This is a walk that started with the Sherlock Holmes wall behind the Toronto Reference Library that I noted in a prior post. After a brief stop at Balzacs, we continued south on Yonge to Dundas. With all the new development on Yonge there was a lot to see. For the most part this is a documentation of the changes on Yonge Street and perhaps one day it will be part of “A history of” the area.
below: Asquith Ave, looking towards Yonge with the Toronto Reference Library on the right. New condos rise above the old brick facades from the 1880s.
below: Looking south on Yonge Street from just north of Bloor. Bloor Street West now gets lost in the canyon between tall towers. The one on the southwest corner of Bloor and Yonge is planned 91 storeys but is now between 1.2 and 1.6 billion dollars in debt. The ONE. Now with an uncertain future. The project was taken over by a court-appointed receiver back in October.
below: Looking east on Bloor from Yonge.
below: What was once new is now old.
below: The old Church of Scientology building remains empty and derelict. It’s boarded up at street level and many of the windows are cracked. The building has been empty since 2010. Back in 2014/5 there was talk that the organization was going to totally renovate the interior and exterior of the building; there are renderings online of the proposed changes. At that time they owed the city close to $100,000 in back taxes. “This building is designed in the International Style, with a clean facade and balanced proportions ” is the beginning of a description of the property on the ACO (Architectural Conservancy Ontario) website as it apparently has a heritage designation.
below: Vapes, vibes, and cannabis. A brief summary of downtown Yonge Street?
below: The northwest corner of Yonge and St. Joseph Street. Bake Code, Sacred Seed, and Pay2Day. Richmond Hill’s number one cake store is coming to the store on the south end. The pictures look yummy!
below: Southwest corner of Yonge & Wellesley
below: Same corner as the photo above, but from a slightly different angle to show the new curvy condo on the south side of Wellesley.
below: More condo development. This time on the north side Wellesley just west of Yonge. Centre Court.
below: A new park on Wellesley, Lillian McGregor Park, named for Dr. Lillian McGregor (1924-2012), of Whitefish River First Nation, who was a nurse and a community leader. She received many awards including the Order of Ontario and she was the first Indigenous woman to be awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto.
below: Artwork by Winnipeg artist, a crane by Kenneth Lavallee in Lillian McGregor park.
below: Spotted along the way, two shiny small pieces of graffiti – shine shoes sir. By Rocky Zenyk.
below: But does it work?
below: Kiokii And, Unicorn Beauty, and ABC Books.
below: Menu in the window – potato noodles and ramen and more.
below: If Chinese cuisine is not your thing, there is always tandoori chicken or palak paneer nearby. “Come and enjoy your festive season with our specials”.
below: And then for something different…. for dessert you can try ‘chilled mango sago cream with pomelo’ or ‘the bath teddy bear’, or many other different taste sensations. I think that I need to start stopping at more of these places and actually sample some of these foods!
below: Kobi Korean restaurant and Metro Cigar along with one industry that is booming along with Toronto’s construction craze, the toilet rental business!
below: At the intersection of Gloucester Street and Yonge is this new red creation, a sculpture by Albert Paley
below: 33wallflower33 graffiti
below: Available…. one shiny red Christmas elf costume complete with silly hat. She doesn’t look very happy having to wear it!
below: A cheerful little bear welcoming you to College Park
below: Construction, and one lane blocked, near College
below: Looking north on Yonge towards College Street.
below: Different architectural styles.
below: .. with a closer look at some of the brick and stone details
below: More old architectural details seen on exterior walls along Yonge Street
below: Southeast corner of Yonge & Gerrard, now an empty shell surrounding a hole in the ground.
below: Reflection of the old Charles Tavern tower, now part of a new condo development.
below: More construction, northwest corner of Yonge & Elm where the facade of a building on Elm is being preserved.
below: The Zanzibar remains standing amid all the changes happening around it.
below: Reflections at Yonge and Gould (looking north)
below: Another view from Yonge and Gould, this time looking south to Dundas Street.
below: If you look closely at the photo above, there is a store on very right that looks like the name starts with Fun. This is Funduk, and if you look in the window, this is what you might see… Top row closest to the window is Special pomegranate with hazelnuts. Beside it is almond paste with raspberry. What choices!!
I’ll end this post with a selection of the small graffiti that I saw
below: Be a hero … or
below: Ride a broomstick … or
below: Comment on Republicans …
below: …. And wash it all down with an ice cream cone.
as I walk Toronto 