Posts Tagged ‘redevelopment’

Dr. Adams was here

Posted: December 7, 2024 in graffiti and street art, history
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Dr. John Gennings Curtis Adams left a small mark on the city just over a hundred years ago.

a Heritage Toronto plaque on the sidewalk outside an old three storey brick building that is boarded up and covered with graffiti. Plaque tells about Dr. Adams who was a dentist in the late 1800s.

Dr. John G.C. Adams (1839-1922)  Dr. John G.C. Adams is regarded as the father of public health dentistry in Canada.  His Methodist faith inspired him to become Canada’s first resident dental missionary.  He funded and operated the first free dental hospital on the continent in 1872, primarily treating poverty-stricken children and their mothers.  Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children opened three years later and, in 1883, Dr. Adams became its first dentist of record. 
In the building here, Dr. Adams operated Christ’s Mission Hall and Dental Institute from 1897 until 1899 when the City closed it for non-payment of taxes.  A champion of preventative health through education, Dr. Adams advocated for dental check-ups in public schools and dental treatment for underprivileged children.  His recommendations were finally realized in 1911 with the beginning of dental check-ups in Toronto schools.  Canada’s first publicly funded free dental clinic opened two years later.

Although Adams  had a mission here, it was only for a few years and he lost possession because he didn’t pay his taxes.  So I am not sure why the plaque is here (to bolster the heritage designation of the building?).  It’s earlier history is just as interesting, if not more so. Before Adams, it had been a coffee shop run by The Toronto Coffee Association Coffee House – off on a tangent for a moment. the Coffee Houses of the 1880s and 1890s were in response to Prohibition laws and many were run by the Temperance League.   I found a thorough, well-written history of these coffee houses as well as Bay Street at the time at Scenes from Toronto

If you have passed by the intersection of Bay and Elm (just north of Dundas), you may have noticed the building on the southwest corner.  It’s been derelict for quite a few years now.  It has become a small canvas for some graffiti artists; although it gets ‘cleaned up’ every once in awhile, traces remain.  Dr. Adams wouldn’t recognize it… nor would he approve of it!

below: Two faced

bits and pieces of posters that have been put up on boarded up window on abandoned building, layers, including partial faces of two men

an old arched window in a building that is now boarded up, graffiti and posters on the plywood

below: Like a repeating pattern on wallpaper or fabric, columns of men with the same hair cut and facial features.  An army of clones.

graffiti paste up poster, repeating black heads in columns and rows, torn bottom

black ink drawing of a man's face and hand on white, drawn on old posters on a graffiti covered wall

below: Mexican Jesus

on a wall with remnants of posters and graffiti, black drawing portrait of a man with long shaggy hair

below: 33wallflower33

black and white paste up graffiti, grey tones, images of women, by 33 wallflower 33

black and white paste up graffiti, grey tones, images of women, by 33 wallflower 33

graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building at 55 Elm street

abandoned building with windows boarded up, graffiti

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building , someone has written free gaza and someone else has added from hamas

collage made with layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building at 55 Elm street

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building, including a braid and a small heart

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building with graffiti text written across the top that says Jesus is God

This building, 55 Elm, is at the east end of a row of bay & gable houses from the late 1800s.  All of them are empty and boarded up, awaiting the usual fate of such properties in this city.  The image below is a screenshot of the row of houses that was included in the 2021 City of Toronto report (pdf) that designated the row as heritage properties.  The study was prompted by the possible tear down of one of the houses in 2019.  In other words, these have been empty for a long time.

bay and gable houses on elm street, 57 to 71 Elm

  These houses back onto a large parking lot.  The last few photos are a quick look at remains behind.

graffiti on the back of a brick building, pink, large 3 letters,

graffiti text tags on the back of empty houses

exterior stairs at back of house, two storeys, leading to turquoise doors

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

back of building, looking up to rooftop and metal vents, tall skyscraper condos in the background, used to be matagali restaurant, sign still there

When we tried to walk the Betty Sutherland trail

Posted: October 31, 2024 in general Toronto
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The best laid plans….

Tucked away on a dead end suburban street is a little park with a monument in it.  A monument to a couple, Henry Mulholland and Jane Armstrong.

stone pillar about 6 feet high, with plaque, memorial for Henry Mulholland

Dedicated to the memory of Henry Mulholland and his wife Jane Armstrong. Pioneers of this district who emigrated from Ulster in 1806 and took out the original grant of four hundred acres from the crown. He fought in the War of 1812 and later returned to Ireland to induce further emigration. While returning was drowned in the wreck of the Lady of the Lake in the Straits of Belle Isle in 1833. Erected by the eight branches of their descendents, 1937.

The ‘Lady of the Lake’ sailed from Belfast on 8 April 1833.  She was bound for Quebec with 233 passengers aboard – mostly immigrants. On the morning of 11th May, off the coast of Newfoundland, the ship struck an iceberg.  Only a few people survived.

Jane was not with her husband on that trip, instead she was at home with her 10 surviving children, the youngest of whom, Henry Jr. was born in 1829.  Two more children later died of smallpox.

Jane and Henry were married in Co. Monaghan Ireland in 1806 so they must have emigrated as newlyweds.  Their first child, Mary Ann, was born in 1807.

The 400 acres that the couple were granted were Lots 14 and 15, Con 3 in East York (south of what is now Sheppard and east of what is now Leslie).  They built a log house on an island in the East Don River.   Fast forward a number of years, after a number of changes of ownership and many changes in the neighbourhood, Henry and Jane’s great grandson, George Stewart Henry bought the farmhouse and property at Lot 14 Con 3 (for $14,500) to bring it back into the family.

The name George S. Henry may be more familiar to some of you.  There is a high school named after him, and a whole neighbourhood, Henry Farms.

The reason that I found the Mulholland cairn?  It is located close to one of the entrances to the Betty Sutherland Trail, just north of the 401 highway.  A few years ago I walked the south end of this trail (you can read about it here: Paths to ruin and a course, 2021).  Now I wanted to walk the northern section as well.

below: An ominous sign, construction on the trail!

signs at the beginning of the Betty Sutherland Trail

below: It wasn’t long before the trail ended.  There were six signs to warn us.  The end was at the 401 highway.

Rather than retracing our steps, we went down to the river’s edge.

The East Don River flows under the 401

We headed back north instead of south. …Over a piece of the path that had washed out in the August flooding.

below: stag horn sumac

below: pear tree

below: swamp bush sumac

below: North York General Hospital in the background.

below: The East Don River flows diagonally under the Leslie Sheppard intersection.  The black and white highrise in the distance is farther north up Leslie Street.

below: Looking west along Sheppard towards railway bridge

below: Seen just outside of Leslie subway station (at Sheppard).  We didn’t see any wildlife, just a lot of traffic.

Apples on the sidewalk, north side of Sheppard…. Seems to suggest that once upon a time someone lived here and planted apples.

below: Looking east

below: Teasels

below: Chinese Crab Apple tree

Now on the East Don Trail (north of Sheppard) where there is more construction.  Also, a large number of new trees have been planted.

below: Strange artwork outside Canadian Tire, just west of Leslie

Getting back to “Best laid plans”…..   You may have noticed that these aren’t the most recent pictures (wrong season!)….  This post was written back in early September and I thought that I had uploaded it.  Ooops.  Forgot.

the waterfalls of Cottage Lane

Posted: September 2, 2024 in alleys, old buildings, public art
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In downtown Toronto there is a large waterfall mural painted on a brick wall  – because of the bricks, the painting looks a bit more like water pouring over a dam.  Still nice; still nature.

mural by b c johnson, a waterfall

Another waterfall – a longer drop of water, this time on a door.  All the murals here were painted by B. C. Johnson.  There are five or six of them on different buildings, some waterfalls, and some landscapes.

in cottage lane, a mural of a waterfall, with greenery beside it, electrical boxes on the green, with wires, and graffiti on the boxes ,

below: Here a  heron stands on a fallen tree beside the water.  A birch trees is also on the shore.  A waterfall is on the other side of the lake.

mural in cottage lane by b c johnson, a heron stands on a fallen log on a rock on shoreline, birch tree nearby, water, and a waterfall in the background

below: This building is overgrown with ivy which adds a nice touch to the scene. The door becomes a very thick tree trunk perched on a rock above the water.

on a wall by a black door, overgrown with ivy, door looks like tree trunk, also mural in cottage lane by b c johnson, a heron stands on a fallen log on a rock on shoreline, birch tree nearby, water, and a waterfall in the background

below: Surprisingly, there is no puddle at the bottom of the steps (insert big smiling emoji here).

porch at back of building, in alley, on building with lots of ivy growing on it, mural of a waterfall

porch at back of building, in alley, on building with lots of ivy growing on it, with another building across the alley with murals of waterfalls and landscapes

below: A real tree once grew here.  I don’t think that it was a beaver that cut it down.

old hollow tree trunk in lane, in front of a landscape mural and wall overgrown with ivy

boarded up window or door, exterior view, from cottage lane, now covered with part of a mural of a landscape by b c johnson

below: Where do you find Cottage Lane?  South of Bloor, west of Yonge, then follow the signs… and the road less traveled.

St. Marys street, restaurants and signs, canadian flag, street sign of cottage lane

I was not sure why it was named Cottage Lane since, to me, there isn’t much that is cottage-y here.  The answer – there are 10 rowhouses on St. Nicholas Street that were built in 1883 and although the architectural style is ‘bay and gable’, they are referred to as the cottages of St. Nicholas Street.  As you may have guesses, St. Nicholas Street backs onto this lane.

below: Looking north towards Bloor.   Buildings that face Yonge Street are on the right and those on St. Nicholas Street are on the left.

cottage lane, looking north towards bloor and new condos, back of buildings,

back of buildings in cottage lane, balconies, green trash bins, tall condos in the background,

cottage lane

purple bike with white seat cover, parked in an alley beside a small sumac tree and an old window with metal bars on it

back of buildings in cottage lane, balconies, exterior stairs, pink wall, green trash bins, car parked, brick buildings,

back of store, commercial building, alley view, door, heating and air conditioning vents, graffiti on wall, blue trash bins

graffiti on a red brick wall, a bright white ghost with red eyes and smiling mouth, yellow pipes and white plastic exhaust pipes from building

exterior brick wall, painted bright red, with many black wires in a bundle crossing it,, white graffiti happy face, other blue graffiti text lil

graffiti on red brick wall, respect dollar sign, free dollars, 2014

square street sign covered with graffiti ticker, all o them are black with gold lettering

Back in 2021, I posted some pictures from Sandown Lane (Cliffside, near Midland and Kingston Road) where there are many more paintings by B. C. Johnson.

walking River Street, mostly

Posted: August 20, 2024 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, locations
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Nigel smith sign, multi coloured, with text wish you were here

The general plan was to walk River Street.   River Street runs parallel to the Don River (makes sense!) on the west side with the north end of the street just above of Gerrard.   Transit on River Street is limited (is there any?) so I started the walk at Broadview and Gerrard, just to the east of River Street.

below:  At the corner of Broadview and Gerrard is the Roman Coliseum mural that was painted in 2016 as part of ‘Around the World in East Chinatown’.  It was one of seven murals and all of them were featured in a blog post back when they were new (seven new murals, August 2016)

intersection of Broadview and Gerrard, south side, with Boba Boy on one corner and A and W on the other, street car wires overhead, street art on the walls, image of roman coliseum

gerrard, at broadview, southwest side, bus shelter, brick building with street art on it

below: Chinatown East mural by ACK crew, bacon, wunder, tensoe 2, and cruz1, on Gerrard east of Broadview.  Chinatown East is generally Gerrard east of Broadview, but we’re going to walk west today and leave Chinatown for another day.

chinese style gate on gerrard, as entrance to Chinatown East, mural with Chinese theme in the background

below: A long vacant lot on Gerrard.

fence around vacant lot beside a brick house, no trespassing sign on fence

below: Munro Street, south of Gerrard

Munro street, at Gerrard, houses, brick, trees, street scene

below: On the north side is the site of the old Don Jail and its Governor’s House.

many yellow flowers in the garden in front of the Governor's House, with plaque in the garden

Governor’s House,1888, From 1888 until 1968, this was the residence of the Don Jail’s governor (chief administrator).  Until this house was finished, the governor lived in an apartment in the central administration block of the jail.  Designed by architect Mancel Wilmot, this house features a shallow pitched roof with a front-facing gable and double-height bay window that are typical of Toronto’s late 19th century residential architecture.

below: Bridgepoint and the old Don Jail with the red brick steeple of  St. Johns Presbyterian church on Broadview in the distance.  Bridgepoint Health Hospital was built on the site of the old Riverdale Hospital which in turn replaced an older building.  The original House of Refuge was built in 1860.  The Don Jail has been repurposed as part of the hospital complex.

bridgepoint hospital, with old don jail in the background

below: Looking north from the bridge at Gerrard towards the green pedestrian bridge that connects the two sections of Riverdale Park.  Beyond that is the Bloor Viaduct.

view looking north from gerrard street bridge, railway tracks, don river, view to bloor street and beyond

below: Northwest view

very tall hydro electricity transmission tower beside bike path and railway tracks, high rise buildings in the background

below: View from the Gerrard St Bridge (over the Don River and DVP).   Looking southwest.  The tall brown buildings are at River Street.

photo taken while on gerrard street bridge over the Don river, looking southwest towards many highrise apartment buildings

below: Miniature racer, art on a pole by Joseph Lammirato.

miniature black car, toy, mounted on orange board, and attached to utility pole

… and another!  You’ll find lots more on his Instagram page (@joseph.lammirato)

below: Flower Power happiness

sunflower with a happy face, pasteup on canada post mailbox

below: The north end of River Street (north of Gerrard)is showing signs that redevelopment is in the works.

old brick houses with for lease signs in the front yard

old brick two storey houses with front porches on river street, empty, boarded up with plywood waiting for demolition

graffiti tags on plywood used to board up windows and doors on empty old houses

below: If you are driving north on River Street, chances are you are headed down the hill to the Bayview Extension.  The alternative route is a small street that swings left and joins up with Spruce Street.

small houses on Spruce Street, including one that is painted blue, with white gingerbread trim under the eaves, also a modern house in black

below: It also leads to access to Riverdale Park. – there’s that green pedestrian bridge again.  From here you can see Broadview Avenue on the other side of the ravine.

view of Riverdale park with green pedestrian bridge over the DVP and Don River
orange tiger lilies in bloom along a chainlink fence beside a path near River street and spruce street

below: Back to River Street, and let’s head south.

River street street sign, with a no left turn sign under it

below: St. Sava, Serbian Orthodox Church.

St. Sava, Serbian Orthodox Church at Gerrard and River, with tall apartment buildings behind

below: Walking past some of the older Regent Park brick buildings that still remain.   The intersection of Gerrard and River streets marks the northeast corner of the original 1940s and 1950s Regent Park development.

regent park, southwest corner of gerrard and river streets

ivy covered exterior walls of Regent Park apartments,

About 20 years ago, redevelopment of the area began.  The work was divided into five phases.  Phases 1 and 2 have been completed while the third phase is either close to completion or has just been finished.  There is a lot of information online so you should be able to find many more details if you want.  I didn’t feel like going down that rabbit hole!

contrast of old Regent Park residences with newer developments

couple walking a dog on River near Oak street, with three high rises in the background

below: I was surprised at how much variety there was in the housing that I saw.

a row of three storey houses on river street, bay and gable style,

cornwall street row houses, with highrise behind

looking down a private road at a townhouse development

below:  Queen City Vinegar Co. Ltd. factory built in 1908 and converted into lofts (residential) in 2008.

entrance to building, door with stone lintal and decorations

wood railing on a porch, old paint, white, brick house,

blue and white development notice on behind a bent railing on a boarded up building

below: Stalled development (Dare I say arrested development?)  According to the development notice sign, the original file dates from 2017.  Even by Toronto standards that is slow!

red hoardings around vacant construction site

below: Behind the red hoardings is just a vacant lot.  Nothing seems to be happening here.  When I said arrested I was not implying anything criminal…..

vacant lot on river street, buildings already demolished, stalled redevelopment

below: Of course the CN Tower can be seen here too!  This is the view along Shuter Street.

looking west on Shuter street from River street, with cn tower in the distance

cyclist on bike, traveling south on river at dundas, row of houses in the background

below: Dundas, looking west towards River Street with tables in front of Bevy Coffee. The slightly darker brick building was the Adam Beck Box Factory where cigar boxes were once made.  Like the Queen Vinegar Company mentioned above, this building has been converted into lofts (Tannery Lofts, mis-named as this wasn’t a tannery! But it does sound sexier than Box Lofts!).

dundas east approaching river, looking west, bevy coffee shop on the right side, with picnic tables on the sidewalk outside

below: Similar location, but from the parking lot and alley behind – brick building is the Tannery Lofts

back of buildings on river, large condos, lowrise brick old warehouse, back of car dealership on dundas

below: 1930s view of Beck’s cigar box factory

black and white photo from the 1930s of Adam Beck cigar box factory, three storey brick building with cars parked in front

below: Monsters ready to box

mural on large door at back of building on dundas east, blob like monsters in different colours, all wearing white boxing gloves, large white eyes and scowling faces
behind hoardings, boarded up house with graffiti sign by Nigel Smith that says untitled

below: River Variety is no more.

old river variety store, in a ine of rowhouses, boarded up and hoardings in front

below: No more gyros or poutine here.

empty buildings behind green construction fence, boarded up and waiting to be demolished, river street

empty buildings behind green construction fence, boarded up and waiting to be demolished, river street

below: At Mark Street, more old and new

mark street approaching river street, side of red brick house, with new condo in the background

an alley, with lots of greenery from trees and shrubs, back of red building,

below: Every child matters

on a red wood garage wall, in blue spray paint, text that says every child matters, on god

old sign for monarch elevators, in an alley, with lots of shadows, graffiti on wall too

garage in alley, white concrete block with grey metal door

below: West side of River Street, at Queen

River Street, west side at Queen,

below: Old photo from 1914, working on the Queen Street bridge over the Don River, looking westward towards River Street.   The light coloured bank building is still on the southwest corner (see above photo).  The red brick structure on the northwest corner is also still standing, although an additional storey has been added to it.

old black and white photo of men working on the queen street bridge over the don river

photo credit: City of Toronto Archives

below: Looking north on River Street from King.  South from here River becomes Lower River.

view looking north on river street, from king street

below: Part of the mural on the side of Toronto Humane Society (Queen & River) painted by Uber5000

from a mural by uber 5000, an image of a large white and grey dog, tongue hanging out of mouth, happy face,

below: Parked in the bike lane.

blue car parked in the bike lane on river street

Note: River Street is serviced by TTC bus route 121 that runs between Gerrard (just west of Broadview), then down River to Queen before heading west to the Esplanade and Union Station.

 

a short walk up Church Street

Posted: July 18, 2024 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, old buildings, stores
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Northbound, starting at King…  where this large mural still shines.  Piliriqatigiingniq was painted in 2015 (see link for more info)

part of a mural on a large white wall, a pink animal with blur antlers, also two windows in the wall

below: A yellow parking lot attendant booth, a throwback to an older, less digital age.  Back before machines and parking apps on your phone changed our lives.

old yellow parking lot attendant booth in a parking lot on church street

below: Looking west on Court Street through to Toronto and Victoria Streets (and beyond).  A wide range of sizes and styles all mixed up together.

looking west on Court street from church street, highrises

looking west on Court street from church street, highrises

below: The omnipresent condo construction and ubiquitous summer roadworks can be found here too!

a woman carries two bags full of shopping as she walks on a sidewalk beside a blue construction fence in downtown toronto

below: Lots of glass on the northeast corner of  Church & Lombard –  This section of Lombard is also Gilda Radner Way.

new construction on the northeast corner of church and lombard, also called gilda radner way

below: The view on Lombard, looking east from Church. Lots of midrise buildings.

lombard street ooking east from church, new construction on the northeast corner, row of midrise apartments on the south side

below: Crossing Lombard.  Looking north up Church Street

people crossing street

below: Church & Richmond, northeast corner.

church and richmond, northeast corner, ttc streetcar headed north, wild wings,

below: Church & Richmond again but from a different angle, south side of Richmond with McVeighs Tavern on the southwest corner.

church and richmond, southeast, people on southwest corner, streetcar headed north,

below: Flags flying over the entrance to McVeighs (“since 1962”) – a little bit of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador.

below: West on Richmond.

looking east on richmond street from church street

a lane off church street

below: A stretch of Church Street was known for its pawn shops and many still remain.  Here we have Simon’s Pawnbrokers as well as two “exchanges”, Five Star Exchange and Toronto Exchange.

pawn shops on church street

big red pawnbroker sign on a building

below: Balconies old and new.

below: Can you tell where this picture was taken?  A little bit of Toronto love on a mailbox on the corner of Church and ???

graffiti sticker on a Canada Post mailbox, I green heart Tdot

below: Peeking over the mail box above is the yellow of the old Shwarma King on the northeast corner of Queen and Church.  It is now being demolished.

northeast corner of Queen and Church, yellow tower on yellow building now being demolished

scaffolding and hoardings in front of a few buildings on church street, awaiting demolition and redevelopment

below: The side of Metropolitan United Church.

below: The north end of Metropolitan United with St. Michaels Hospital behind it (just south of Shuter).

below: More of the mural as well as St. Michaels Cathedral on the other side of Shuter Street.  The mural is “Paint Your Faith” by Elicser, Chor Boogie, Mediah and Siloette

Church and Shuter, St. Michaels cathedral with St Mikes hospital in the background

below: St. Michaels RC Church in the foreground, looking north along Church St.

below: Many more facades that have been preserved during redevelopment.

older brick buildings whose facades were saved when redeveloped and condos built on top

below:  205 Church Street with its green awning; Its neighbour may be feeling the squeeze, just south of Dundas.

house between two larger buildings

below: Looking east on Dundas

looking south on church street

below: Northeast corner of Church and Dundas.

below: Westward along Dundas towards the Bond Place Hotel and its tall blue mural celebrating health care workers and their dedication during the COVID pandemic  (and since?)

looking west on Dundas from church street as a white bus passes by, Bond Place hotel, with a large vertical mural dedicated to health care workers.

below: mmm

another bridge is open – Port Lands again

Posted: June 17, 2024 in construction, locations, public art, transportation, waterfront
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view of cn tower from port of toronto, with buoys, on land, in front, as well as a parking lot

Welcome back! Bienvenuti!  A colourful sign to welcome you and visitors to Toronto.  I’m not sure how many visitors get to see this banner!

sign saying welcome to toronto in many different languages

The Port of Toronto has almost become an obscure corner of the city.  It’s certainly not where most tourists arrive in the city!  Nor is it a place where residents venture.

welcome sign in different languages, puddle in front, large green and orange buoys, on land, reflections in the puddle

below: Once there was a ferry between Toronto and Rochester that docked here but it didn’t last long.  Now there are a few cruise ships that stop here.  The building would be almost deserted if Netflix hadn’t taken over some of the space.

building on pier, beside waterfront, with chainlink temporary fence, sign says Toronto Port or Port of Toronto

below:  The fragments of railway track are reminders of the industrial past.

metal fence across old railway tracks on a pier, beside waterfront, Lake Ontario, Port of Toronto

below: There are bits of track scattered all over the Port Lands

fence across old railway tracks with industrial site beyond

below: The Port is much quieter but there is still activity.  These long metal bars that are neatly stacked on shore were probably recently offloaded.

stacks of 40 foot long rebar on the waterfront, port of toronto, recently unloaded from a boat
view through chainlink fence on pier, a yacht is exiting the harbour, toronto skyline in the background

below: Boats in the Ship Channel.  The redevelopment plan for the Port Lands has always included the retention of the Ship Channel.  The sand and salt for Toronto’s roads is delivered here.

ships in the Shipping Channel

below:  At the east end of the Ship Channel, a new park is being developed – Leslie Lookout Park.   The concrete cylindrical structure is a lookout tower so there will be views over a man-made beach (that appears white in the photo).  The beach is larger in real life than it looks like in the photo.

new park being developed

below: Can you see the little sliver of blue water?  That is the Ship Channel.

behind chainlink fence, new park being developed, on shipping channel so water is just visible in the photo

below: Looking south on Munitions Street

munitions street, port lands, construction, all gone but old fire hall and white building film studio

below: Toronto Firehall, Station 30, built in 1928 still stands.  It is a heritage building and if the plans are followed, it will be repurposed.

munitions street, port lands, construction, all gone but old fire hall

entrance to old metal clad building, tree in front, no trespassing sign on door, no parking sign beside door

below: The redevelopment of the Port Lands has involved a lot of infrastructure changes.  Roads have been changed, rivers have been diverted, bike lanes and better sidewalks have been created.  At times it has been confusing to navigate through.

traffic signs, signals, and new construction in Port lands

below: The new Commissioners Street bridge is in, and there is water running under it.  There is now a river on land that was once industrial.   On the north side of the bridge there is a bike lane and a wide sidewalk.

red and white curvy bridge, commissioners street bridge, dark clouds in the sky,

below: The bridge offers new vistas of the city.  Many new trees have been planted.

view northwest from commissioners street bridge, over river and park with many newly planted trees, to downtown toronto skyline

view north from commissioners street bridge, towards Gardiner Expressway, and Lakeshore

below: Lakeshore Blvd crosses the Don River on a very low bridge (like before) while the ramps between the Gardiner and the DVP curve above it.

view north and slightly east from commissioners street bridge, ramp from Gardiner to DVP with Lakeshore crossing river
below: Just be careful because there is no sidewalk on the south side (why not?? for the sake of saving money on 4 extra feet??)

cyclists crossing commissioners street bridge
commissioners street bridge, mostly sky with lots of clouds

below: The same sleek curvy design seen in the previous bridges is repeated here.

red and white curves of the commissioners street bridge

below: Another series of photographs of the work being done here, by Vid Ingelevics and Ryan Walker

large photograph on a billboard in front of large concrete silos, port lands,
below: One photograph is mounted on the roll-up door of one of the ESSROC cement plant silos

large photograph mounted on door of garage on concrete silo

below: Like the previous series of images, most of the photographs are displayed down the center of what remains of Villiers Street,  on top of the remains of the old railway line.

large photo image on display beside street, in front of building with cranes beside it

below: One more photograph on what remains of Villiers Street – and in the background, what remains of the eastern end of the Gardiner Expressway.

construction in port lands, villiers street torn up, photograph on display in center, gardiner expressway in the background

below: Southeast corner of Villiers and Cherry

old bank building with columns, stone, on southeast corner of villiers and cherry

below: One original bridge remains, the one with the long name – Cherry Street Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge.

cherry street straus trunnion bascule bridge, with person holding stop sign, construction on the bridge

lifeguarding station at cherry beach, old white wood building, with look out tower and flag pole,

below: The first of the new bridges that was actually operational is the south Cherry Street bridge, the yellow one.

yellow and white cherry street bridge

below: The second new bridge on Cherry Street is now in use.  For months we’ve been able to take pictures of the side of it as we stood on the old Cherry Street bridge. (see The New Cherry Street Bridge from Nov 2020).  Maybe one day in the future there will be a streetcar on the east part of the bridge.    As you can see, the rain came and we bailed.  Better pictures of the bridge will have to wait for a future post!

new cherry street bridge from the south, double bridge, one side for cars, bike, and pedestrians. The other side is for transit but so far there is no transit here

below: The old Cherry Street bridge is gone and the road has been rerouted. The old jog in Cherry at Lakeshore is gone.

rubble and digger removing old cherry street bridge, distillery district condos in the background

rubble and digger removing old cherry street bridge, distillery district condos in the background

below: Misdirection.

green and white sign that says cherry street continues one block north of Lakeshore

below: Trying to see the new bridge from the site of the old bridge but there seems to be a construction site in the way.

new cherry street bridge, red, and white, seen from site of old bridge

below: Continuing north on the now straight Cherry Street.  Any ideas what that white structure is ahead?  It runs parallel to the railway line at track level and crosses Cherry Street just south of the railway underpass.

a red car waits at a red light on Cherry at Lakeshore. The Gardiner Expressway passes overhead. Distillery District and Corktown are straight ahead

We now exit the Port Lands and finish today’s explorations…. with the exception of one quick note…. I noticed that the old Canary Diner on Cherry is now painted a reddish orange colour.  It looks like it is being renovated.   A story for another day!

TTC streetcar, route 504, in front of repainted canary diner on cherry street, old three storey brick building

toronto skyline in the background, with boats docked on piers, rubber dinghy in foreground

hydro transmission towers with the cn tower in the background

of king and queen and in between

Posted: June 11, 2024 in construction, galleries, graffiti and street art, locations, old buildings, public art, windows and walls
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Also could be called, “Of bricks and stones and a lot of glass.”

I was recently telling a relative that one of the best ways to explore Toronto, especially downtown,  is just to get off at a subway station or streetcar stop and start walking.  There is always something to see.   This walk is the result of taking my own advice and just getting off at Queen station and seeing where my feet took me.   First stop was the Eaton Centre where Michael Snow’s birds still fly.  “Flightstop”.

interior of eaton centre shopping mall, south end by queen street exit, escalators and stairs, glass ceiling

below: Interior, Eaton Centre where all the benches have been removed.  Sadistic?  Gone are the days when you could take pictures of the men sitting outside Victorias Secret.

inter eaton centre shopping mall, people walking, others on walkway above,

interior of eaton centre shopping mall, large dream catcher shaped decoration hanging from the ceiling, with gold, silver, and white, ribbons, people on stairs beside it

below: As I walk around the city, I see more and more of this – the glass wall.   This view is south on James Street as I walk between the Eaton Centre and Old City Hall.

looking south on James street with old city hall on the right and eaton centre on the left, looking towards queen street with lots of glass towers in the background

below: Approaching City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square from the east you now encounter a conundrum.  Did people hit their heads on the low ramps?  Or were people camping out here?  A poor, and I hope temporary, solution.

barricades under a ramp with two signs saying this way, with red arrows, pointing opposite directions from each other

below:  A few images from “The Red Chair Sessions”, photography by Nadya Kwandibens  A series of 9 large photos is on display in the ground floor windows of City Hall (viewed from outside).  On the right, Sage Paul, designer and artist, originally from English River; on the left, Mushkegowuk Iskwew from Peetabeck (Fort Albany Ontario).

red chair photography at toronto city hall

below: Portrait of Ogimaa Kwe Bnes (aka Chief Lady Bird, her Spirit name) from Mnjikaning and Aura from Onyota’a:ka, posing under a mural that the two of them painted at Underpass Park.

red chair photography at toronto city hall

below: The backside of Sir Winston Churchill as he walks away from City Hall – something to think about?  The new court house is in the background.

man standing beside backside of statue of winston churchill

below: New court house from the corner of Chestnut and Armoury.

new court house, tall glass and steel building

below: Reflections in the glass of the new court house

very blue sky with white puffy clouds, reflected in windows of new court house on armoury

below:  Across Chestnut from the court house is an old hotel that is now part of U of T.  Its older brick and concrete facade contrasts with the glass and steel of the newer building.

grey brick and concrete wall

below: More concrete, the back of City Hall (completed 1965).  This is not a view that is typically shown but I find it fascinating that there are no windows at all on the outer sides.  As it turns out the back walls are made from 18 inches of reinforced concrete that allow for cantilevered floors which in turn make it possible to have an inner structure with few structural elements.

back side of toronto city hall, curved buildings, concrete

below: Also on Centre Ave is the Textile Museum. At the moment one of their exhibits is about quilts, “The Secret Codes: African Nova Scotian Quilts.  Some of the quilts are older ones like this pair by Susan Lawrence (1931-2008) which is a variation of “square in square” pattern.

two quilts by Nova Scotia resident Susan Lawrence, hanging in the textile museum

below: Other quilts are more contemporary such as these three by Myla Borden from New Glasgow NS

three quilts by Myla Borden on exhibit at textile museum, black line applique of daily scenes

quilt by Myla Borden on exhibit at textile museum, black line applique of daily scenes

I first read about these quilts on a blog, junkboattravels.blogspot.com  She has a more thorough description of the exhibit along with some pictures. I will add a few more of my photos at the bottom of this post, but if you are interested in seeing others, I recommend checking out the link above (and then scroll down a bit).

below: Looking north on Centre Ave to Dundas and beyond.  The facade of the old brick building on the northwest corner is being saved. It was built in 1928 as an extension to McLean Hunter which was on University Ave. This Beaux-Arts style building has five storeys of offices and four storeys for a printing plant.

looking north on centre avenue towards dundas

below: A closer look at the facade.

dundas and centre, northwest corner, facade of old brick building is being saved during redevelopment

below: Also Centre and Dundas, but the eastside of Centre, a colourful spot… and a trendy way to liven the street appeal of a parking garage.

east side of Centre and Dundas inersection with colourful abstract geometric mural on the corner of a parking garage, and turquoise upper level of Hong Shing restaurant

below: “The world is a little bitter. I want to give you a little sweet.” written on the inside.  Tiles in a marvelous tessellation by the front door.

looking in the window of a restaurant or coffee shop, with tiles in grey black and white pattern by the front door

below: Reflections in the glass at the northwest corner of University and Dundas.

glass building with lots of reflections, northwest corner of dundas and university

below: Crossing University Ave. while looking west on Dundas.  There’s a curvy new building underway.

looking west along dundas from university

below: The old court house, or Toronto Courthouse, which was built in 1966 is on University Ave just north of Osgoode Hall.  It is a 20th Century Modern building clad in Queenston limestone, a stone that you can also see on many other Toronto civic buildings such as the ROM and the .  It is quarried in Queenston, near Niagara Falls, and at one point was the largest quarry operation in Ontario.  You’d easily mistake it for concrete.

old court house building, or Toronto Courthouse, 361 University Ave., 8 storeys, clad with Queenston limestone, Canadian flag flying beside.

below: Cannons and yellow umbrellas

two cannons behind a black wrought iron fence by a patio with yellow umbrellas

below: Behind the yellow umbrellas

below: A narrow passageway between buildings.

two people at the end of a narrow lane that has a tall black wall on the left. 4 lamp posts along the wall

below: Old City Hall clock tower

a woman on her phone walks north on university ave past the canada life building where a man is sitting on the steps

below: The CN Tower sneaks into the photo.  At Osgoode, Metrolinx has taken over part of University Avenue for construction of the Ontario Line across Queen Street.

a man walks south on university, past the entrance to osgoode subway station on the northwest corner of university and queen west

below: Even Campbell House is behind scaffolding.

below: Just another Toronto street corner.

workmen in orange safety clothing standing around and talking or watching others work, construction site at Queen and Simcoe

below: Another facade saved. This one is at Queen and Simcoe where a bank once stood.

construction on Queen West and Simcoe

below: The wide open mouth of the green monster reaches upward as it tries to grasp the red balcony between its jaws.

below: This is the bank in question, The Canadian Bank of Commerce, built in 1930 just after the beginning of the Depression.  The photo was taken in 1931.  Take a close look at the other buildings in the picture, the stores to the right.   The structure with the Coleman Oil Burners billboard is gone but take a  look at the next couple photos which are of this stretch of Queen West today.

old black and white photo of bank of commerce on southwest corner of queen and simcoe, black and white, taken 1931

Queen street west, new condo with red glass on balconies, older stores like Adrenaline Tattoo, a Barbershop, Hollywood Hi, south side of the street

below: Queen West struggles to maintain its character.  The store in the middle is definitely in sad shape.  It looks like it would collapse if the others weren’t there to support it.

three stores on Queen West

two stores on Queen West

three stores on Queen West

below: There’s a little white “ceremonial” street sign, just below the blue and white Queen St. West sign, that let’s you know that this stretch of road was also named Moses Znaimer Way.  Znaimer had a long career in the entertainment industry in Toronto including co-founding CITY-TV, MuchMusic, and more.  In Toronto, a ceremonial street name is secondary to the legal name.  I am not sure how many there are in the city and I haven’t gone down that rabbit hole to find out.  Interesting idea though.

two people crossing the street by Queen West, with stores in the background, Civello, Stag Shop and another

below: Queen and McCaul, looking west

below: Gelber Brothers ghost sign on Richmond Street.

below: The CN Tower… again!  and Hooters (do they still exist?)

below: Murals in a parking lot.  Both were painted by Alex Bacon.

below:  Blue marine life, sharks circling.  An ominous hook.  This one of many Pangea Seed Foundation sponsored murals in the city.  Some of the others appear in a much earlier blog post, “love letters in paint” (2016).  Pangea Seed’s original mission was to use science, art and creativity to “inspire positive change around pressing ocean environmental issues”. This campaign has now branched out to increase awareness of the issues involving out fresh water lakes and rivers as well.

mural, blues, aquatic, marine animals, sharks swimming in the water

below: Restaurants on John Street.

restaurants in old brick houses on John street, with tall glass and steel condos rising above them

below: A vacant building longing to be another restaurant. In the meantime it’s been painted black… and as I type those words I am reminded of the Rolling Stones song, “Paint it Black”.  The song is a bit depressing and negative but then again, so is a blackened building.

older three storey building with mansour roof and upper gable windows, painted black, vacant, ad posters on it

The last stanza is “I wanna see it painted Painted black
Black as night
Black as coal
I wanna see the sun Blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted,
painted Painted black, yeah

below: “We See You” shout out to the doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals that worked throughout Covid.  “Thank you”.  Painted by Elicser Elliott.

mural by elicser elliott on the side of a Tim Hortons, small lane, with text that says we see you. it's a thank you mural to the healthcare professionals that worked throughout covid

below: Variety on Adelaide.  Bricks and stone and a lot of glass.

older brick building, with sign Variety on Adelaide, in front of newer glass and steel condos

below: Looking east along Adelaide (a one way street with bike lanes and newly rebuilt streetcar tracks).

looking east along adelaide from john

below: Looking down the middle of the glass and metal sculpture in Grasett Park.  If you were to step back a bit, the sculpture takes on the shape of sails of a ship.

glass and metal sculpture in a park that looks like sails on a ship

below: Looking through the netting/glass, same sculpture as above.  The park is named after Dr. George Robert Grasett, a medical doctor (1814-1847).  The park stands on the site of the Emigrant Hospital built in 1847 to treat “ship fever” (typhoid) and other sicknesses in the Irish immigrants who started arriving in greater numbers that year.  Many died on the journey and many more were sick when they arrived.  Dr. Grasett was appointed as Medical Superintendent of the hospital but he died of typhoid fever about a month afterwards.   His name, as well as the names of the other doctors, nurses, and orderlies, (and one priest) are engraved on the benches in the park.

looking through etched glass on a sculpture to street scene on other side of adelaide street

below: Designs in the pavement – etched into the granite is an 1842 map of Toronto.

pavement designs in a small park, grasett park, dedicated to robert grasett and irish immigrants of the 1840s

below: Widmer Street, where a row of old houses has been preserved, but are dwarfed by the developments around them.

below: King Street, looking east from John Street.

barriers on King Street that were initially part of King street pilot for streetcars but infrastructure never made permanent, King street looking east from JOhn

below: It’s always there!  The CN Tower again.

below: Southeast corner of King and John.  Another glass wall.

below: Another row of preserved brick facades.  This time on King West.

preserved row of brick buildings on king street, with glass and steel condo rising above and behind

below: Rising above the Royal Alex Theatre

top part of Royal Alexandra Theatre building on King Street, with new glass condo towering above it

a couple standing on sidewalk and talking, a red and white crane in a construction site rises behind them, condo building in the background

below: This is “The Poet, The Fever Hospital” (1992) by Bernie Miller in David Pecaut Square

Bernie Miller sculpture in David Pecaut Square, title of The Poet, The Fever Hospital

below: Nearby is a new sculpture by Gillie and Marc and it has a very long title: “He was on a Wild Ride to a Safer Place with Rabbitwoman and a Dogman” (not the Dogman from the childrens books!). There is an empty seat at the back of the bike and it’s waiting for you to join them on their wild ride!

sculpture in david pecaut square, a four seater bicycle with a large rhino in the front seat, then a dog and then a rabbit. the back seat is empty for photo ops, this is by Gillie and Mac and is called He was on a wild ride to a safer place
Rabbitwoman and Dogman from a Gillie and Mac sculpture

black door at number 122, with white words painted on door that say who taught you to love

black and white slap graffiti on a metal box on sidewalk

This post has grown. It’s longer than I had envisioned it when I started putting ideas together a few days ago. I am not sure whether to thank you or to congratulate you for getting this far! Maybe both. Anyhow, I hope that you’ve seen a few new things, or interesting bits, as you’ve scrolled through this post.  Perhaps the pictures have brought back some memories?  In the meantime…..

As promised earlier, more quilts to end the post.

quilt in a museum

 

quilt in textile museum, the cotton pickers

quilt in a museum with a poem on it as well as black and white photos

“Sing poets of this beauty
Sing choirs of this inviolate pride
Make these moments precious to history
Let these scenes live in every eye”

to Bloor and west on Bathurst

Posted: May 18, 2024 in construction, intersections, locations
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below: Medallion embedded in the sidewalk outside Bathurst subway station entrance showing the way –   South to Bloor and west to Bathurst is first on list for today. … Or maybe round and round in circles?

brass circular medallion embedded in the sidewalk in front of Bathurst subway station, four points of the compass with labels, E to subway, S to Bloor, W to Bathurst and N to Dupont

below:  Looking south on Bathurst towards Bloor.  The southwest corner of Bloor and Bathurst is now a solid block of condos.

looking south on Bathurst towards Bloor, west side of the street

below: Same collection of buildings but from a slightly different angle.  Giant concrete pillars in front of ground level glass wall.  Argh.  Unoriginal Toronto architecture.

southwest corner of Bloor and Bathurst, tall glass and steel condo buildings

below:  Working at heights.  It looks like road access from Bathurst towards Markham Street. More concrete pillars!

below:  Alternative Thinking and its neighbour directly to the south remained the holdouts and are now completely surrounded by new development.

two older structures now surrounded by new condo buildings, older ones were three storey brick stores with apartments above from the 1880s. Alternative Thinking store

below: Around the corner on Bloor near Markham. The sidewalk in this stretch has been widened with benches and planters added.

bloor street, sidewalk in front of new condos, blue construction fence still up, new benches and planters on the sidewalk
below: Honest Eds is long gone.

behind blue construction fence, machinery, two tall condo being built with laneway between them

below:  Work continues on the re-making of Markham Street.

workmen on construction site on Markham street

below:  Ed’s Mercantile Store & Studio.  Vintage and Handmade Goods – it’s not exactly Honest Ed’s but it was at least worth a smile and a chuckle (and a photo!)

Ed's Mercantile store window on Bloor, vintage and old stuff,

below: Stop.  Stop building.

stop sign at Palmeston Blvd, with the word building scratched into it, stop building

below: From Palmerston, the new condos rise up behind.

roofline of older houses on Palmerston with new condos in the background

large red brick old house on Palmerston with large new condo in the background

below: Spring!  Lilacs in abundance in front of an old brick house with fabulous balcony space.

older brick house, 3 storeys, with 2 balconies and a porch, all with white wood railings, large pink lilac in front, with yellow tulips and greenery in front garden

below: One block south of Bloor is Lennox

Lennox street scene, trees, old red brick building, condos behind

chairs, one on either side of a brown door, red brick building

below:  There is a lane that runs north from Lennox that ends behind the stores on Bloor.   The old buildings are dwarfed by the newer condos.

looking down an alley, with backs of old buildings on Bloor immediately adjacent to tall new condo

below: Same alley, new infill housing

infill housing in a laneway, two storey house with mostly windows on upper level

below: This isn’t the exact view from that lovely infill house, but it’s close.

wall with street art, construction site on the other side of the wall

below: Still in the alley trying to get a good view of what’s happening on the site…   Some of the old houses on Markham have been kept (or at least their facades).

Markham street, old mirvish village, redevelopment, small house among the highrises

looking down an alley, tree and greenery along fence on right, street art covered wall on left, car parked in front of a garage at the end

below: Bloor Street from Markham Street west to just beyond Christie is part of the Koreatown BIA which suggests a preponderance of Korean businesses.

Koreatown banner on lamp post, condos behind

below: Businesses like Seoul Hot Dog, Mummy Korean Restaurant, and Mapo Korean BBQ.

stores on Bloor

three young Korean woman walking on Bloor

older Korean woman shopping in corner store

four little characters with drinks, on the window of a korean cafe

pictures of dishes displayed outside, under window of korean restaurant, also green sign advertising in korean lettering, for acupuncture and herbs

below: Korean Village Restaurant

Korean Village Restaurant with mural on upper level,

below: Imagine Your Korea mural (in 2 photos)

Imagine Your Korea mural in Koreatown, with bike share bikes in front, mostly empty

korea mural on corner of bloor

below: A green dragon breathes fire outside Chung Chun Rice Hot Dog in a mural by Allan Render, John Norbrega, and Stacey Kinder (Blinc Studios), 2019.

outside wall of chung chun rice hot dog restaurant, a mural with a large green fire breathing dragon

part of a larger mural, people running outside shops on sidewalk, running away from green monster

below: But in typical Toronto style, many other ethnic groups are represented here – Ave Maria Latin Cafe

Latin Cafe on Bloor with round yellow sign,

below: Pour Boys keeping an eye on Bloor.

pour boys muralon building across the street from Bloor Fruits store, selling veggies and fruits on the sidewalk

below: … Tibetan Paper Store… and more.

objects in the window of the Tibetan Paper Shop, little dolls, incense, bowls, bracelets,

below: “If you are reading this, Iran is not free”

mural that says if you are reading this, Iran is not free

tattered pink heart with a face cut out of it, stapled to a wood utility pole that has hundreds of staples on it

googly eyes have been glued onto yellow box with push button for crossing the street

 

old mural on side of white brick building, text, abstract, kizmet32,

Laird and more

Posted: April 28, 2024 in construction, locations, old buildings
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6

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

 

from Keele to Dundas West

Posted: April 11, 2024 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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A short walk between two subway stations….

below: Westbound subway enters Keele station.

black and white photo of a TTC subway headed to Kipling, enters Keele station at section of track that is above ground, buildings in the background

below: A view to the east of Keele subway station where the tracks are elevated and there is a large parking lot underneath (free parking on the weekend!).

elevated subway tracks on east side of keele station, with parking lot below and pedestrian entrance, highrises in the background

below: Some of the buildings that formed the north wall of the parking lot beside Keele station are no longer all there.  Only one of the buildings remains.

street art on the back of a brick building, parking lot in front

below: The demolished buildings were covered with street art including a mural featuring King Midas.  Where he used to be there is now a tall crane above and a large hole below.  Increasing density at transit stops is a good idea but this is yet another square box in glass and steel with bland and nondescript street level “appeal”.  I am not sure if it is the developers or the city planning office that is responsible for the lack of imagination and/or variety at street level; that requires more research and another blog post.

large crane and orange barriers along the edge of a construction site on bloor near keele station

below: When buildings come down, others are revealed.  Angles briefly open up.  Obviously (now) LMP, JETR, TEMPO and friends were here.

large tags on outside of building revealed when building beside was demolished

below: Running behind the south side of Bloor is this alley There has been street art here for years.

graffiti and street art in an alley behind Bloor near Keele subway station

below: Some of that street art, like this Uber5000 painting, remain intact.  Lucky yellow birds!  It’s also nice to see an old Lovebot (upper left corner).

uber 5000 mural with three yellow birdies sitting around a red table. One is reading a newspaper

below: Others haven’t fared so well – A waving hand and the top of a red cap are all that remain of this Elicser Elliott piece.  I doubt that the fat white letters are an improvement but that’s the way it goes.

old mural by elicser mostly tagged over by giant white fat letters, only the very top of original can be seen 0 a red cap and a hand.

below: An urban night scene.  King Kong once stood over it.

part of a mural, night scene, city, highrises with lights on, in black and white

below: Someone has hung this little framed picture on an exterior wall.  I think that it is an image of a flower or plant of some sort.

small framed picture surrounded by graffiti on an exterior wall in a lane

below: Another Uber5000 work with a yellow birdie in a red cap.

uber 5000 mural in an alley, a yellow bird in a red cap, a man with square red framed glasses

below: A Buddha prays among the lotus flowers and leaves.

mural in back of building, with window above it, stairs in front of it, buddha, lotus flowers and lotus leaves

murals on two sides of a building in an alley,

below: Another mural that has been left untouched is Movie Art Decor featuring Alfred Hitchcock directing ‘Psycho’ along with Marilyn Monroe and a topless Bruce Lee.

movie art decor mural in black and white with Alfred Hitchcock and Bruce Lee

a white swan painted on a sidewalk box

below: It looks a bit like a big white shark is coming after us.

text throw up tag street art

below: Stop!

a hand with open palm in a mural beside a small sign that says parking reserved

below: Remembering 1995.

text graffiti scrawled on wall, says remember 1995, of course not

below: Sunny backyard spaces

single storey extension on the back of a building in an alley, with street art painted on the side,

below: More backyard spaces.

small steps up grassy hill at the back of a building, alley view

below: Looking west towards Keele Station – alley, subway tracks, and a few highrises.

an alley behind bloor, looking west towards keele subway station

below: Waiting at Dundas West Station

a man in a red jacket sits on a bench at Dundas West station, waiting between two TTC streetcars

Dundas West station is at Dundas and Bloor.  Also on this corner is the Giraffe Building.   Many years ago (2007?) this property was bought by a developer who wanted to build the Giraffe Condos, a 27 storey project.  To promote the condo development, the typical two storey stores that were there became the Giraffe building that we have now.  But the city rejected that proposal saying that the structure was too high and the site seems to have been in limbo ever since.  It has changed hands a number of times.

along Dundas West, east side of giraffe building,

  In 2018 the site, along with one or two adjacent properties was purchased by a partnership between two companies, Trinity & Timbercreek.  Lo and behold, a 27 storey condo with 354 units was proposed and this time accepted.   Back to square one?    But that isn’t the end of the story… In January the site was back on the market.   It looks like not much is going to change for a while yet.

below: Northwest corner of Dundas and Bloor with a streetcar covered in a lipstick advertisement.

northwest corner of Dundas and Bloor, people crossing with green light, TTC streetcar covered in ad for lipstick, giraffe building,

below: Graffiti break dancer behind the Giraffe building

red on white painting of a break dancer, graffiti

below: Sarah has claimed the cat in the doorway.  Cool hat.

cat cartoon character, with purple hat over its eyes, white trench coat, mural in a doorway in an alley

below: A green laser beam from a fiery eye?  A burning tall skinny structure (like the CN Tower)?

external metal staircase outside building beside a mural on the other wall, an eye, with red flames on the top, a green laser-like beam coming out of the eye

below: That’s a strange way to open a door.

doorway mural, male character, in green clothing
below: A miserable little impish guy with an oversized green tongue.

If you are interested in the street art in the alley above,  there is a blog post from 2015 titled ‘old friends’ that shows more pictures (from 9 years ago!).  You can get a better idea of what has changed and what hasn’t.  King Midas is there too.

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