Posts Tagged ‘graffiti’

Rocco Mandalfino Lane

Posted: March 12, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
0

Looking north up Rocco Mandalfino Lane towards Dundas Street.

looking north up Rocco Mandalfino Lane, streetcar passing by the north end of the alley, wood fences, large trees, winter, graffiti on the garages, brick houses

garages with graffiti and street art on the doors, in a lane,

wood fences, and backs of brick houses, alley views, large trees, one small wall with street art in red and blue

throw up tag street art for g h crew, with one cartoon like character with black cap, lightning eyes, also text that says blood on your hands

Looking south

fence with graffiti and street art, lane in toronto, beside red brick house with yellow brick details, looking south in rocco mandalfino lane

small black and white painting or drawing on a wood utility pole, dogs walking,

large capital G and H in reds and purples, slanted backwards, mural

in an alley, a wood fence with upper level of houses seen above it

fences and red brick buildings in alley, with graffiti and street art on them, blue man's head, fence with white curly lines,

throw up tag calligraphy street art, light blue and light purple letters on purple and green background

close up of street art on asphalt shingles, spray paint in reds and blues, texture

graffiti street art mural,

pink panther street art in alley

street art on side of wood garage

garages with street art, rocco mandalfino lane

red angular text calligraphy type street art

blue and white city of toronto street sign for rocco mandalfino lane, with large brick houses behind

Woodbine Beach – winter stations 2025

Posted: March 5, 2025 in general Toronto
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
2

The annual “Winter Stations” public art installations are now up at Woodbine Beach. This year the constructions are colourful and fairly durable.   They should be there until the end of March.

snow covered beach, with a bench facing the frozen lake ontario, a tree beside the bench. in the distance, art installations in the sand

Once again, there are 6 installations to check out as you walk the beach.

below: “Watch” by Trae Horne.  The opening in the fence faces due east

winter stations, public art installation, resembles two sections of a red wood fence, title is Watch and it was designed by trae horne

below: “Peak”, designed by University of Waterloo School of Architecture and the Department of Architectural Engineering.    … ” angular peaks that frame perspectives and form pathways. Consisting of repeating structures of select shapes and sizes, Peak is an interactive installation that visually contrasts the existing site and offers refuge from the cold winter environment. “

peak, an art installation at woodbine beach

red, blue, and yellow triangular and pyramidal shaped structures in the snow beside lake ontario, art installation titled Peak, designed by University of waterloo students

below: “Parade” by Jesse Beus consists of six characters each with their own unique colour, shape, purpose, and identity.  There is blue Shadey and green Jadey.  Sunny is a yellow circle and Boxy is a red box.  There is an orange pyramid called Slippey and a funny purple shape that is Blob.

parade of shapes by a lifeguard station at woodbine beach, part of winter stations public art installation, a woman is taking a photograph, designed by Jesse Beus

the word shady cut of a blue surface, now acts like a window, snow covered beach can be seen through the cut out of the letters

green, blue, and purple structures on the beach, with snow, part of winter stations art project

below: “Ascolto” by French artists/designers Ines Dessaint and Tonin Letondu.

orange megaphone shape, winter stations, art installation

orange megaphone shape, winter stations, art installation, snowy beach, large trees in foreground

below: Standing at the edge of “Ascolto” and looking in.

orange megaphone shape, winter stations, art installation, shadow of photographer, seen inside the orange tube

below: “Solair”, by Toronto Metropolitan University Department of Architectural Science – Sunlight and air…  light and wind…. together produce movement and reflections and an ever changing abstracted image.  Each reflective square moves independently from the others.

winter stations art installation, hundreds of little reflective squares that move in wind, reflecting beach and lake and sky

winter stations art installation, hundreds of little reflective squares that move in wind, reflecting beach and lake and sky, up close of the squares

reflections of camera

winter stations art installation, hundreds of little reflective squares that move in wind, reflecting beach and lake and sky , panels on both sides of a lifeguard station chair

winter stations art installation, hundreds of little reflective squares that move in wind, reflecting beach and lake and sky , people looking at

below: “Slice of Sun” by a Portuguese group – Cláudia Franco, Mariam Daudali, and Tom Byrom.  It is a semi-circle within a rectangle.  There are steps inside the curved portion that can be used as seats but just be careful because if it is windy, you might get hit by a blowing strip of pink plastic!

pink plastic strips that blow in the wind, art installation at woodbine beach
slice of sun, an art installation at woodbine beach

art installation at woodbine beach, silver reflective wall

below: Dogma graffiti at one of the lifeguard stations

dogma graffiti, 2 stickers, on pink background dogma graffiti, green mushroom guy

footsteps in the snow leading to a bench by a frozen lake

pebbles of different shapes and colours on the beach

around Wilson station

Posted: March 4, 2025 in construction, locations, public art, transportation
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
3

yellowish vertical cladding, interior wilson subway station, with blue sign with arrow pointing to the left for northbound trains

Wilson subway station, on the University side of  Line 1, opened in 1978 and was the end of the line until Downsview station just to the north opened in 1996.  It is not a thing of beauty.  Concrete.   Austere from the outside.  It’s entrance from under the Allen Expressway is dark, gloomy, and depressing.

below: Northwest entrance to the station, nestled up against the Allen Expressway.

northwest entrance to wilson subway station, right next to the allen expressway

below: Walkway to southwest entrance

southwest entrance to wilson station, sidewalk through grassy area to entrance

That stretch of the subway runs down the median of the Allen Expressway.

 

below: Although the platform has a roof, it is open at the ends and in the winter it is cold.  There are a few of these pod-like waiting areas, circular glass structures with benches for those wanting a tiny reprieve from the wind.

on the platform of wilson subway station, circular pod-like structures made of glass, with benches, waiting areas

below: Inside the station a concrete wall sculpture by Ted Bieler entitled ‘Canyons’

very textural wall sculpture by artist ted bieler, called canyons, inside wilson subway station

two orange cones beside a phone booth against a concrete wall, interior, wilson subway station

What drew me here in the first place ….  To help brighten up the area, some of the concrete, both inside and out, has been covered with murals by Shalak Attack, Bruno Smoky, and Clandestinos,

below: An owl and a woman’s face at the two south entrances.

owl face, mural, around an entrance to Wilson subway station

clandestinos, or shalak attack, mural of a woman's face with butterflies and flowers, surrounding one of the double doors, entrance to wilson subway station

below: There is a lot of street art along Wilson Avenue but most of it is under the Allen Expressway and is not well lit. Some of it is also looking very dirty.

pillars painted with red and blue designs, under the allen expressway and beside wilson subway station

concrete pillar with street art, large brown fingers, people walking towards subway entrance

below: Pink flowers inside the station

part of a mural, inside wilson station, of bright pink flower

 

below: Circular “Kiss ‘n Ride” still exists.

round flat building, wilson kiss and ride, where cars can dropoff and pick up passengers

below: Exit at Wilson Heights

silhouette of man walking down hallway at wilson station, light coming through the door at the end of the passage, exit to wilson heights side of the station

below: Northeast side of the station, along with the Allen Expressway

northeast side of wilson subway station

I took most of these pictures back in the summer but I hadn’t taken the time to blog about what I had seen.  When I drove past Wilson again recently, I noticed that the parking lot on the east side (towards Wilson Heights) is now fenced off.  Now it is a snow covered vacant lot.

below: Parking lot before

bike parked outside wilson subway station

below: … and after. You can still park your bikes here, but no more cars.

vacant lot, snow covered, on the east side of wilson subway station

below: There is a City of Toronto development notice sign on the side of Wilson station.  It looks like the city may be serious about affordable housing at this site.  Apparently this has been in the works for a number of years but faced some opposition form those who wanted to keep the parking lot.   Just shy of 1500 units in six buildings are planned on the site along with community space and a public park.  The percent allotted to affordable housing varies from 35 to 48 percent, depending on the source of the information.

To the west of the station, on the north side of Wilson, is the remains of the Downsview Airport lands.

sign on chainlink fence around downsview airport that says airfield, 24 hour surveillance. it is covered with graffiti stickers,

looking through chainlink fence at old airport property, unused road with deteriorating pavement, buildings in the very distance, lots of grass and sky

below: One of the four winners of the ‘XOXO Downsview, Talking Fences’ competition of 2023, is “Aandi wenjibaayan?” which translates to “Where are you from?”  It was suggested by Lakhvir Sandhar.  The other three winners have their words displayed elsewhere on the Downsview property.

vintage photo taken from low flying airplane of bishop-barker airplane limited,

Photo credit: Toronto Public Library online digital image archive

The south side of Wilson is retail and is now Wilson Village.   It is also where you will find Billy Bishop Way named for Canadian pilot.  It is nowhere near Billy Bishop Airport (that’s WAAAAY south, on the island, or the other one in Owen Sound) but is a nod to Downsview’s history as an airfield and its role in airplane manufacturing.

William Avery Bishop was born in Owen Sound in 1894.  He was a Canadian flying ace during WW1.

toronto street sign for billy bishop way in wilson village, on wilson ave

side of home depot store, parking lot, wilson avenue

below: Looking southeast past the old metal fence that surrounds the parking on the northwest side of Wilson station.  Big box retail on the other side of Wilson, and newer midrise to highrise residential development on the other side of the Allen.

standing in parking lot on west side of wilson station, looking southeast towards allen expressway, retail big box stores on west of allen, new residential highrise on the east side

Very close to the planned “affordable housing” but on the south side of Wilson, there is already a new community being built.


There are many older single family homes to the east, in a quiet neighbourhood squeezed in between Wilson and the 401.

I even discovered an old moose hiding in the bushes!  The “Moose in the City” project goes way back to 2000 when 326 life-sized moose sculptures found homes around the city.  Each one was decorated by a local artist.   I am not sure how many still exist but it can’t be more than a fraction of the original.

Other moose: Scarborough moose near Kennedy and 401, moose at St. Clair and Bayview. Any others?

To the east, Wilson is becoming a canyon of midrise buildings, replacing the older residences, often fourplexes and sixplexes.

The development is more intensive as you get closer to the Allen and the subway line…

… on both the north and south side of Wilson

tiles, interior walls of wilson subway station, design of vertical and horizontal lines in pale yellow on rust coloured background

behind Dundas, near Dufferin

Posted: February 5, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
2

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.

man on bicycle, snow covered alley, vacant lot on left, backs of buildings on right, church at end of alley, St. Annes parish hall, workman arts

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.

partial concrete wall, in an alley, with a row of buildings behind it, construction fence, snow,

below: Behind Dundas West… but not for much longer.

backs of two storey brown brick buildings, metal exterior stairs, doors, snow covered backyards,

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

metal construction fence across the backyards of old brown brick buildings on Dundas West

construction site on Dufferin, just north of Dundas

construction site on Dufferin, just north of Dundas

fence around vacant lot, now construction site at lane and Dufferin, also at Boland Lane

alley view, back of old brick building with three doors on upper level, garage doors and single doors on lower covered in street art,

below: Two big round black eyes

behind 1512 Dundas West, a little mushroom shapred creature with two big black eyes, outlined in pink

below: Street art painting, abstract, by Mony Zakhour

street art mural by Mony Zakhour in alley behind Dundas West on garage door

close up of part of abstract mural by Mony Zakhour

street art mural by Mony Zakhour in alley behind Dundas West on green and yellow door

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.

 

blue door with faded paint and a metal grille in front of it, beside a garage door with graffiti on it including the words Idle no more. Upper storey has an exterior door that goes nowhere

below: A quick look at what else is in Boland Lane

boland lane, looking towards back of dundas west, snow covered graffiti on walls of building on the left

below: “Embrace what makes you unique even if it makes others uncomfortable”

text graffiti that says embrace what makes you unique even if it makes others uncomfortable

below: “Perfection is the enemy of greatness”

text graffiti that says perfection is the enemy of greatness

graffiti on a grey wall, two images, one a woman in purple with blond hair and yellow t shirt and one more abstract, blue naked woman from waist up

old grey wood door in a grey building, with one rusty step, snow on step, graffiti on door and building

Continuing behind Dundas….

below: Layers, old and new as well as  wood, brick, and glass.

graffiti sticker, man's portrait in blue, on a black wall with red face graffiti behind

below: Rooftop decks and terraces above and street art covered garages below including a flaming hot kitty painted by Christina Mazzulla.

garage in laneway with street art murals on side as well as on garage door.

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.

black and white mural on a garage door of at least three wolf-like creatures

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.

end of alley, at Awde street, backs of two storey brick single family homes, with garages. snow, some cars,

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.

garage door with a picture on it titled Casa Nostra, a picture of a man playing a large guitar and a woman standing beside an outdoor table with food on it.

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?)

bright mural in alley

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)

man in laneway walking past a large mural, Three Sisters,

… 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.

First 2025 visit to Graffiti Alley

Posted: January 23, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
3

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.

Graffiti Alley street art paintings, many, including uber 5000 walking dog and singing,

below: Profile portrait by TheHalfDecent

Graffiti Alley street art painting, profile portrait of woman in black and purple, car parked in front of it

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.

pasteup by 33wallflower33, a black and white vintage photo of a woman, cut to oval shape, on a red surface. graffiti alley, a mural by nick sweetman is in the background, a blue bird in flight

below: A collaboration between Nick Sweetman and Shanehuss produced this drippy, melting jaw portrait.

street art mural, calligraphy in grey tones is the background, man's portrait with red skin, purple hat, metal frame glasses, the bottom part of the face is either washing away or melting.

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.

Graffiti Alley street art painting, 2 men wearing caps, King Reign and Son of Soul tribute mural, also a uber5000 little yellow bird with a tea cup in his hand

part of King Reign and Son of Soul tribute mural by Elicser Elliott and Omen 514, with newer abstract mural covering the bottom part

below: Graffiti Alley in the snow.

graffiti alley in the snow

below: Sun of Aquarius (aka Andre Mandela Lopez) painted this naked figure with brown wings and bird mask

in an alley, exterior stairs to upper level balcony in alcove with two sides painted with murals, including one by sun of aquarius

below: A pole covered with knit squares while T-bonez is shushing you.

Graffiti Alley street art painting, on wall, pole in front of wall that is covered with knit squares, also a pasteup of urban ninja squadron, t bonez

below: A pointy nosed, long snouted dog by Mr. Myl, aka Luis Casas, who was originally from Havana Cuba.

mr myl street art painting in graffiti alley, on bright pink background, an orange and yellow dog with log snout and orange teeth, small ears, sitting position

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”.

mr myl street art painting in graffiti alley, on bright pink background, an orange and yellow dog with log snout and orange teeth, small ears, sitting position, beside a portrait of a woman holding a large calla lily, with text

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.

grey car parked in parking lot at end of alley, murals painted on the walls, stickers cover the signs

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!

street art on a wall by stairs, pink panther, uber 5000 yellow bird, tags, also uber 5000 complaints about photographers

below:  Poser bunny in red

street art, red poser bunny

below: He (she?) seems puzzled by the snow?!

a young person with short dark hair, and a yellow t shirt, mural in graffiti alley

below: Is it a man or is it a chicken?  A red headed cigarette smoking, spray painting character by Tuffytats

street art painting 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.

graffiti on a wall, yellow bird from uber5000, red and turquoise character with devil horns and furry hair

graffiti alley in the winter, snowing, some snow on the ground

below: Good Luck!

street art painting, green background, a red apple sitting on 2 books, an arrow runs through the apple

graffiti alley mural, guitar player, red guitar, also an elicser elliott piece of a person wearing a rabbit hat

below: Another 33wallflower33 vintage woman.

graffiti on a wall including woman in bikini by 33 wallflower 33.

below: Chubby purple cheeks gives a thumbs up

street art painting of a large purple monster face

below: Still reaching out and trying to touch someone…..

old telephone booth in graffiti alley

street art mural, asian woman with purple hair tied up on top of her head with glowing lantern

graffiti on a wall including a red heart with J + J written in the middle

skateboard portraits

Posted: January 22, 2025 in general Toronto
Tags: , , , , ,
2

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).  All are screwed onto wooden utility poles.

below: One on natural wood colour and the other in vibrant red.  The sticker says Positive Creations.

two men's portraits painted each on half of a skateboard, attached to a pole in graffiti alley. one is black line drawing on natural wood colour, and the other is very red

two women's portraits on a skateboard. Top one is turquoise and the bottom one is pink

below: A man with a mustache

man's portrait painted on half of a skateboard, attached to a pole in graffiti alley

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.

portraits painted on half skateboards, 3 different men, one in red, one in orange, and one in pink, all on the same pole in graffiti alley, work of positive creations

man's portrait painted on half of a skateboard, in red, shaggy hair, and wearing light blue glasses, attached to a pole in graffiti alley

below: At the bottom, a quizzical look on a pink face.

pink man's portrait painted on half of a skateboard, attached to a pole in graffiti alley

 

Dr. Adams was here

Posted: December 7, 2024 in graffiti and street art, history
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
1

Dr. John Gennings Curtis Adams left a small mark on the city just over a hundred years ago.

a Heritage Toronto plaque on the sidewalk outside an old three storey brick building that is boarded up and covered with graffiti. Plaque tells about Dr. Adams who was a dentist in the late 1800s.

Dr. John G.C. Adams (1839-1922)  Dr. John G.C. Adams is regarded as the father of public health dentistry in Canada.  His Methodist faith inspired him to become Canada’s first resident dental missionary.  He funded and operated the first free dental hospital on the continent in 1872, primarily treating poverty-stricken children and their mothers.  Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children opened three years later and, in 1883, Dr. Adams became its first dentist of record. 
In the building here, Dr. Adams operated Christ’s Mission Hall and Dental Institute from 1897 until 1899 when the City closed it for non-payment of taxes.  A champion of preventative health through education, Dr. Adams advocated for dental check-ups in public schools and dental treatment for underprivileged children.  His recommendations were finally realized in 1911 with the beginning of dental check-ups in Toronto schools.  Canada’s first publicly funded free dental clinic opened two years later.

Although Adams  had a mission here, it was only for a few years and he lost possession because he didn’t pay his taxes.  So I am not sure why the plaque is here (to bolster the heritage designation of the building?).  It’s earlier history is just as interesting, if not more so. Before Adams, it had been a coffee shop run by The Toronto Coffee Association Coffee House – off on a tangent for a moment. the Coffee Houses of the 1880s and 1890s were in response to Prohibition laws and many were run by the Temperance League.   I found a thorough, well-written history of these coffee houses as well as Bay Street at the time at Scenes from Toronto

If you have passed by the intersection of Bay and Elm (just north of Dundas), you may have noticed the building on the southwest corner.  It’s been derelict for quite a few years now.  It has become a small canvas for some graffiti artists; although it gets ‘cleaned up’ every once in awhile, traces remain.  Dr. Adams wouldn’t recognize it… nor would he approve of it!

below: Two faced

bits and pieces of posters that have been put up on boarded up window on abandoned building, layers, including partial faces of two men

an old arched window in a building that is now boarded up, graffiti and posters on the plywood

below: Like a repeating pattern on wallpaper or fabric, columns of men with the same hair cut and facial features.  An army of clones.

graffiti paste up poster, repeating black heads in columns and rows, torn bottom

black ink drawing of a man's face and hand on white, drawn on old posters on a graffiti covered wall

below: Mexican Jesus

on a wall with remnants of posters and graffiti, black drawing portrait of a man with long shaggy hair

below: 33wallflower33

black and white paste up graffiti, grey tones, images of women, by 33 wallflower 33

black and white paste up graffiti, grey tones, images of women, by 33 wallflower 33

graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building at 55 Elm street

abandoned building with windows boarded up, graffiti

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building , someone has written free gaza and someone else has added from hamas

collage made with layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building at 55 Elm street

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building, including a braid and a small heart

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building with graffiti text written across the top that says Jesus is God

This building, 55 Elm, is at the east end of a row of bay & gable houses from the late 1800s.  All of them are empty and boarded up, awaiting the usual fate of such properties in this city.  The image below is a screenshot of the row of houses that was included in the 2021 City of Toronto report (pdf) that designated the row as heritage properties.  The study was prompted by the possible tear down of one of the houses in 2019.  In other words, these have been empty for a long time.

bay and gable houses on elm street, 57 to 71 Elm

  These houses back onto a large parking lot.  The last few photos are a quick look at remains behind.

graffiti on the back of a brick building, pink, large 3 letters,

graffiti text tags on the back of empty houses

exterior stairs at back of house, two storeys, leading to turquoise doors

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

back of building, looking up to rooftop and metal vents, tall skyscraper condos in the background, used to be matagali restaurant, sign still there

more streets and trails….

Posted: December 2, 2024 in history, locations, nature
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
1

A circular walk to explore the Don Mills trail south of York Mills Road… but how to get there…. We decided to start by walking south on Scarsdale Road to Bond Avenue.

Scarsdale is a nondescript street in North York with a few churches, private schools, some light industry, offices, and all in all, a lot of lowrise late 20th century architecture.

below: Don Mills Baptist Church looking very un-church like.

below: Unmarked

below: Once at Bond, the buildings are mostly residential.

below:  There is a walk-through to the neighbourhood behind

below: The old railway bridge over Bond is now part of the Don Mills Trail.  Originally it took 6 years to build (1912 to 1918) the bridge – using six 2-foot-thick beams that span the 15-foot-wide opening, spaced to handle the weight of locomotives and heavily loaded railway cars.

Don Mills trail access point at Bond Ave.,

below: Also under the bridge is an entrance to Bond Park.

looking under a bridge to a parking lot in a park

below: Another entrance to Bond Park, this time from the trail via a hole in the fence.

leaf covered path down a small hill to a hole in a chainlink fence, and a park with seating beside a baseball diamond in the background, lots of trees

below: “Responsible alcohol consumption is allowed in this park”….rules and responsibilities are then listed along with health information about alcohol.

notice about alcohol in parks, and all the rules

autumn colours in the weeds and wildflowers beside a fence

below: A few remnants of its former life.  Once upon a time this multi use path was a spur line for the CNR, the Leaside Spur.  One of its functions was to connect the CNR main line (now also used by GO to Oriole station and beyond) to the CPR line near Eglinton.  The CPR tracks are those that cross Eglinton just east of Leslie and then cross the Thorncliffe trestle bridge over Wilket Creek Park.  The path ends just before the CPR tracks – there is no connection any more.

old rusted railway sign, small trees have grown up around it

below: Abandoned and rusting.  CNR stopped using this spur line in 1999.  The city bought the property ten years later.

old piece of metal, remains of railway switch? or some piece of railway equipment, lying on the ground

below: Crab apples and dead leaves litter the path

autumn leaves and little red crab apples cover the ground

below: Storage in bins and barrels, on the other side of the fence.

two old blue barrels, behind a fence, lots of undergrowth and weeds too

below: Left behind

discarded pair of boots, and some clothing, left on metal girders stored beside a railway track
stacks of rusty metal girders beside a railway track

below: The north end of the Don Mills Trail runs beside the live CNR line.  Not much of a view is it?  No trains passed by.  Very quiet.

looking northward up the CNR railway tracks from a hole in the fence by the DOn Mills trail.

old white barrels, behind a fence, weeds and small bushes growing up around them

below: Many, many large satelite dishes (and many small ones too).  I was feeling like a spy as I tried to take pictures through the fence… but I didn’t see any surveillance cameras…

satelite dishes behind a fence

below: Approaching York Mills Road

looking north up don mills trail towards york mills road, where there is a bridge over the railway tracks, a large pair of billboards on a tall pillar, dead leaves beside path, shrubs and weeds along the fence

below: The north end of the trail runs beside the bridge York Mills over the railway tracks (on the right in this picture).  From here there is an access road to Scarsdale on the south side of York Mills, or an exit through to Longos Plaza on the north side.

below: Have a seat!

below: Rogers has a large property on the east side of the CNR tracks and has access to this area.

With thanks to my mother for walking with me – she didn’t hesitate to climb through holes in the fence!  She also doesn’t like this picture, but it’s the better of the two that I took that morning!

Bonus section! Just in case you are interested in what’s on Scarsdale Road….

below: Colonel C.O. Dalton CSO and Colonel H.E. Dalton CSO Armoury

sign in front of building,

below: Greek Orthodox Education in Ontario – Metamorphosis Greek Orthodox School.

flags on flagpole, Canadian and GReek, in front of Greek Orthodox Education building

below: Korean Presbyterian Church

side view of front of Toronto Korean Presbyterian church, large roof over entrance, small white steeple, light grey brick building.

 

 

from a few alleys north of the Danforth

Posted: August 25, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, windows and walls
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

cracks in the pavement,
weeds, shrubs, trees and other green things,
windows and walls, stairs and balconies,
infill housing and new structures, rooflines,
old textures and rusty hinges,
colours, graffiti, and peeling paint.
solitude

These are a few of the photos that I took as I walked alleys and lanes north of the Danforth, shown in no particular order.

Starting with, Hey Gwan!

behind a store on the Danforth, a green compost garbage bin and a pile of 6 concrete blocks

rusty hinge on a gate in an alley

old Mercury Grand Marquis car from the early 1990s, pale yellow, parked in alley beside yellow garage

view from lane to back of red brick house, wood fence and two garages in the foreground

weeds growing in the cracks of the pavement in an alley, sewer grate too,

blue sky with a few clouds, a hydro pole with a street light on top, many wires attached to it, also a no parking sign

at the end of an alley, blue car parked behind red wood garage, houses on street facing the lane

looking down a lane towards a 2 storey house with green upper storey, row of garage, midrise brick apartment building in the background

three red chairs, outside, by a black wall with white drawing that is either angel wings or eyes,

infill housing, new residence, in alley

rear of store, 2 storeys, alley view, stairs to upper level, small balcony, wood pallets stacked beside stairs, back of billboard on the roof, pink graffiti on wall on right side, also vine growing up that wall

wood gates and greenery, behind houses, view from the alley

graffiti stickers on pole including a large eye with a pink tear drop and text that says boys don't cry....much Also a black and white sticker with crying cat and words kirby, zaku

large trees in a backyard, alley view

two black cars parked behind a building, by alley

alley view, open garage door, kids toys outside

a Tims coffee cup and a box of Heineken beer bottles, on the ground, against a wall with a mural, a pair of bare legs standing on rocks in the water

window in wall with street art that has been tagged over

exterior metal stairs run diagonally in front of a window made of glass tiles

alley view, metal exterior stairs, window in red brick building, old brick smokestack, balconies on upper level, archway over lane to exit to street

a very small window in a garage clad in fake brick shingles,

in an alley, view of back of houses, different depth of buildings, wood fence, cement block garage with red door, balcony with bright green railing,

teal coloured garage door with eyes spray painted on it

garages in alley

painting of a blur bird on pink and yellow background, on a concrete garage in alley

red brick wall with white spray paint question marks and some words written in white or black

red shovel leaning agains a concrete wall with blue graffiti

jumble of wire shapes in a gap in the fence

a laneway with wood fences, large trees, and a couple of garages

drawing with black marker on electrical boxes on outside of a building

laneway view, exterior metal stairs, garages with graffiti, trees,

text above street art says percy watters

concrete wall with street art, patched over parts of it with grey concrete

green vine growing in front of street art on garage door

paper paste -up graffiti in alley

walking River Street, mostly

Posted: August 20, 2024 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
3

Nigel smith sign, multi coloured, with text wish you were here

The general plan was to walk River Street.   River Street runs parallel to the Don River (makes sense!) on the west side with the north end of the street just above of Gerrard.   Transit on River Street is limited (is there any?) so I started the walk at Broadview and Gerrard, just to the east of River Street.

below:  At the corner of Broadview and Gerrard is the Roman Coliseum mural that was painted in 2016 as part of ‘Around the World in East Chinatown’.  It was one of seven murals and all of them were featured in a blog post back when they were new (seven new murals, August 2016)

intersection of Broadview and Gerrard, south side, with Boba Boy on one corner and A and W on the other, street car wires overhead, street art on the walls, image of roman coliseum

gerrard, at broadview, southwest side, bus shelter, brick building with street art on it

below: Chinatown East mural by ACK crew, bacon, wunder, tensoe 2, and cruz1, on Gerrard east of Broadview.  Chinatown East is generally Gerrard east of Broadview, but we’re going to walk west today and leave Chinatown for another day.

chinese style gate on gerrard, as entrance to Chinatown East, mural with Chinese theme in the background

below: A long vacant lot on Gerrard.

fence around vacant lot beside a brick house, no trespassing sign on fence

below: Munro Street, south of Gerrard

Munro street, at Gerrard, houses, brick, trees, street scene

below: On the north side is the site of the old Don Jail and its Governor’s House.

many yellow flowers in the garden in front of the Governor's House, with plaque in the garden

Governor’s House,1888, From 1888 until 1968, this was the residence of the Don Jail’s governor (chief administrator).  Until this house was finished, the governor lived in an apartment in the central administration block of the jail.  Designed by architect Mancel Wilmot, this house features a shallow pitched roof with a front-facing gable and double-height bay window that are typical of Toronto’s late 19th century residential architecture.

below: Bridgepoint and the old Don Jail with the red brick steeple of  St. Johns Presbyterian church on Broadview in the distance.  Bridgepoint Health Hospital was built on the site of the old Riverdale Hospital which in turn replaced an older building.  The original House of Refuge was built in 1860.  The Don Jail has been repurposed as part of the hospital complex.

bridgepoint hospital, with old don jail in the background

below: Looking north from the bridge at Gerrard towards the green pedestrian bridge that connects the two sections of Riverdale Park.  Beyond that is the Bloor Viaduct.

view looking north from gerrard street bridge, railway tracks, don river, view to bloor street and beyond

below: Northwest view

very tall hydro electricity transmission tower beside bike path and railway tracks, high rise buildings in the background

below: View from the Gerrard St Bridge (over the Don River and DVP).   Looking southwest.  The tall brown buildings are at River Street.

photo taken while on gerrard street bridge over the Don river, looking southwest towards many highrise apartment buildings

below: Miniature racer, art on a pole by Joseph Lammirato.

miniature black car, toy, mounted on orange board, and attached to utility pole

… and another!  You’ll find lots more on his Instagram page (@joseph.lammirato)

below: Flower Power happiness

sunflower with a happy face, pasteup on canada post mailbox

below: The north end of River Street (north of Gerrard)is showing signs that redevelopment is in the works.

old brick houses with for lease signs in the front yard

old brick two storey houses with front porches on river street, empty, boarded up with plywood waiting for demolition

graffiti tags on plywood used to board up windows and doors on empty old houses

below: If you are driving north on River Street, chances are you are headed down the hill to the Bayview Extension.  The alternative route is a small street that swings left and joins up with Spruce Street.

small houses on Spruce Street, including one that is painted blue, with white gingerbread trim under the eaves, also a modern house in black

below: It also leads to access to Riverdale Park. – there’s that green pedestrian bridge again.  From here you can see Broadview Avenue on the other side of the ravine.

view of Riverdale park with green pedestrian bridge over the DVP and Don River
orange tiger lilies in bloom along a chainlink fence beside a path near River street and spruce street

below: Back to River Street, and let’s head south.

River street street sign, with a no left turn sign under it

below: St. Sava, Serbian Orthodox Church.

St. Sava, Serbian Orthodox Church at Gerrard and River, with tall apartment buildings behind

below: Walking past some of the older Regent Park brick buildings that still remain.   The intersection of Gerrard and River streets marks the northeast corner of the original 1940s and 1950s Regent Park development.

regent park, southwest corner of gerrard and river streets

ivy covered exterior walls of Regent Park apartments,

About 20 years ago, redevelopment of the area began.  The work was divided into five phases.  Phases 1 and 2 have been completed while the third phase is either close to completion or has just been finished.  There is a lot of information online so you should be able to find many more details if you want.  I didn’t feel like going down that rabbit hole!

contrast of old Regent Park residences with newer developments

couple walking a dog on River near Oak street, with three high rises in the background

below: I was surprised at how much variety there was in the housing that I saw.

a row of three storey houses on river street, bay and gable style,

cornwall street row houses, with highrise behind

looking down a private road at a townhouse development

below:  Queen City Vinegar Co. Ltd. factory built in 1908 and converted into lofts (residential) in 2008.

entrance to building, door with stone lintal and decorations

wood railing on a porch, old paint, white, brick house,

blue and white development notice on behind a bent railing on a boarded up building

below: Stalled development (Dare I say arrested development?)  According to the development notice sign, the original file dates from 2017.  Even by Toronto standards that is slow!

red hoardings around vacant construction site

below: Behind the red hoardings is just a vacant lot.  Nothing seems to be happening here.  When I said arrested I was not implying anything criminal…..

vacant lot on river street, buildings already demolished, stalled redevelopment

below: Of course the CN Tower can be seen here too!  This is the view along Shuter Street.

looking west on Shuter street from River street, with cn tower in the distance

cyclist on bike, traveling south on river at dundas, row of houses in the background

below: Dundas, looking west towards River Street with tables in front of Bevy Coffee. The slightly darker brick building was the Adam Beck Box Factory where cigar boxes were once made.  Like the Queen Vinegar Company mentioned above, this building has been converted into lofts (Tannery Lofts, mis-named as this wasn’t a tannery! But it does sound sexier than Box Lofts!).

dundas east approaching river, looking west, bevy coffee shop on the right side, with picnic tables on the sidewalk outside

below: Similar location, but from the parking lot and alley behind – brick building is the Tannery Lofts

back of buildings on river, large condos, lowrise brick old warehouse, back of car dealership on dundas

below: 1930s view of Beck’s cigar box factory

black and white photo from the 1930s of Adam Beck cigar box factory, three storey brick building with cars parked in front

below: Monsters ready to box

mural on large door at back of building on dundas east, blob like monsters in different colours, all wearing white boxing gloves, large white eyes and scowling faces
behind hoardings, boarded up house with graffiti sign by Nigel Smith that says untitled

below: River Variety is no more.

old river variety store, in a ine of rowhouses, boarded up and hoardings in front

below: No more gyros or poutine here.

empty buildings behind green construction fence, boarded up and waiting to be demolished, river street

empty buildings behind green construction fence, boarded up and waiting to be demolished, river street

below: At Mark Street, more old and new

mark street approaching river street, side of red brick house, with new condo in the background

an alley, with lots of greenery from trees and shrubs, back of red building,

below: Every child matters

on a red wood garage wall, in blue spray paint, text that says every child matters, on god

old sign for monarch elevators, in an alley, with lots of shadows, graffiti on wall too

garage in alley, white concrete block with grey metal door

below: West side of River Street, at Queen

River Street, west side at Queen,

below: Old photo from 1914, working on the Queen Street bridge over the Don River, looking westward towards River Street.   The light coloured bank building is still on the southwest corner (see above photo).  The red brick structure on the northwest corner is also still standing, although an additional storey has been added to it.

old black and white photo of men working on the queen street bridge over the don river

photo credit: City of Toronto Archives

below: Looking north on River Street from King.  South from here River becomes Lower River.

view looking north on river street, from king street

below: Part of the mural on the side of Toronto Humane Society (Queen & River) painted by Uber5000

from a mural by uber 5000, an image of a large white and grey dog, tongue hanging out of mouth, happy face,

below: Parked in the bike lane.

blue car parked in the bike lane on river street

Note: River Street is serviced by TTC bus route 121 that runs between Gerrard (just west of Broadview), then down River to Queen before heading west to the Esplanade and Union Station.

 

Older Entries
Newer Entries