Posts Tagged ‘Eglinton’

swirling around the Science Centre

Posted: April 30, 2023 in construction, landmarks, locations, transportation
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Ontario Science centre from the south

Rumours swirling that is…. because the Ontario Science Centre has been in the news lately.  Doug Ford (and the Provincial PC’s) have said that they are going to move it from its Don Mills and Eglinton location to Ontario Place down by the Exhibition Grounds.  What then becomes of the Science Centre LRT station?  It hasn’t even opened yet and its already obsolete?  And needs a new name?  …..that’s assuming that the Eglinton Crosstown LRT ever gets done.  But hush, no one is talking about that, that’s a secret……

below: Behind fences, the new Science Centre LRT station and transit hub remains unfinished.  It is a very quiet construction site.  Not a soul to be seen.

metal construction fence in front of the science centre lrt station that is being built at Don Mills and Eglinton,

One of the arguments for moving the Science Centre is to open up the land for housing.  Let’s ring some bells and say ‘housing’.   Who can oppose housing, right?

below: This is southeast corner of Don Mills and Eglinton where a development notice stands.  Apparently two towers are planned for this location – 26 and 48 storeys high. (The Science Centre is on the west side of Don Mills Road).

In fact, on the east side of Don Mills Road, south of Eglinton (i.e. across the street from the Science Centre), there are two other properties with development notice signs.

brick townhouse row with a blue and white development notice in front, Don Mills Road, St. Dennis Drive

Four new towers, as infill, have been proposed for these sites.

brick highrise apartment building on Don Mills Road with development notice sign in front of it

AND

What is now the upper parking lot for the Science Centre is already on the books as new housing.  This is at the southwest corner of Don Mills and Eglinton.   The sign may have been flattened but that doesn’t make the plan disappear!

blue and white development notice sign lying on the ground in the shade under some trees, trash around it

below: Blocked sidewalk on the south side of Eglinton, upper parking lot is on the left side in the picture

orange signs on sidewalk saying sidewalk closed ahead

below: View looking south from the upper parking lot towards the Science Centre

view from upper parking lot of science centre which is empty, past line of tall evergreens, to lower parking lot and buildings

green exit sign with an arrow pointing to the right on which someone has written there's no, sign now says there's no exit

AND (Yes, there’s more)

There is a 60 acre development on the northwest corner of Don Mills and Eglinton (the old IBM/Celestica site) that is in the midst of being transformed into the Crosstown neighbourhood.

new construction at Aspenridge crosstown development

below:  This is a picture that I found (and have blatantly swiped from) on an Urban Toronto web page – It shows the development and infill at Flemingdon Park  among the existing structures. The planned buildings are slightly transparent – perhaps 14 of them?? (and that doesn’t include all of Crosstown)  The Science Centre is bottom centre.

image taken from urban toronto site showing development at Don Mills an Eglinton

So which developer whispered sweet nothings in Doug Ford’s ear?

Who thought that moving the Science Centre was a good idea?

Who owns the land now? Did you know that 81 acres of the land that the Science Centre is on is owned by the TRCA?  That’s the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority.  The rest of the land (a tiny sliver along Eglinton & Don Mills) is owned by the city of Toronto.  TRCA  and the City of Toronto jointly leased the property to the Ontario Science Centre for a 99-year term, expiring on June 30, 2064.

The TRCA owns the land because of the terrain – steep slopes, ravines, and waterways – i.e. not land suitable for housing.  Doug Ford’s announcement came as a surprise to the TRCA – but does that surprise anyone?

below: Another image that I found online that describes the area better than any words that I could write.  This is a map of the area showing who owns what.  Source: TRCA website

map of Don Mills and Eglinton showing ownership of the land by TRCA and city of toronto

BUT

What else is happening here?

The new subway/LRT line, the Ontario Line, Doug Ford’s favorite line, is also being built here.  It is the transit line that runs south from the Science Centre to close to the lakeshore before turning west through downtown (Queen Street closed for 4 years for construction!!) and ending at Ontario Place.

Work has already started in the ravine south of the Science Centre where there will be stops for both Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park.  The whole north section of the Ontario Line will be elevated.  Between the Science Centre and Flemingdon stations it will run above the street and sidewalk (Don Mills Rd).  At some point between Flemingdon and Thorncliffe Park there will have to be a bridge over the West Don River.

pink sign on construction fence in park that is for Ontario line, transit construction

signs around a construction site, ravine erosion mitigation work, as well as drilling for new subway line

below: Where the Science Centre meets the West Don Trail

two men walk across the grass where the West Don Trail meets the Science Centre south entrance, spring, green grass, some buds on trees

Some other photos from the area

science centre exterior

view from entrance of science centre, curved outdoor stairs, apartment building in background

below: The Science Centre has interesting trash bins on its grounds.  Maybe they could teach the city a thing or two?

trash bin, metal, with colourful picture on the side

Ontario Science Centre banner on a pole on Don Mills Road with traffic and larger buildings in the background

below: West side of Don Mills Road

west side of Don Mills Road at Eglinton, new glass covered building on north side is partially completed, new science centre station entrance behind metal fence on south side

below: The southwest entrance to the Science Centre station from another angle

new entrance to Science Centre LRT station at Eglinton and Don Mills

below: Looking west on Eglinton towards Don Mills

looking east on Eglinton Ave towards Don Mills Road and new science centre station on the south side

below: Walking home after school

a small group of boys walking along the grass beside Eglinton Ave on the east side of Don Mills

It was four years ago that demolition of the old IBM buildings began.  On the surface it doesn’t look like much is happening.

fence, dirt, and weeds in front of crosstown redevelopment

construction site, steel girders slightly rusted upright into the ground, some water puddles, sand and dirt, start of a new street

construction site

Crosstown neighbourhood construction site

people waiting for traffic light to turn green at corner of Don Mills and Eglinton, two young women and an Asian woman with a black and white umbrella

Out of Service.  Nothing happening here.

sign that says out of service

Sorry, but I have a few more questions and comments about this thing I encountered at Don Mills & Eglinton ….

What is this?  A phallic rock in a concrete circle …. or Doug Ford giving the city the finger?  To those who design and build public art (if that’s what it is)…. that concrete circle is just a large garbage can.  It will collect trash.  It will fill with rain water.  It will be an unsightly mess.  It’s too low for a bench and it blocks the sidewalk.  There’s no sign and no explanation.  I can’t find anything about it online either.

a rock pillar stands upright, in the center of a concrete circle

on a mission to Kennedy station

Posted: June 5, 2021 in locations, transportation
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Sometimes I choose my walks randomly and sometimes I am on a mission to find something in particular. The other day, June 1st, definitely falls in the latter category. I have been following the Crosstown LRT/subway construction so when I heard that the new LRT trains were arriving for testing near Kennedy I knew that I had to see it for myself. While I was there, why not check out the area?

below: On Eglinton, east of Kennedy

looking across the street, Eglinton Ave., at Yal market, an asian store, small tree on close side of the street, low rise apartment building behind the market

apartment buildings on north side of Eglinton, Town Haven place and traffic sign directions to parts of Eglinton not on the hill bridge

below: It’s not the most pedestrian friendly stretch of road but it’s also a bridge over railway tracks.

light traffic on a hill with maximum 50 sign , guardrail, hydro poles beyond,

below: Kennedy station is already a GO train station. The east end of line 2 (Bloor-Danforth line) swings north as it crosses Scarborough. By Kennedy it is at Eglinton Ave and here it connects with the above ground TTC line 3 (Sheppard line). The blue train is the latter.

a GO train and a blue TTC subway train head north on tracks, photo taken from the bridge above

below: Looking west towards the intersection of Kennedy and Eglinton.

view along Eglinton westward towards Kennedy Road, wide street, hydro poles, low rise development, lots of black and orange construction cones

below: Northwest corner of Kennedy and Eglinton

Shell service station, gas station, and other businesses on the north side of Eglinton including a car wash, a dentist office, two storey development

astrologer and palm reader ad as a crooked sign on a post near intersection, cars, businesses behind. also a sign that says no left turn from eglinton onto birchmount starting November 13

below:  The Crosstown LRT tracks are on the surface for
most of the Scarborough portion of its route. Just west of Kennedy station they go underground.

looking along new rail tracks for Crosstown LRT as they go underground just west of Kennedy station, traffic on both sides of the tracks

a workman sits on the sidewalk as he works with underground cables at construction site for new LRT on Eglinton

sign saying crosstown LRT testing is starting soon, caution, overhead lines are energized, on street near near new LRT train

below: A new LRT train on the tracks between Ionview and Kennedy stations.  It had been unloaded from a truck minutes before I arrived.  At least two other trains where scheduled to arrive that day.

police cars and other cars parked in left lane of traffic, along side new LRT train

One end of a new TTC LRT train with workmen in yellow and orange safety vests

below: Ionview station

New Ionview LRT station with its protected areas, like a bus shelter, at surface level, between the lanes of traffic on Eglinton, apartment buildings in the background

below: Traffic flow

people walking on edge of road that has been separated from traffic by yellow plastic dividers, through construction zone, a mother and her children

below: That’s one way to use a construction sign. Whether Mike is responsible or has been pranked is anybody’s guess

old overhead light standard in an empty parking lot in front of a boarded up strip mall with Adult store, hair garden, smoke shop, nails spa and ali baba restaurant

below: The new Kennedy LRT station (at the eastern end of the line) is almost complete. The LRT is scheduled to be operational “sometime in 2022”.

as seen from between two cars, the new Kennedy LRT station under construction

the new Kennedy LRT station under construction

below: What people keep on their dashboards…..

2 hard hats inside a car. Both yellow. One says Heaven is real Hellfire is Real. and the other says Remember Jesus died for me and you

below: Kiss ‘n Ride at Kennedy station

below: TTC subway train, line 3, enters Kennedy station.

blue TTC sheppard line subway train enters Kennedy station after going up the curved concrete ramp

below: Danger due to yetis

two keys on a ribbon have been tied to a street sign that says notice vehicles are subject to removal at owners expense

below: Parking for an underground church? Or underground parking for a church?

sign with an arrow pointing straight ahead and words that say underground church parking

Keep Smiling!

picture of a large tooth with a big red lips and shiny white teeth holding a blue banner that says we'll make you smile

EMSF walk about

Posted: May 27, 2019 in events, transportation
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Open Doors was this past weekend in Toronto.  For one day only, the new maintenance facility for the Eglinton Crosstown in Mt Dennis was open to the public, the EMSF (Eglinton Maintenace and Storage Facility). Although the new trains (aka light rail vehicles) are very much like the new TTC streetcars and the new maintenance buildings resemble the Leslie Barns, here are a few glimpses of what is to come.

below: The parking lot and pedestrian access to the EMSF is off Industry Street.

bus shelter at Bertal Rd near the new facility, barbed wire fence around the building, grass and weeds around the shelter

below: Exterior of new Crosstown light rail vehicle. Six new vehicles have been delivered from Bombardier so far.  Another seventy are expected to arrive before the Crosstown opens in 2021.

inside the new maintance building, a new grey, black and white crosstown train on display, people walking past it and taking pictures

below: Interior, looking towards the front.

a few people talking at the front of new Crosstown train, from farther back in the train.

below: The AVIS facility – Automated Vehicle Inspection Station

the AVIS building at the new eglinton crosstown buildings, AVIS means, automated vehicle inspection station. It is a covering over tracks that the trains can pull into

below:  Looking into the maintenance building.

people standing outside the open door of the crosstown facility, can look inside

inside the new train maintenance building with three levels of access to the trains,

the front end of two trains parked inside, with work areas under the trains for maintenance

below: The site takes up 42 acres of land.   There are 8.5 kms of track.

streetcar tracks and overhead wires

exterior of new crosstown maintenance facility with double grey stripes, a doorway with many warning signs.

Not shown: There is also a building for Transit Operations.

International Market

Posted: October 19, 2017 in construction, old buildings, stores, transportation, windows and walls
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International Market in this case refers to an area in Toronto, approximately around the intersection of Dufferin and Eglinton West.

street sins on a pole, a one way sign, plus two signs with street names, Belgravia Ave and Dufferin Street, both with orange tops that have the words International Market

There is definitely a diverse (as in multicultural) feel to the area

below: … such as Jamall, Carribean Custom Tailor

older building, with some green around the doors, sign says Jamall Carribean

below:  and the Lady Ann Superstore African Boutique with the adjacent Centro Cultural Latino American.

storefront, Lady Ann Superstore African Boutique with a mannequin, child size, on the sidewalk outside dressed in red African style clothes.

Because Eglinton Avenue runs through the area….

 

street scene on Eglinton Ave with bus shelter, utility pole, street signs, stores, and billboard

there is a lot of upheaval caused by construction of the Eglinton Crosstown line.

wire fence in front of a construction site, lots of dirt, street and buildings in the background.

below: Completion of the subway/LRT isn’t scheduled until 2021.  That seems like a long way off doesn’t it?

a surveyor at work, behind construction fence and cones and in front of stores, Chamsine, and Shantys take-out, which are two storey brick buildings

below: A subway station is being built at Oakwood Avenue.   Because the space is too small for a conventional crane like the ones you see all over the city, this green horizontal structure is being used instead.  It is supported by the metal beams and can slide along the top rail.

a large horizontal crane stretches over a vacant lot where a subway station is being built

below: Rendering of Oakwood station that I found on the Eglinton Crosstown website.

drawing of Oakwood Crosstown station, design plans, taken from Crosstown website.

below: Immediately south of Eglinton is a small lane, Reggae Lane.  Welcome to Reggae Lane was the second mural painted here.  You can see the original Reggae Lane mural in the background.  I blogged about it when it was first painted two years ago.

view looking down an alley, cars parked behind buildings, two murals, Welcome to Reggae Lane,

below: Some of the concrete planters on Eglinton have old black and white photos on the sides.  This was an Art Starts project.

a small tree grows in a concrete planter in front of a grocery store

below: The pictures are small and difficult to see but they are historical photos of the area – stores, people, parks, etc.

small, old black and white photos reproduced and mounted on the side of a concrete planter outside

below:  One of many restaurants on Eglinton, the Budapest Restaurant and Biguly Bar, obviously Hungarian.

a car parked in front a Hungarian restaurant, the Budapest

below: There is also Uzbek cuisine, the Taj Restaurant.   Uzbekistan is one of the “stans” found in central Asia (near Afghanistan) that gained independence from the former Soviet Union 25 years ago.

a blue food truck is parked in front of the Taj Restaurant, an Uzbek restaurant

below: A yellow phone booth?

a public phone, small yellow phone booth mounted on a blue brick wall

below: Faded memories of years gone by.

looking in the window of a store that sells photo frames and such, an old TV sits in the window too. The pictures are all faded to shades of blue and purple

below: The Popular Car Wash – a great price for a car wash.

an old sign for popular car wah, $5.99 in front of a gas station

I’ll leave you with a few more images of the area.  It’s seen better times but it was an interesting place to walk around.   There are signs of improvement – and we’ll see what impact the subway has once it’s finally finished.

street scene with construction cones and signs, some traffic, sidewalk, pedestrians, and stores,

a window of an empty store that is covered with posters

5 black mailboxes arranged vertically in a row between two doors.

three storey brick building with stores on the ground level, traffic in front,

open door of an electronics store, with some speakers and other electronics on display outside too

looking across Eglinton Avenue to some stores, construction traffic cones in front,

a walk on Eglinton

Posted: November 23, 2015 in general Toronto, history, locations, transportation
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The plan was to start walking westward from Eglinton subway station.

below:  The first photo I took was right after I got off a bus at the station.   With the ongoing reconstruction at Eglinton, there is now easy access to the old bus bays.  There is still a fence around them, but at least they can be seen and photographed.  These bays have not been used since 2004 and the area has been fenced off and unused since then.  Now they sit empty in the shadow of the ever increasing tall buildings around them.

abandoned bus bays at Eglinton subway station in the foreground and the newer taller buildings in the area in the background

abandoned part of Eglinton subway station, behind chain link fence

below: Looking west along Eglinton Avenue after the completion of Eglinton station in 1954.  The street running north-south just beyond the bus bays is Duplex Avenue.  There is now a police station on the SE corner of that intersection.   On the NW corner you can see the brick Toronto Hydro-Electric Building with its large front ‘door’.  It is still there.

historical black and white photo, aerial, from Yonge Street looking west along Eglinton Ave showing the bus bays at Eglinton subway station, up to Duplex Ave is shown clearly.

source: City of Toronto Archives, online

.

below: (taken later in the afternoon, on the way home) The intersection of Eglinton and Duplex from west side with the brick Toronto Hydro-Electric building now between glass buildings.

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: After leaving Eglinton station, this caught my eye.  The glass cube-like building on the NE corner of Eglinton and Duplex reflects the afternoon sun onto the walls of the Toronto Hydro-Electric building across the street.

brick building with wavy shadows on it cast by the sun being reflected off the glass building across the street

brick building with wavy shadows on it cast by the sun being reflected off the glass building across the street

below: On Duplex, right behind this brick building is an intriguing building.  The highly textured concrete exterior and the 3D patterned wall are suggestive of the 1960s although I could be wrong.  It’s ugly yet fascinating at the same time.   Now that the leaves have fallen from the trees in front of it, the pattern of trapezoids, diamonds and rectangles is revealed…. as is the dirt and grime on the concrete.  The fact that there are no windows and doors facing the street provides a clue that this is yet another Toronto Hydro building.

Three tree with no leaves are in front of a concrete wall that is built in 3D pattern of trapezoids and rectangles. There are no windows or doors.

Somethings old

below: A sign with an old Toronto HU (Hudson) exchange phone number.  HU1 would be 481.  This number is probably from the late 1950s.  In the early days, Toronto phone numbers had only 6 digits.  In the mid 1950s a seventh digit was added and then between 1961 and 1966 the letter prefixes were phased out, replaced by numbers.

old sign on the side of an small apartment building, the Latimer Apartments, with an old Toronto phone number starting with the letters HU

below:  The Eglinton Grand, art deco building from 1936; National Historic site since 2003.

The Eglinton Grand, a cinema theatre built in art deco style in 1936.

 Somethings new

many curved and disjointed reflections of buildings in a tall glass building. Afternoon sun so there's a yellowish tint to the reflections

 And some window ‘shopping’ to do

below: Marbles wedged between glass make an excellent decorative touch.

a layer of marbles wedged into a window to look a bit like stained glass

A line of toy figurines on a window sill in the window of a restaurant

below: little Japanese wooden dolls in the window of the Sake Bar

three little Japanese wooden dolls with white hair and white kimonos standing inside a window. Reflections of the stores across the street are behind them.

below:  And even a lovebot hangs out here

a 3D concrete lovebot stands on the sidewalk beside a store as people walk by

below:  A little chuckle at this sign….

I small sign hanging over a doorway of a hot dog restaurant called Bite Me

below:  And then later I saw this.

A sign on the wall outside a store that says Bite Me More

sticker on a pole on a sidewalk. One man is kicking another, pixelated picture, with the letters X G G L on it.

Rather than wait for a bus I decided to keep walking home but unfortunately it’s that time of year when the daylight hours are just too short.   One last look at where I had just been before putting my camera away and heading home.

very late afternoon sun, as it disappears behind buildings, looking down a street, sun is reflecting off some windows, a large part of the street is in shadow, a TTC is there, with its lights on, some construction on the street, some cars,