Posts Tagged ‘residential’

Captain Hawley and others

Posted: September 12, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, stores
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below: This lane was recently named for William Hawley, a retired Toronto firefighter and Leslieville resident.

sign for Captain Hawley lane, with new third and fourth floor additions to a building in the background

Captain Hawley lane runs north from Eastern towards Queen St East.  It is west of Leslie Street.  There are a few other little alleys in the vicinity all of which seem to be unnamed.  This blog post shows some of the things seen in these alleys as well as on the major streets around them, Queen, Leslie, and Eastern.

below: Elicser Elliott’s Leslieville mural still looks great at Queen & Jones.

young man crossing Queen Street near Leslieville mural, and beside a TTC streetcar

Leslieville mural

below: “Community” by Candace Bell on Queen East

painting on sidewalk traffic box, in front of store, on Queen Street East

below: Who is the photographer?

a camera is set up on a tripod, on the sidewalk outside a cafe, man sitting on chair nearby, another man sitting too

workman in hard hat and work boots, spray painting a line on the pavement, street,

below: Stores on Queen East.

stores on Queen Street east

below: Northeast corner of Larchmount and Queen East.

intersection of Larchmount and Queen Street East , northeast corner

queen street east, north side

below: Photo taken on a day when gas was $1.43 a litre, albeit full service which you don’t find everywhere these days.

sun gas services station on queen street east

below: An afternoon break on a patio.

woman on patio of duke tavern, red building with mural on the side, white umbrellas,

below: Waiting to get into the Duke, Men’s Entrance

mural, line up of men wanting to enter the duke tavern, men's entrance, plus a boy sitting on the steps outside

mural, line up of men wanting to enter the duke tavern

below: Leslie and Queen East south side,

glass of bus shelter, with Leslie St sign on it, people walking on sidewalk, front of Shish restaurant on Queen Street, construction on southeast corner of Leslie and Queen in the background

below: Construction on the east side of Leslie – one of countless large holes in the ground.

workmen talking, construction site, Leslie street at Memory Lane

below: Houses on Leslie, south of Memory Lane.

houses, Leslie Street and Memory Lane,

below: A house with a bright turquoise front door and another that is now taller and skinnier.

row of houses on leslie street, one has a bright turquoise front door and the one beside it has had a third storey added to it

below: 27 Leslie Street

small blue building at 27 Leslie Street

below:  Non-believers on top – “No Truth to it!” over “Jesus saith unto him…. “.

Note on pole that says, but someone ha written over it, no truth to this

toronto street sign for eastern avenue, on a pole covered with vine and ivy

below: On Eastern, the AMCO gas station is now closed because of a recent fire.

gas station on Eastern ave, scene of a recent fire

men boarding up burned out gas station
AMCO gas station on Eastern ave, scene of a recent fire, with backs of houses beside it

below: “Navalny” and “Text” by Nigel Smith

text street art by Nigel Smith, on old office building, two signs, one says text and the other says Navalny

below: There is still a large vacant lot on the south side of Eastern Avenue (with views towards the Port Lands)

temporary building structures on a large vacant lot
no trespassing sign on fence surrounding a large vacant lot on Eastern Avenue

… and now the laneway scenes …..

below: Starting with the now  ubiquitous laneway garden suite

new infill house development in a lane

low burlap barrier draped across an alley, repairs being made to the concrete and pavement behind the barrier

a large billboard on Eastern avenue, with advert for second cup coffee shop, summer drinks

below: These  houses  with the square-ish shapes at the back are disappearing as more and more home owners renovate and/or expand upwards.  Brick is no longer the cladding of choice (and hasn’t been for a long time).

back of house, alley view, square red brick two storey house, one window, wood fence

alley views, back of two semi detached houses, that share a chimney, one green siding and one one white siding

white camper of RV parked behind house, goldenrod weeds growing by the back door.

back of house, alley view, painted wood fence, lots of trees

vines growing on overhead wires, over a lane, with garages along the sides of the alley

back of house, alley view, wood fence, white sun umbrella, grey cover on barbecue

back of house, alley view, white house, white van parked behind, green wood fence

backyard alley view, back of newly renovated house, expanded, fence down at back, bags of yard waste

backyard alley views, old tire, trash bins, rooftop terrace with umbrella

small red car parked in a lane, line of garages, tall trees,

backyard alley view, overgrown grass and shrubs, hard to see the house, chainlink fence and gate

backyard alley view, lots of stuff, including a shopping cart full of basketballs and soccer balls, chairs, sheets and clothes hanging from a yellow rope clothes line

chainlink fence, old painted wood, rusty metal, latch, gate in an alley

red gate in an alley, with black line drawing on it, locked, latch,

old plywood on a fence, once painted red, now faded to slightly orange red, with dirt splotches and worn areas, texture, pattern, abstract

 

Royal York to Kipling

Posted: July 11, 2025 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, transportation
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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.

 

front of Kingsway cinema on Bloor Street West

blue sign that says welcome to the kingsway, on bloor street west near royal york

two blue chairs beside a metal table, in an open window of a restaurant beside the sidewalk

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

crocheted squares or knit squares cover a heart shaped frame, yarn,

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

yarn squares encircle a pole 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.

in a sidewalk planter on Bloor West, a little brown miniature pagoda and a sign that says Zen Garden Planter for CNIB donated by The Gardener

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

construction signs on Bloor Street West, with bike lanes, and sidewalk patios

below: Bloor West glass towers

tall uilding in background seen between two tall closer glass office buildngs

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

large windows at brentwood Library, some clear, some green, and some blue, trees and a bench in front, some reflections in the glass

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

old tree with rough bark on trunk, and large twisty branches, house and church in the background,

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

looking west from Montgomery Road towards high rises near Islington, TTC subway tracks in the image as well

small park on Montgomery Road, between two houses, with TTC subway tracks below

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.

workmen, up on a crane, city of toronto works department, trimming and pruning trees in a park

a mother and two kids watching a duck on the shores of mimico creek on a summer day, leaves, reflections in the calm water

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)

pine tree growing in front of opening for entrance to subway, train coming out of tunnel, TTC

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.

buddhist monks and other pedestrians, walking on sidewalk on islington past islington subway station, curved roof of bus bays at station, ttc, highrises in the background

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

danger due to construction sign at the corner of Aberfoyle ad Islington

long set of stairs up hill to apartment building

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

looking north on islington, underpass under railway, traffic ign for exit to burnhamthorpe road and dundas street west

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.

islington towers, apartment building from the late 1960s, with a fountain in the front

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

entrance of new condo tower being built on islington

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

corner of Cordova and Central Park Blvd, new ondo being built on the corner, construction fence, and signs, traffic light
woman with gray hair, wearing jeans, walking on sidewalk part vacant lot with fence,
blue and white development notice sign, fallen on ground, behind metal construction fence

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

intersection of Dundas West and Cordova and Burnhamthorpe Road, people waiting to cross intersection, with crossing guard

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.

one of the Islington heritage murals

one of the Islington heritage murals, winter scene, with firetruck, people skating, also painting of a refreshment stand with food and drink for sale

one of the Islington heritage murals

Are cars always getting in the way of public transit?

a white car is parked in front of one of the Islington heritage murals, boy hanging off side of a local train

woman standing in front of one of the Islington heritage murals, children fishing in a creek, with fish and other marine life in the water

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.

mural by moises frank, sleeping person, slightly abstract

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.

two storey building, with sign, chinese food gallery, now all boarded up, with mural on the front as well

weeds growing in front of door and building now boarded up, particle board, painted with abstract mural now faded and peeling.

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.

many construction cranes in the background, a fenced off park area in the foreground

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

 

new park being developed, dunkip park, at dundas and kipling

temporary closure sign, falling over, against wood snow fence, by park that is being developed

man crossing street, wide intersection, car approaching as man now has red light

below: A very big hole in the ground.

large hole for construction of condos on kipling

below: Kipling Street bridge over the railway tracks

kipling bridge over railway tracks, looking north

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

looking east along tracks from on top of bridge at kipling

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.

rounded roof of Kipling TTC subway station, semi circles, with three newer condo buildings behind

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

Toronto Public Library, TOronto Star archives, 1980 photo of Kipling subway station, black and white photo

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)

two graffiti stickers on a red box in a parking lot, on top is a duck wearing blue clothes and on bottom is a snail with a box on its back
below: Eastbound out of Kipling station. The older Line 2 subway trains still have a window that you can look out.

looking out the front window of a TTC subway train as it leaves Kipling station, traveling east

Dew Lang Lane and area

Posted: May 18, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations
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Back in 2012, the city approved the naming of an alley… Dew Lang Lane.  You can find this lane just north of the Danforth near Donlands.  Prior to the legal change,  “Dew Lang” had been used as the unofficial name by local residents.  The name comes from parts of the two streets Dewhurst (Dew) and Langford (Lang) that the lane runs between.

a man walks through an alley, and parking lot

below: Omen514’s fist bump

mural of a fist bump on a garage, with a basketball hoop above it, alley,

below: “Turn the lights off and look to the sky”  by Jerry Rugg (aka Birdo) & Wales.

mural in alley,woman wearing sunglasses, text that says

alley scene, 2 murals, a wood fence, and the back of a brick house

below: Spud1 left his mark here along with the advice, “Live, Love, Paint”.

spud mural on a garage in an alley, with text, live, love, paint,

below: Signs of spring that can’t be held back

lilac bush over the top of a wood fence in a lane, full of pink blossoms, peak bloom

ivy covered pole and wires, no parking sign partially covered with vines too

truck parked in a lane, unloading from the back, lane has very tall tree, some fences and garages too,

below: In a very tight spot but bursting out.

a mature tree with large tree trunk wedged between the sides of two garages

below:  One of the latest trends in urban living is the laneway house.   They are popping up all over the place and this area is no exception.

black box shaped house, new infill housing in an alley

below: Another trend, this one in home renovations, is building upwards.  Adding a third floor or a rooftop deck is now common (and is often more noticeable from the back).

newly renovated house as seen from the alley behind, big new windows, and a new upper level

below: The repurposing of church buildings is another trend (albeit a bit older than the above two).  In this case, Temple Baptist Church, opened 1925, is now residential.   A small plaque in one corner of the building serves as a reminder of its original function.  From the application for heritage status for the building:  “Temple Baptist Church is a fine example of a revival of the Georgian Classical Style adapted for Post-Reformation churches in 18th century England.”  Not many Toronto churches were built in this style.

Temple Baptist Church, now condos

below: The central window with its leaded coloured glass and Credit Valley stone trim around the windows.

central window, with leaded coloured glass, of the old Temple Baptist Church, now condos, brick building from 1925.

old brick wall in alley, covered with graffiti in bright colours, yellow, blue and green

mural of a man bending down, lower part has been covered with a tag
two garage doors with urban art, on right is a strange looking woman with her tongue partially stuck out
mural in an alley, girl with pearl necklace and white wings

below: A beckoning summer scene, Muskoka chairs on the dock.  Have a seat and watch the sunlight play on the water.

mural of two muskoka chairs on a dock by the lake

below: Old black line drawings on old white garage.

black line drawings on old white garage
close up of black line drawing graffiti on white garage, with green vine growing over it

looking through chainlink fence to vacant lot with remains of construction site on it

looking through chainlink fence to construction site with wheelbarrow as well as black and orange cones, orange plastic rolled up

below: The new west entrance to Donlands subway station opens onto Dewhurst.

entrance to Donlands subway station, low brown building with glass front and sides

below: Inside

interior of new west entrance to Donlands subway station, white walls, wood accents, a window

interior of new west entrance to Donlands station, from landing in stairwell between street level and subway level, two women walking

sticker graffiti on a pole, a faded blue robot and a pink pigeon head

below: A second pigeon…. this one wear a cheerful bright red cap as he struts around

sticker graffiti on rusted metal, a pigeon wearing a bright red cap, standing,

stylized orange flower petals on a red wall, mural, around a window,

back to Ossington

Posted: May 8, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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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.

on Ossington Ave., older buildings that are now stores. one is painted olive green, another is white, and third is red brick. at the end, is a building with large yellow and blue vertical stripes, a bench is on the sidewalk

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!

a bench beside a green wall in a snow covered parking lot, door beside bench has love U! written on it

below: A whimsical Uber5000 painting on a garage door.

uber 5000 mural, green biplane with 3 yellow birdies, including one standing on a bomb. dog standing on one of the airplane wings

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

stencil,ural by D. Terra stencils, a crouching fireman holds a hose and shoots water upward towards a big red heart

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

mural by D. Terra stencils, of a young raccoon, green leafy background

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

Emily May Rose raccoons go camping, with a grey and orange trailer, a yellow umbrella, and a folding chair too

two grey Emily May Rose raccoons play in a pile of dirt, while drinking canned drinks

below: … and some more raccoons!

Emily May Rose raccoons in a painting on a fence in an alley

below: …. and even more!

in an allley, wall and door, raccoons by Emily May Rose and text graffiti too
toronto alley near ossington with street art on fences and garages

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.

black stencil graffiti on a white garage door, portrait of Marilyn Monroe, and kung fu panda image, as well as another woman's head and face

below: A trumpet player and a gun fight.

black stencil graffiti on a white garage door, a man playing a trumpet, also two men in a gun fight with one standing over the other who is lying on the ground.

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

in an alley, exterior stairs to a small balcony, bike parked on stairs, mural of a bird painted on wall beside the stairs

below: A tribute mural celebrating Canadian Black designers.

mural in an ossington alley, black background, text that says Designers of Canada, with three portraits, on the lower level of a three storey red brick building

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.

looking down an alley, garages with graffiti on the right, fence on the left, at the end, a semi divided house that is different on either side, also at end of alley, on right, a larger red brick building (old)

below: Home patio, outdoor living urban style.

exterior of building, concrete block painted a dark yellow,, white door, and black window, with 2 small chairs and a table, and a stool, immediately outside the building

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.

stop sign on a pole in an alley, beside a garage door with street art on it. text graffiti on the stop sign so that it says stop and enjoy

in a laneway with street art murals on all the garage doors

part of a larger mural, a face in the sun, eyes closed, some vines are growing over the face

older drawing on garage, man's face, coconut tree with palm leaves,

below: The tail end of a fishy mural.

a small alley near Ossington, cars parked in alley, one side has building with mural on it, the other is a house with grey siding cladding

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.

fish mural by shalak attack

below: The Swiss army knife was also a Pangeaseed mural

street art mural with a big red swiss army knife in the center

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

images of famous Jimmys on the side of Jimmys coffee shop on Ossington, Jimmy Carter, James Dean, the guitar of Jimmy Hendrix and two muppets representing Jim Henson gonzo and elmo

black and white image of Jimmy Hendrix singing and playing guitar, pink background, mural

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

mural of abstract shapes and colours by j. chiale

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

close up of a street art painting, a young man in a black mask over his eyes

photo taken in a snowy parking lot, of the backs of some houses, fences, backyards,

below: Rowell Soller

rowell soller mural on a garage door

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.

mural of a turtle swimming in the water, in light shades of brown, blue garage

mural of a turtle swimming in the water, in a wall in an alley, with a pile of empty boxes and containers on the ground in front of it

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

mural, pink flowers, a fish, and a sea turtle

on the side wall of a house in an alley, mural, pink flowers, a fish, and a sea turtle

below: “You are stroger than you think”

a house being renovated, plywood over downstairs window with graffiti on it

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

a large bear and a moose, in a mural on a garage door in an alley, painted by bruno smoky or shalak attack

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

gate in alley, double wide, at the end of a driveway, all in blue

below: More garage doors painted by D.Terra Stencils

alley near Ossington with lots of garage doors covered with murals, street art, urban art

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

garage door painted yellow, then a portrait of Jean Michel Basquiat often considered the founder of street art

below: .. and beside Basquiat, a levitating woman

mural on an alley garage door by D.TErra stencils, a levitating woman, lying on her back up in the air, long hair hanging down.

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

mural on red background, musicians, one singer and one instrument player

below: Portuguese words, and nearby a Portuguese flag

street art painting of the Portuguese (Portugal) flag

mural, portrait of a man on a purple background

below: Boxers – Muhammad Ali and an opponent

boxing mural

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

ren and stimpy from Nickelodeon TV in the 1990s, in a mural

trimming trees in an alley, man in lift above the lane, truck, some garages with graffiti and street art

little bits of metal on a wood utility pole

exterior door in an alley, covered with street art

part of a larger painting, a small character peaks its head out from the middle of a puffy orange letter O

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

parking lot, in winter, box with street art on it beside a wall with more painting

parrt of a mural, smiling skull with a chain through one eye socket, and slightly yellow bottom teeth,

below: Parking for Animals

from a larger mural, young man in multi colour sunglasses, with a can of spray paint in his hand

close up of part of a mural, finger on the top of a spray paint can

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

little flat ceramic animal shapes, a turtle a small dinosaur, glued to a wall in an alley, beige with green and pink dots,

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

t bonex sticker on a yellow box (for crossing signal). urban ninja squadron, visual noise,

T bonez sticker from visual noise and urban ninja squadron

close up of an old turquoise section of street art on wood fence, with red spray paint circle and double cross

on a wall painted very deep but bright red, outside in an alley, torn bits of paper remain where posters have been partially torn off

box on a wall, covered with stickers that are mostly in black and white, with red spray paint tag on top of it all.

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

raccoons in an alley mural, one sitting on a trash can, drinking, raccoons are trash pandas

part of a mural, painted by Emily May Rose, of a greenish grey raccoon, or trash panda, sitting of the top of a metal garbage can, holding a bottle with an XXX label.

Federal Street

Posted: January 31, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations
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Federal Street is a short narrow street near Dundas and Dufferin.  Like a few other Toronto streets, it is more a lane than a street.

garage at 1 federal street, with mural on it, woman's portrait, gate beside garage, dead end street, other garages on the right side

below: Dundas Street West at Federal

on dundas west, south side, looking at entrance to federal street

below: No Exit, a dead end street

yellow no exit sign, sticker graffiti on the pole beside, mural in the background, feelings boi sticker,

federal street, south end, houses on left side, backyards of parallel street on the right, garages in front of fences

below: Wires in all directions – standing tall like a tree in winter.

utility pole in lane, with many wires going in different directions, like branches of a tree

alley view, back of houses, one with no fence, showing snow covered backyard and driveway, row houses, one green with no window and the other white with upper storey window

very south end of federal street

below: Another lane, another time.  There is another lane that runs perpendicular to Federal that looks like it might be interesting to explore but it will have to wait until another day.

snowy lane, in winter, many garages,

below: Maximum width, 2 metres.

lane, sign saying maximum width is 2 metres, garages, snow,

below: A winter cyclist.

behind a white building, exterior stairs to upper level, a parked bike, a concrete wall with graffiti, snow on ground,

below: Looking north, back to Dundas

looking northward on federal towards dundas, snowy day , mural by the half decent,

below: This mural was painted at least 10 years ago – but the tagging across the bottom by The Half Decent is more recent.

mural that has been tagged by the half decent, on federal street by dundas west
below: This is what it looked like in August 2015.

large colourful mural on the side of building, two stylized musicians, a drummer and a guitar player as well as two people dancing.

Photo Source: As I Walk Toronto blog, 15 Aug 2015

pedestrian with orange backpack walks on snow covered sidewalk on Dundas West

side of a building, including door and window, covered by large mural, now with bottom part tagged over

doors, holiday edition

Posted: December 26, 2024 in doors
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Merry Christmas!  ‘Tis the season to decorate.  There’s something about Christmas that makes us want to decorate our doorways.  Although the best time to view most Christmas decorations is after dark, there is something to be said for daytime viewing, especially when the house has a nice front door!  (And if you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that I like doors).

Understated with a few silver balls in some greenery.  Isn’t the door a lovely shape?

front of a white stucco house with a wood door, tree in front of house

Matching planters beside a door with a wonderful stone door frame.

white stucco house with a front door with a curved top, door frame is stone, small christmas decorations beside door

A Christmas wreath on another wood door… but this one has unique hinges.

grey stucco house with a blue semi circular awning over the front door, wood door with Christmas wreath on it, two gray planters, one on each side of the door with red decorations and greenery

A wreath and a reindeer with a red ribbon.

red brick house with a christmas decoration reindeer with a red bow around its neck

I think that our personalities are revealed by what we choose to decorate with.

stone clad house with a white front door. red wreath on the door, some christmas decorations on the front lawn

Inflatable decorations are now everywhere.

large inflatable christmas decoration in front yard, large snowman with black hat at one end of a red arch and a large christmas tree at the other end, yellow star on tree, arch goes over walkway in front of a bungalow, short hedge lines both sides of walkway

Choo Choo!  Here comes Santa with his train.   Nice purple front door (with wreath and planter too).

large inflatable christmas decoration in front yard, santa driving a train engine, and waving out the window, , nutcracker stands behind train, red brick house with small porch

This Santa has a teddy bear…. this must be popular because I saw a few!

red brick house with stone steps, dark brown front door, and porch, with large inflatable christmas decoration in front yard, santa claus holding a teddy bear

When I took these pictures the other day, I didn’t realize how many of the front doors had wreaths on them.   Once upon a time we may have associated wreaths with some sort of symbolism (unending circles = everlasting life) but now we use them to help brighten up the season.

red brick house with triangular portico over white front door, wreath on door, large inflatable christmas decoration in front yard, santa claus holding a teddy bear

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to add some cheer to these dark December days!  I hope that you have a chance to enjoy walking around a neighbourhood or two to enjoy what others have done with their front doors, porches, and yards this holiday season.   If not, you probably have another week or two before the wreaths come down and all the “stuff” gets put away for another year.   Have fun!!

small unpainted statue of Mary in a niche, in a front yard. some painted rocks are lined up in front of her.

more streets and trails….

Posted: December 2, 2024 in history, locations, nature
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A circular walk to explore the Don Mills trail south of York Mills Road… but how to get there…. We decided to start by walking south on Scarsdale Road to Bond Avenue.

Scarsdale is a nondescript street in North York with a few churches, private schools, some light industry, offices, and all in all, a lot of lowrise late 20th century architecture.

below: Don Mills Baptist Church looking very un-church like.

below: Unmarked

below: Once at Bond, the buildings are mostly residential.

below:  There is a walk-through to the neighbourhood behind

below: The old railway bridge over Bond is now part of the Don Mills Trail.  Originally it took 6 years to build (1912 to 1918) the bridge – using six 2-foot-thick beams that span the 15-foot-wide opening, spaced to handle the weight of locomotives and heavily loaded railway cars.

Don Mills trail access point at Bond Ave.,

below: Also under the bridge is an entrance to Bond Park.

looking under a bridge to a parking lot in a park

below: Another entrance to Bond Park, this time from the trail via a hole in the fence.

leaf covered path down a small hill to a hole in a chainlink fence, and a park with seating beside a baseball diamond in the background, lots of trees

below: “Responsible alcohol consumption is allowed in this park”….rules and responsibilities are then listed along with health information about alcohol.

notice about alcohol in parks, and all the rules

autumn colours in the weeds and wildflowers beside a fence

below: A few remnants of its former life.  Once upon a time this multi use path was a spur line for the CNR, the Leaside Spur.  One of its functions was to connect the CNR main line (now also used by GO to Oriole station and beyond) to the CPR line near Eglinton.  The CPR tracks are those that cross Eglinton just east of Leslie and then cross the Thorncliffe trestle bridge over Wilket Creek Park.  The path ends just before the CPR tracks – there is no connection any more.

old rusted railway sign, small trees have grown up around it

below: Abandoned and rusting.  CNR stopped using this spur line in 1999.  The city bought the property ten years later.

old piece of metal, remains of railway switch? or some piece of railway equipment, lying on the ground

below: Crab apples and dead leaves litter the path

autumn leaves and little red crab apples cover the ground

below: Storage in bins and barrels, on the other side of the fence.

two old blue barrels, behind a fence, lots of undergrowth and weeds too

below: Left behind

discarded pair of boots, and some clothing, left on metal girders stored beside a railway track
stacks of rusty metal girders beside a railway track

below: The north end of the Don Mills Trail runs beside the live CNR line.  Not much of a view is it?  No trains passed by.  Very quiet.

looking northward up the CNR railway tracks from a hole in the fence by the DOn Mills trail.

old white barrels, behind a fence, weeds and small bushes growing up around them

below: Many, many large satelite dishes (and many small ones too).  I was feeling like a spy as I tried to take pictures through the fence… but I didn’t see any surveillance cameras…

satelite dishes behind a fence

below: Approaching York Mills Road

looking north up don mills trail towards york mills road, where there is a bridge over the railway tracks, a large pair of billboards on a tall pillar, dead leaves beside path, shrubs and weeds along the fence

below: The north end of the trail runs beside the bridge York Mills over the railway tracks (on the right in this picture).  From here there is an access road to Scarsdale on the south side of York Mills, or an exit through to Longos Plaza on the north side.

below: Have a seat!

below: Rogers has a large property on the east side of the CNR tracks and has access to this area.

With thanks to my mother for walking with me – she didn’t hesitate to climb through holes in the fence!  She also doesn’t like this picture, but it’s the better of the two that I took that morning!

Bonus section! Just in case you are interested in what’s on Scarsdale Road….

below: Colonel C.O. Dalton CSO and Colonel H.E. Dalton CSO Armoury

sign in front of building,

below: Greek Orthodox Education in Ontario – Metamorphosis Greek Orthodox School.

flags on flagpole, Canadian and GReek, in front of Greek Orthodox Education building

below: Korean Presbyterian Church

side view of front of Toronto Korean Presbyterian church, large roof over entrance, small white steeple, light grey brick building.

 

 

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.

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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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

 

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