Posts Tagged ‘houses’

from Amsterdam to Skopje…

Posted: November 24, 2025 in locations, public art, reflections, stores
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and a few places in between.

 

young people crossing o'connor drive, at intersection, with a metal box on the corner painted with a large female portrait

Amsterdam and Skopje refer to two streets that intersect with O’Connor Drive in the northeast corner of East York, Amsterdam Avenue and Skopje Gate.   There is also a Wakunda Place but the spelling is different from Wakanda, the fictional country that was created of Marvel Comics.

Every neighbourhood has a story to tell, even if it’s just the story of a quiet life in their own corner of the city.  There are many similar threads that run through the many narratives of Toronto neighbourhoods – the ethnic stores and restaurants, the redevelopment of older buildings into new housing, quiet side streets.  There’s probably a mix of residential styles – single family homes, rowhouses, older apartment buildings, and newer glass and steel condos where people are trying to live as best they can.   It is a scene repeated over and over again.  Parts are fascinating, parts are dull and lacklustre.  There will always be utility poles and wires and garbage bins in the way.    Maybe there will be an alley or two to explore – with old abandoned cars, basketball hoops, and graffiti left behind by jilted lovers or angry young men.   There’s probably a vacant lot where a building has been demolished – or perhaps it hasn’t been demolished yet but it’s just sitting there taking up space and looking sadder and sadder with time.

Just because there are many similarities doesn’t make it less interesting.  Here are a few images from “between Amsterdam and Skopje”.

old welcome banner is falling off the wall, glass wall, with bright red above it

single family homes on a tree lined street

upper two storeys of a line of rowhouses, each slightly different, brick

upper level, back of stores on O'Connor, white brick strip mall, square white chimneys

blue metal xonstruction fence in front of an empty building with parking lot in front of it

parking lot and abandoned buildings waiting to be demolished

faded picture on exterior wall, overflowing cup of coffee or tea on bottom of foot that is upside down, wearing white sock

mailbox at number 1519, beside an image of a woman lying on her back

markings on a sidewalk in pink and red


large yellow arrows on the pavement in a parking lot

backyard garden with overhead vines

bright orange leaves on a tree in front of an apartment building

brick residence, fall colours outside

window of Jesse's filipino foods restaurant

reflections in the window of an audio equipment store

looking in the window of Shakira Beauty Academy, with some reflections of trees and cars outside

halloween decoration, life sized skeleton sitting on a chair on a balcony

two metal boxes on sidewalk painted with street art

Not every neighbourhood has a large bowling pin (as public art). Backstory – the condo that this pin sits in front of was built on the site of the old O’Connor Bowling Lanes (1951-206).

very large white bowling pin sitting in the middle of a large raised garden, as art

Of all the similarities that this neighbourhood shares with others in the city, not many of the others can claim to have a cookie outlet….

entrance to Peek freans cookie outlet, one car parked in front, mostly glass front to the building

And even more unique,  it’s also the home of the Peek Freans Biscuit factory.  There was a lovely sweet vanilla-ish smell in the air the day that I walked around.  Peek Freans has a long history in England dating back to the 1850s.  In 1949 they established their first bakery in Canada, here on O’Connor Drive.

entrance to peek freans cookie factory, a yellow brick building

Although the company has changed hands numerous times since then, the East York factory still produces cookies (and other items such as Oreos and Wheat Thins) for Mondelez Canada.

looking across O'Connor Drive towards Peek Freans cookie factory

Back in 1953 when this photo was taken there wasn’t much else around!

black and white photo of Peek Freans cookie factory in 1950s, on O'Connor drive, not much else is around it ,

source: City of Toronto Archives, fonds 1128, series 380, item 39

.

tops of storage silo towers at peek frean cookie factory

below: A couple of the metal boxes painted by D. Drew.

orange painting on a metal bell box, car parked behind it, boarded up business in the background with for sale sign on it, painted by D. Drew

forest sunset scene painted on a metal sidewalk box

man walking dog on sidewalk, past fall coloured trees

orange traffic cones stored in pink container

clear bottle with yellow liquid, partially full, sitting on a yellow concrete wall

side wall of a white brick building

looking in a window with flat rectangular ceiling lights, reflections of hydro pole and lines outside

balcony wth black railing on a grey brick building, blue sky with a cloud, transformer on hydro pole, with some wires

row houses on the corner of O'Connor Drive and Skopje Gate

After I wrote this blog post I asked google for a list of streets in Toronto named after American cities.  I got this answer: “Toronto has a number of streets named after American cities, such as Chicago Street, Dallas Street, and Milwaukee Avenue. These streets often have historical connections or reflect the city’s relationships with other North American metropolises.”  I had never heard of these streets in Toronto!  Maybe I missed something.

My next move was to look for Chicago Street in Google maps.  “There is no street named “Chicago Street” in Toronto” was the answer.  I also struck out looking for Dallas Street (which is when Google tried to direct me to Yonge Street).  The answer when I searched for Milwaukee Street was the best of all – “There is no “Milwaukee Street” in Toronto; however, there is a street called Ossington Street, often mentioned in lists of the city’s coolest streets, and a retail store named The Milwaukee Road located at Yorkdale Mall).   The next time you walk down Ossington, you can think of Milwaukee!

 

Captain Hawley and others

Posted: September 12, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, stores
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below: This lane was recently named for William Hawley, a retired Toronto firefighter and Leslieville resident.

sign for Captain Hawley lane, with new third and fourth floor additions to a building in the background

Captain Hawley lane runs north from Eastern towards Queen St East.  It is west of Leslie Street.  There are a few other little alleys in the vicinity all of which seem to be unnamed.  This blog post shows some of the things seen in these alleys as well as on the major streets around them, Queen, Leslie, and Eastern.

below: Elicser Elliott’s Leslieville mural still looks great at Queen & Jones.

young man crossing Queen Street near Leslieville mural, and beside a TTC streetcar

Leslieville mural

below: “Community” by Candace Bell on Queen East

painting on sidewalk traffic box, in front of store, on Queen Street East

below: Who is the photographer?

a camera is set up on a tripod, on the sidewalk outside a cafe, man sitting on chair nearby, another man sitting too

workman in hard hat and work boots, spray painting a line on the pavement, street,

below: Stores on Queen East.

stores on Queen Street east

below: Northeast corner of Larchmount and Queen East.

intersection of Larchmount and Queen Street East , northeast corner

queen street east, north side

below: Photo taken on a day when gas was $1.43 a litre, albeit full service which you don’t find everywhere these days.

sun gas services station on queen street east

below: An afternoon break on a patio.

woman on patio of duke tavern, red building with mural on the side, white umbrellas,

below: Waiting to get into the Duke, Men’s Entrance

mural, line up of men wanting to enter the duke tavern, men's entrance, plus a boy sitting on the steps outside

mural, line up of men wanting to enter the duke tavern

below: Leslie and Queen East south side,

glass of bus shelter, with Leslie St sign on it, people walking on sidewalk, front of Shish restaurant on Queen Street, construction on southeast corner of Leslie and Queen in the background

below: Construction on the east side of Leslie – one of countless large holes in the ground.

workmen talking, construction site, Leslie street at Memory Lane

below: Houses on Leslie, south of Memory Lane.

houses, Leslie Street and Memory Lane,

below: A house with a bright turquoise front door and another that is now taller and skinnier.

row of houses on leslie street, one has a bright turquoise front door and the one beside it has had a third storey added to it

below: 27 Leslie Street

small blue building at 27 Leslie Street

below:  Non-believers on top – “No Truth to it!” over “Jesus saith unto him…. “.

Note on pole that says, but someone ha written over it, no truth to this

toronto street sign for eastern avenue, on a pole covered with vine and ivy

below: On Eastern, the AMCO gas station is now closed because of a recent fire.

gas station on Eastern ave, scene of a recent fire

men boarding up burned out gas station
AMCO gas station on Eastern ave, scene of a recent fire, with backs of houses beside it

below: “Navalny” and “Text” by Nigel Smith

text street art by Nigel Smith, on old office building, two signs, one says text and the other says Navalny

below: There is still a large vacant lot on the south side of Eastern Avenue (with views towards the Port Lands)

temporary building structures on a large vacant lot
no trespassing sign on fence surrounding a large vacant lot on Eastern Avenue

… and now the laneway scenes …..

below: Starting with the now  ubiquitous laneway garden suite

new infill house development in a lane

low burlap barrier draped across an alley, repairs being made to the concrete and pavement behind the barrier

a large billboard on Eastern avenue, with advert for second cup coffee shop, summer drinks

below: These  houses  with the square-ish shapes at the back are disappearing as more and more home owners renovate and/or expand upwards.  Brick is no longer the cladding of choice (and hasn’t been for a long time).

back of house, alley view, square red brick two storey house, one window, wood fence

alley views, back of two semi detached houses, that share a chimney, one green siding and one one white siding

white camper of RV parked behind house, goldenrod weeds growing by the back door.

back of house, alley view, painted wood fence, lots of trees

vines growing on overhead wires, over a lane, with garages along the sides of the alley

back of house, alley view, wood fence, white sun umbrella, grey cover on barbecue

back of house, alley view, white house, white van parked behind, green wood fence

backyard alley view, back of newly renovated house, expanded, fence down at back, bags of yard waste

backyard alley views, old tire, trash bins, rooftop terrace with umbrella

small red car parked in a lane, line of garages, tall trees,

backyard alley view, overgrown grass and shrubs, hard to see the house, chainlink fence and gate

backyard alley view, lots of stuff, including a shopping cart full of basketballs and soccer balls, chairs, sheets and clothes hanging from a yellow rope clothes line

chainlink fence, old painted wood, rusty metal, latch, gate in an alley

red gate in an alley, with black line drawing on it, locked, latch,

old plywood on a fence, once painted red, now faded to slightly orange red, with dirt splotches and worn areas, texture, pattern, abstract

 

a little bit of Sherbourne in the sun

Posted: September 3, 2025 in construction, graffiti and street art, old buildings, public art, transportation
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a little bit of Church Street, on the run…..

And of course, a lot of in-between too.  A bit of a random walk south from Bloor on Sherbourne, Jarvis, and Church.  A zigzagging walk through four neighbourhoods.

  But first, coffee!  De Mello Coffee on Bloor has mirrors under their counter and it makes for some strange scenes.

 

inside a coffee shop, de mello coffee, counter has mirror below so that reflections of backs of people sitting are seen from the waist down

below: In the lobby of Postmedia Place on Bloor Street there is this sculpture – three people reading newspapers.

statue, sculpture, in post-media news building lobby, a group of 3 people reading, 2 sharing a bench, and one boy lying on the ground.

below: I found not one, but two, anser faces of unknown vintage in an alley just west of Sherbourne

anser graffiti face drawn in black on a white wall in an alley

graffiti artist anser, blue line drawing of a face on a green garage door

below: Upper Jarvis was neighbourhood number one that day.   The north end of Jarvis Street is at Charles Street; here Jarvis splits into Ted Rogers Way (old Jarvis Street) and Mt. Pleasant.

city of toronto street sign for bloor street east, with header of upper jarvis

below: Looking south along Mt. Pleasant immediately south of Bloor. If you can see the covered pedestrian walkway over the street in this picture, that is where Mt. Pleasant turns slightly left and becomes Jarvis Street.

jarvis street, south of bloor, looking south

below: Ishkozi Park is a small green space on Huntley (actually on the grounds of Rogers Toronto headquarters).  The benches have been recently painted, but the large sculpture in the center has been there a while.  The walking lady in the sculpture may look familiar and you may be thinking to yourself, “Where have I seen her before?”.  The stainless steel sculpture is a giant tree and is titled ‘Red, Orange and Green’ and it was created by artist Michael Snow. …. Have you figured out why she looks familiar? … She was first spotted back in the early 1960s…..

ishkozi park on huntley street, with large metal sculpture, and rainbow painted benches

 

The neighbourhoods along Sherbourne and south of Bloor are other rapidly changing areas of the city. On the west, many older homes still exist but they are empty and obviously waiting demolition (or inclusion into a large condo development?).

below: Once they were a few family homes, now they are a number of smaller apartments.   Interesting brickwork.

set of 3 rowhouses, red brick, bay and gable, with taller apartment buildings and condos behind them

two older large red brick residences near Bloor and Sherbourne, three storeys each, with large newer glass and steel condo behind

below: Another ubiquitous development notice sign – this time to inform us of a very large two tower development that involves three streets, Huntley, Linden, and Selby.  Portions of some of the older houses would be kept and the towers would be behind them.  I did not do a complete research on the planning application (21 227527 STE 13 OZ) but it seems like city council didn’t like many parts of the initial proposal back in 2021/2022.  I do not know what it’s status is now.

older white two storey house, with development notice sign on the front lawn

older brick residences on a side street near Jarvis and Bloor, with large Rogers headquarters building behind

 

below: On the east side of Sherbourne, it is Howard Street that is torn up. This is the west side of St. James Town.

workman at a construction site

hoardings around a construction site at Howard & Sherbourne, design by Sarah Klawiter, abstract shapes that look a bit like a city scene, with trees and grass, as drawn by a child

below: A cheeseburger with a sesame seed bun!

bell on the handle bar of a bike, shaped like a cheeseburger with a sesame seed bun

below: Someone’s heart is in heaven, but Lisa and Jerry 4-Ever!

wood park bench with graffiti, words that say my heart is in heaven, also Lisa and Jerry 4 ever

below: Jarvis & Gloucester/Earl northwest corner.  Some black, some white, and lots of grey.

apartment buildings and new highrise glass and steel condos, looking north on Jarvis, west side of the street, at Gloucester

below: Fancy brick work, rounded windows, and a turret!

older brick building with fancy brick work, rounded windows, and a turret

old lamp posts by a brick building

bay windows and stone work above the entrance to the Earl, a low rise apartment building

below: Church Wellesley village, neighbourhood number two.

street sign for Wood st., with header of Church Wellesley village in rainbow stripes, old Maple Leaf Gardens in the background

below: Once upon a time it was Maple Leaf Gardens, home to the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team (1931-1999). Now it houses a Loblaws grocery store and TMU athletic facilities (Mattamy Athletic Centre). Northwest corner of Church and Carlton

old Maple Leaf Gardens on the northwest corner of Church and Carlton, now part Loblaws store and TMU athletic facilities

Church street side of old Maple Leaf Gardens, art deco brick work

a man sits in a TTC streetcar in downtown Toronto as another streetcar passes it, going in the opposite direction

below: Lots of pink on Maitland Street.

old houses on Maitland street, now stores and businesses, one is painted bright pink with a turquoise door

below: Garden of Lost Boys – dedicated to the memory of friends and neighbours lost to the AIDS epidemic.

small statue in a garden, surrounded by flowers and flowering shrubs
metal circles for locking bikes to, painted in rd, orange, and yellow, in front of a store with a window display that says love sholdn't be bottled up

below: Hot tub macrame!!  Finally, a use for those plant hangers that you (or your mother) might have – that you probably made back in the 1980s.  If you don’t have such a thing, you can find this one in a store on Church Street.

grey plant pot in a macrame holder, with three naked Ken dolls sitting inside it

metal fence in front of store window painted in rainbow colours, reflections in the glass

convenience store, lower level, steps down to it, on church street, with rainbow canadian flag, ad of lott max lottery, ups store ad,

part of a mural by Barbara Hall park, a young person with a long rainbow banner

below (also above): Tribute to Sarah Hegazi, written in 2020.  “To my siblings: I tried to survive and failed, forgive me. To my friends: the experience was harsh & I was too weak to resist it, forgive me. To the world: you were cruel to a great extent, but I forgive.”  Hegazi was an Egyptian writer and LGBTQ activist who was arrested and tortured in Cairo for waving a rainbow banner. She found asylum in Canada in 2018 but died by suicide in Toronto two years later.

mural in Barbara Hall Park, tribute to Sarah Hegazi, large black and white portrait, with text, rainbow painted benches in front, park

below: Patchwork teddy bear graffiti sticker by artsbyabe

graffiti sticker, patchwork teddy bear with a black eye, in the background, a rainbow coloured crosswalk

two men walk past Soy Boys massage on church street
sidewalk traffic box painted in blues and purples with large text that says It's all about drag

below: At the end of the rainbow you will find O’Gradys – in on of the few half houses that exist in the city.

O'Gradys tavern on Church street, with rainbow crosswalk in front of it

man in blue hard hat a construction site on church street

construction site with digger in the middle of an intersection, church street

policeman directing traffic in front of a ttc bus, a man on an electric scooter,

below: On a school wall – a door with rainbow stripes and hearts along with Honesty (Gwekwaadziwin) and Wisdom (Newaakaawin)

doorway of a school with rainbow stripes and hearts, and some words in indigenous language

below: Gerrard Street East and the Garden District,… now we are at number three.

city of toronto steeet sign for Grrard St East, with header that says Garden District

below: … but wait, Gerrard Street East in McGill Granby Village?  The difference of course is that one is on the west side of Church and the other is on the east.  Neighbourhood number four.

city of toronto steeet sign for Grrard St East, with header of McGill Granby Village

below: By the time we get to Queen Street, we are in Old Town Toronto, Historic Queen Street and Neighbourhood number 5.

Old town toronto city street sign for historic queen district, queen street east
top of a TTC streetcar at church and queen

below: The round turret of that yellow building still remains. The green scaffolding keeps the facade stable while new development occurs around it.  Some of you may be old enough to remember it as a Thriftys Sports Shop.   The last business to occupy the space before demolition was Shawarma’s King.

two streetcars going in opposite directions about to pass each other at corner of church and queen, a man on a scooter is also in the intersection
black and white photo of a couple standing on a street corner while a TTC streetcar passes them, both are wearing hats, she is looking for something in her bag and he is watching her

below:  Church street just north of King.  Fenced off and closed to traffic.

beside construction zone, workman waiting for group of people to pass before letting a dump truck pass through gate

person walking a small black dog on sidewalk beside construction zone at king and church

west side of St. James cathedral on Church Street, construction machinery on the street, were pavement has been removed

below: The intersection of Church and King, looking towards the southeast corner.

looking southeast at the corner of king and church streets, workmen on the road, pavement removed, closed to traffic,

below: Still King and Church but a slightly different angle

at king and church, construction fence, on west side of church, looking at southwest corner of the intersection BMO bank

buildings on king street, engel and volkers, old brick buildings, newer glass behind, street torn up for ontario line constrcution

below: … Also King Street

sidewalk patio on king street, with red umbrellas and decorated with lots of flowers including pink petunias

below: Leader Lane runs between King and Wellington. After many years of “discussion” and planning, the part of Leader Lane that is south of Colborne just might get pedestrianized.  This picture show the north half of Leader Lane and yes, that section has just been completely redeveloped around the older white building.

O'Briens tavern, Leader Lane

below: P.J. O’Brien’s has been on the corner of Colborne and Leader Lane since 1966.

front of O'Briens tavern, Leader Lane and Colborne street, an old yellow buolding with blue trim

A quick look back at Front and Sherbourne – this is the northeast corner of that intersection.  A lot of new development here!

northeast corner of Front and Sherbourne streets

Phew! Time for a rest!

workmen sitting and having a rest on the job site

With thanks to all the friends that I walked with that day…. shown here doing what we all do best, play in our favorite photo places (in this case, Leader Lane, side of P.J. O’Briens)

by the large clock on the side of P.J. OBriens on Leader Lane, by their guiness ad,

back to Ossington

Posted: May 8, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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Ossington Avenue is an interesting street to walk with it’s numerous stores, restaurants and coffee shops.  But there is another fascinating world hiding behind the main street in the numerous lanes and alleys in the area.  A few weeks ago I presented some images from these alleys (Behind Ossington, 15 April),  but I barely scratched the surface of what is there.

on Ossington Ave., older buildings that are now stores. one is painted olive green, another is white, and third is red brick. at the end, is a building with large yellow and blue vertical stripes, a bench is on the sidewalk

For this blog post, I have assembled more of the photographs that I have taken around Ossington since January of this year.  It gets a bit long because I decided not to chop it into smaller pieces, so grab a seat and let’s get started!

a bench beside a green wall in a snow covered parking lot, door beside bench has love U! written on it

below: A whimsical Uber5000 painting on a garage door.

uber 5000 mural, green biplane with 3 yellow birdies, including one standing on a bomb. dog standing on one of the airplane wings

below: Hearts on fire, burning love, and the fireman that is trying to extinguish the flames – in a mural created by D. Terra Stencils.

stencil,ural by D. Terra stencils, a crouching fireman holds a hose and shoots water upward towards a big red heart

below: One of the cutest raccoons that I have ever seen, also painted by D.Terra Stencils.

mural by D. Terra stencils, of a young raccoon, green leafy background

below: Some more cute raccoons of a different sort go camping in a mural by Emily May Rose

Emily May Rose raccoons go camping, with a grey and orange trailer, a yellow umbrella, and a folding chair too

two grey Emily May Rose raccoons play in a pile of dirt, while drinking canned drinks

below: … and some more raccoons!

Emily May Rose raccoons in a painting on a fence in an alley

below: …. and even more!

in an allley, wall and door, raccoons by Emily May Rose and text graffiti too
toronto alley near ossington with street art on fences and garages

below: Smaller black stencil graffiti on a white garage door – an iconic image of Marilyn Monroe as well as a Kung fu Panda.  The other woman gets a splash of bright red.

black stencil graffiti on a white garage door, portrait of Marilyn Monroe, and kung fu panda image, as well as another woman's head and face

below: A trumpet player and a gun fight.

black stencil graffiti on a white garage door, a man playing a trumpet, also two men in a gun fight with one standing over the other who is lying on the ground.

below: Bikes on the stairs with a colourful bird keeping a watchful eye.

in an alley, exterior stairs to a small balcony, bike parked on stairs, mural of a bird painted on wall beside the stairs

below: A tribute mural celebrating Canadian Black designers.

mural in an ossington alley, black background, text that says Designers of Canada, with three portraits, on the lower level of a three storey red brick building

below: An old square brick building, garages and fences with graffiti, old trees, and a row of houses at the end of the lane – this captures the look of a typical Toronto lane.

looking down an alley, garages with graffiti on the right, fence on the left, at the end, a semi divided house that is different on either side, also at end of alley, on right, a larger red brick building (old)

below: Home patio, outdoor living urban style.

exterior of building, concrete block painted a dark yellow,, white door, and black window, with 2 small chairs and a table, and a stool, immediately outside the building

below: “Stop and enjoy”.  I like how the poster below the stop sign says “mediocrity” which makes the overall message, “Stop and enjoy mediocrity”.  A bit snarky.

stop sign on a pole in an alley, beside a garage door with street art on it. text graffiti on the stop sign so that it says stop and enjoy

in a laneway with street art murals on all the garage doors

part of a larger mural, a face in the sun, eyes closed, some vines are growing over the face

older drawing on garage, man's face, coconut tree with palm leaves,

below: The tail end of a fishy mural.

a small alley near Ossington, cars parked in alley, one side has building with mural on it, the other is a house with grey siding cladding

below: This aquatic themed mural dates from 2016 when a group of artists painted many murals in the area, all with the Great Lakes as their theme. They were part of Pangeaseed Foundation’s Seawalls for Oceans project. Some artworks have survived better than others. Love letters in paint is a post from 2016 that show most of them in their original form.

fish mural by shalak attack

below: The Swiss army knife was also a Pangeaseed mural

street art mural with a big red swiss army knife in the center

below: Where possible, Jimmy’s Coffee shops have exterior walls painted with images of famous Jimmys including the one on Ossington. Jimmy Carter, James Dean, the guitar of Jimmy Hendrix and two muppets representing Jim Henson Gonzo and Elmo

images of famous Jimmys on the side of Jimmys coffee shop on Ossington, Jimmy Carter, James Dean, the guitar of Jimmy Hendrix and two muppets representing Jim Henson gonzo and elmo

black and white image of Jimmy Hendrix singing and playing guitar, pink background, mural

below: A Jimmy of a different kind, a fantastic cacaphony of colours and shapes in a mural by Jimmy Chiale

mural of abstract shapes and colours by j. chiale

below: Close up of part of a mural, a young man wearing a black mask over his eyes.

close up of a street art painting, a young man in a black mask over his eyes

photo taken in a snowy parking lot, of the backs of some houses, fences, backyards,

below: Rowell Soller

rowell soller mural on a garage door

below: Two paintings on two different garages that look like they were done by the same artist.  The signature appears to be Soul R. and the top painting is from 2017.

mural of a turtle swimming in the water, in light shades of brown, blue garage

mural of a turtle swimming in the water, in a wall in an alley, with a pile of empty boxes and containers on the ground in front of it

below: 2022 Christina Mazzulla, for the Golden Turtle Restaurant.

mural, pink flowers, a fish, and a sea turtle

on the side wall of a house in an alley, mural, pink flowers, a fish, and a sea turtle

below: “You are stroger than you think”

a house being renovated, plywood over downstairs window with graffiti on it

below: Nick Sweetman has used shades of blue and purple to create this wonderful northern scene with a bear and moose combo.

a large bear and a moose, in a mural on a garage door in an alley, painted by bruno smoky or shalak attack

below: Totally blue.   The other colours have faded?  Or were never there in the first place?

gate in alley, double wide, at the end of a driveway, all in blue

below: More garage doors painted by D.Terra Stencils

alley near Ossington with lots of garage doors covered with murals, street art, urban art

below: On a bright yellow background, an image of Jean Michel Basquiat, one of the original creators present-day street art.

garage door painted yellow, then a portrait of Jean Michel Basquiat often considered the founder of street art

below: .. and beside Basquiat, a levitating woman

mural on an alley garage door by D.TErra stencils, a levitating woman, lying on her back up in the air, long hair hanging down.

below: Written in Portuguese is “Nem às paredes confesso” which translates to “I don’t even confess to the walls”.

mural on red background, musicians, one singer and one instrument player

below: Portuguese words, and nearby a Portuguese flag

street art painting of the Portuguese (Portugal) flag

mural, portrait of a man on a purple background

below: Boxers – Muhammad Ali and an opponent

boxing mural

below: The last D. Terra Stencils is this rendition of Ren and Stimpy

ren and stimpy from Nickelodeon TV in the 1990s, in a mural

trimming trees in an alley, man in lift above the lane, truck, some garages with graffiti and street art

little bits of metal on a wood utility pole

exterior door in an alley, covered with street art

part of a larger painting, a small character peaks its head out from the middle of a puffy orange letter O

below: The next four images are of the same mural in a snowy laneway parking lot…  starting with DAM DOG ketchup bottle

parking lot, in winter, box with street art on it beside a wall with more painting

parrt of a mural, smiling skull with a chain through one eye socket, and slightly yellow bottom teeth,

below: Parking for Animals

from a larger mural, young man in multi colour sunglasses, with a can of spray paint in his hand

close up of part of a mural, finger on the top of a spray paint can

below: These little ceramic animals have been walking in this alley for at least ten years.

little flat ceramic animal shapes, a turtle a small dinosaur, glued to a wall in an alley, beige with green and pink dots,

below: T-bonez stands alone, maybe waiting for the light to turn green?

t bonex sticker on a yellow box (for crossing signal). urban ninja squadron, visual noise,

T bonez sticker from visual noise and urban ninja squadron

close up of an old turquoise section of street art on wood fence, with red spray paint circle and double cross

on a wall painted very deep but bright red, outside in an alley, torn bits of paper remain where posters have been partially torn off

box on a wall, covered with stickers that are mostly in black and white, with red spray paint tag on top of it all.

below: And what’s this? Even more raccoons?! Toronto’s “beloved” trash pandas are everywhere!

raccoons in an alley mural, one sitting on a trash can, drinking, raccoons are trash pandas

part of a mural, painted by Emily May Rose, of a greenish grey raccoon, or trash panda, sitting of the top of a metal garbage can, holding a bottle with an XXX label.

intersections – King and Queen

Posted: March 15, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, intersections, locations, memorials, old buildings, stores, transportation
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… and Roncesvalles and Queensway.

King Street merges with Queen Street twice, once in the east at River Street and once in the west when King turns north and joins Roncesvalles.  At this point Queen becomes the Queensway.

below: Queen streetcar traveling westbound (center of picture) while a King car makes the turn north into the intersection (right side).

intersection of Queen, King, Roncesvalles and Queensway, looking east

If that King car continues north, it travel up Roncesvalles to Dundas West station.

looking north on Roncesvalles from Queen, sidewalk planter decorated with fancy lettering says Roncesvalles village

below: Looking west on the Queensway with all the overhead streetcar wires because….

looking west along Queensway from Roncesvalles, lots of overhead streetcar wires

below: … the TTC Roncesvalles Carhouse is right there.  It is 28 streetcar tracks wide and is used for storage and maintenance of part of the TTC’s streetcar fleet.

Queensway TTC streetcar yard

below:The Queensway also runs parallel to (and within sight of) Lakeshore Blvd, the Gardiner Expressway, and Lake Ontario.

view from pedestrian bridge over lakeshore blvd and gardiner expressway, traffic on the roads, etobicoke and mississauga in the distance, lake ontario

below:  There is access to the waterfront is by a pedestrian bridge.

pedestrian bridge over the lakeshore and gardiner expressway, towards lake ontario, street art and graffiti on the lower concrete parts of the railing, lamp lights along the way, blue sky day, no people

below: Also at this intersection is a memorial to all the Polish citizens who died at the hands of the Soviets during WWII.

monument in a park, large stone with a plaque on it,

Plaque reads: “1940-2000, In Memoriam … Lest we forget… May the tragic deaths of tens of thousands of Polish citizens in Soviet forced-labour camps, political prisons and execution sites, always remind the world that freedom is bought with great sacrifice.
Dedicated to the memory of over one million seven hundred thousand Polish soldiers and civilians arrested in EAstern Poland by the Soviet secret service (NKVD) in 1940-1941, for the only reason that they were Polish citizens and were deported to the far reaches of the Soviet Union (siberia), where many were executed or died of hunger, cold, disease, and exhaustion during World War II.
[words in Polish]”
Alliance of the Polish Eastern Provinces in Toronto, February 10, 2000.

The rest of this post are images of some of the sights along Queen West and in the alleys behind.  Some of them may look like photos that have appeared in prior blog posts….  Many things have changed over the years and yet many things remain the same.

below: North side of Queen West, looking towards Roncesvalles.

queen street west, north side, looking west towards roncesvalles

below: South side of Queen West, looking towards Roncesvalles

brick buildings, low rise apartments, on south side of queen, near roncesvalles

Some of the old architecture remains – Volumes could probably be written about all the old architectural features that can still be seen out Queen West and King West.  Many of which date from when Parkdale was an affluent suburb of Toronto.

three storey house on king street

man standing in front of an older brick apartment building three storey brick buildings on queen west, stores at street level, windows with little turrets on the top floor

below: An old Royal Bank of Canada building (now used for other purposes).

old royal bank of canada building, red brick, with stone dorway, including arch over door

below: An old Second Empire type of building, that is now home to the Easy Restaurant as well as Rosa’s restaurant.

below:Back of the building – King Street side.

back of easy restaurant with black and white mural, old red brick building,

below: The original mural with its yellow convertible once seen on the back of the building is still there, it’s just hidden by a more recently built structure to store garbage bins and other stuff in.

old Easy restaurant mural, now covered over by storage shed for garbage containers

below: If you have passed by this intersection, you may have noticed the yellow motorcycle rider on the King Street side of the building.

yellow painting of a man on a motorcycle, on wall outside Easy Restaurant, King street side

below: Dancing in the window

figurines or sclpture in a store window, thai dancers in traditional costume, head dresses on, gold accessories and highlights

below: A doggie in the window!

neon light art in a store window, a white dog with blue glasses riding on a blue skateboard

below: Ford among the light fixtures.  Who is the dimmest bulb?

inside a store window, light fixtures, shades, and other bits and pieces, along with some campaign literature from Doug Fords recent provincial election

old paint by number paintings of boats, two of them, in frames, on display in a shop window on Queen West

below: An anchor, many stickers, and a red skull and crossbones

a door to a tattoo parlour, part of it is covered with stickers, as well as blue anchor and red skull and cross bones

bright red door with glass panel, number 1635, junk store, vintage store, antiques, all cluttered in windows of the store

signs on a store door, glass door, one says closed, another says parkdale shop local and last, proudly parkdale

collage, graffiti, on a wall on queen west, man's face made up of 6 pieces of paper

below: Potato sack racers in a mural by Jim Bravo.  The sacks all say “Eva’s Fine Deli” on them so perhaps this was once the wall of said deli?  Now it is the Dosa restaurant on Roncesvalles.

mural by Jim Bravo in a lane off Roncesvalles, close to Queen, children in a greenfield, running potato sack race, hopping,

looking west towards roncesvalles in an alley behind queen west on the north side, brick buildings, some street art,

below: Dreamer

alley view, back of building, with door and windows, one mural of a bird with the word dreamer, one abstract blobby street art

below: Birdo paintings that have faded and weathered.  Check out an earlier post if you want to see what they once were like (Animals and Birdo Birds) This post was from March 2015, ten years ago!

 

birdo street art painting in an alley, bird with blue and white body

birdo street art painting in an alley, koala head, old man with white beard in profile

pink tags on garage in lane

exterior stairs leading to basement level door, door has street art painting of a blond woman's portrait, wearing a red hat

below: Still Alive! It’s always marvelous to encounter Lovebot the Robot in the wild.

a very big lovebot the robot street art, on a black building, white lines, faded red heart, on legs the words still alive are written

concrete steps up a small hill in front of a highrise apartment building, houses in the background

Parkdale mural on mini mart, beside house, with highrise apartments in the background

Parkdale mural on the side of Parkdale mini mart convenience store

below: More alley backyard views…. another house with a rooftop terrace or deck. I have mentioned before in other posts with other alleys, that this type of renovation/expansion has become very common throughout the city.

laneway view, back of houses, one red brick, the other blue cladding, garages, with tagged and graffiti covered garage doors, red truck,

large painting of a rabbit, street art mural, in alley behind queen street west

street art painting on garage door in alley

 

around Wilson station

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

Cliffcrest

Posted: January 28, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, history, locations, transportation
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blue and white Scarborough street sign, Kingston Road, in Cliffcrest

Cliffcrest is a neighbourhood in Scarborough that includes a section of Kingston Road between Brimley and Bellamy Roads.  The southern boundary is Lake Ontario including the  eastern portion of the Scarborough Bluffs.

below: At the corner of Kingston Road & St. Clair is one of the Scarborough Heritage Trail murals funded by Mural Routes.   It is “In The Way of Progress” and shows  a Kingston Road radial railway car at Stop 17 with Scarborough High School (later changed name to R.H. King Academy) in the background.  It was painted in 1996 by Phil, Jennifer, and Jamie Richards.

mural on the side of a building by a parking lot on Kingston Road, Scarborough scene, old rail car public transit stopping by old high school, at stop 17, cow lying down near rail car

below: 1922, Kingston Road looking west towards St. Clair with Scarborough High School near the intersection.

Source: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1488, series 1230, Item 2064

In 1893 the Toronto and Scarborough Electric Railway, Light and Power Company started running a one car train along Kingston Road.   The tracks went as far east as West Hill.  A couple of years later, this line became part of the Toronto and York Radial Railway (TYRR).  The TYRR had four branches radiating from the city, one to the west, 2 northward, and this one east along Kingston Road.  The stops on the Scarborough route were numbered, starting at Victoria Park Avenue.   Stop 17 was at St. Clair East & Kingston Road.

below: This 1922 photo is actually from a bit farther west, at Victoria Park.  What I wanted to show was how the railway tracks just ran between the road and the sidewalk.  Very simple infrastructure! Not too feasible in a city, but in 1922 this neighbourhood was more rural than urban (and they still got transit!)

1922 photo of Kingston Road, looking west from Victoria Park

Source: City of Toronto Archives, Series 71, item 1607

below:  You can’t see it in this photo but the mural above is on the wall of Stop 17 Variety (by the parking lot on the right).

small tree in front of a store, Stop 17, Variety, on Kingston Road,

below:   From 1973, forty years ago – looking at the southeast corner of Brimley and Kingston Road.  The bus is northbound on Brimley.

black and white photo by Richard Glaze taken in 1973 at the corner of Brimley and Kingston Road, found on Transit Toronto website

Photo Credit: Richard Glaze photo 1973, Transit Toronto website.  If you are interested in anything to do with transit in Toronto, check out their website.  They have an extensive collection of photographs, maps, and documents.  They also feature all the latest news about slow downs, route changes, and service advisories (among other things).

The same motel is still on that corner of Kingston Rd and Brimley.  I don’t have the exact replica photo but this is what the Hav a Nap Motel looks like now.

Hav a Nap motel, sign in front of motel, Brimley and Kingston Road
below: Moving slightly west, photo taken from approximately the corner of Brimley and Kingston Road.

entrance driveway to Hav a Nap motel showing some of the buildings, Brimley and Kingston Road

Once upon a time, Kingston Road was a major east west route in and out of the city.  There were many motels along here.  Their heyday was the 1950s and the bigger, fancier ones are long gone, leaving behind some of the smaller ones.

below: As a shoutout to these motels and their stoy is this sidewalk box decorated with images of old motel signs. The Americana and the Roycroft signs can be seen on this side.

sidewalk box decorated with images of old motel signs, Kingston Rd and Brimley, Americana Motel

below: The Americana Motel still exists in the Cliffcrest neighbourhood (close to Brimley).  The Roycroft is farther east, beyond McCowan.

Americana Motel sign in yard of the motel, red brick buildings,

americana motel on kingston road

below: Henry’s Motel

Henrys Motel on Kingstson Road, newer condo in the background

below: The sign of things to come.. and yes, it’s a condo with retail at street level.

redevelopment notice for property at the corner of Kingston Road and St. Quentin

old building, cafe, on Kingston Road with painting in the covered windows, redevelopment notice on front, snow on ground

Scarborough house on St. Quentin Ave., birch tree in front, snow covered front lawn

below: The north side of Kingston Road, just east of Brimley – it looks like changes are happening here too.

north side of Kingston Road, east of Brimley, long fence or hoardings, with apartment buildings behind.

Brimley Road is also the main access for Bluffers Park at the foot of the Scarborough Bluffs.

yellow traffic sign in a residential neighbourhood that says no access to Beach or Bluffs sat and Sun and Holidays from May 1st to Sept 30th

below: Dairy Queen at Kingston Road and Harewood is closed for the winter

looking across Kingston Road to a Dairy Queen and another storefront that is two 2 storey brick building. sign says Horizon

below: An alley runs behind the south side of Kingston Road

path laneway with snow, behind houses, with wood fences between lane and backyards

a big red handprint painted on a wood fence, as seen in an alley

snow covered lane, back of stores and buildings on Kingston Road, two storey, exterior stairs, porches, balconies, doors, and windows,

jumble of wood, dead leaves, caught between chainlink fence and wood fence

in an alley, many ladders leaning against a tree behind a building

curved porch and front steps in front of a house where some of the rocks are painted bright colours

fake street sign on a wood fence that says beach bum blvd

rowhouses on Kingston Road three storeys high, with trees in front,

renovated and enlarged modern house in between two older brick bungalows

winter street scene in Scarborough, single family homes,

older brick 2 storey home, with garage at side, large snow covered front lawn, large trees beside house, dormer style windows on top floor

below: Mailbox with a porpoise (or two)

in front of a house, a mailbox that looks like a dolphin is holding it up, smaller baby dolphin sits at parent's feet

below: On the side of a Wild Wings restaurant.

mural in brown tones, on side of wild wing restaurant, back to camera, adult male cowboy walking beside younger boy, with cowboy hats and chaps, younger one has a lasso

dark blue cars, in snow, parked at used car lot on Kingston Road, ASD Auto sales

plastic santa claus stands outside a restaurant window, with words printed on window: burgers, souvlaki, steaks, chicken

below: Carusos Fruit Market, Groceries, Hardware & Gift Items

front of Caruos Fruit Market, Groceries, Hardware and Gift Items

Other Scarborough Heritage Mural posts:

1. Heritage Murals – Kingston Road, 2014

  • The Half Way House’ by John Hood, 1990. (Midland & Kingston Road)
  • ‘The Bluffs as Viewed by Elizabeth Simcoe c. 1793’ by Risto Turunen, 1992.

2. Cliffside Murals, 2017:

  • ‘Spooners Garage’ by Phillip Woolf, 1992.
  • ‘H.M. Schooner, Onondaga c. 1793’ by Jeff Jackson 1992.
  • ‘Cliffside Golf Course’ by Dan Sawatzky, 1991.
  • ‘The Half Way House’ by John Hood, 1990. (Midland & Kingston Road) (repeat)
  • ‘The Bluffs as Viewed by Elizabeth Simcoe c. 1793’ by Risto Turunen, 1992.(repeat)

3. Heritage Trail Mural 8, 2014

  • “Building the Addition to the Wesley Methodist Chapel, Highland Creek, Winter” by  John Hood , assisted by Alexandra Hood and Zeb Salmaniw, 1994.1867”

4. Scarborough Bells, 2020

  • scenes from early Scarborough, painted by painted in 2012/2013 by De Anne Lamirande.  Under a railway overpass.

5. Birch Cliff, Kingston Road, 2021

  • On the side of Legion 13 on Kingston Road is this large mural. Painted in memory of Max Silverstein, by John Hood with help from Alexandra Hood and Asif Khan, 1991. Restored in 2010 by Blinc Studios. “Scarborough Rifle Company marching to the Niagara Frontier, June 1, 1866.”
  • “Mitchells General Store” by Phil Irish, 1998.

 

 

 

Out with the Dragon, In with the Snake

Posted: January 25, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations, stores
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As Chinese  (or Lunar) New Year approaches, I thought that I would give you a quick tour around Chinatown as it appears in January after a little snow.  Most of the pictures were taken in the vicinity of Spadina and Dundas.   Some shots are ‘iconic’ views, others not so much.

below: This girl has been carrying her soup bowl for many years!  She has appeared on many Instagram pages and on many other sites.  She may even be on your phone.  The “BEST” is a more recent addition!

the word best is written on the sidewalk with an arrow pointing to restaurant with a large statue of a chinese girl dressed all in red holding a large white and red bowl. she is winking

below: Spadina Avenue

chinatown stores, with lots of signs, spadina at glen bailie

bikes chained to fence, in snowy alley, with street art on the wall and an ad too

part of a chinatown mural, elderly person in a blue cap with small child

below: Cute little red stuffed snakes for sale.

little stuffed toy snakes in bright red, for sale at a store in Chinatown

below: Yes, there is a very large black bear that patiently sits beside the door of one of the stores on Spadina.

large sculpture of a black bear sitting outside a chinese store, evening, lights on inside

below:  Looking in the window of a Vietnamese store – boxes of things, band-aids, cotton balls, eye care massagers, and many brands of green tea.

looking through front window of an Asian store, window is full of merchandise

crossing Dundas at traffic lights to northwest corner of Dundas and Huron

below: The east side of Spadina

looking across spadina avenue, trees in median, winter, line of stores on the other side, lights on, late afternoon

below: Yin Yang mural – Yin and Yang, two interconnected forces that are complementary yet opposing.  Together they are dynamic system that is greater than the sum of the two parts.

a yin and yang circle and dots mural in blues and oranges, on a brick wall,

below: On the wall to the left is part of a mural that features the Great Wall of China.

chinatown alley with mural of the great wall of china on one side, back of houses and garages at the end of the alley, snow, winter,

alley scene, back of houses, parking spaces, fence, snow, graffiti

  below: Behind Dundas

man pushing a cart along lane, in snow, with garages on his right, some with street art, utility pole with street light, tall buildings in the distance,

sign on orange wall that says no graffiti please

 

alley in chinatown, winter, snow, one building covered with street art

mural on a building in laneway in chinatown, black man, with pink boxing gloves,

below:  “The Herd-Boy and the Weaver-Girl”, a mural that illustrates a story.  It designed and painted by Allan Bender, John Nobrega, and Stacey Kinderwas  (2017)

outdoor patio, in winter, with snow on tables, beside a large mural, chinatown,

From Mural Routes website: “A very long time ago, when the King of the Sky created the heavens, he decorated it with stars and asked his beautiful daughter to help him by weaving the clouds and mists. It was a long task and when the king noticed his daughter looking tired and drawn, he ordered her to take a break and go out to play among the stars. The princess headed down towards the Milky Way to bathe, whereupon she came across a handsome herd-boy grazing his water buffalo by the banks of the stream. To this day, on the seventh day of the seventh month of every year a great King sends a flock of magpies over the Milky Way to form a bridge to ensure the return of his daughter. The weather must be clear on this evening or the lovers cannot cross the celestial river to meet each other. If it rains the pair must wait another year. On a clear night you can see their two bright stars together in the sky. If it rains it is said that the drops falling to earth are the tears of the Weaver-Girl Princess.”

bench in front of a wall with street art, snow, people passing by on sidewalk beside it

stores and buildings on east side of spadina

merchandise for sale outside a store, red and gold chinese new year items, snow on shelves, winter

front of a store in chinatown, goods on display outside

below: The next two pictures are parts of a mural by June Jieun Kim.

window of a store, with mural on wall below, woman in a pink cap and a scarf around her shoulders

mural of a chinese dragon under windows of a store

delivery truck in alley that dead ends at huron street, orange square house at end of alley

below: Pho Hung, Vietnamese restaurant at Spadina and St. Andrew, northwest corner

large red brick building on northwest corner of spadina and

below: Huron and Grange, southeast corner

block of row houses with stores at ground level, including T and C hair salon, southeast corner of Huron and Grange

below: Bay and gable houses on Huron

upper storey of a row of bay and gable houses on Huron St., one in red, one in pink and a light grey one

below:  Looking south on Huron towards the downtown core

looking south on Huron st., just south of Dundas, towards downtown. winter, snowy. large trees.,

backyards and houses seen from a wintery snowy chinatown laneway

looking down the space between two houses, graffiti on the fence, snow on the ground, multiple exterior staircases

north side of Dundas, chinatown, three buildings including Asian Legends restaurant

outside wall of a restaurant, pictures of menu items on plates, also lights in the shape of a basket of steamed dumplings, a bowl of ramen noodles, and a drink with a straw and a slice of lemon

outside asian store, door open, ceramic pots for sale, clearance sale sign in window

signs in chinatown, on dundas, spa, printers,

canadian flag on sign for canadian souvenir store on spadina

many signs on businesses in chinatown, dundas street

dundas at Jean Lumb Lane, south side, man on sidewalk pushing baby stroller, snow,, winter,

dundas in chinatown, after dark, people on sidewalk, reflections on the wall, pink sign over door that says spa

below: Shopping on Spadina

woman in side store, seen through glass in door

below: Lucky Moose Food Mart after dark

night time, moose market on dundas street, lit inside

below: Summer Sun Spa, and others

below: Yunshang Rice Noodles

night time, yunshang rice noodle restaurant on dundas, with food delivery cyclist outside on bike

below: Happy Lamb Hot Po, Zao bar and grill, and one that I can’t read.

night time, 3 large signs lit, one for happy lamb hot pot and another for zao bar and grill, third is in mandarin language only

below: Spadina and Dundas after dark

night time photo of Spadina and dundas, looking east on Dundas, traffic, pedestrians, lights, signs, snow,

Happy New Year!

True Love fades

Posted: January 3, 2025 in construction, locations, old buildings
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and other little observations along Dundas Street East – a street that has seen intensive redevelopment in the central core.  These changes are slowly moving east with the consequent mixing of old and new.

Once there were large red hearts on the sign, as well as on the building, but they have disappeared.

sign on True Love Cafe, a bright purple building

The True Love Cafe opened at the corner of Dundas East & Sherbourne back in 2004.  The outside was purple and apparently so was the inside.  Before that (since the 1950s), the space was George’s Spaghetti and Jazz Bar.

Once there were messages like, “I love you” on the walls as well as menu items written inside heart shapes, but these too are no more.

gate across entrance to true love cafe, red door, purple building, painted over window,

man on a bike cycles past true love cafe, a purple building with red awning over door

attached to side of purple building, empty frames that once held signs.

graffiti on a pole with two people with arms upraised, lone has written love, love, love, on it in black marker

below: South side of Dundas at Sherbourne.

church on southeast corner of dundas and Sherbourne, Lahore Hakka Chinese restaurant on the south west corner of same intersection

below: Also at Dundas and Sherbourne are the most famous telephone boxes in the city – or at least most photographed

exterior of front of hair salon with pictures of men and women with their hair cut

West of Sherbourne, some of the original large old brick houses still stand. Some converted to commercial uses long ago; some are still residences.

upper level of bay and gable house on Dundas East

front of old convenience store, bars over windows and gate across entrance, faded coca cola sign, green trim, magenta painted bricks,

jumble of items in a store window, metal bars over window, red coca cola boxes, potted plants, reflections of buildings across the street,

old brick houses on Dundas East

old yellow brick house behind a metal fence, green frontyard

part of lower floor of old brick building painted white

part of older white brick house, two storeys, each with one window, small part of house that juts out and is near back of yard

below: (Dundas and Pembroke) Another blue and white development notice – with another very tall condo.  Yet again, all these residences but only 6 car parking spots compared to parking for bikes; Doug Ford screams about closing bike lanes while the city actively discourages car parking.  Great for the developer as car parking costs more money to build than bike spaces.  The sign says 49 storeys, the latest Toronto paperwork on the site says 55 storeys).  The facades of the 4 heritage houses that the condo replaces will be saved.

blue and white city of toronto development notice sign on front yard of a house on dundas east

below: Nearby, another closed restaurant.

looking through window into empty and permanently closed restaurant. some reflections of buildings across the street in the window as well

below: North side of Dundas, just east of George Street.   It’s looked shabby for years but it’s still in one piece.  George’s Pizza, George’s BBQ, and  Piassa Injera and Takeout (Ethiopian).  The sign in the window of the pizza restaurant says “open” but the whole building is for sale.   No price given on the realtors’ website, but its 6000 SF with 3 retail units and 10 residential apartments.  It’s probably a candidate for demolition?

old brick houses on Dundas converted to businesses awhile back, George's Pizza, George's BBQ

below: Looking westward at Dundas and George

looking westward along dundas at george, new condos, one old second empire brick building on the southwest corner, now a King Place BBQ and curry restaurant

below:  King Place BBQ and Curry stands its ground

King Place BBQ and Curry restaurant, painted orange, in an old second empire brick building at Dundas and Dalhousie,

below: The Filmore Hotel still stands at George and Dundas East

filmore hotel at the corner of george and dundas east

dundas street looking east towards george street, old filmore hotel can just be seen behind newer condo development

below: Looking east along Dundas

dundas street east, looking eastward towards george street, new condos on both side of dundas, window reflections on the right hand side

below: Southeast corner of Dundas and Mutual

southeast corner of dundas and mutual

cyclists at the corner of dundas and mutual

below: Dundas and Mutual, northeast corner

two men talking, at the corner of Dundas and Mutual where old building is now behind scaffolding

upper storeys of older building, second empire style, mansour roof, brick, painted yellow, ground floor has addition for a store front, now cannabis store

below: Old City of Toronto Archives photo from 1978 showing the northeast corner of Dundas and Mutual back when the building was pale bluish grey and not yellow; it was home to Denys Barbecue and not a cannabis store.  The Warwick Hotel (built 1910) is long gone.

City Archives 1978 colour photo of northeast corner of Dundas and Mutual, Warwick Hotel,

below: Where the Warwick Hotel once stood is now part vacant lot and part parking lot. This concrete building (partially seen in the photo above too) was built for Sears Canada, completed in 1971.   It features cantilevered blocks to form an upside down ziggurat.   What is a ziggurat?  It is a building where each subsequent floor is smaller than the one below it with the result being a pyramidal shape.

wrought iron fence in front of a large parking lot which is front of a modernist concrete building in upside down triangle shape

below: Reflections at Dundas and Jarvis

reflections in a large window at dundas and jarvis, showing 222 Jarvis, inverted ziggurat building being renovated,

man walking along dundas at jarvis

below: Dundas and Dalhousie

looking east along dundas from dalhousie street, construction traffic cones, tall buildings,

tall condos, new development, downtown

side of an old red brick smaller building in front of a wall of new condo glass and steel with many reflections in the windows

machinery with giant drill, at a construction site

digger in vacant lot at dundas and mutual, old red brick structure with new condos in the background

old smaller red brick building on dundas, with brick taller building behind

below: Church and Dundas – closing in on Yonge Street and TMU

vacant lot at church and dundas, now a construction site

cyclist rides past construction site at Church and Dundas, looking east, with many new condos rising in the background, yellow construction machinery

new building clad with wood tones and dark blue, with orange bollards outside door

below: Birdo mural on Church Street.

birdo mural

below: A squirrel with a nut (or other edible) on the ramp to one of TMU’s buildings on Church Street.   He’s not waving goodbye, but perhaps he’s thinking “Gotta run!”

black squirrel on concrete ramp entrance to glass fronted building, a bright blue building beside it

As this has turned into the first post of January 2025…  Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous New Year with many walking and/or photographic opportunities!  Have a good one!

doors, holiday edition

Posted: December 26, 2024 in doors
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Merry Christmas!  ‘Tis the season to decorate.  There’s something about Christmas that makes us want to decorate our doorways.  Although the best time to view most Christmas decorations is after dark, there is something to be said for daytime viewing, especially when the house has a nice front door!  (And if you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that I like doors).

Understated with a few silver balls in some greenery.  Isn’t the door a lovely shape?

front of a white stucco house with a wood door, tree in front of house

Matching planters beside a door with a wonderful stone door frame.

white stucco house with a front door with a curved top, door frame is stone, small christmas decorations beside door

A Christmas wreath on another wood door… but this one has unique hinges.

grey stucco house with a blue semi circular awning over the front door, wood door with Christmas wreath on it, two gray planters, one on each side of the door with red decorations and greenery

A wreath and a reindeer with a red ribbon.

red brick house with a christmas decoration reindeer with a red bow around its neck

I think that our personalities are revealed by what we choose to decorate with.

stone clad house with a white front door. red wreath on the door, some christmas decorations on the front lawn

Inflatable decorations are now everywhere.

large inflatable christmas decoration in front yard, large snowman with black hat at one end of a red arch and a large christmas tree at the other end, yellow star on tree, arch goes over walkway in front of a bungalow, short hedge lines both sides of walkway

Choo Choo!  Here comes Santa with his train.   Nice purple front door (with wreath and planter too).

large inflatable christmas decoration in front yard, santa driving a train engine, and waving out the window, , nutcracker stands behind train, red brick house with small porch

This Santa has a teddy bear…. this must be popular because I saw a few!

red brick house with stone steps, dark brown front door, and porch, with large inflatable christmas decoration in front yard, santa claus holding a teddy bear

When I took these pictures the other day, I didn’t realize how many of the front doors had wreaths on them.   Once upon a time we may have associated wreaths with some sort of symbolism (unending circles = everlasting life) but now we use them to help brighten up the season.

red brick house with triangular portico over white front door, wreath on door, large inflatable christmas decoration in front yard, santa claus holding a teddy bear

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to add some cheer to these dark December days!  I hope that you have a chance to enjoy walking around a neighbourhood or two to enjoy what others have done with their front doors, porches, and yards this holiday season.   If not, you probably have another week or two before the wreaths come down and all the “stuff” gets put away for another year.   Have fun!!

small unpainted statue of Mary in a niche, in a front yard. some painted rocks are lined up in front of her.

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