Posts Tagged ‘Cottage Lane’

the waterfalls of Cottage Lane

Posted: September 2, 2024 in alleys, old buildings, public art
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In downtown Toronto there is a large waterfall mural painted on a brick wall  – because of the bricks, the painting looks a bit more like water pouring over a dam.  Still nice; still nature.

mural by b c johnson, a waterfall

Another waterfall – a longer drop of water, this time on a door.  All the murals here were painted by B. C. Johnson.  There are five or six of them on different buildings, some waterfalls, and some landscapes.

in cottage lane, a mural of a waterfall, with greenery beside it, electrical boxes on the green, with wires, and graffiti on the boxes ,

below: Here a  heron stands on a fallen tree beside the water.  A birch trees is also on the shore.  A waterfall is on the other side of the lake.

mural in cottage lane by b c johnson, a heron stands on a fallen log on a rock on shoreline, birch tree nearby, water, and a waterfall in the background

below: This building is overgrown with ivy which adds a nice touch to the scene. The door becomes a very thick tree trunk perched on a rock above the water.

on a wall by a black door, overgrown with ivy, door looks like tree trunk, also mural in cottage lane by b c johnson, a heron stands on a fallen log on a rock on shoreline, birch tree nearby, water, and a waterfall in the background

below: Surprisingly, there is no puddle at the bottom of the steps (insert big smiling emoji here).

porch at back of building, in alley, on building with lots of ivy growing on it, mural of a waterfall

porch at back of building, in alley, on building with lots of ivy growing on it, with another building across the alley with murals of waterfalls and landscapes

below: A real tree once grew here.  I don’t think that it was a beaver that cut it down.

old hollow tree trunk in lane, in front of a landscape mural and wall overgrown with ivy

boarded up window or door, exterior view, from cottage lane, now covered with part of a mural of a landscape by b c johnson

below: Where do you find Cottage Lane?  South of Bloor, west of Yonge, then follow the signs… and the road less traveled.

St. Marys street, restaurants and signs, canadian flag, street sign of cottage lane

I was not sure why it was named Cottage Lane since, to me, there isn’t much that is cottage-y here.  The answer – there are 10 rowhouses on St. Nicholas Street that were built in 1883 and although the architectural style is ‘bay and gable’, they are referred to as the cottages of St. Nicholas Street.  As you may have guesses, St. Nicholas Street backs onto this lane.

below: Looking north towards Bloor.   Buildings that face Yonge Street are on the right and those on St. Nicholas Street are on the left.

cottage lane, looking north towards bloor and new condos, back of buildings,

back of buildings in cottage lane, balconies, green trash bins, tall condos in the background,

cottage lane

purple bike with white seat cover, parked in an alley beside a small sumac tree and an old window with metal bars on it

back of buildings in cottage lane, balconies, exterior stairs, pink wall, green trash bins, car parked, brick buildings,

back of store, commercial building, alley view, door, heating and air conditioning vents, graffiti on wall, blue trash bins

graffiti on a red brick wall, a bright white ghost with red eyes and smiling mouth, yellow pipes and white plastic exhaust pipes from building

exterior brick wall, painted bright red, with many black wires in a bundle crossing it,, white graffiti happy face, other blue graffiti text lil

graffiti on red brick wall, respect dollar sign, free dollars, 2014

square street sign covered with graffiti ticker, all o them are black with gold lettering

Back in 2021, I posted some pictures from Sandown Lane (Cliffside, near Midland and Kingston Road) where there are many more paintings by B. C. Johnson.