Posts Tagged ‘Leaside’

Laird and more

Posted: April 28, 2024 in construction, locations, old buildings
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These photos were taken on one of those rare days when there was snow on the ground, i.e. not within the past couple of weeks.   As usual, I am a bit behind but I thought that I should finish this page before posting snowy pictures is too weird.  Anyhow, let’s head to Leaside and walk up Laird Drive …

below: Condo building on the west side of Laird.  Like many neighbourhoods in Toronto, it’s an area in flux, full of changes.

Laird at Commercial, condo development on the left with a large crane, traffic lights, cars, 2 street signs for Commercial Road, Leaside

below: More facades, more condos.  This might be a new word for you but this is facadism; the facade of an old building gets incorporated into a new development.  It has become the most common form of heritage preservation in Toronto.  In 1921 this building was home to the Canadian branch of Durant Motors Inc.  They made cars.

blue metal container in front of an old brick building with decorative stone entrance, empty, facade being kept in making of new condo rising above it

below:  This is an example of the cars produced by Durant Motors.  With thanks to Wikipedia, this is a 1923 Durant touring car.

1923 Durant Motors touring car, image from wikipedia, red car,

1923 Durant A-22 touring car 9th Annual Saturday Night Cruise-In, June 28, 2014, Hastings, Minnesota, photo by Greg Gjerdingen

 

below: The lion and crown on the lintel over the window (once a door) is the crest of the Imperial Bank of Canada for whom this structure was built in 1941.   No facadism here.  The whole building is now a restaurant/pub.  When I was researching to find out if this building has heritage status (it doesn’t), I discovered that this bank was robbed by the Boyd Gang in 1951.  It was the biggest bank robbery in Toronto at the time.  Edwin Alonzo Boyd and his various gangs committed eleven bank robberies between 1949 and 1952.   He even escaped from Kingston Penitentiary in 1951 before getting caught again in 1952.

red brick building with a stone decorated door frame, a lion in a medallion

below: Olde Yorke fishe and chipe restaurante at the corner of Laird and Lea.    This too is a heritage site for its cultural value.  It was historically known as Osmond’s Restaurant and was constructed as a red brick building as early as 1923.  John Osmond owned the property and it was his family’s home as well as a restaurant. In fact, it has always been a restaurant.  It was known as CNR Restaurant in 1926 because of it’s association with the Leaside railway station.   It was also used as a lunch room or cafeteria for the workers in the local factories and industries.

Old Yorke fish and chip restaurant on Laird, old house,

below: A sign of the times, a cannabis shop.

two adjacent buildings on laird, on the left, an older two storey house, now nuleef cannabis and on the right, square building, painted yellow, a music school

looking north on laird, billboard on right, construction sign

below: Sales office for The Leaside Residences, open by appointment only.  Not just luxury condos, but luxury boutique condos.  Apparently there will be two buildings of 8 storeys each and they will include studios to some 3 bedroom townhouses.  Studios start at $600,000.

low rise building, one story, sales office for new condo development, leaside residences

below: Large shopping area on east side of Laird, just south of Wicksteed.   A big parking lot surround by big box stores.

shopping complex on laird, parking lot, big box stores, in winter,

condo construction with red crane reflected in a large window in a building across the street from it

below: Another vacant lot, Laird and Parkhurst, just south of Eglinton.

lowrise yellow brick building across a vacant lot covered with snow

snow covered vacant lot behind a metal construction fence, yellow brick building in the background

no entry, road closed sign in front of concrete barrier, empty road behind it

below: Closed to traffic but there was nothing to stop me from walking down that road.  Looking north to the back of Canadian Tire that is on Eglinton.  The back of the hoardings along Vanderhoof can also be seen.  Under that snow is a hole full of water.

yellow danger tape on metal poles, making temporary fence in front of hole in ground that is full of water, top frozen and covered with a layer of snow., back of a Canadian Tire store in the background

below: Still looking north but a more east.

looking across vacant lot towards new condo development

below: Laird and Eglinton and a sad sight (or site, your choice) – an unopened Laird subway station on the southwest corner.

on Laird, looking west to intersection with Eglinton, Laird subway station there, new and not open yet, line of stores on north side of Eglinton

below: The original plan was to walk Laird but we’re so easily called away and Eglinton beckoned.   Looking west…

looking west on Eglinton, from near Brentcliffe,

below: Four storey apartment buildings on the north side of Eglinton.

housing on north side of eglinton Ave

below: Lots of this type of residential buildings on Eglinton.  Walking east.

a man walks his dog on sidewalk, on south side of eglinton, row of lowrise buildings, residences, on the north side

below: Just east of Laird is Brentcliffe where there is now a large new development on the southwest corner.

Eglinton Ave, looking east from Brentcliffe, snowy, people have just got off a bus, sign saying open house for the new condo building on the corner, high rises in the background at Don Mills

below: From the back (taken on Brentcliffe)

two identical condo towers side by side, reddish lower parts (about 8 stores, and glass above), construction site out the back with fences and trailers, sign says gate 2

below: There is a skyway between two buildings in this development which seems to be called Upper East Village.  From their website –  An 1160 sq foot, 2 bedroom apt on the 9th floor is available for $1.4 million.  Also available, a 1750 sq ft., 2+1 bedroom on the 18th floor, for a mere $2.5 million;  It’s a corner suite if that helps.

orange and black traffic cones sit on a road that passes under a pedestrian bridge between two condo buildings, words on bridge say Upper East Village, snow on the ground

below: The view from Brentcliffe, looking northeast back towards Eglinton.  Those new buildings are probably the ones being built at Don Mills and Eglinton (where IBM once stood).

on Brentcliffe Ave., looking northeast over a vacant lot with a fence around it, to houses on Vanderhoof, and highrises on Eglinton

below: More on Brentcliffe

abandoned grocery store cart beside a TTC bus stop pole adjacent to white building with blue boarded over window

below: A patchwork of worn plywood make the hoardings along the south side of this redevelopment site on Wicksteed.  (Wicksteed runs parallel to Eglinton)

long wall of worn plywood hoardings, grass beside it, along Wicksteed, looking west towards Laird

below: One of thousands of these blue and white signs that can be seen around the city.  The surprise here is that the proposal is for a commercial development – a shopping complex for SmartCentres REIT.   The plan dates from 2021 but the hoardings pre-date that.  This site has a long history that goes back to at least 2011 but I haven’t tried to figure it all out!  Rumour says that part of the issue is that previous commercial developments on the other side of Wicksteed turned out to be so ugly AND it was thought to be a Walmart that was going to be built.

blue and white toronto development notice sign, posted on plywood hoardings, large new condo in the background

part of a wall made of weathered pieces of plywood, wood some bits of white and red paper stapled to it, a faint white arrow pointing right

fence with lock and chain, vacant lot seen through the gap in the gate,

empty metal shopping cart lying on its side on the other side of a chain kink fence with a large hole in it, ground covered with snow

below: Wicksteed approaching Laird with an older white structure, a remnant of Leaside’s past.  Back in the day, the Leaside Aerodrome was nearby.  It was built in 1917 to train Commonwealth pilots for the last days of WW1.

on Wicksteed, just east of Laird, an old corrugated metal building with rounded roof, large garage door, chainlink fence beside it and a large tree

facade of white metal metal building with large garage door in center, and roofline of three curves, rusted portions,

below: Not the type of building that you would usually associate with an auto shop.  Also, remember the very first picture in this post?  It included a street sign for Commercial Road.  Well, this building is nearby, but on Industrial Road.

auto shop on industrial road in leaside

This part of Leaside used to have much more light industry than it has today. There are still industries there today but they are closer to the train tracks that cut through the area – running northeast from the from the south end of Laird (where it meets Millwood).

below: For instance, I saw this interesting piece of equipment. I am not sure what this large machine does but the sign on the fence says Coco Paving.

large machinery in yard of Coco Paving Co., behind fence, with snow,

The area may also be impacted in the near future by Metrolinx and the Ontario Line. Somewhere in the Leaside, Wicksteed area is going to be the new home of a large maintenance and storage facility. Has an actual site been selected? A story to look into….

I will leave with one last photo – it’s not a complete summary of what Laird is, but it’s a start.  It’s the view from the Home Depot parking lot looking west towards the construction of new condos on Laird.

machinery for rent in parking lot of a home depot store, parking lot behind it, condo construction with cranes in the background

 

old Parkhurst windows

Posted: March 5, 2020 in old buildings, windows and walls
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Until a few years ago this was part of Parkhurst Knitwear but today it sits empty. Today when I passed by the lighting was good for taking pictures of the south exterior wall.  There is a fence between the street and the building but there is ample room for photography.   I am now on many surveillance videos (if the warning signs were for real).

20 Research Road in Leaside, the Parkhurst factory, previously Dorothea Knitting Mills, built in 1942

This building started its life as Radio Stores Building No. 16.  It was constructed in 1942 and the chimney was added in 1946.  Building No. 16 was part of a complex of buildings occupying 55 acres of land east of Laird Drive and south of Eglinton that was owned by Research Enterprises Ltd. (REL).  During WW1 this land was an aerodrome.

horizontal window in a brick building made of rows of small rectangular panes of glass

In 1940 REL was incorporated in response to the outbreak of World War II; it was a Crown Corporation created through the Munitions and Supply Act of Parliament in September 1939.

looking along the exterior wall of two storey brick building with long horizontal ribbons of window panes, many glass pieces are broken or cracked and then fixed with tape

REL’s mandate was the production of technology equipment such as optical instruments and radio and radar equipment to assist with pilots with night flight.  During its 6 years of operation, REL employed 7,500 people.

broken and patched panes of glass in a larger horizontal window

After the war, this building was sold to Dorothea Knitting Mills (1947).  Dorothea ultimately became part of Parkhurst Knitwear.

smokestack at east end of old Parkhurst knitting mill building, now abandoned

This building is part of a larger story – the slow disappearance of industries in Leaside as commercial and residential developments proliferate. Prior to 2010, the area was zoned industrial but developers fought for, and won, changes to the zoning in the area.

south wall of Parkhurst knitting mills, empty and abandoned, many glass panes cracked or broken, old curtains in the window

I can’t remember how long this building has been empty. If was still a functioning knitting mill in 2013.  In 2019 the city of Toronto moved to have the building listed as a Heritage site.  Last year there was a large sign on the building advertising the fact that it was soon to be a self-storage facility.  Is that still its fate?

old brown pipe inside, looking through old window

 

Leaside has murals!

Posted: August 20, 2016 in graffiti and street art
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Today’s story begins back in 2007 when elicsr painted this mural behind a store that fronts on Eglinton East.

mural depicting the biblical story, Luke chapter 15, of the prodigal son

It depicts the bible story of the prodigal son.  A very brief summary of the story – A wealthy king had two sons.

mural of the prodigal son, the wealthy king with his two sons at the beginning of the story

The younger son took his half of his father’s money, left home, and squandered the money. He fell into hard times.  He realized that he would be better off as a servant in his father’s household than living in penury on his own.

mural, the younger son leaves his father the king where he goes and squanders his half of his father's inheritance

So he returned home to repent.  His father celebrated the return of the son and forgave him and his prodigal ways.

part of a mural, return of the prodigal son to his father, the king.

Fast forward to August 2016 when the alley became a canvas for 46 street artists and their Wall Expressions project, Go Big or Go Home.  I walked the alley on Thursday and this is what I saw.
[Warning: a lot of the street art is text or abstractions which may not be your cup of tea. ]

below: Girl power skull with pig tails by dudeman.

street art mural on the side of a garage in an alley, by #dudeman, blue stylized skull and cross bones with pig tails on the skull, the words, girl power as well

below: Under the weather vane, a newer garage door painted with a mural by Mediah IAH aka Evond Blake.

two garages in an alley, both covered in murals. On the right is a newer garage, with a weather vane on top, and a mural in blue and greys, geometric and abstract shapes. On the left is an older garage door with multicolured street art on it.

below: Black and white owl on a branch by mska

mural by mska of an owl sitting on the branch of a tree, the owl and tree are in black and white, there are concentric circles in many colours in the background.

below: SPUD bombs and swirls on the back of Eco Cleaners.

spud bombs and swirls on the back of eco dry cleaners

below: And another SPUD creation on the other side of the lane.
A few skulls seemed to have snuck into the painting!

spud bomb and swirls street art on a fence in an alley

below: ‘Mars Attacks’ by the ACK crew, wales, miles, noser, braes and tensoe.

large mural on a two storey brick building, mural is called Mars Attacks, shows a green robot like alien and lots of tags.

below: Garbage bins lined up in front of a horus/tuffytats rose in blue and red.

mural of blue and red roses, large and stylized on a wall, a line of small trash bins in grey , blue and green (garbage bins, recylcing bins and organic waste bins) is in front of the artwork by horus also known as tuffytats

below: A swirly wavy mix of colours brighten up a wooden fence.

a section of wooden fence covered with street art in pink and orange and turquoise and purple striped swirls

below: Red head (and shoulders) man

street art mural on a garage door, head and shoulders of a man in red tones,

below: The Men’s Salon Barber Shop now has a mska creature, complete with scissors in hand, by the back door.

back door of men's hairsylist and barbershop, 814 Eglinton East with a white skulled creature holding a pair of scissors by mska as well as a large yellow 814

below: Next to the barber shop is this mural, or at least this is part of it.  The next photo….

multicoloured mural on a wall with a car parked alongside it.

below: … is the end of the mural.  I’m not sure who painted it but the marks on this are: Mark One, BOB (or 13013) and xFLA,.

tag-like street art in yellow and orange on the side of Bonavista store, alley north of Eglinton East, back of car in the picture - it's parked in front of the rest of the mural

below: A mural for Loui by minus two (and others?)

mural, street art text and tags with words 'for loui'

below: More text and abstractions, this time by manic, roam and acuse.   Loui gets another mention too.

 

street art mural of text and colours across the back of a building in an alley

looking at a building so that the corner is in the front, can see two sides of the building, both of which are covered with murals. Wood railing across the top as there is a balcony up there

below: In the foreground, a Nick Sweetman shrimp swims across a mural with help from peru and ctr.

an alley with street art murals, a pickup truck and a car parked in front of one of the murals

below: A closer look at that shrimp

a street art painting of a colourful but realistic squid in yellow, turquoise, and blue, painted on a wall

below: Another large mural with more than one photo.  At one end there’s a zas possum hanging out, spray paint can in hand – possibly up to no good?

street art of a large possum standing on its hind legs, and standing beside an open door

below: And at the other end there’s another animal that is usually nocturnal, a raccoon.  An animal that is no stranger to Toronto!

large street art animal, raccoon, in a mural, with a white crown on his head

below: Look up, way up!  There’s a dog on the roof.

mural on the side of an upper storey, above the roof of the bulding beside it, a dag, some text, and the back of a man painting on the wall

below: Swimmer with a bathing cap looking at you, by sparr

mural on the side of a building, a woman's head and shoulders. She's in the water and wearing a bathing cap. Above her is a painting of a man spray painting on a wall.

 

below: Phil wrote his name on a garage door.

large blue letters P H I L in street art form on a garage door

below: Sofe in orange and green tiger stripes

large letters S O F E in orange and green tiger stripes with purple sky-like background

below: Two more garage doors.

two garages in a lane with street art spray painted on their doors.

below: Bright colours stand out on the side of this garage near the entrance to the lane.

mural on the side of a garage by cruz 1 art, a young girl in orange with many colours abstractions around her

below: Rozy, from the other side.

mural on the side of a garage by cruz 1 art, a young girl in orange with many colours abstractions around her

below: someone beginning with the letter m?  (m–?) and lerch.

mural in an alley, horizontal street art aerosol spray paint artwork of text graffiti, two different ones side by side

below: Big fat P in pink by bias? at number 153

a large fat P in pink on a white wood fence, with some other symbols as well, street art

below: And last, a little snail

a small painting of a large orange and blue snail on a fence beside a tree in an alley

This project had help and support from Toronto Police (53 division), Stephensons Rental, Dominos Pizza, and StreetARToronto.

video of the event on vimeo

in an alley, back of a store, old rusty metal stairs to the upper storey, small awning over the backdoor, laundry hanging by the door, weeds growing in front of the bottom of the stairs.

small metal box, part of doorbell system, covered with graffiti stickers, including purple horror face of man

 

 

under the Millwood Bridge

Posted: May 14, 2015 in graffiti and street art, locations
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Millwood Bridge
also known as the Leaside Bridge

I first visited this site late in March.  For one reason or another I didn’t get around to adding the photos that I took that day to this blog.  I was back yesterday on another grey day.  There are now leaves on the trees and the graffiti on the concrete has been painted over.

looking along the length of the bridge from just underneath it at one end. Sloping ground in the picture, as are concrete supports and the metal steel girders supporting the road above.

below:  The Don River flows under the bridge.  In the distance, top right, is the Don Valley Parkway.

steel girders under the Millwood bridge with the train tracks and Don River below. Lots of bolts holding this bridge together!

graffiti on the yellow girders under the bridge. The concrete supports at the end of the bridge are also visible and also covered with graffit.

yellow girder in the foreground, the cat walk and metal structure of the bridge in the background. Graffit on the girder including the word 'scarey' in white letters.

Catwalk under the Millwood bridge, looking down almost the whole length of it. A person is on the catwalk in the distance.

yellow metal girder covered with scribbles in black, red, and green.
There was also some graffiti and street art on the concrete supports at the north end of the bridge.  These have now been painted over.  The graffiti on the metal portions of the bridge remains.

below: Two of the paintings that are now gone.

Street art painting of an eagle attacking a snake.

graffiti tag that says Mozie in large letters, blue on the top and a dark burgundy colour on the bottom

Lovebot didn’t want to stick to the paint on the girder but he hung around long enough to get a picture.

lovebot sticker on a yellow metal girder under a bridge