower Jarvis and Berkeley Street.

At the east end is a basketball court and playground. One of the back walls of the basketball court has been repainted with a mural by Shalak, Smoky and J. Periquet.