Posts Tagged ‘Inges Idee’

booming Bessarion

Posted: June 23, 2024 in construction, locations, public art
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Bessarion subway station has always had the reputation of being one of the least used stations in Toronto.  I haven’t seen any recent numbers, but I suspect that a lot more people are now using the station.   There are a lot of development changes happening in the area so the numbers will only increase in the future.

below: South entrance to Bessarion station

entrance to bessarion ttc subway station on sheppard at bessarion, new high rise condos behind it, street scene

corner of bessarion subway station in the foreground, new community center on the right side, and construction of new condos in the background

below: A Stop sign sits in the middle of one of the entrances to the new development on Sheppard Ave East beside Bessarion subway station.  If you follow the left fork in the road, you will end up in the parking lot of the Canadian Tire store.  This store is all that is left from the original 50 acre site that was home to a Canadian Tire warehouse and distribution centre.  In 2000 Canadian Tire filed a plan to re-develop the whole site, including a new head office tower for the company.  Although the plan was approved, it never came to be.  Instead, most of the land was sold to Concord who is now in the process of redeveloping it.

new development on sheppard ave east

below: Concord has filled this community with a lot of public art including these colourful creations, “Jax” (2021) by Pierre Poussin

brightly coloured public ark in concord park place on sheppard avenue

below: A few maple leaves forming a canopy – “Maple Leaf Trellis” by Demakersvan (aka brothers Joep and Jeroen Verhoeven)

sculpture that looks like a canopy of giant maple leaves

below: Leaping Lamp by Inges Idee (a German artist collective)

leaping lamp, a large green sculpture by ingres idee of a lamp post with two very long legs as it walks over a stone wall

below: There is also a rabbit (title: “Rabbit”),  another artwork by Inges Idee.  It’s made to look like a folded ribbon of highway; it sits next to the 401 highway.

rabbit, a large sculpture by ingres idee, looks like it's made of a road all twisted into the right shape, outside new condo by the 401 highway

rabbit, a large sculpture by ingres idee, looks like it's made of a road all twisted into the right shape, outside new condo by the 401 highway

below: Birds hanging out together between Bessarion station and the new community centre.  They won’t be flying anywhere any time soon!

sculpture that looks like birds on a tree, including an owl looking out of a hole in the tree

close up of part of a sculpture with birds on a tree, showing owl looking out of hole in tree, woodpecker beside the hole

below: A small bird, a continuation of the tree full of birds, sits outside Ethennonnhawahstihnen’ Community Centre (it’s pronounced Etta-nonna wasti-nuh and it means ‘where they had a good, beautiful life”)

reflections in the window of a community centre, with small sculpture of a bird sitting outside the window

below: Real trees ready to plant.

trees with roots wrapped in burlap sitting on the ground, waiting to be planted, a row of condos newly built in the background

below: A line of towers with row houses on the lower level marks the south side. The 401 highway is behind. A new park, also Ethennonnhawahstihnen’, lies in front of the new residences.

below: Water feature in the summer, outdoor skating rink in the winter

concord development on south side of sheppard, on old canadian tire warehouse site, a curved shallow pond with a walkway around it, a small white building beside it, condos and new construction in the background

park in the center of condo development

tall glass and steel condo, one side clad in bright green

below: The view from the southeast corner of the property – the back of IKEA and the 401!

back of ikea on sheppard in north york, 401 highway,

below: At least there have been a lot of trees planted back here and some thought has been put into using the landscaping to mitigate the noise from the 401.  But the fact that thousands of cars and trucks pass her every day can never be downplayed.  I hope that the units are well sound proofed.  Having stood on balconies on other buildings that overlook a major road, I can imagine how noisy it is here too.

newly planted trees along a pathway beside the 401 highway

new condo development with a bright yellow rectangular section around a large window

the words slow down have been spray painted on a concrete barrier in front of a row of new townhouses

below: Looking southeast from Burbank

looking out of ttc bus shelter at burbank and sheppard

below: South side of Sheppard

view on sheppard, looking east near bessarion subway station

wrong way sign by driveway in front of medical building on sheppard

below: The north side of Sheppard Ave looks like this – a row of lowrise apartment buildings from the 1960s or 1970s.

lowrise apartment buildings on north side of sheppard

below: There are 2 major redevelopments proposed along here, 680-688 Sheppard and 690-720 Sheppard. Both involve condo towers.

development notice on front yard of a multiplex residential building on sheppard avenue

crumpled red and white sign says out, pole askew, between fence and tree

sign for apartment building, empty except for no vacancy and a graffiti scrawl

Just west of Bessarion station is Greenbriar Road.  There was a small community of single family homes, duplexes, and small apartment buildings back here.  Almost all of it is gone or on the way out

construction south of sheppard ave

below: A single, lonely, holdout surrounded by newer residences.

one older brick house surrounded by newer and taller residences

A 1970s brick bungalow in the foreground, new townhouses in the background

below: No sign?!

two brick duplexes, semis, or side split houses, with 5 towers of new condos behind

below: Southeast corner of Sheppard and Greenbriar  (12 storeys, 145 residences)

development notice on the frontyard of a house on corner of sheppard and greenbriar

below: There is a development notice sign on the front yard of 25 Greenbriar (23, 25, 27 and 29 to be replaced with 10 storeys, 169 residences).

orange sofa on a driveway in front of a garage between two brick buildings

large grassy backyards of two houses, one has an old swing set in the yard

below: A little farther south on Greenbriar the fences are already up (22-36 Greenbriar, 24 storeys, 351 residences).

house on Greenbriar, empty, with construction fence around it and blue and white development notice beside the fence

bessarion subway station

a woman walks eastward on sheppard near bessarion

Extra note: The northeast corner of the old Canadian Tire acreage, at 1181 Sheppard Ave East, remains undeveloped.  It is the last piece once owned by Canadian Tire.  It is adjacent to the Metrolinx rail corridor, about 100 m from the new Oriole GO station.  [ed note: Prime real estate by the sound of it!].  Two towers will probably get built here, once the heights are finalized.

a little bit of Adelaide

Posted: October 30, 2022 in history, intersections, locations, old buildings, public art
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Eastward from Bay with a diversion or two.

These photos were taken on two different walks and you will have no trouble figuring out which images belong to which day! The first walk was on a damp morning back in September; the second walk was on a pleasantly warm and sunny October afternoon.

below: Looking up Bay Street to Old City Hall and its clock tower.

looking up Bay street from Adelaide including old city hall tower

below: New public art  “Dreaming” by Jaume Plensa made of polyester resin and marble dust.  Brilliantly white.

large white head public art on Adelaide, side view

large white head public art on Adelaide

Hidden by scaffolding …   par for the course that no matter where you walk there will be construction.

construction on Adelaide, front of building covered with scaffolding

Even though there have been a lot of changes on Adelaide, there are some old details that have been preserved such as these mosaics that are temporarily behind scaffolding. They are above the entrance to the Bell Canada Building at 76 Adelaide West. Five panels, each twenty feet tall and five feet wide, of glass mosaic tile are embedded in the cement of the building. They were designed by York Wilson and installed in 1965 when the building was constructed. The theme of the piece is communication and each panel represents a different form of communication – writing, drawing, music, voice, and satellites.

mosaic tile decorations on exterior of building, behind scaffolding

At 100 Adelaide West is the remains of the Concourse Building. When the area was redeveloped recently, only the front and east facade of the original Art Deco 1928 building were preserved. The original entrance way on Adelaide remains; they feature mosaics created by Group of Seven member J.E.H. MacDonald and his son Thoreau.

art deco doorway - tile mosaics, carved stonework, and metal decorations on window and door,

Art Deco stonework

art deco details carved in stone on exterior of building

The remains of a metal fence or railing.

old metal railing outside entrance of a building

below: Looking east, at Sheppard Street.

street scene

pressure cleaning, with water, outside a building downtown

below: It looks like a splash of paint – like someone threw a can of paint at the building.

exterior of Deloitte building at Adelaide and Yonge, glass exterior has new artwork that looks like a large splash of water

below: The octagonal entrance to 1 Adelaide East (at Yonge) with its stained glass roof is being renovated.

below: Distraction!  Film crew on King Street (looking down Victoria St).

street scene to film crew working

below: Film trucks line both sides of Toronto Street

film trucks parked on both sides of Toronto street

below: Toronto hieroglyphics

yellow hydrant on sidewalk, with pink lines spray painted beside it

below: A short, tidy alley off Adelaide near Victoria

short tidy alley between two older stone and brick buildings

below: Fountains and public art in Adelaide Courtyard.  Collectively, the work is “Synthetic Eden” and it was created by Stacey Spiegel back in 1991.   The fountain with the metal mesh covering it – the mesh is supposedly the head of Adam.

fountains and public art in Adelaide Courtyard

below: The snake lurks over the garden.  The entrance to Adelaide Courtyard is beyond the etched glass panels.

Adelaide Courtyard

below: St. James Cathedral from the corner of Church and Adelaide.

St James Cathedral seen from the intersection of Church and Adelaide

below: Slight diversion north on Church where there is now a large vacant lot at Lombard.  How many cranes?

Church and Lombard vacant lot

below: Church Street, north from Adelaide.  A vacant lot on one side, a partial development on the other.

street scene with TTC street car

people walking past the ontario heritage plaque for the York Mechanics Institute at the corner of Adelaide and Church, now a patio for Tim Hortons

“The Mechanics’ Institute movement began in Britain and soon spread to North America. Its aim was to teach workers the applied technology behind new methods of manufacture and craftsmanship introduced during the Industrial Revolution. The first Institute in Ontario was established at York (Toronto) in 1830. It sponsored lectures, held classes and operated a lending library. It moved from rented quarters into its own new building on this site in 1861. After passage of the Free Libraries Act in 1882, the Institute transferred its assets to the municipal government. Its book collections formed the foundation of the Toronto Public Library, which opened in the former Institute building in 1884.”

below: Circa 1900, the music room of the York Mechanics Institute as a newspaper reading room

old black and white picture of the interior of the York Mechanics Institute that became a public library, newspaper reading room

photo credit: Photographer unknown, image from digital archives of the Toronto Public Library.

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below: “Brickman” by Inges Idee stands outside a residential building at Jarvis and Adelaide.  He stands 10m tall and is actually made from precast concrete, not brick.

 

very tall brick sculpture of a man shape, called Brickman, outside a brick building

below: Looking northwest from the corner of Adelaide and Jarvis

looking northwest from the corner of Adelaide and Jarvis

looking through the glass windows of a gelato and coffee shop on a corner, two women walking past, chairs inside, sunny day, park across the street

below: Old Post Office.  This building was opened in 1832, before Toronto became a city.  According to Wikipedia “It is the oldest purpose-built post office in Canada that functioned as a department of the British Royal Mail and the only surviving example. After its initial use as a post office, it became part of a Roman Catholic boys’ school” until 1913.  It was used for various things (offices, cold storage, etc) until 1971 when it was closed up and left vacant.  When it was (re)discovered to be the old post office, it was designated as an Ontario Heritage Site as well as a National Historic Site.  Since 1982 it has been a museum as well as a functional post office.

Torontos first post office on adealide street, 3 storey brick building with Canadian flags flying on either side of the entrance

below: Future chefs, George Brown College

looking in the windows on the 2nd storey of George Brown College into the kitchen of the cooking school. students in chef outfits, white, with hats, standing around a class

below: Looking west from Frederick Street.  At this point we are in the old town of York, laid out by John Graves Simcoe in 1793.  At that time, Adelaide Street was called Duke Street, after the Duke of York.  Richmond Street, one block north was Duchess Street for his wife.  The Duke of York at that time was the second son of King George III, Prince Frederick.

Adelaide East, looking west towards downtown

below: Looking west from Sherbourne.  This was originally Caroline Street, named after  Caroline of Brunswick who was the wife of Prince George in 1793 (and later George IV).  When she became too unpopular, the street name was changed to Sherbourne, after the town in England with the same name but a different spelling, Sherborne.

people crossing Adelaide at Sherbourne, looking west on Adelaide towards downtown

I stopped to take a picture of an old car (remember when diesel cars were going to take over the world?) and I found an old shoe.  Keep walking and keep your eyes open because you never what you’re going to find along the way!

an old beige diesel mercedes parked on the side of a street, a single abandoned shoe on the pavement behind it