murals | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘murals’

intersections – Dufferin & Queen

Posted: May 11, 2026 in construction, graffiti and street art, history, intersections, old buildings, transportation
Tags: catchoo, CN rail, construction, D7606, development, donuts, Dufferin St., feelings boi, geekypet, GO Transit, graffiti, Grow Up Art, history, Milky Way, murals, Queen Street West, raccoon, railway tracks, sentient cookie, sketchrat, stickers, The Turd Reich, trp613, TTC, urban ninja squadron, visual noise, vivvy, zonr

The intersection of Dufferin and Queen Street West is dominated by the CN railway & GO transit tracks. Large underpasses to the north and to the east define the character of the streets here.

Between 1881 and 1891, the population of Toronto more than doubled, from 86,415 in 1881 to over 181,125 ten years later (numbers are from census data). As the city expanded, infrastructure struggled to keep up as it usually does. It was decided that Queen Street needed an underpass instead of a level crossing. In 1896 the first bridge was built. At this time, Dufferin street ended at Queen to make room for the tracks. Dufferin was now divided into a north and south section.

below: This is a 1898 photo from the City of Toronto archives showing the new railway bridges over Queen Street West. The view is westward. Dufferin is difficult to see in this image but it ends under the railway bridge that is farthest away. Parkdale train station would have been just outside the picture on the left side. It was closed by 1970.

below: Still on Queen Street and still looking west but from farther back from the railway bridge which is now in the distance. The big square-ish building on the right is a Veterinary Surgeon’s office. The ad on the side of the building is for ‘The Sun’ where you could find the highest grade of bicycles, manufactured by G. T. Pendrith. The photo was taken in November 1896.

black and white photo from late 1890s, Queen street looking west towards railway tracks and Dufferin Street

source: There are many places to find this photo on the internet. This copy came from Wikimedia Commons.

below: Looking east along Queen from Noble Street, past Dufferin to the railway tracks, 1954. The Gladstone Hotel in the distance. There is a Shell gas station on the southwest corner, and although it’s difficult to see, a policeman is standing in the intersection directing traffic.

black and white photo from Toronto Public library digital archives

source: Toronto Public Library digital archives. Photographer – James V. Salmon

below: Southwest corner today …. that Shell station is long gone. A newer condo development fills that corner (built since 2010).

below: The stone wall along the east side of Dufferin looks very similar to that of 1954. The buses have been modernized though – we now have new shiny red hybrids.

The “Dufferin Jog” was fixed in 2010 when another railway bridge was built.

below: Looking north up Dufferin during the construction of the bridge, 2010. This is another image from the City of Toronto archives.

construction of the bridge for CN rail and GO transit, to eliminate the dufferin jog, 2010, from city of toronto archives

source: Fonds 601, Series 2860, File 4, Item 1 (City of Toronto archives)

below: North on Dufferin today (not exactly the same view as above). Bus lanes, or rather transit priority lanes, have recently been painted red. The red brick building on the east side of Dufferin still remains.

below: There are changes coming to the northwest corner of the intersection. This photo was taken from the corner of Noble and Queen and is generally north looking.

below: Hoardings on the north side of Queen

below: The view behind the hoardings

To the west of the tracks is the Parkdale neighbourhood with its colours and idiosyncrasies.

The Milky Way runs parallel to Queen on the south side. There has been lots of street here and I have blogged about it before, 5 times before as it turns out. The first time was back on 2015 (Walking the Milky Way) and the most recent was in 2023 (Aging on the Milky Way)

below: On the north side of the railway tracks, there is a pedestrian crossing and bike path. There is also a quiet corner with a couple of benches. The rest of the images in this post were taken on that pedestrian crossing.

below: The Turd Reich – a wonderful series of paste-ups of our “favourite” men in uniform. Donald Trump, Elon Musk, British MP Nigel Farage, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, JD Vance, and Vladimir Putin have been dressed up as World War II Nazi soldiers. This collection first appeared in London, England about a year ago. They are they creation of Grow Up Art.

below: A hole in the fence, with a well worn and muddy path!

below: Thing 1 and Thing 2, right out of the Cat in the Hat.

below: A little red X marks the spot

below: We are all connected

below: Every man needs a muse. Who is your Venus?

below: “Always remember you’re Heart & Soul, you are Loved 4 ever. Trust me.”

Graffiti by: Catchoo, D7606, Feellings Boi, Geekypet, Sentient Cookie, Sketchrat, TRP613, Urban Ninja Squadron, Visual Noise, Vivvy, Zonr (and others)

Biscuit Lane

Posted: April 18, 2026 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: alley, Bert, cartoon characters, cartoons, city, CN Tower, downtown, Garfield, graffiti, Inspector Gadget, Jessica Rabbit, lane, murals, Ness Lee, pink panther, pop culture, roadrunner, Rogers Centre, Thomas the Anonymous, Tweetie bird, Wiley Coyote, Woody Woodpecker

Biscuit Lane runs behind the east side of Yonge Street for one block, running south from Charles Street. It was named Biscuit in honour of William Christie (1829-1900), the man behind Mr. Christie cookies. A young William Christie started his career working for another baker, William McConnell whose shop was on Yonge Street in this area. According to Wikipedia, Christie was paid $4.00 per month plus given room and board – he baked at night and then delivered the baked goods by handcart to customers in nearby Yorkville. After two years he left McConnell to work at another bakery in the same neighbourhood.

It is a short, narrow lane with street art murals now on both sides.

below: A Toronto mural in a Toronto alley.

below: More Toronto, painted by Thomas the Anonynous

below: “I’ll always be here with you!”

below:Cartoon characters & Pop culture references! Bert doesn’t look too comfortable!

below: Inspector Gadget, one of the Smurfs, Betty Boop, Tweety Bird looking angry, Goofy isn’t sure what’s happening, Launchpad McQuack, and Droopy Dog.

below: Marge Simpson with her enormous blue hair, Yogi Bear, Jessica Rabbit, Bert, Woody Woodpecker, Little Hiawatha, The Mask and Huckleberry Hound.

below: Along one wall is a large mural by Ness Lee – women with long hair

below: Looking north on Biscuit Lane

below: Wanted poster for what looks like the Pink Panther in black hat and shades. Wanted for “harbouring stool pigeons near sanctuary”

below: “Wanted for keeping it 2 real”. Marvin the Martian?

below: …. and even more (with some repeats)….. A smug Pink Panther and a concussed Sylvester…. Beep! Beep!

below: It’s the alphabet all jumbled up in many colours, many ‘fonts’, and many sizes.

below: Superhero time! Superman, Spiderman, and more.

Graffiti Alley – first visit of 2026

Posted: January 13, 2026 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: big teeth, blue face, bluebird, Bunso, Dewucme, dogs, doors, faces, Graffiti Alley, Kalaruno, Kelcy Timmins Chan, Mixt Paints, murals, paint, people, portraits, skateboards, snowman, spray paint, tiger, words, Zelensky

This blog post is a quick look some of the “art” that can be seen in Graffiti Alley at the moment. There is lot on display even though I only walked between Spadina and Portland so this post focuses on the murals and larger paintings that I saw. The smaller stickers and paste ups will be in a subsequent post (sooner rather than later I hope!).

below: Blue birds and big ugly black dogs.

below: A portrait of Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine’s blue and yellow colours.

below: Daisy, in rabbit ears

below: On one of the corners, there is a long grey mural with bits of red….

below: “A lone samurai known as Ghost stands on watch”. A story and a mural by Dewucme

below: Portraits painted on skateboards – there has been a collection of such portraits hanging here for at least a year. I am not sure if these three are newer, or if I just forgot them last time. (Link to blog post of skateboards from 2025). I have updated the 2025 post to include a few photos that I took last week of other skateboard portraits that I didn’t see a year ago.

below: Portrait by Bunso

below: Other part of the above mural, but painted by a different artist (I think)

below: In memory of Andre Campbell

below: Behind the Queen Street stores

below: Painting on hoardings as downtown redevelopment (and subway construction) slowly encroaches on the Queen and Spadina neighbourhood.

below: “Find peace in your chaos” Plus, it seems to be wearing shirt and tie but it’s also drooling and looking just a little unhinged!

below: Monstrous television screen head with bloody gums and matching tie.

below: “Who you gonna call?” Ghostbusters green slimey thing!

below: He’s got one big eye and a scowl on his face. There’s a burning cigarette in his mouth and the Ace of hearts is tucked into his hat band. Quite the character.

below: Not all cats are cute?

below: A woman with her purple hair tied up with little glowing (but ghostly) lanterns in a mural by MonkYi

below: Climbing green onions (scallions?)? An upside down blue goose? … And in the middle, yellow siu mai (Chinese open-topped steamed dumplings, a dim sum favorite), all images from the imagination of Mixt Paints aka Kelcy Timmins Chan

below: There’s that snowman again, but on a different wall and surrounded by graffiti

below: Ninos Libres, by Kalaruno

below: Another Kalaruno painting

below: At least it’s a step up from tagging…..

below: A green finger on the trigger.

below: Blue. And strange looking. He’s hanging out in the doorway.

below: An introspective dragon

below: And last, many thanks to the usual Wednesday Gang!

behind Alhambra

Posted: November 29, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: alley, camo, cats, construction, cruz1, dogs, faceless few, garages, graffiti, Herbs, kizmet, laneway, murals, paintings, radcliffe, spray, sunflowers, windows

below: This short alley starts at Alhambra Avenue and runs east towards Dundas.

below: Renovations to expand up and out.

below: Cats, dogs, and little yellow clouds.

below: He walked into my picture.

below: The lane turns south and runs between Dundas West and Alhambra Avenue.

below: She stares at you from beside the Taj Mahal.

below: Ready to play.

below: Two Kizmet Radcliffes, the crazy raccoon.

below: Cruz1 painting (signed as Cruz Uno) – a parrot flies somewhere over Toronto.

below: Herbs vegan snacks

below: The Faceless Few in orange and blue.

below: Can you see it?

below: Twelve small panes under a small arch. Old bricks once painted white.

below: Sunflowers, bent over under the weight of their heads.

below: Small scrawls

from Dupont to St. Clair West

Posted: November 12, 2025 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, public art, stores, transportation
Tags: Bareket, birds, bkez, Catherine Cachia, decorations, Dupont, Dupont subway station, Elicser Elliott, halloween, James Sutherland, Julia Prajza, murals, Nick Sweetman, pumpkins, signs, Spadina, stores, Troy Lovegates

Enter if you Dare!

A late October walk on a sunny day – starting at Dupont station which is just north of Bloor on Line 1 (That’s the University side of the Yonge-University Line for those of you who, like me, haven’t mastered the TTC numbering system yet!). We walked a few blocks on Dupont before going under the railway tracks to Bridgman, then took a quick turn on Albany to get to Davenport. A short block later we were on Bathurst. Vaughan Road veers left off Bathurst just south of Bloor. We meandered a bit north of Bloor before walking back to St. Clair West station.

below: A bright and sparkly flower blooms on the southbound platform of Dupont subway station. This is one of the mosaics designed by James Sutherland in the series “Spadina Summer Under all Seasons” found around the station.

below: More Dupont station flowers to greet subway travelers, this time on the concourse level.

below: Taking the escalator up inside the dome at street level.

below: There is a Nick Sweetman mural of birds that wraps around the curve of a bench.

below: The curve matches that of the domed entrance to the station on the southeast corner of Dupont and Spadina.

below: Casa Loma in the distance, on the hill beyond the tracks. This is the view on Spadina north of Dupont.

below: Northeast corner of Dupont and Spadina

below: Big rounded arches, rooftop terraces in the back, and two turrets, all at the corner of St. George Street and Dupont.

below: Looking north on St. George, towards Dupont, 1904. Working on the street. The house with the two turrets is already there. The duplex on Dupont at the top of the street still exists too.

below: The duplex (176-178 Dupont) is difficult to see because like so many other older residences on main streets, an addition has been added to the front to facilitate a store or a restaurant. At the moment, 176 Dupont is a Mexican restaurant, even though the says Pastrami (close enough!).

below: Bruno Men’s Hairsylist and his quaint little sign.

below: On Dupont, east of Spadina is this mural by Catherine Cachia

below: Cozy and euphoric.

below: Bete Suk, Ethiopian Coffee shop

below: Northwest corner of Dupont and Spadina, and another domed subway entrance.

below: Looking west on Dupont

below: Another, much clearer, example of the transition of houses to businesses by building additions in front, are these two – Krispy Kreme and the faded Modern Laundry & Dry Cleaners.

below: West of Dupont, there are still some garages covered in street art.

below: This is 390 Dupont Street, part of which is now a coffee shop/vintage clothing store. I am not sure what the history of the building is but when I tried to research it, I discovered that there is a condo development being proposed for the site.

below: This is the neighbouring property, 388 Dupont. Two years ago when I walked this stretch, there was a blue and white development notice sign in front of the building (Dupont Street Scenes). When the application for redevelopment was first filed (2020), it was for an 11 storey building involving 374 to 388 Dupont. By 2023 the plan had evolved to 12 storeys and now included 390 Dupont as well. Because the site is adjacent to the CP Railway corridor, a train safety derailment wall along the entire back wall is part of the plan.

below: Although there is no posted notice of planning applications for this building, it appears to be empty. The front door is boarded up and there is a No Trespassing sign in the window.

below: Two years ago this building was in the early stages of construction.

below: Another theme that occurs over and over again on the streets of Toronto – the jumble of different eras. Very old brick houses and new glass and steel towers mixed together along with ages in between. The smaller older structures dwarfed by the newer ones that tower over them.

below: The Troy Lovegates mural of 10 faces on Howland & Dupont is still there and still looking vibrant. If you are interested, there are more images of this mural elsewhere in this blog.

below: Running parallel to the railway tracks, and just north of them.

below: The north side of the CP Railway corridor shows signs of its more industrial past. This building with its curved glass sidelights and other small Art Deco finishes, sits empty. Previously it was home to a plumbing company but they have moved to new quarters elsewhere in the city.

below: Tarragon Village mural by Elicser Elliott

below: There is also this mural, just around the corner on Albany, “You are not alone”. It was painted by Julia Prajza and Bareket (bkez). ‘You Are Not Alone Murals’ is a public mural project with over 100 murals completed. Their goal is to “inspire artists to create murals in their communities–sparking hope, connection, and conversations about mental health.” (quote taken from their website, youarenotalonemurals.com).

mural on the front of a building, wrapped around the front door, in cursive, text says You are not alone

below: An intriguing series of photos in the windows… but I couldn’t get a closer look at them.

below: A large red heart and an even larger blue spruce tree.

;

below: The paintings along the concrete wall on the west side of Bathurst have all been defaced.

below: Another touch of Art Deco in the neighbourhood

below: Bathurst Street houses

below: Playing in the playground

below: Store fronts on Bathurst

below: Looking north up Bathurst where Vaughan Road exits left. Vaughan Road was built in the 1920’s along an older trail that follows a now underground creek. From here, it runs more or less diagonally north and west to its northern end at Dufferin and Eglinton.

below: Choice laundry in the old brick building, on Vaughan Road.

below: Also on Vaughan Road, Zoomiez Doggie Daycare and Vaughan Road Pharmacy.

below: We met a couple of strangers. They weren’t very talkative though so we kept walking….

below: The gateposts on Strathearn Road mark the entrance to the former village of Forest Hill. Forest Hill was incorporated as a village in 1923 and then annexed by the City of Toronto in 1967.

below: There is a metal plaque at each end of the Glen Cedar pedestrian bridge over the Cedarvale Ravine. This is the one at the south end. The text is taken from the lyrics of “Anthem”, a song by Leonard Cohen. The first bridge here was built by Henry Pellatt (the same man responsible for Casa Loma) in 1912. It became a pedestrian bridge when it was modernized in 1989.

brass plaque embedded in the concrete of a bridge railing

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your prefect offering.
There is a crack,
a crack in everything
it’s how the light get’s in
[and yes, the plaque has an apostrophe in gets]

glen cedar pedestrian bridge in late october when the trees were in their autumn foilage

below: Home is where our story begins.

below: At Bathurst and St. Clair – Da Best Pilipino Bakery and Deli

below: Waiting to cross Bathurst Street

below: Looking east on the north side of St. Clair, from Bathurst. St. Clair West subway station is just a few meters away.

below: There was once a gas station on the northeast corner of Bathurst and St. Clair West. Now it is a vacant lot with a few alien creatures like this one lurking about.

below: Happy Hallowe’en pumpkins! The frog’s not so certain though.

With thanks to Nancy who walked with me that day.

Royal York to Kipling

Posted: July 11, 2025 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, transportation
Tags: Alfio Bartoletti, Bloor st. west, construction, fountain, graffiti, history, islington, Kingsway, Mimico Creek, Moises Frank, murals, Nate Galbraith, new buildings, parks, reflections, residential, sketchnate, street art, subway, TTC, workmen

This walk started from Royal York subway station. In general, I walked westward first along Bloor Street (to Islington) and then on Dundas West. The stretch of Bloor West at Royal York is part of The Kingsway neighbourhood.

below: Squares of yarn, some crocheted and some knit, cover a red frame heart similar to others that ShowLoveTO have placed around the city.

below: There are more yarn decorations around the metal frame protecting this tree on Bloor Street West.

below: Also, a little Zen Garden Planter to support the CNIB since June was Deafblind Awareness Month – the planter accessories were provided by The Gardener, a local flower store.

below: Bloor West – bike lanes, sidewalk patios, and construction. Welcome to summer in the city!

below: Bloor West glass towers

below: One wall of Brentwood Library and the small garden on the north side of the building.

below: Old gnarly tree with Kingsway Baptist church in the background

below: Just west of Royal York, at Montgomery Road, the subway emerges from underground.

The Mimico Creek passes under Bloor between Royal York and Islington. Tom Riley Park follows the creek on both sides north of Bloor until it then passes under Islington close to the intersection of Islington & Dundas West.

below: Another angle of the subway at ground level. Here is looking east as it runs through Tom Riley Park (and if you could see further, you could see where it goes back underground at Montgomery)

below: Islington subway station and bus bays. A very large parcel of land on the northwest corner of Islington and Bloor is taken up. Opened May 1968.

below: A messy corner, at Aberfoyle & Islington (just north of Bloor)

below: Just north of Bloor, Islington passes under railway tracks.

below: Islington Towers with a fountain in front. The parts of the fountain that are brown were once blue. It was designed and constructed by Alfio Bartoletti in the 1960s.

below: Across the street from the Islington Towers, a highrise with a more modern design (for better or worse, your decision!).

below: Corner of Cordova and Central Park Blvd with new condo development

In this part of Toronto, Dundas is north of Bloor.

Now you are in Islington village, home to over 20 murals depicting scenes from the history of the neighbourhood. I documented these back in 2014 in a blog post, Islington Heritage Murals. The murals are still there and are in good shape.

Are cars always getting in the way of public transit?

below: Not a heritage mural, but painted by Moises Frank for a collaborative project between Arts Etobicoke and the City of Toronto, the Dundas West #NoVacancy project.

below: On the same building as the above mural, is this painting. Once it was the Chinese Food Gallery, now it is vacant and surrounded by a fence. A development notice sign on the fence says that a permit for a five storey mixed use building has been applied for.

As you walk west on Dundas, you approach the intersections of Dundas, Bloor, and Kipling. There is a lot of construction, happening here, mostly condos.

below: A park, Dunkip Park, is also being created. Dun as in Dundas plus kip as in Kipling.

below: A very big hole in the ground.

below: Kipling Street bridge over the railway tracks

below: Looking east along the railway tracks from on top of the bridge at Kipling (back towards Islington).

below: Kipling subway station is the west terminus of the TTC Line 2 and was opened in November 1980. It connected Line 2 of the subway with GO service to the west. Pictured here is part of the south side showing three of its twenty concrete arches. These are similar to the arches at Islington station, but not identical to them.

below: North side of Kipling station, back in 1980 when it first opened, north side bus bays

below: Graffiti stickers in the parking lot. A well-suited duck in a hurry by giacco.ca and a boxy snail by Sketch Nate (aka Nate Galbraith)

below: Eastbound out of Kipling station. The older Line 2 subway trains still have a window that you can look out.

behind Shaw Street

Posted: June 4, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: alley, birdo, Brian Porter, bricks, doll face one, dragon, emily may rose, flowers, garages, graffiti, Jerry Rugg, lane, laneway, murals, paint, raccoons, rainbow, robot, squirrel, street art, sun, unicorns, walls

Like an illustration in a book with no words, the story is in the picture and its interpretation is up to you. Raccoons in masks and red capes performing (dancing?) while other raccoons sit in trash cans watching? A whimsical mural by Emily May Rose – if you follow this blog, or if you are familiar with Toronto street artists, you will recognize this immediately as one of hers. These cute little raccoons appear in many places around the city. How many have you spotted? This particular mural is in an alley behind Shaw Street (east side) and north of Queen.

Some other street art seen in the alley…

below: A legless robot effortlessly glides around although it also looks like he might be aimlessly floating through space. He was painted by Brian Porter

below: Monotone and angular, a very large squirrel is watching you (another Brian Porter piece).

below: A woman entwined with a creature with a bird head (but scaly legs?) lying on the ground? flying in the air? swimming in the water? The mural was painted by Birdo, aka Jerry Rugg.

below: Flowers basking in the rays of sunshine on a summer day

below: Lots of purple flowers!

below; Pikachu seems happy enough, but that cup… I look at that and I think of Mr. Bill. Mr. Bill had dark round eyes and a big round red mouth. For those of you young ones who are wondering what I’m talking about, Mr. Bill was a little figure made of clay who appeared on SNL starting waaaay back in 1976. Oh Nooooo!!

below: Rainbow unicorns, just in time for Pride month.

below: Home is where the heart is. It also seems to be where the sun shines and the flowers grow profusely.

below: Marshmallows with stick arms and army boots!

below: Some dragons breathe fire so I’ve been told. This purple dragon seems to have a different trick!

below: A little blue bear with a happy face balloon, a sticker by doll face one.

below: Graffiti stickers on a TTC No Dumping sign.

below: And last, street art of a slightly different, but very similar, sort…. Someone’s little gallery

back to Ossington

Posted: May 8, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: alleys, backyards, Basquiat, bikes, Christina Mazzulla, D.Terra stencils, emily may rose, graffiti, houses, Jimmy Chiale, lanes, murals, Nick Sweetman, Ossington, pangeaseed, raccoon, residential, Rowell Soller, stencils, stores, trash panda, turtles, uber 5000, urban ninja squadron, visual noise

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.

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!

below: A whimsical Uber5000 painting on a garage door.

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

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

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

below: … and some more raccoons!

below: …. and even more!

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.

below: A trumpet player and a gun fight.

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

below: A tribute mural celebrating Canadian Black designers.

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.

below: Home patio, outdoor living urban style.

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.

below: The tail end of a fishy mural.

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.

below: The Swiss army knife was also a Pangeaseed mural

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

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

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

below: Rowell Soller

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.

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

below: “You are stroger than you think”

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

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

below: More garage doors painted by D.Terra Stencils

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

below: .. and beside Basquiat, a levitating woman

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

below: Portuguese words, and nearby a Portuguese flag

below: Boxers – Muhammad Ali and an opponent

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

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

below: Parking for Animals

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

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

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

between Wellesley and Gloucester

Posted: May 2, 2025 in graffiti and street art, locations, old buildings, stores
Tags: Albert Paley, B.C. Johnson, catchoo, Chechalk Lane, Gloucester Street, graffiti, iguana, murals, nature scenes, palm trees, tigers

Like many good walks, this one starts from a subway station. This time it is Wellesley station

below: Standing on the northeast corner of Yonge & Wellesley

Walking north on Yonge and taking advantage of the fact that there wasn’t much traffic. Some (all?) of these buildings may have appeared in prior blog posts. At some point I should pull together all the Yonge street photos that I have taken over the years. It might be interesting to see what has changed and how much. In the meantime, here are a few scenes from the two blocks from Wellesley north to Gloucester (past Dundonald St.)

below: Looking north.

below: Large abstract red metal sculpture by Albert Paley.

below: Yonge Street has long been a dividing line down the middle of the city. There are some east-west streets that now run uninterrupted across Yonge but many don’t. For example, Dundonald Street ends at Yonge (runs east only) but after a slight jog to the north, you can continue on St. Joseph Street.

below: Like St. Joseph St. is the continuation of Dundonald, Irwin Ave is the continuation of Gloucester.

below: Shown here is one of the numerous alleys, that crisscross downtown Toronto – Cottage Lane runs north from Irwin Ave for a short distance. Murals have been painted by B.C. Johnson on both sides.

below: Nearby, St. Nicholas Street south of Irwin becomes a narrow lane.

Back to Gloucester (because we can never walk in a straight line!)…..

below: James Canning Gardens

below: An row of three old red brick houses with a heritage plaque outside – 7 to 11 Gloucester, built 1887. Also known as the Hugh Matheson houses. They have been incorporated into a condo development.

large 2 storey red brick house with a heritage plaque in the front

…”In September 1885, physician and tailor Hugh Matheson received a permit to build a row of homes on this site, located at the rear of his Yonge Street property at a cost of about $15,000 (about $500,000 in 2024). Matheson trained to become a doctor in Toronto and Connecticut but instead chose to be a men’s clothing retailer, running a successful store at 16 King Street East. His large home was just west of here at the corner of Yonge and Gloucester Streets. Matheson was planning to return to medicine when he died during the construction of the homes….. The first people to live at 7, 9, and 11 were James N. Peer, commercial merchant, George E. Challes, paper company manager, and Margaret J. Pringle, a widow… In 1950, five of the houses were demolished for construction of the subway…”

The next series of photographs are all taken in Gloucester Place, an alley that runs behind Yonge Street on the east side. Artist B.C. Johnson has also painted most of the walls and doors in the one block stretch north of Gloucester Street.

below: Looking north up Gloucester Place towards Isabella, with tall glass and steel boxes at Yonge and Bloor towering above.

below: The south end of Gloucester Lane, at Gloucester Street. The old house was preserved and there is a coffee shop on the lower level at the moment.

below: She looks rather perplexed and I am inclined to agree with her!

below: A little black catchoo heart

One last quick circle back, this time to the beginning to include one last bit –

below: Chechalk Lane, from Wellesley towards Dundonald. This lane was named for Chechalk, an Anishnawbe Chief who was one of the signatories to the 1805 Toronto Purchase. He also signed the Mississauga Treaty of 1805 (aka Treaty 13). The name/word means crane or big bird.

The story of the Toronto Purchase of 1805 is described on the website of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations. (MCFN). I am not going to copy and paste the whole thing; instead three points:

1. Original purchase price was 10 shillings (plus other items).
2. Renegotiations began in 1998 leading to a settlement for more money in 2010.
3. The cities of Etobicoke, Toronto, North York, York and Vaughan are located within the boundaries of the Toronto Purchase Treaty lands.

If you want to read the whole story, link: MCFN Treaty 13.

behind Ossington

Posted: April 13, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: Aaron Li-Hill, alley, birdo, caratoes, catchoo, cow, durothethird, Elicser Elliott, faces, Flips, garages, George Sully, graffiti, horus, lane, murals, peanut butter, peru, polka dots, poser, spud, spud bomb, stikman, street art, Troy Lovegates, tuffytats

Moooo…. Hey there good looking!… Here’s looking at you! This was painted by Poser. Usually he does bunny rabbits but I think that he’s pretty good at painting cows too!

For a number of years now, there has been a lot of street art and graffiti in an alley that runs behind the east side of Ossington starting at Queen Street and ending one block north at Humbert. Some of it is interesting; some is not. A few garages and walls look the same as they did 12 or 13 years ago so some of these photos may look similar to older photos used in this blog.

below: In the background, an untitled piece by Caratoes. It was one of 5 murals painted in Toronto in 2016 for the “Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans” series. In total, there were over 500 murals in 20 countries in this series.

below: Six lit matches ready to go. This crazy cat is up to something no good…

below: An early Birdo piece, although the scroll names or street artists too. The first street art in the alley dates from 2012 when a group of artists painted some of the garages here.

below: A pink rose between two women.

below: Another oldie – this purple guy has been blowing a gust of wind for many years.

below: Vintage Spud bombs, some cheerful and some menacing.

below: A funny looking green creature with big white eyes and lots of skinny legs.

below: A couple, together in the stream, in a mural by Elicser Elliott with the title “Swim”

below: Geometric shapes with a touch of rainbow colour, by Peru

below: Large pink and white swirls and curls cover a wall. Any time that you see swirls like these, think Flips because that’s sure to be the artist that painted them.

below: Only a small portion of this moose painting by Aaron Li-Hill remains. I don’t usually show the original works but I am going to make an exception here. See next image.