You might recognize the building below – it’s the Cherry Street interlocking tower. Along with the Scott Street and John Street towers, they housed the the electro-mechanical interlocking for the railway tracks. Interlocking is an apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks, in other words, it keeps the trains separated so there are no collisions. It was back in 1931 that the track work for Union Station was completed and the Toronto Terminals Railway interlocking system became operational. The interlocking was installed by General Railway Signal Co. of Rochester NY and it was/is controlled from the three above mentioned towers. Apparently this 1931 interlocking system has operated reliably for 86 years and today it makes it possible for 235 passenger trains travel on these tracks every weekday.
The intersection of Cherry and Lakeshore isn’t pretty. The south end of Cherry passes under the railway tracks, 8 tracks wide, just before ending at Lakeshore Blvd which is under the Gardiner Expressway at that point.
below: This is the view if you’re walking east on Lakeshore. The ‘tunnel’ is Cherry Street as it goes under the railway tracks. The three glass condo towers are part of the Distillery District.
below: From above – the best way to help you visualize the intersection. The very bottom left corner is the north end of the Cherry Street bridge. Cherry Street and the Lakeshore come together under the Gardiner Expressway before they split again with Cherry continuing south to the Portlands and the Lakeshore curving back under the Gardiner.
Also, the intersection can be confusing if you’re a cyclist or a pedestrian, especially if you are coming south on Cherry Street. It’s one stretch where the undeveloped land under the Gardiner Expressway has been neglected in part because it is also a section of the city that is in limbo – is the Gardiner going to be taken down? or will it be moved? or will we debate it until it’s too late to do anything? As city redevelopment spreads east, there is more interest in this area and in the Portlands adjacent to it.
below: Looking west towards the city. The Martin Goodman Trail runs along the south side of Lakeshore before turning south at Cherry towards the Portlands. On the other side of Lakeshore is the Lower Don River Trail that parallels the Lakeshore before turning north at the Don River. Both trails are part of the PanAm Path.
The Panam Path was a legacy project from the 2015 Pan Am Games. The path is not completed yet but it starts at the south end of the Clairville Reservoir in the northwest part of the city. It follows the Humber River to Lake Ontario and then runs east to the Don River before heading inland a bit. Eventually it ends at the mouth of the Rouge River. The path goes under many bridges and there is street art in quite a few of these spots.
below: Some of the pillars and bents under the Gardiner just east of Cherry Street are the latest to be painted. Finally some colour!
The first painting was done as part of an Art Spin event at the end of August. Art Spin is a group that runs bicycle-led events/tours of art a few times a year. The project is also a part of the STEPS Initiative that promotes public art in the city.
below: XYZ 2017 VAL JAM LUVS DRPN ___ DELUXO OGV written on top of the snake before it had a tongue.
Artists involved:
Daniela Rocha (muisca)
Fathima Mohiuddin (fatspatrol)
Stephanie Bellefleur (bellefleurhaus)
Meera Sethi
If I’ve left anyone out, please let me know
Some of the concrete in this area is slated for refurbishment so the affected pillars have been left clear for the moment.
below: More bird motifs, this time by @fatspatrol
below: An owl at night, stars in the sky, and purple hills, mural by Muisca.
below: A whimsical fun little purple creature with long arms.
below: Bullets transforming into birds taking flight.
as I walk Toronto 