Posts Tagged ‘hoardings’

Ontario Line – north end of Pape

Posted: June 22, 2025 in construction, locations, stores, transportation
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On a hillside along the Don Valley Parkway (DVP), there is a large construction project underway.  This is where the new Ontario Line subway will go underground after crossing the DVP by bridge.

construction site at north end of Pape, on hill overlooking Don Valley Parkway, workman leaning on fence, new entrance to Ontario Line being built here

From this angle it’s difficult to see the work that has been done on the north side of the DVP but the ground has been cleared for construction of the support pillars for the large bridge that will take the LRT from Don Mills Road to this point at the top of Pape.

looking across the DVP from north of Pape

It has altered the quiet East York neighbourhood at the north end of Pape.

sidewalk closed, cross left, new stop sign, at Minton Ave., make way for Ontario Line construction

top of Pape Ave., now a construction site

houses, red brick, two storey, on one side of the street, hoardings for construction on the other side

Ontario Line construction has also affected Pape Avenue.  Here at Cosburn, a long stretch of what used to be stores and restaurants are now behind plywood hoardings.   The main entrance to the station will be on the northwest corner of Pape and Cosburn.  The final decision on the look of the station is not yet made (according to the Metrolinx website) but at least some of the renderings show that Infrastructure Ontario is involved and maybe the site will include other uses such as housing or offices.

an older woman pushes her shopping under a passageway alonside plywood construction hoardings. Tops of old buildings about to be demolished can be seen on top

Demolition has started but it looks like this project is going to take a while.   The subway is going to run just west of Pape, under these buildings.  Construction will kill (has killed?) street life but traffic shouldn’t be affected as much.  Someone somewhere made that decision.

demolition of an old building, behind green hoardings

woman with a cane and pulling a shopping cart, walks past a construction site with green hoardings

below:  Some of the buildings from the back side, behind the plywood

back of buildings, alley view, empty and waiting for demolition, ontario line work, on pape,

 

big crane, construction site, apartment buildings in the background

below: There is a large Coca-Cola advert on the side of the building that is about to be demolished.
coca cola ghost sign on the side of a building about to be demolished

utility pole wrapped with pape village sign in red, beside plywood hoardings, mcdonalds in the background

below: Bethany Baptist Church

bethany baptist church on pape ave

looking west on cosburn at pape, construction of new subway station

looking west on cosburn at pape, construction of new subway station, with two red benches in the foreground

three young men sitting outside a coffee shop on pape avenue

payday loans, signs all over building on pape
below: There are little semi circular “ears” at the top of this building.  I doubt that they had a function but along with the 3-D pattern across the top of the building, it adds a little bit of interest to the street scene.

row of brick stores on pape including 1000 variety

below: Cat and dog at Floyd … while the crossing guard takes a break.

intersection of Pape and Flloyd, with cutout images of cat and dog high up on the brick wall of the nearest building, crossing guard is sitting on the bench

mural on the side of El Greco restaurant, a woman drinking a large mug of coffee

street art mural of an ancient Asian warrior

ghost sign on brick wall, auto mechanic ad,

large red vinyl arm chair with old fashioned hair dryer

Back in November 2024, I posted some photos of the changes around Pape station (at Danforth).  I ended that post just north of Danforth with the comment, “There is another station under construction at Cosburn, a few more blocks north but that’s for another day.”  I guess that you could say that now is that day.

below: The top sticker is for the Lemon Bucket Orchestra and on the bottom it’s something about Kirby and Zaku and if you are into such things you might understand the reference.

graffiti stickers on a pole, including one for the Lemon Bucket Orchestra

graffiti stickers, catchoo and trp613

College to Elm

Posted: December 9, 2024 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, public art, stores, windows and walls
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…. A short distance but with a lot happening.

An early morning walk with a weak winter sun low in the sky.  Tall buildings that cast shadows, or reflect light.  Patterns of light and shadow.

below: Crossing Yonge from Carlton to College

people crossing intersection of college and yonge, walking westward, towards TTC streetcar that is heading east, in front of College Park, with old red brick building on the north side of college street

below: North on Yonge.  The facade above Shoppers remains.  “….has design value and technological merit as a representative of the 1950s Toronto School of ‘Picturesque Modernism’ in its expressive use of concrete seen in the cantilevered canopy and decorative piercings of the concrete screen for the above-ground parking, in the ‘egg-crate’ elevations designed to reduce solar gain, and in the predominant white aesthetic of glazed white brick and concrete surfaces.” (form City of Toronto report on heritage inclusion)

below: Rising above Yonge and College

tall new condo tower above older red brick building on northwest corner of Yonge and college

below: Looking north, up the canyon that Yonge has become.  The very tall building that is obviously under construction in the distance is at Yonge and Bloor.

looking north on Yonge, from College, towards two very tall condo developments at Yonge and Bloor, shadows because of buildings, blue sky, not much traffic

below:  Empty, boarded up and waiting its turn. Southeast corner of College & Yonge.  I have vague memories of a candy store on this corner although I think that there were a number of businesses that passed through here.

brick building with rounded edge at front, now empty, southeast corner of Yonge and College, construction at street level in front of building

below: The east half of Yonge street in front of College Park is now a construction zone.  An additional entrance on the east side of Yonge along with more elevator service between street and track levels, is being built for College subway station.  Are there any streets in the downtown area that don’t have partial closures for construction?

small construction site on yonge street, taking up space on the street, in front of College Park shops

below: Sunspots, reflected light on the side of College Park

construction equipment

below: More emptiness, more waiting.

metal grille gate covering window of a store or restaurant that is now closed, old doordash sign in the window

below: Granby and McGill are two streets that run parallel to College but don’t actually meet Yonge Street, pedestrians only here

person walking through pedestrian zone between yonge street and sheard street at the end of mcgill

below: Looking back at Yonge Street from the same spot.  When the area was pedestrianized back in the 1980s, the city purchased added the arch.  The arch came from St. Andrews United Church at Bloor and Park Road (not on this site, moved here).  The mural on the wall, right hand side …

old stone arch remains, on yonge street near Sheard and McGill streets

… is The ‘History of Music on Yonge’ mural that covers two large walls on the same building.  This is the south side of that building.   It was painted by Adrian Hayles and features music legends who played in Toronto in the 1950s and 1960s.

History of Music on Yonge mural, south side,

Brown Derby tavern and Steeles tavern part of mural

part of History of Music mural by Adrian Hayles, group of male singers in black shirts, white ties, and black stripe on white suits

On the north side of building, the mural shows Ronnie Hawkins, Glenn Gould, Dianne Brooks, Jackie Shane, Muddy Waters, Shirley Matthews, B.B. King, Gordon Lightfoot, and Oscar Peterson.

history of music on yonge mural by Adrian Hayles, north side, Massey Hall, Gordon Lightfoot, B.B. King, piano player, tall, vertical mural

part of a mural by Adrian Hayles, piano player with multicoloured keyboard

below: Behind Yonge street, between Granby and McGill (Joseph Sheard parkette)

Joseph Sheard park in Toronto, old brick house, with many tall trees, some new condos

new condo towers downtown

below: Looking north up Yonge from Granby

looking north on yonge from granby, just south of college

below: Aura

looking south on yonge by ikea store and fusettes restaurant

below: People on a corner… To the woman in the brown coat – A penny for your thoughts (Does anyone use that expression anymore?)

two women holding bright green coffee cups, talking to each other, man in background crossing the street,

below: The southeast corner of Yonge and Gerrard is still a construction site….

redevelopment of building on southeast corner of yonge and gerrard, old facade being saved

below: …. but now it is on its way up!

redevelopment of building on southeast corner of yonge and gerrard, old facade being saved

below:  On the northeast corner, also Yonge and Gerrard is an older building that is still standing… for now.  An almost obscene 76 storeys with 828 residences.  No car parking; parking for 828 bikes only.   May I recommend the elevator repair business as a career prospect for those who are looking for ideas?  Also, we could have quite the discussion about bikes and bike lanes……

blue and white city of toronto development notice sign

 

man talking on his phone, walks under covered scaffolding, beside hoardings with painted diagonal stripes in yellow and blue

people walking on sidewalk, approaching covered scaffolding at construction site

looking through scaffolding, to west side of yonge, older 1800s buildings with mansour roofs, H and R block, cotti coffee,

yonge street, motorbike parked outside cotti coffee

below: Looking south on Yonge from Elm

street scene, looking south on yonge from elm, towards yonge dundas square, now called sankofa square

upper levels of buildings on west side of yonge, just north of dundas, includingmcdonalds,

below: The Zanzibar Tavern glows in the morning light

view from Elm street, looking north at Yonge, zanzibar strip club glows in the morning sun, condo redevelopment on the northwest corner of yonge and elm

below: Hoardings around the construction site on the northwest corner of Yonge and Elm

artwork titled Homecomings on the hoardings at construction site, northeast corner of elm and yonge,

below: Orange! Even more construction on Yonge, this time the southwest corner of Yonge and Elm

elm street, south side, looking east, at yonge

below: No more pizzas here.

damaged exterior wall on now abandoned pizza pizza restaurant, orange and yellow ties on point, some missing

below: Looking west on Elm

person walking on sidewalk on elm street, walking west from yonge

below:  A quick stop at the Cong Caphe.  That’s an iced coconut coffee!!

bouquet of flowers on a coffee shop table along with a cinnamon bun and an iced coffee drink

 

intersections – Queen and Spadina

Posted: November 20, 2024 in construction, history, old buildings, people, public art
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Subtitle: More Ontario Line mess

 

at corner of Spadina and Richmond, traffic light, with two Spadina street signs on it including old fashion district sign,

below:  Spadina and Richmond…. A giant thimble (by Stephen Cruise) sits on a stack of buttons.  Behind it, a building is shrouded in blue netting.

a couple walks a dog past sculpture at Richmond and Spadina that is a giant thimble on top of a stack of buttons

below:  Blue, blue, my world is blue… walking north on Spadina under blue netting that protects the sidewalk from work being done on the southwest corner of Queen and Spadina.  The whole block between Richmond and Queen is under wraps.  This is a future subway station with the imaginative name of Queen-Spadina.

people walking on sidewalk that is covered with scaffolding and blue netting to protect from a construction site, queen and spadina, ontario line construction

below: Southwest corner of Queen and Spadina

TTC streetcar on Queen, waits at red light at Spadina, people on the corner, tall building behind, pink signs advertising ontario line.

below: A look at what’s happening behind the hoardings….

Metrolinx construction site, hole in the ground, with hoardings, and shored up, some equipment,

below: Mcdonalds on the northwest corner is unaffected by the changes around it.

people waiting for green light, one man has a brown paper bag in his hand, mcdonalds at queen and spadina is in the background

below:  Looking south on Spadina with a good view of the southeast corner of the intersection with Queen West.

looking south on Spadina towards southeast corner of Spadina and Queen, tree, traffic,

below: There is a lot happening in the northeast quadrant, all by Metrolinx.   the yellow framework that protects and stabilizes a facade is becoming a common sight in Toronto.

below: In case you can’t remember what was on that corner, this is a photo taken back when they were laying streetcar tracks in 1912.  Most recently there was a CIBC bank on the corner.

black and white photo from 1912 of brick building on the northeast corner of Queen and Spadina.

Photo taken from WIkipedia Commons, in public domain. Originally from City of Toronto Archives.

below: A couple of the old houses/stores on Queen beside the old brick building seem remarkably unchanged since 1912.   (As a light grey car partially blocks the pedestrian crossing at the intersection).

a white car partially blocks the intersection as it goes southbound on spadina, pedestrians have to go around it while crossing on their green light. northeast corner of queen and spadina in the background

close up of an older brick building that has been gutted, but facade is being retained for redevelopment into metrolinx, ttc, subway station entrance

a woman wearing headphones walks past a construction site, on Spadina, other people on sidewalk crossing at traffic lights

graffiti on black hoardings, line drawing on bright green, picasso style, of a woman

below: The 510 streetcars are not running during this construction.

below:  But because the buses are too wide for the streetcar lanes, the middle of Spadina is very quiet… so I can stand here and take pictures.

standing in streetcar lanes, looking south on spadina, towards queen,

below: It also means that the replacement buses are now running… and competing with cars for a limited space.

a young man in blue winter jacket and baseball cap, walking on sidewalk past an orange sign saying pedestrian detour, and an arrow pointing right

below: Painting over the graffiti

below: Just north of Queen, there is a large vacant lot on Spadina.  So large you can see through to Cameron Street.

below: Cameron House and other houses on Cameron Street and beyond.

two young men on bikes wait at a red light, on Queen West at Spadina

stickers on crossing button at intersection, urban ninja squadron and feelings boi

people waiting on the southwest corner of padina and queen, waiting for their green light, pink hoardings for metrolinx construction behind them

looking out the window of a TTC spadina bus, looking at people waiting at bus stop, tall condos behind them, some reflections

clearing the words

Posted: April 4, 2024 in graffiti and street art, locations
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Back in January I blogged about some graffiti that looked like signs, i.e. they just had text on them (The word about town). A couple of the signs that we had seen were hidden behind shrubs and weeds that started to overgrow the site.  The other day I was passing by the old houses where those signs were posted and noticed that someone had cleaned the site up.

Also, the artist responsible for these signs is Nigel Smith.

blue plywood hoardings with signs on them, large house behind the hoardings with balcony on upper level

graffiti signs by Nigel Smith, with words that say Hiding in plain sight

graffiti signs by Nigel Smith, with words that say true to form

hoardings with signs on them, blue painted plywood, snow on roof of abandoned house,

graffiti signs by Nigel Smith, with words that say money is no object

graffiti signs by Nigel Smith, with words that say can't happen here

view above the hoardings, abandoned house, upper level, old white balcony, brick house, satelite dish, brick chimney,

graffiti signs by Nigel Smith, with words that say blood in the water

The “graffiti” signs look as legitimate as the owner/developer’s signs.

sign that says keep out private property under video surveillance has had orange spray paint sprayed on it

Four houses on Woodbine plus a house on Buller to be demolished to make way for a 4 storey building with 67 units.  Shock – didn’t Doug Ford just say that 4 storeys makes a Tower!  A hated tower that nobody wants?  Does he have any idea how many 4 storey residential units there are in this city?  And how many more are in the process of being developed?

city of toronto notice of development in front of a row of empty houses with blue hoardings in front, sidewalk, a couple of trees,

Right across the street from this site are quite a few buildings (residential) that are 4 storeys high. This is only a small part – they have been there for years now.

row of four storey residential buildings on woodbine avenue

It’s a mess!

Posted: January 27, 2024 in construction, intersections
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Queen Street is now closed to all traffic from just east of Bay Street to Yonge Street and again between Yonge and Victoria Streets…. for about four and a half years (any bets on 5 years? or more?).  The new Ontario Line subway is being built here.  There will be 4 stops along Queen –  Moss Park which is between Sherbourne and Parliament, then Yonge, Osgoode, and finally a stop at Spadina & Queen before the line heads south to King Street and then the Exhibition.

Because of the existing infrastructure in the area there wasn’t much room for construction, hence the takeover of the street. 501 Queen streetcars and buses are diverting along Richmond and Adelaide streets.

It all makes for a complicated mess for pedestrians.

below: The first warning sign of changes ahead, a little orange sign that says that the sidewalk on the north side of Queen Street is closed between Victoria and Yonge.

street scene, Queen St. East in front of Metropolitan United Church,looking west towards Victoria Street.

below: Queen and Victoria, looking west towards the construction

Queen Street East at Victoria. Street to the west towards Yonge street is closed, green and metal fence blocking traffic and pedestrians, construction site for new Ontario Line subway

below: Looking south on Victoria from Queen

looking south on Victoria Street, west side,from Queen, winter, some snow on ground, green fence blocking off Queen street for construction of ontario line subway

below: Ontario Line hoardings.

two people walking on sidewalk on Queen Street between Victoria and Yonge, fabric hoardings advertising construction of the Ontario line subway on their right

looking through metal construction fence, workmen on a construction site talking to each other

below: Northeast corner of Yonge & Queen

below: Looking east from Yonge

below: Westward view past concrete barriers and wobbly green and metal fencing

below: Crossing Queen Street

below: From the Eaton Centre looking east past Yonge Street.

below: Entrance to the Queen subway station

hoardings create a path across Queen street to provide access to Queen street subway station

below: A break in the construction zone for pedestrians.

hoardings create a path across Queen street to provide access to Eaton Centre

below: Barricade across the sidewalk on the south side, by the Eaton Centre

below: Queen Street is closed in front of Old City Hall

tower of old city hall with road construction in front of it

from Harbord to Dundas via Kensington

Posted: January 18, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, locations, reflections, stores
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…. or thereabouts.

It started with a stop that was earlier than planned.    I was on my way to meet a friend in Kensington but that morning my walk started closer to Harbord because the 510 car wasn’t going anywhere.  An incident on a streetcar involving the police means the whole route gets backed up.

streetcars stopped on Spadina, police car with lights flashing stopped beside the one in front

below: This building on the west side of Spadina (372/374 Spadina) has languished for a few years.  It falls within the Harbord Village HCD (Historic Community District) and there may have been a change of ownership.

large old houses on Spadina near harbord

below:   I tried researching the present status of the property but I came up empty. There is a building permit in the window but there are no signs of work being done.

old large brick house with front porch, building permit in window

below: My fellow TTC travellers and I walked the curve in Spadina.

people walking on the sidewalk, walking past large old brick houses

below: At the south end of the curve is Lord Lansdowne School which was built in 1960/1961 to replace an older school nearby and to accommodate the post-war population growth in the city.  The main part of the school is a nine-sided circular building with 18 tapered steel pylons radiating outward like flying buttresses.  The roof consists of folded concrete plates,

part of exterior of lord lansdowne school

below: A big chunk of anorthosite sits in the schoolyard.   Some of the rocks brought back from the moon are anorthosites.  But this isn’t a moon rock!  This type of rock isn’t found in many places in North America but there is some to the north of the city in the Canadian Shield region.  It is composed predominantly of feldspar.  It is an igneous rock which means that it was formed from the cooling and solidification of molten rock (such as lava).

large grey rock in a schoolyard with a plaque on it describing the rock

Plaque: “This basic igneous rock was found at a depth f 12 feet during the course of excavation for this school.  The composition is a very rare type and is  assumed to have been carried here from Caribou Lake north of Parry Sound by a glacier during the Great Ice Age approximately 12,000 years ago. “

below: Every Child Matters on the schoolyard fence

orange ties on fence to spell words every child matters

below: Also on the fence, parent and child walking hand in hand past the playground.

painted cutouts on a chainlink fence around lord lansdowne school, a mother and child holding hands

below: Intersection of Spadina and College, looking south.

intersection of college and spadina, looking south on spadina

below: A small disc mounted on a concrete pole – a tribute to Saul Gwartzman by Rocky Zenyck.  Gwartzmans Art Supply store is still on Spadina Ave.

circular brass piece, mounted on utility pole, a face in the middle of it, with words marked on it

Engraved in around the face on the disc, “We remember. Saul Gwartzman. Born on Spadina Avenue above the store where he supported artists in Toronto for decades, 1936-2019”

below: Walking on Spadina, south of College.

spadina, south of college, west side of the street, Smoke and Variety store, El Macombo tavern, people on sidewalk winter time, no leaves on trees,

below: Canadian souvenirs are unavailable at the moment!

store front on spadina, closed, with canada flags on door,
stores and buildings on the east side of Spadina, old brick buildings,

below: Dragons on the wall, Oxford Street.

dragon mural on red brick building

below: One of the Kensington poles with a globe at the top.  Another site in limbo – the hoardings are still around the lot on the southwest corner of  Baldwin and Spadina.  I wrote about them in Dec 2020 (post: a long time lingering) and they were old then.

Spadina Ave, pole for entrance to Kensington, with globe on the top

There were not many other people walking around Kensington that morning, we were a bit early for that.  Even without people, it is a neighbourhood that is full of colours and full of life.  Parts of it are run down and grubby but that rarely stops a photographer!  The next photos are a random sample of what we saw that day.

below: Looking west on Baldwin.  The king is on the wall.

looking west on Baldwin, yellow wall with painting of man with crown on head, on the side of one of the buildings

below: Kids for sale!

items in the window of a kensington cheese store, an old picture of queen elizabeth with words eat more queso, a piece of wood shaped like a goat with words kids for sale

below: Mice in the cheese store window.  There’s Mickey Mouse and the little brown mouse, Jerry, from another cartoon series as well as some not so famous rodents.

items in a cheese store window, toy mice, mickey mouse, flags of Greece, Serbia, and Singapore

below: Uncle Vintage at the other end.  The mural on the right is “When Math Meets Art”

looking down an alley in kensington, view of Uncle Vintage clothing at the end, murals on both sides of the alley

below: From a different angle. It was painted by Sasha Q (aka Oleksandra Stepanenko)

mural in blues and greys with title Math Meets Art on old brick building in Kensington

 

below: Mural of a blue crab by Nick Sweetman,

blue crab mural by nick sweetman

below: Look Mom Paint!

large words painted on the side of a building that say look mom paint

below: Three old black and white photos of Kensington scenes in the window of the Peruvian food store,

three old black and white photos of Kensington area in the window of a Peruvian store,

below: A bright and cheerful red daisy keeping an eye on things.

street art in a small corner on Baldwin Ave in kensington

below: “And then the streets became my notepad – GOD”

written in large black letters on a pinkish salmon coloured brick wall, and then the streets became my notepad, god

below: More hoardings and the consequent graffiti covering them.

below: It’s difficult to see, but some of the words written on the hoardings are “It’s hard but ur strong”.

below: Mark has left his mark.

a man with a walker walks past a white wall with a large purple painting of the name Mark in capital letters

below: The backside of Moonbean Coffee as seen from the alley behind.  Little faces in Paradise.

graffiti and street art on upper back part of moonbean coffee as seen from the alley behind

below: Yummy!  Mini Boston Cream Bombs on display in the window.

boston cream bomb donuts in the window of a donut store

below: Not so yummy?!

looking in the window of a fruit and vegetable store, large green squash and a pile of oranges beside the window

below: Pigeon fanciers, this one’s for you. It seems there were some takers.  Sorry, but I didn’t follow up with the research on this one so I am not sure what happens if you call!

poster on a wall with a street art face painted on it, poster is looking for pigeon fanciers to interview

below: Union Jack either faded to pink, or in trans colours?

hand painted union jack on a fence but the red has faded to pink

below: Super Serve on Dundas, across the street from People Hair Salon.

below:  It looks like Rowell Soder mural although he rarely paints the eyes – the mushroom top should give you a hint as to what this store sells.

below: I like yellow rubber duckies but I doubt that I would wear this many at once!

below: You grow girl!

below: She leans left.

below: Little yellow bald guys as well as some words written on a wall; they are Leonard Cohen lyrics.

“From Leonard Cohen Book of Mercy, …I heard my soul singing behind a leaf, plucked the leaf, but then I heard it singing behind a veil. I tore the veil, but then I heard it singing behind a wall. I broke the wall, and I heard my soul singing against me. I built up the wall, mended the curtain, but I could not put back the leaf. I held it in my hand and I heard my soul singing mightily against me. This is what it’s like to study without a friend.”

below: Mirror, mirror, on the wall..  A Sigil is a sign in magic or witchcraft or similar.

below: Mannequins in feathers….

below: … and mannequins in hats

a Kensington laneway

rusty white metal gate at the end of a walk in front of a blue house painted with white gingerbread trim

below: The mural on the left features a white egg with a large open mouth.  The text above it says, “Feed Eggs”.   Any ideas?

alley in Kensington, looking towards turquoise building, Courage my Love vintage clothing store

below: It’s Dick Dastardly and his dog Muttley

mural in alley, Dastardly and his dog muttley, cartoon characters

below: A mandolin player by SashaQ and a Phillip Saunders portrait in blue.

murals in a kensington alley, in the front is a mandolin olayer, then a portrait in blue.

 

below: Leftovers from both Halloween and Christmas

outside a house in Kensington, both halloween and christmas decorations, snowman

below: An eclectic collection of posters and notices cover a restaurant window… pictures of food as well as posters for  young Asian musicians.

signs and posters in the window of a chinese restaurant on spadina

below: Fight Your Demons

written on a wall in black paint, fight your demons

below: South on Spadina

spadina, looking south,

below: Spadina and Dundas

With many thanks to Merle for walking with me on that grey day!  We enjoyed wandering around the street and alleys and discovering what Kensington has to offer.  It was fun to have someone helping to find all the little bits and pieces that often get overlooked.   Here we found a party, or at least the remains of one.   All those little coloured blobs are actually shiny words that say “party”.   I hope that it was a good party!

woman wearing pink hat taking a picture with her phone of confetti on the sidewalk that is bits of shiny paper spelling the word party

Merle has a blog too where she meets and interviews interesting seniors (or seniors who are doing interesting things), Super Bubbies!  I forgot to ask her how old one needs to be a Bubbie and am I old enough?!!!  If you are interested in the photos that she took on this walk or you’re curious as to what makes aa Super Bubbie, check out Super Bubbies!  I find it fascinating how different people can walk the same route and come away with quite a different recollection of the walk.

Keep exploring!  Keep being super!

Sherlock Holmes hangs out behind the library

Posted: December 22, 2023 in graffiti and street art, public art
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Behind the Toronto Reference Library that is…..

The passage between Asquith and Church streets has been renamed Sherlock Holmes Walk and it now  features a large mural honoring the fictional detective first brought to life by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

hoardings, decrated with panels with sherlock holmes theme, painted by various artists. title sections,

“I am a brain Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix”, section by Bernice Lum

The mural was developed in partnership with the TTC,  the City of Toronto’s StreetARToronto (StART) program, the Toronto Public Library (TPL) and the Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection.  It differs from most street art in that the panels were produced elsewhere.   They also have a shiny finish on them so there are many reflections.

 

pathway behind library, with hoardings on right side, painted with images with sherlock holmes theme

The hoardings surround a construction site for the TTC’s Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvements Project. The site will be home to a future fan building to enhance air circulation at the newly renovated station.

below: The Palace of Westminster (England’s parliament buildings) as Sherlock’s “Mind Palace”, an image created by EGR.  Other London scenes can be found in the background.

EGR image for Sherlock Holmes mural, Holmes with Westminster Palace in London as the top part of his head

below: A younger Sherlock Holmes playing with toy soldiers and toy dinosaurs, Jeff Blackburn

boy in blue pith helmet lying onthe grass playing with toy dinosaurs, painting in a mural by jeff blackburn

below: A collection of images from Heidi Berton,

mural by Heidi Berton, Sherlock Holmes related images

part of a long wall of hoardings around TTC property, at left is mural by Heidi Berton, Sherlock Holmes related images

part of a larger mural, fountain pen lying on white piece of paper, words written, ink blots on paper and table

below: Niiwin Binesi (Four Birds) – Brent Hardisty

part of a mural about sherlock homes, a section by indigenous artist,


A group of StART artists provided artwork for the mural – I haven’t been able to match all the artists to the sections (and I missed a panel or two?) As well as the artists named above, the following were also involved in this project:  Artists: Adrian Hayles, Annwin Arts, Fatspatrol, Brian Jiang,  Jasmin Pannu, Keitha Keeshig Tobias, Megan Oldhues, Melika Saeeda, Poser.

below: An image that makes me think of  “The Hound of the Baskervilles” novel.

 

from the Distillery to Nathan Phillips

Posted: July 9, 2023 in alleys, construction, locations, old buildings, public art
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My previous post was about wandering around the Distillery District which by the way is 20 years old now.  Back in 2003 it was surrounded by a part of the city that seemed to have been forgotten.    In 2015 the PanAm games were held in Toronto.  Athletes Village, i.e. housing for the athletes competing in the games was built new in what was now being called the West Don Lands.  After the games, this housing was converted to “746 market-priced condos, 41 market-priced town homes, 250 affordable-rent apartments, 257 student dormitory units for George Brown College, office and retail units, and a YMCA recreation centre.” (Wikipedia)   Development in the area continues on all sides of the Distillery.

below: Southside view of the new development on Mill Street (east of Cherry).

new condo development on Mill street, corktown,

below: Northeast corner of Mill and Cherry. Part of this complex is a new Anishnawbe health centre.

northeast corner of Cherry and Mill, new development, Anishnawabhe medical center, other buildings,

below: Eastbound on Eastern Avenue at Trinity Street

eastern ave eastbound approaching trinity street, construction signs, building being built, cranes, traffic,

below: Fire hydrant in a field of chicory, vacant lot surrounded by a fence.

yellow fire hydrant in the weeds and wild flowers at vacant lot downtown, highrises in the background

below: Down and out.   Grounded.  Election signs left over from the recent by-election for mayor.

signs on the ground, election signs for mayor by election

below: A large section of land at Parliament and Front that will become the site of Corktown station on the new Ontario Line is surrounded by hoardings.  From here the line goes northwest to a new Moss Park station at Queen & Sherbourne –  or it goes southeast to the existing railway tracks by the Lakeshore where it surfaces before a new station, East Harbour, at the foot of Broadview ( south of Eastern).

pink signs on hoardings around construction site for Ontario Line

men on a red lift, construction site

below: Nicholson Lane

looking down Nicholson Lane,

below: There is a new mural on the St. Lawrence Community Recreation Centre painted by Darwin Peters from Pikangikum First Nation..

exterior of St. Lawrence Community Centre, painted with new mural, first nations theme

below: On the Esplanade

man on sidewalk, walking past park,

below: Photography exhibit along the Esplanade, “Mashkiki” by Morningstar Quill about life in Pikangikum First Nation.   This photo shows a group of young women making ribbon skirts.

black and white painting of a group of young women sewing, sewing machine, table, in a park, part of Mashkiki project

below:  The exhibit was produced with the support of Jamii, a non-profit arts organization.

colour photo of people in two canoes, paddling on a lake, on display in a park,

below: For those hot summer days when we’re all looking for a bit of relief!

sidewalk metal box that has been painted to look like a box that dispenses or sells ice

below: Post more Bills

graffiti on a TTC bus stop pole, that says post more bills, with a rough drawing of a person

a young woman walks her dog

below: Working on the new north market building, St. Lawrence Market.

workmen on the roof of the new North tower of St. Lawrence market

below: Looking westward from Front and George streets.

view of Toronto skyline from Front and Jarvis

people at intersection of Front and Jarvis, waiting for light,

below: Lower Sherbourne

northeast corner of lower sherbourne and front streets, construction site

below: McVeighs Irish pub in an old building that is now surrounded by new developments, Richmond and Church.

mcveighs irish pub in an old building at Richmond and church, now surrounded by new development

two workmen sit beside mcveighs pub, on the small patio,

below: The steeple of St James Cathedral peaks through the gap.

The green weathered copper roof of St. James Cathedral steeple can be seen in the gap between two newer low rise buildings, one of which has a platform of window cleaners on it

below: This is “Afrophilia”, an installation at the Toronto Sculpture Garden by Frantz Brent-Harris, a Jamaican artist now based in Toronto.

In the sculpture garden on King St., a line of red heads on poles, title of installation is Afrophilia.

below: A closer look at two of the heads.

two of the red heads in Afrophilia, a sculpture installation in outdoor space

below: Crossing King Street.

on King Street, decorated curbs at streetcar stops, pedestrians crossing King St., a TTC streetcar

below: Queen Street East

street scene, Queen St. East downtown Toronto, construction, Canadian flags ,pedestrians, tall buildings,

below: The present state of the northeast corner of Queen and Church (60 Queen St. East).  Before becoming a placeholder for yet another condo development, it was a Shawarma’s King restaurant. That old yellow building may be living out its final days – since 2018 a very tall (54 to 57 storeys) building has been proposed for this site.   The original proposal had the usual blah glass and steel at street level as shown on the condo website (queenchurch.com) but in November 2020 the existing building (and a couple of nearby buildings on Church St) was added to Toronto’s Heritage Register.

large yellow building with a turret at the corner of Queen and Sherbourne streets, now with large glass and steel condo buildings behind it.

condo development at Queen and church streets in Toronto

 

below: Queen Street is now closed at Church Street for work on the new Ontario Line subway.  Rumour says that it will be closed 4 (5?) years.  Yes, years.  The subway will run under Queen Street and connect to the Yonge line at Queen and the University line at Osgoode.

two workmen at blocked Queen Street at church, Ontario Line metrolinx construction

below: Peering over the fence?

sculpture of men in circle with backs together, at Church and Queen, now beside fence and hoardings for Queen street closure

below: Looking west along Queen Street towards Yonge (behind the hoardings).

Queen Street closure, looking towards Yonge street

below: Trying to look west along Queen at Yonge.

Looking west on Queen from Yonge, construction site, Queen street closure, glass tunnel over the street, road closed signs,

below: The glass roof of the Eaton Centre is also being renovated and updated.  Scaffolding now dominates the upper level of the mall.

scaffolding and large adverts inside the eaton centre

below: More Queen Street closed…  the closure runs as far west as Bay Street and Old City Hall.

old city hall, Queen Street, with construction fence in front, for road work, and subway work

below: Feeding the pigeons at Nathan Phillips square.

woman sitting on grass and feeding pigeons while she smokes a cigarette

below: Group shot!  A school group visiting City Hall.

large school group getting photo taken by Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips, 3D sign, group shot,

below: Constructing a rainbow heart

man wth green hair delivering flowers to be made into a heart shaped decoration, by water at Nathan Phillips square

below: …. which became an attraction before it was finished

a man taking a picture of his wife standing beside a partially finished heart made of rainbow coloured flowers, nathan phillips square,

below: Empty planters.  Ugliness on Queen Street, right in front of Nathan Phillips Square and City Hall.  Neglectful.  Toronto can build it but Toronto can’t maintain it.

large, low, concrete planters along Queen street, with dirt in them but no flowers or plants,

below: Mayor Gao for mayor!  I don’t think that this was a serious candidate?!  But then again, there were 101 people on the ballot in that by-election so maybe he was…..

hand written sign posted in front of city hall

intersections – Yonge & Bloor

Posted: July 16, 2022 in intersections
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below: Looking west on Bloor towards Yonge. The pink flags fly in front of Holt Renfrew.  One Bloor East with it’s curvy vertical lines and 76 storeys dominates the sky.  The blue structure is the top of ‘The One’ at 1 Bloor West – It may be short now but it won’t be for long.   There will be 82 storeys once it’s completed (maybe in 2023?)

looking west on Bloor towards Yonge, front of Holt Renfrew Store, new tall building at 1 Bloor East

an older man with thinning grey hair walks on sidewalk, Bloor Street, towards Yonge, and scaffolding over sidewalk because of construction

A few minutes at Yonge and Bloor in mid-July

a young woman with long hair holds a cup of coffee as she walks on sidewalk under protective covering beside construction at Yonge and Bloor

below: Hoardings on the south side of Bloor Street

hoardings and scaffolding, and some people walking by, on south side of Bloor close to Yonge

below: Construction.  Blank whiteness on The One as it slowly rises.

Construction of The One at Yonge & Bloor, one Bloor West

below: Hanging Ukrainian flags on the southwest corner of Yonge and Bloor.

southwest corner of Yonge & Bloor, woman hanging Ukrainian flags on scaffolding holding up sidewalk protection around construction site, an older man is crossing street in electric wheelchair with the help of a woman in blue

below: South side of the intersection.  At least the facade of the older buildings on Yonge Street are being preserved.

south side of intersection of Yonge & Bloor, people waiting for traffic lights, some cars, older buildings being saved during redevlopment of the area

below: Looking south on Yonge from Bloor.

looking south on Yonge from Bloor, construction on west side, new building on east

Ukrainian flags for sale, other signs re war in Ukraine, on corner of Yonge & Bloor

below: Looking east on Bloor from just west of Yonge Street.  Rising 88 feet above the sidewalk is the metallic ‘Safe Hands’ sculpture by Ron Arad.

looking west on Bloor at Yonge

below: Anti-Putin protest, northeast corner

Canada Post box on sidewalk, a community bulletin board full of posters and papers, a protest sign in blue and yellow that says kill Putin, he murders kids.

below: Waiting for a green light, northwest corner (more construction!)

4 people waiting for traffic light to turn green, on sidewalk by construction hoardings at northwest corner of Yonge & Bloor

Bloor street street sign in front of building under construction,

Another circular route

Posted: May 15, 2022 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, intersections, old buildings
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From the West Don Lands, across Eastern, north on Broadview and then back west on Queen Street East to Parliament and the Distillery District.

below: Saved! Demolition of the old foundry building near the Distillery District.  More on this story in a previous post from almost exactly a year ago.  Also a paste up by 33wallflower33 of a well dressed woman throwing out Doug Ford’s head and paraphernalia such as beer can with “buck a beer” in it.

poster on plywood, saved the foundry, also wallflower33 graffiti of well dressed woman scattering pieces of paper that say bye bye to Doug Ford

below: Signs of celebration on the fence around what ostensibly will be Eastern Avenue Affordable Housing (i.e. We’ll wait and see…)

bottom right: “Here’s why people are rallying to protect this Toronto heritage site from demolition.  The provincial government has paused demolition of the Foundry site in the West Don Lands after an outcry in Toronto” From Toronto NOW.
bottom left: “Province starts demolition of heritage buildings in West Don Lands despite community backlash. Tearing buildings down ‘outrageous’ councillor says.” CBC News

.

below: A simple statement; a red paper heart tied to a tree.

below: Not all of it was saved… but at least they didn’t tear the whole thing down as originally planned…..

back side of old foundry building that was partially demolished

below: Ukraine symbol on a boarded up window

yellow and blue ukraine symbol painted on boarded up window of red brick building

below: Smack! Urban Ninja Squadron paste-up along with a musical sketchrat.

paper paste up urban ninja squadron graffiti on plywood

below: The house with the two green cubes is still standing.  Truth at the base.

house with two green cube shapes on point

below: A painted pillar in Underpass Park, with the pedestrian ramp up to Eastern Ave in background

painted concrete pillar in Underpass park of a woman with purple lips, city in the background - sidewalk ramp up to Queen Street, condo

below: A row of large rocks

a row of large rocks in front of a new condo, black, with other new condo, white with concrete first floor, in the background

below: The underside of the roof over the entrance to the condo is very reflective. It ‘mirrors’ the reflective ceiling of Underpass Park next door to it.

reflections of a street scene in a reflective ceiling, exterior, over the entrance to a building

below: View from, looking east over Corktown Common,  the south end of the Don River, as well as the ramp from the Gardiner Expressway to the Don Valley Parkway.

view from south side of Eastern Ave looking east over Don River, ramp from Gardiner to DVP, many tall hydro transmission towers

below: Eastern Ave and the DVP.  Looking east.

old water tower on top of newer residential development, street sign pointing to ramp from Eastern Ave to Don Valley parkway northbound

car dealership at Eastern Ave and Don Valley Parkway

below: Garfield the Cat just lying around

on a white wall, a painting of Garfield the cat lying down with sunglasses and purple polka dot shorts on

below: Northeast corner of Broadview and Eastern.

a small hyundai dealership, now empty, at the end of a row of empty and boarded up houses on Broadview

below: A row of old houses on Broadview still stand empty.  It’s been years now since anyone has lived in them.

row of old brick rowhouses that have been empty for a while, construction fence in the front

below: Just a bit north, at Queen Street East, another boarded up building.  But this one is now in the middle of an active construction site.

back of an empty building on Queen East, construction site, large green dumpster

below: In an alley behind Queen Street East.

text throw up street art on a garage door, with construction site behind

below: A new view of Queen Street East has been opened up with the demolition of some of the buildings on the south side.

view northwest

below: Northeast corner of Broadview and Queen East, once the home of Dangerous Dan’s.

northeast corner of Queen and Broadview, three storey brick building, Pizza Nova on the corner,

below: Danger due to hole.  On Queen East.  The pyramid shaped roof is part of the Broadview Hotel at Queen and Broadview.

looking east on Queen East towards Broadview and Broadview Hotel, construction on the south side

below: More danger….  watch out for spooky skeletons!

danger due to sign that has been altered to say danger due to spooky skeletons

below: Riverside Common, a new public space on Queen Street East.

Riverside common, a new public space on Queen East

below: Looking back across the Don River from the bridge at Queen Street East.

view across Don River in early spring, just north of Queen Street

below: Passing southbound under Queen Street East.

looking north from bridge on Queen East over the Don River, train car on tracks, cyclists on bike path, river, and traffic on DVP

below: Looking north up Lower Bayview from Queen Street East

looking north up Lower Bayview from Queen Street bridge, 3 black cars, new condo being built, train tracks

below: From almost the same vantage point as the photo above, but looking more west than north.

looking northwest from Queen East bridge over the Don River, view of old brick brewery by River Street (now residences), and newer highrises beyond

below: An Uber5000 yellow birdie on the wall of the Toronto Humane Society at Queen and River.

an uber 5000 yellow birdie on a mural

2 posters on a utility pole, Lost

a painting of the madonna, Mary, in blue robes, with gold halo, and red heart in chest gold light rays coming from red heart, painting on a wall

below: Painting of two fencers where the red wine seems to be winning.

mural of two fencers, one with a glass of red wine in their hand

below: Where Eastern Avenue meets Front Street, looking west towards downtown.   The old brick building is now Toronto Police Services  Division 51 headquaters.  In a previous phase of its life it was Consumers Gas Station A, designed by Bond & Smith and built in 1898.   Beyond Parliament Street and in the background is the blue Globe and Mail building.

where Eastern Ave meets Front Street, old historic brick building with new glass commercial building behind

below: The Porsche dealership on the northwest corner of Front and Parliament is now empty.

Now empty, the porsche dealership at Parliament and Front, large shiny silver curved surface on upper levels, window with red coverings on the ground floor.

below: The southwest corner of Front and Parliament is entirely surrounded by plywood hoardings.

plywood hoardings covering the southwest corner of Front Street and Parliament Street, some posters on the plywood, skyline in the background

below: Another 33wallflower33 paste-up. This time she’s pinning Putin’s head to the ground.

33wallflower33 pasteup on plywood, woman in vintage clothing with umbrella stick holding Putin's head to the ground

below: And back to the Distillery District – and the new construction that is taking place at Front and Trinity, just north of the historic buildings.

construction near the distillery district

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