Posts Tagged ‘residential’

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

 

continuing from Dundas West

Posted: April 19, 2024 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, locations, people, reflections
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Ready to roll again?!

people walking on sidewalk, past a sign for a sushi restaurant that says lets roll

 The last blog post ended at Dundas West Station where the Giraffe Building sits on the northwest corner of Bloor and Dundas  …. so let’s picked it up from there…..

large billboard on top of two storey building with upper level painted like a giraffe in brown and yellow, bottom level covered with ads and graffiti

If you go north on Dundas from here you’ll find yourself in the Junction.

below:  A quick peak north on Dundas West at Edna (first block north of Bloor).

southwest corner of Edna and Dundas West, standing in front of Mcdonalds at the subway station, a bus, some people walking, a man leaning against a telephone pole.

But not today.  Today we’re heading south on Dundas until it meets up with Roncesvalles.  Then we’ll walk generally north and east until we cross Dundas at Sorauren.  A brief stroll north on Sterling will bring us back to Bloor.   That’s the plan!

man holds a coffee cup as he walks past adverts on side of giraffe building

two people standing beside defaced mural in support of front line workers, dundas west and bloor

below: Crossing Bloor at Dundas

a couple walking together, crossing Bloor, with dollarama store and brick highrise apartment building behind them

man holds a piece of plaid fabric in his outstretched arms as he walks past advertisements on exterior of giraffe building

wood cutouts of people doing things, man holding a ball above his head, painted, mounted on exterior of red brick building, a school,

large painting of a glass half full of milk, on exterior of red building, word full written on the milk, beside Bloor Street fitness, with a large white boxing glove outside

below: Waiting by Jimmys Coffee

looking across Dundas West towards Jimmys Coffee, people waiting to cross with traffic light

below: Walking their bikes

a young man walks his bike on sidewalk past a store, reflections in the window
walking on Roncesvalles, a woman in a maroon skirt, a couple walking together

below: Jac’s Milk on Roncesvalles still has a mural depicting the 504 King streetcar.  The boys at the table were selling eye protectors for watching the solar eclipse (that dates this walk!)

Jac's Milk convenience store on a corner on Roncesvalles, TTC streetcar in mural on the side of the building, a person on a bike in the foreground

a woman walks her dog on the sidewalk, Roncesvalles

below: White Corner Variety

a person on a bike riding north on Roncesvalles, past Whites Corner Variety

below: Outclass reflections

a woman sits on a bench in front of a store window

below: Jogging on Roncesvalles

two women jogging on Roncesvalles at Howard Park

two young asian men working at a fruit and vegetable market, goods on sidewalk, some people passing by, a pile of orange in the foreground

below: Totally gutted

view from alley behind, most of interior of house has been gutted for a renovation

below: Also under renovations is the Hindu Prarthana Samaj Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Toronto.  Prior to being demolished, this was an old church building dating from 1886.  First it was Ruth Street Presbyterian Mission and then later it became Fern Avenue Church of Christ until the Prarthana Samaj congregation bought the building in 1979.  Soon it will look more like a Hindu temple!

hindu temple being renovated behind hoardings

backyard views, from laneway behind

garages in alley, dark green garage door, bright blue wall,

below: Flowers on the side of a garage in an alley

pinkish peach colour lily painted on a wall in an alley, also a purple rose in the painting

 

graffiti on a brick wall in an alley, blue eyes with text eyez

sticker of a heavily armed police man with a large gun on a pole in an alley

sign upside down, yellow sign says slow, alley,

below: New infill in an alley

new infill house in an alley

below: With another one under construction nearby.   Construction of these laneway homes was allowed beginning in the summer of 2018.  Since then, their popularity has blossomed.

infill housing being built in an alley, plywood

below: Wilson’s Variety & Grocery on a corner in a residential area.

small convenience store on a corner in a residential area, Wilson's Variety and Grocery says green and yellow sign across the top of the window, black bars on the window, Canada Post mailbox in front of the store,

small narrow house, two storey, large tree in front, gingerbread trim under eaves, very small front yard,

house on Sorauren, white fence in front, red trim on porch and awning over window

backyards, alley view, one with lots of stuff in the yard

below: No payment entertainment and BE BETTER where Sorauren meets Dundas West.

where Sorauren meets Dunda West, a big billbord, an old yellow building, and another building with the words be better written in big white capital letters

below: Same corner, southwest side.  Pink door beside Timmy’s Variety.

southwest corner of Sorauren and Dundas West, building with large white sign and pink features

below: The West Toronto Railpath runs up the east side of the railway tracks.

West Toronto Railpath north from Dundas West,

concrete supports under bridge, Bloor Street over railway tracks, covered with graffiti,

below: You can tell by the sweet chocolatey smell in the air that Nestle is still making chocolate bars and other candy here.

Nestle factory, with large faded ad for Aero chocolate bars

walkway bridge over Sterling Ave at Nestle plant

sign on grey corrugated metal wall that says Nestle, coffee crisp

below: You are greater than everything

orange diamond shape construction sign that has been painted over in yellow and blue, stencil of an open hand holding a flame, text that says you are greater than everything

below: Halfway up Sterling Ave, around the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), there has been a flurry of development activity.

back corner of MOCA, Museum of Contemporary Art, with new construction of a new building beside it, crane on top of new building, sign on the back of MOCA that says over asking under taking

Sterling Ave., new building under construction on right, MOCA on left, museum of contemporary art

below: Development on the north side of MOCA.

looking across a flattened vacant lot. dirt, to a line of new townhouses, as well as older single family homes with large trees in the backyard

looking down the side of a house, to see new townhouses in the background

old used concrete barriers lined up beside each other, being stored in a vacant lot, behind a fence

below: A pair of anser eyes

man in red wool hat taking a picture of anser eyes graffiti on grey wall

below: Land Back, Turtle Island style.

poster on a wood pole, turtle with red sash around middle, words that say land back

below: Catchoo paste-up, catching a hand grenade

small graffiti pasteups by catchoo, two green outstretched hands reaching for a hand grenade

below: One wet fish dripping on Feelings Boi.   The fish is probably the work of Rowan McCulloch.

feelings boi sticker, as well as a sticker with a black and white image of a fish

below: More houses….

older brick two storey single family home with single upper storey window, also a porch across the front of the house, with white metal railing on porch

two storey bay and gable house, painted blue with white trim

two storey bay and gable house, red brick,

chair on a porch with 3 pizza boxes on it, also a bike on the porch

below: A row of bay and gable houses.

row of two and three storey bay and gable houses, large tree in front

houses on Bloor West near Sterling

addition to front of house, extends to sidewalk, large window in front, with reflections, walls are painted in mural with purple sky, blue and red trees, and green grass

below: And that brings us back to Bloor …. Bloor Gift and Smoke Shop across the street from the north end of Sterling Ave

on Bloor West, at Sterling, old red brick building, with Bloor Gift and Smoke Shop

below: Looking west on Bloor from Perth.  The southwest corner remains vacant.  Old concrete steps go nowhere now, and haven’t for many years.  The old tires are a more recent addition to the landscape.  Unfortunately this one of the many sites in the city where development is in limbo.  As early as 2010 there was a 12 storey building proposed on this site (1439 Bloor West plus 80 Perth).  At the moment, there seems to plans in the works for a 14 storey building but the plans seem rather fluid (i.e. they keep changing).

intersection of Bloor and Perth, with vacant lot on southwest corner

below: Back in 2014 or 2015, the concrete walls of this underpass were painted with murals. Now almost all of it is tagged over or scrawled on. It’s a mess.

entrance to toronto railpath beside tracks on Bloor Street, concrete walls covered in graffiti

below: UP Express train stopped at Bloor West station on its way to Pearson Airport.  The UP Express was in the news this past week because Metrolinx decided to change the scheduling such that half the trains no longer stop at the Bloor and Dundas stations.   Cue the now-normal Doug Ford flip flop when there was a lot of very verbal backlash from the commuters that use these stations.  The regular schedule has resumed.

UP Express train in station, reflected in the windows of building on other side of tracks

From here it is a hop, step and a jump back to Dundas West station.

In case you are interested –  Ten years ago, the building that houses MOCA stood alone. Its life as part of Tower Automotive had ended and its new life as a gallery hadn’t yet begun.  Previous posts:

Tower Automotive 2013
Tower Automotive 2014
First visit to the new MOCA 2018

wandering the alleys

Posted: March 16, 2024 in alleys, construction, doors, graffiti and street art, old buildings
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….of Dovercourt and Bloorcourt (south of Dupont and east of Dufferin)

blue and white banner on a utility pole, dovercourt village

Apparently there are over 250 kilometres of alleys and lanes in Toronto.  I am not sure how many are in the Dovercourt Village neighbourhood, but here are some pictures of what I saw when I walked the other day.

looking down a laneway to where it dead ends at a residential street with two storey brick houses, there is ablack picket fence in the alley, the house on the left in the alley is being renovated and has scaffolding covering the side

In many ways there is a similarity to most lanes – the garages and fences, the two storey houses, mostly brick, a few old trees, and the pavement in rough shape but there is always some interesting things to be found.

looking down a toronto alley, no dumping sign, garages, back of brick house, glass and steel highrise condo in the background

below: Somehow the back part is still standing!

backyard of a two torey house, view from alley with fence down, wood addition on brick building is old and falling apart

backyards and rear of houses, view from the lane behind

below: A narrow, skinny house with an extra layer of blue tarp privacy.

blue tarp over a fence behind a house in an alley

below: Happy dancing in the streets of Toronto – or close enough!

on a white garage door in a lane, a black line drawing of the CN Tower, 3 people dancing, the sun, a tree and two dogs

garage in an alley with street art on door and on side of building. on the side is white throwup on exploding red, yellow, and orange background

parking space in alley with chain across it, garage,

below: Monsters romping and flying around the black and white city

white garage in an alley, with a red man door, drawing and painting on the wall

below: “I want a cup of chai from the former Pink Palace”.

graffiti in an alley, black animal (cow?) on brown, with text, I want s cup of chai from the former pink palace

brick tower, perhaps steeple in the background, brick house in the middle, and a small garage with graffiti on door, large tree in the foreground

view looking down an alley to where it ends at a street with houses, large tree in the foreground, tall white apartment building in the background

below: An infill house in the lane.

black clad two storey house, dwelling, infill in an alley

below: And another infill….

black clad two storey house, dwelling with a large window facing the alley on the upper floor, infill in an alley

below: Large blue bear mural on a garage door by Jeff Blackburn

mural by Jeff Blackburn of a large blue bear face with maroon nose and mouth, white teeth, furry,

view of adjacent houses from the alley behind

chainlink gate between two garages in an alley, with view into backyard

upside down street sign that says no parking in the alley, backs of houses in the background

below: Falling apart.  Fake brick.  Asphalt based siding such as this bit here became a popular  alternative to painting  wooden structures as early as the 1930’s.  It was very popular in the 1940’s and the 1950’s in North America where it was used both for low-cost housing (and garages) and for covering the deteriorated exterior walls of older homes.

old fake brick asphalt tiles broken, on a wood garagebelow: A few simple flowers

a simple mural of flowers on a garage door in an alley, with house next door under renovations

below: and a garage in need of some paint and TLC.

view from an alley, an old wood garage in peeling teal paint, two storey brick house with a small wood balcony on the upper level

below: “We are all sacred”.  Scared might work too.

words scrawled on a wall that say we are all sacred

below: Art before dishes – a wonderful sentiment that I hope you agree with!

on a brown garage door in black marker, a line drawing of a person holding a light, and text that says art before dishes

below: Another garage door, some more peeling paint, and a faded face with pointy ears.

paint peeling on a reddish brown metal garage, old line drawing in yellow paint of a face, splotchy where bare metal can be seen

in a lane, looking at the back of a house with a yellow door and a dark green garage

below: Building back and up

alley view of the back of a house that is being updated and renovated, most of the back is covered with plywood

below: An oldie, a Lovebot the robot

an old red and white lovebot sticker on a no parking sign on a garage in an alley

below: A surprise find, and another oldie – I didn’t realize that any of these old Rob Ford portraits by Spudbomb still existed. This one dates from 2011.  Remember those days?

black paint on a white garage door, an old spud bomb painting of Rob Ford, ex-mayor of toronto, painted in 2011

below: Bastards in rust

rusty hinge on wood gate, with word bastards scratched into the metal

concrete wall under metal window frame, rust has stained the concrete, two white eyes have been drawn on the rusty part so now it looks like a face

below: I am going to pretend that it says “Tag here”.

graffiti on a wall that says tag here

low view of alley showing mostly the pavement, cracked with dirt and wet spots, some garages along the sides

below: One more garage door

garage in alley, white door with street art on it

below: Someone’s lurking above us

small alley

below: One large iguana, or perhaps a chameleon.  Whichever it is, it doesn’t look very happy.

large green iguana in a mural, looks unhappy

below: The brick building is on Dovercourt, just north of Bloor…. which is as good a place as any to end….  until next time that is.

whit truck parked in a lane with construction on both sides, on dovercourt, just north of bloor

banner on a utility pole, bloorcourt,

Well, Well, Well

Posted: November 27, 2023 in construction, locations
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Toronto’s newest downtown development is turning out to be a lovely surprise.  It can be described as a three level mall with four condo towers attached but that’s not giving it enough credit.   Fully pedestrianized inside – and that’s a very large city block (roughly between Wellington and Front, west from Spadina to Draper which is part way to Bathurst)  There are also an interesting variety of architectural features.   It is certainly a welcome departure from the usual “let’s see how tall we can make it” towers that are taking over the city.

interior view of the middle of the well, three storeys of brick mall with curved glass ceiling above

interior of the well

Looking straight up

Lower Level

covered walkways overhead, lower level of the well, small artifical christmas trees, workmen working, glass ceiling,

The “official opening” of the building was 17th November.  These photos were taken just before then when everything was being cleaned up and readied.

tall, vertical, but curved white roof supports at the well development in downtown toronto

brick and glass architectural details, interior, the well,

gold or brass coloured escalators from street level to lower level of the well, at spadina side entrance

stairs and escalator from lower level of the well to street level

By one of the Wellington Street exits, there is this sculpture.  This is “Emergence” by Dustin Yellin.  This picture is underwhelming I’m afraid, the piece is much much better in real life.   The general shape is human-like but it is made from many smaller scenes and details.  For instance, the head is actually a sphere that is being rolled up a mountain by two small figures.

sculpture, standing upright human shape

Reflections on the Spadina side

reflections in window of store at the well, downtown, with ttc streetcar, billboard with waving hand, mannequin in store, pedestrian walking past

a woman walks her dog through the well, towards exit on spadina, past large windows

workman finishing floor details in wellington market, inside the well, getting ready to open new store

Front Street

Silhouettes on the door

Posted: October 9, 2023 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, transportation
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I heard about these silhouettes that have painted on the plywood used to board up the doors and windows of five empty houses so I went to see them for myself.  They are on Raglan Road which is close to St. Clair and Bathurst.

black silhouettes of people painted on plywood used to board up doors and windows of empty houses waiting to be demolished

black silhouettes of people painted on plywood used to board up doors and windows of two empty houses waiting to be demolished

black silhouettes of people painted on plywood used to board up doors and windows of empty houses waiting to be demolished, older woman

“Took a walk and passed your house late last night
All the shades were pulled and drawn way down tight
From within, the dim light cast two silhouettes on the shade
Oh, what a lovely couple they made”

two black silhouettes painted on plywood covering a window, parent holding up young child in air above head

row of houses boarded up and empty

I am not sure how long these houses have been empty but there is graffiti in the back too.

graffiti across the back of two empty houses

As I was in the neighbourhood, what else is there to see here?  Anything new? Back in 2015 I posted a few pictures from the St. Clair and Vaughan Road area (see Intersections).  This time I stayed within the northwest quadrant of that intersection.   Like most places, somethings have changed while other things remain the same.

Back to early October 2023 …  many other houses were empty and boarded up

behind metal construction fence, an empty house that has been boarded up

yellow fire hydrant in front of hoardings around old houses waiting to be demolished. The hoardings hava painting of a young man, a red poppy and a large orange flower

… and many other houses have already been demolished.

man walking past construction site with tall condo tower as well as single family houses in the background

vacant lot with houses and highrises bhind

red and blue barrels in a vacant lot in front of other buildings

In the above picture you can see that this area has some older smaller apartment buildings.  Raglan Road runs parallel to Vaughan Road, home to many mid-sized older buildings.

front entrance of an older brick apartment building

three storey brick apartment building on Vaughan Road

three storey brick apartment building on Vaughan Road

cement truck delivering cement to a work site beside an older brick apartment building

below: Linked buildings

elevated corridors, open to outside, linking buildings

Once it was the Happy Family Restaurant.  Now someone (a happy family?) lives there.

squarish building, two storey, lower level once a store, now a residence, two entrance doors, old yellow sign

…. other businesses are boarded up.  This was the Dutch Dreams Ice Cream shop before they moved farther south on Vaughan Road.  While it sits empty it is a space for graffti.  Dutch Dreams had moved out before December 2015.

old black Mercedes car parked beside a boarded up red brick building

below: Just wait – Not sure what we’re waiting for but I see an alpha and an omega on a death moth?

paper graffiti with words just wait, black and white drawing of a dragonfly, on red brick

below: Peeling and faded.  Sailor dude and some colourful designs.

peeling and faded paper graffiti

below: Elaborate probably female form with gown and hat beside a not so elaborate wine bottle.  The label on the bottle says Lutte Libre Bruht.

black stencil graffiti on plywood

below: They’ve been here a while – Urban Ninja Squadron’s T-Bonez in various poses including dressed as Robin, the Boy Wonder.

peeling pasteup graffiti on plywood

below: Give Love and be a Hero

paper pasteup printed in red, on plywood board covering window

In the summer of 2020 there was fire in the adjacent building that impacted the old Dutch Dreams building too.  That was three years ago.   It is a pity that empty buildings sit for so long especially since nothing good comes of it.

in alley, back of buildings that had burned, fence with no trespassing signs around them

More people – Street musicians playing on the sidewalk.

mural on a box on the street, a group of musicians playing, trumpet, bass, singing,

As I walked around the neighbourhood I noticed a mix of architectural styles and building sizes.

From single family….

tall trees and single family homes

streetscape with different shaped houses

Through midsized apartments like the older ones shown above as well as some newer ones….

midrise apartment buildings with some single family homes in the middle

apartment buildings with green space between them

… To massive apartment buildings

very large, wide, highrise residential building with white balconies

large tag graffiti that says a c k , on the side of a brick house

below: Southwest corner of St. Clair and Vaughan Road

person in wheelchair being pushed across St. Clair at Vaughan Road, southwest corner with CIBC bank in old brick building

beside lowrise building from the 1960s, a single story older brick building, Choice coin laundry

brick buildings on vaughan road, 4 storey apartment building, coin laundry, and a convenience store

mister milk convenience store on vaughan road, once a two storey house, with upstairs enclosed balcony

below: The bright yellow building of Hercules Automotive and Tire Service in an alley behind St. Clair.  The top of St. Alphonsus R C church can be seen above it.

low yellow building in alley, Hercules Automotive and tire service, parking lot in front of it, top of St. Alphonsus R C Church behind it, also three tall condo towers in the background

below: Walking westward on St. Clair approaching Wychwood Ave with yet another vacant lot.

father and son walking on sidewalk, along St clair west, towards wychwood ave

below: St. Clair Avenue Baptist Church, on this site since November 1924.

Baptist church on Wychwood ave., brown brick building

below: Beside St. Alphonsus RC Church at Vaughan Road and St. Clair.

statue of man holding a bird, a small wreath hangs beside the statue

street sign for Helen Porter Lane, with Kenwood Arts sign attached to same pole

below: Kenwood

wood utility pole in alley, painted with pink, blue, and green heart, with stripes and squares below

below: A Jack Layton quote: “Love is better than hate; Hope is better than fear.”

words written in many colours across a board on a wood fence in an alley, a quote from Jack Layton that says

hand written poem story on board, hanging next to a garage with paintings of birds in a tree

“AND people stayed home and read books and listened and rested.
… and learned new ways and stopped and listened more deeply
… and people began to think differently.  And people healed
… AND when the danger ended and people found themselves, they grieved for the dead … and made new choices … and dreamed new visions… and created new ways of living… and healed the earth as they were healed.”

below: “My Blue World – I know a place where the world is still where time and space have no hold”  Painting by Elly Dawson 2020.  Poem by Lanna M.

my blue world, a painting on a wood fence, of two boats in the water,

below: A large Canadian flag hangs over the Toronto skyline.

mural on a garage door, large canadian flag behind the toronto skyline, blue lake in front, blue sky behind

Also in Helen Porter Lane, someone has taken advantage of the space here to build new housing.

new housing built in a lane

 

The orange sign on the streetcar stop says that the 512 St. Clair streetcar stopped running early in September 2023 and will be out of service until summer 2024.   The whole line from Yonge to Gunns Loop

 

bus shelter on route 512, St. Clair streetcar, at Bathurst

below: Westbound TTC buses on St. Clair

2 TTC buses plus traffic, westbound on St. Clair in front of Loblaws just before Bathurst street

While we’re on the subject of the TTC, one very dirty bus shelter!

Stop – Take a Breath

stop sign with words and breathe added to it

locked gate, fence, vacant lot, with lowrise apartment buildings in the background

a little piece of Weston

Posted: February 5, 2023 in graffiti and street art, history, locations, old buildings, public art, stores
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This blog post is the result of a walk around the vicinity of Lawrence Avenue West and Weston Road.  The latter was once Main Street in the village of Weston.

mural on a wall, I red heart weston

below: Approach to the Weston pedestrian bridge over the railway tracks.  The Grand Trunk Railway was built here in 1856 (now Canadian National Railway, CNR).

western approach to pedestrian bridge over train tracks, with display of cyclists over the decades painted by elicser elliott

below: Elicser Elliott’s paintings of cyclists over the years line the ramp to the bridge.

paintings by Elicser elliott of people on bicycles, displayed outside, winter,

below: Looking back to the west

weston pedestrian bridge over railway, looking back over bridge from east to west

below: Looking south towards Weston UP station (Union Pearson Express) at Lawrence Ave.

view from weston pedestrian bridge over train tracks, looking south

below: A young girl outside on a sunny day in a bright and cheerful painting on a lone house.   Next door is an Islamic Association and Masjid. Like so many other places in the city now, a larger and taller building fills the background.

house with mural on the side, also a sign that says Mike Sullivan constituency office, beside it is , behind is a large apartment building

below: Street scene and evolution – The oldest buildings are in the row of two storey commercial establishments that line Weston Road (by the traffic lights).  Behind them are apartments that are a few decade old. Last, the most recent development is in the immediate foreground, right hand side.

street scene with apartment building, shops, and a parking lot

below: Jerk Hut, Desserts, Juices, and Candy Cakes all squeezed into a little building beside (behind?) CashWay.   And while you’re there, you can get your palm read upstairs.

Weston Road businesses, Cashway money and Western Union office, very small building for Jerk Hut - desserts

below: Southeast corner of Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue East.

Southwest corner of Lawrence Ave East and Weston Road

below: For all your vegan leather and faux fur needs – Honeyy dripp (I had to look it up!)

stores on Weston Road, honeyy dripp with a large window with reflections, restaurant across the street

below: There is a series of pictures on these windows that was painted by Bryan Bermudez, Jim Bravo, Niel Yee, and Rowena Kizito in 2014.  It depicts young people from three different eras.

three images, murals, in a series, history

below: ‘Weston Streetscape circa 1900’ by Mario Noviello, 1997-1998. Original concept by Eric Lee.  A streetcar passes in front of Weston City Hall.  On the right is the Central Hotel with the brick steeple of Central United Church just visible behind it.

On side of 2 storey brick building, a large historic mural by Mario Noviello, Weston Streetscape circa 1900, streetcar, Weston City Hall, Central Hotel, and a church

part of Weston Streetscape mural showing old streetcar and Weston City Hall,

painted metal sidewalk box, purple on one side and blue on the other, white people doing things painted on the purple and blue background

below: Another bike

sidewalk box painted with image of old fashioned bicycle

a woman walks down the sidewalk pushing a cart, walking past stores

below: I think that someone is a Maple Leaf fan!

entrance to Peter's Barber Shop, with Toronto Maple Laf theme, in winter, range cones in front of door, planters in red, white, and blue stripes

below: Peter’s Barber Shop is now on Pantelis Kalamaris Gardens.  In fact, the street was named after Peter back in 2012, just after the 50th anniversary of the shop opening (which was in 1961).

Toronto street sign for John St in Weston, also called Pantelis Kalamaris Gardens.

below: And nearby is Johnny Bower Blvd.  Bower (1924-2017) was a Toronto Maple Leaf goalie in the 1960s, a great decade for the Leafs as they won the Stanley Cup four times…. 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967.   Bower and his family lived on this street at the time.

Toronto street sign, blue and white, Patika Avenue, also called Johnny Bower Blvd., in Weston,

a street of bungalows in winter, lots of trees,

side entry to a house, small green and yellow awning over the door, decorated for Christmas

I also saw many wonderful older brick houses, the kind that we aren’t building any more.  Some of the styles were common to Toronto while some were more unique.

appliance store in red brick building in residential neighbourhood

single family houses, winter scene, large trees, Weston

large square brick house, winter

below: All decorated for Valentines Day.

entrance to house, front door, decorated for valentines day, red hearts, love words

house by a level railway crossing

old house in weston

two storey brick house, green shutters

houses with big front porches and balconies, snow, big tree

winter residential street scene, older brick house, snow, trees, blue sky

old brick house, with lowrise apartment building behind it

older brick house with slate roof, trim is painted a dark pink colour

two storey single family house, winter

houses on a residential street, one has a white turret in the front,

two people standing in a bus shelter facing each other, another man is standing outside

painting by elicser elliott of a man with beard and moustache and wearing shorts, standing by his bike

The next blog post, ‘Out and About in Weston’, features a mural in Weston that was painted by Christiano De Araujo.

And after that is, Que Rock and Bacon in Weston, with even more murals on Lawrence Avenue East

Bayview intensification

Posted: January 21, 2023 in construction, locations, old buildings
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a person walks on a sidewalk on a foggy day, large trees and a park on the right, lots of traffic and red rear lights on the left

The temperatures this January have been warmer than usual but that means more grey skies and dreary weather days.  I spent one of those grey afternoons in the fog on a stretch of Bayview Avenue near York Mills Road.  It seemed like an appropriate time to see how many abandoned houses I could find.

 

remains of a concrete wall, about 3 feet high, with number 2769 on it, with vacant lot surrounded by chainlink fence in the background

Once upon a time, and not that long ago, Bayview Avenue in this part of the city was lined with large houses on big lots, often hidden behind trees.  Slowly, each house is being replaced with 4 to 6 townhouses in line with a revised city plan.   Toronto has many housing issues including a shortage of family homes.

a branch has fallen off a tree and landed on the yard of an abandoned house, leaves and some snow on the lawn as well

below: Five years ago I posted a photo of this house in a post about empty Bayview houses.  It was empty at the time too.

wire construction fence in front of a driveway with snow on it, a house about to be demolished, red brick, two storey, large house

below: This house appeared in the same 2017 post.  At that time it still had a red front door.

wood barricade across a snow covered driveway in front of a bungalow ready for demolition

abandoned and empty bungalow with low white fence in front of it, driveway blocked, snow, fog,

below: Development is rarely a quick process and things can often get convoluted – the sign on this property is for one of the newest plans – it was filed in 2022.  There are websites advertising the 4 townhouses at 2621 Bayview for sale preconstruction.  There is also a website that claims that 2621 Bayview is included in a block, 2617-21 Bayview that is/was for sale for $14,800,000.  (MLS number C5438385).

blue and white development notice for Behar planning and design co to redevelopment a section of land on Bayview Ave the involves demolishing a few houses, including large bungalow house behind a large trees still there, sign in the front yards.

below: This is 2019 Bayview, included in the 2017-21 block.     At 14.8 million just for the land to get 11 units…..  Toronto may have a shortage of units but it also has a shortage of affordable housing.   What price is affordable these days?  A quick search of properties for sale on Bayview shows that a vacant lot is priced above $4,000,000 (1/2 an acre) and that a newly built townhouse with 3000+ square feet  is above $2,000,000.

blue and white development notice for Behar planning and design co to redevelopment a section of land on Bayview Ave that involves demolishing a few houses, including two storey beige house still there, sign in the front yards.

below: Another house that has sat empty.

old white fence and broken gate post at 2595, house in the background

below: With an application filed in 2017. Five years. Is the process that slow? The city wants this intensification to happen and there doesn’t seem to be a lack of potential developers circling like vultures.   Does a  backlog of files that are 5, 6, or more years in the making suggest a flaw in the system somewhere?

blue and white development notice sign for wilket park developments to demolish house and rebuild townhouses on the lot

a bungalow behind trees, some snow, empty house waiting to be demolished

below: Preparations for a new access road/driveway have begun where 2673 and 2675 Bayview once stood.

chainlink fence in front of a vacant lot covered by a bit of now, black and yellow no trespassing sign posted on fence, some orange and black cones behind the fence, foggy day

vacant lot on bayview ave surrounded by metal fence

large house waiting to be demolished, behind fence

front entrance of house with old vines covering walls and part of windows

intersections – Bathurst and Lawrence

Posted: November 28, 2022 in graffiti and street art, intersections, locations, old buildings
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below: Bathurst at Lawrence on a snowy November day. (looking east)

below: Standing in the same spot but turning slightly,  Lawrence West, north side, west of Bathurst

black and orange traffic construction cones in the snow on the right lane of Lawrence, Bathurst Plaza in the background

below: Southwest corner of Bathurst and Lawrence

southwest corner of Bathurst and Lawrence, midrose apartment building that curves around the corner, retail at street level, two older people with walkers crossing at the intersection

below: Seniors Safety Zone.  How effective can a sign like this be on a busy four lane road?  If you want cars to slow down why not just reduce the speed limit?  But yes, there are a lot of seniors living in the area.

a woman walking up snowy sidewalk on Bathurst, past a pole with a yellow Seniors Safety Zone sign

below: There are many apartment buildings from the 1960s and 1970s in the area. They are old enough that the trees have grown up around them.

large old poplar tree in front of a brown brick midrise apartment building

brown brick mid rise apartment building from the 19703, in winter with snow, trees with no leaves, Bathurst Street

below: There are signs of redevelopment

vacant snow covered lot in the foreground, black brick wall of apartment building in background,

below: Some are of an age that it is more convenient to tear them down – for better or worse.  Long gone are the days when curved arches like this were popular with builders.

metal construction fence around a large curved arch in a 1970s apartment building empty and waiting demolition

below: Many of the residences on Lawrence are four or six plexes but here too, there are signs of changes afoot. Here the proposed new building is 4 storeys high and has 10 apartments.

blue and white city development notice in front of a residential 4 plex, in the snow,

residence on Lawrence West, 6-plex, winter

chairs stacked in front of a building on Lawrence, in the snow, beside a chain link fence

below: Alley behind Lawrence Ave

alley behind Lawrence Ave West, south side, backs of 4 plexes residences, with balconies overlooking the alley

old white door, entry to multi residence building

a blue arm chair and a wood chair in the snow beside a snow covered pile of rubble, a yellow bin, in front of a small apartment building

fence in an alley, winter time, painted in teal, pink, and yellow

below: Last season’s left overs.

poster on wood utility pole advertising spring tire change, even though it is now winter

a utility pole that is also a TTC bus stop with a lot of clear tape wrapped around the pole with many torn TTC signs saying that this stop not in use

two young men sit in bus shelter, backs to camera, waiting for a bus, stores can be seen across the street, Bathurst Street

below: Celebration Presbyterian Church, built in 1951.

Celebration Presbyterian church on the corner of Coldstream and Bathurst, small brick building, red front door,large pine trees on either side of the front entrance, snow,

below: Looking north on Bathurst towards Lawrence Avenue

west side of bathurst street, looking north towards lawrence avenue,

below: Many languages – English, Russian, Hebrew, Spanish, French, and Tagalog

windows of an old medical building, empty, for lease sign on it, signs in window say we speak many languages, english, hebrew, russian, spanish, french, tagalog

New York Bagels, Haymishe Bakery, and Cocoy filipino restaurant on Bathurst street

faded, blue tinted, travel posters in hebrew in a store window

empty store window with hebrew lettering on it

a poplar tree with most of its leaves gone, just some yellow leaves remaining, snow, apartment buildings in the background

below: Dell Park Variety – just above the sidewalk to the right of the variety store is a mosaic mural, “Almonds and Wine”.  More photos of it are in the previous blog post.

curved building, Dell park variety store on the corner of Bathurst and Dell Park

torn poster on hydro pole that says we still believe in love for you, ad for a speed dating service, ripped, torn

old empty Shoppers Drug Mart on Bathurst with ghost sign

below: South on Bathurst approaching Glencairn.

lower corner of a brown brick apartment building with Bathurst St street scene in the background

below: Hoardings on the southwest corner of Bathurst and Glencairn. The artwork is “Ayurveda” by Kirk Sutherland.

sidewalk and hoardings on Glencairn at Bathurst, artwork by Kirk Sutherland

below: Old tilework, little tiles, on an exterior wall – remnants of an earlier age.

metal frame plant holder outside in snow, in front of a wall covered with small tiles in beige, brown, and blue

beside and under the DVP

Posted: April 21, 2021 in history, intersections, locations
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below: Up beside the Don Valley Parkway and way off the beaten track this time.

up on a hill, level with a DVP overpass over York Mills Road, concrete barrier at side of parkway, signs for exit ramp to York Mills, also sign saying Lawrence Ave in 2 km,

But obviously some people with spray paint know about this little green corner of North York.

graffiti on a concrete wall beside the Don Valley Parkway just north of York Mills Road

below: More graffiti (text, throw ups) along the concrete barrier beside the southbound traffic

text graffiti on the concrete wall along west side of DVP, apartment building in the background,

below: A dead end on an abandoned road. This is part of the remains of an onramp for the southbound Don Valley Parkway from westbound York Mills Road.

text graffiti on a concrete wall, beside green space and the dead end of an abandoned onramp for the Don Valley Parkway, red brick apartment building, small trees,

below: This ramp was closed in 2005 and replaced with the present road configuration where all the on and off ramps are on the south side of York Mills.  Except for creating a mound of earth along the York Mils side, the site was left untouched.  Small trees are slowly taking over as nature gains the upper hand.

abandoned road starting to be overgrown with cracked asphalt, behind some houses, lots of trees with no leaves (early spring)

below: Still no parking

abandoned ramp to DVP,

Looking south along remains of an abandoned on ramp for the DVP at York Mills Road, later winter,

below:  Walking east on York Mills Road

A path crosses a large lawn in front of two apartment buildings

looking slightly uphill at a tree with a slight lean to the right in front of a tall yellowish grey apartment building

below: Any idea what this is? Something old and to do with water? At first I thought that it was sidewalk feature but now I suspect that someone ditched it here.

Small cylindrical metal object standing upright on the grass beside a sidewalk, rusty and old

below: Looking eastward on York Mills Road

Looking east along York Mills Road, just east of the Don Valley Parkway, some condo construction on the right, traffic, school bus, low rise apartments on the left

red and orange spray paint markings on a sidewalk by a construction site

below: Walking through Deerlick Park

View from a park towards a construction site with first few floors of a new condo built. Taller apartment buildings in the background

fence around a pile of dirt, construction site, with orange objects, apartment building in the background

below: Playground on Deerlick Trail

path leading to a playground

An orange kids bike lies on the grass outside a townhouse. Patio chairs are stacked up by the house along with round table and folded umbrella

below: CN Tower and the downtown Toronto skyline in the distance

Looking beyond a fence and some houses to see the CN Tower and Toronto downtown skyline in the distance

Part of a mural, outdoors summer rural scene with house in the distance, a fox by a creek and a girl in the foreground in a flowered dress and her hair in two pigtails, surrounded by a field of long grass and flowers

below: Trilliums under the Don Valley Parkway. Part of a mural on both sides of the underpass at Brookbanks. It was painted by Sarah J. Collard with help from Manny and Sonja Wiebe.

end of a mural on walls of an underpass, under the DVP. A field of white trilliums with tree trunks on the background.

Woman walking on sidewalk, walking past a mural by Start and City of Toronto, on DVP underpass concrete walls

part of a mural, a man cycling on a path, a sea gull lands behind him., path goes past field of flowers

3 valleys auto garage and full service gas station, a low one storey building with 4 bays for car repair

below: Church of Our Saviour with its large triangular stained glass window that was apparently designed by a local high school student.

Front view of Our Saviour Church, Anglican, with its A shaped roof line. Large triangular stained glass window

Construction site in residential area, house is mostly demolished, just footprint remains, fence around site, orange digger, backs of houses in next street, a tall apartment building in the background

blue dump truck backed into a construction site where a house has been demolished

split level semi divided house with cars parked in the driveway, a large tree in front of the one on the right, apartment building behind

From Three Valleys I tried to find a way to get back north to York Mills Road via parks and green spaces but I couldn’t do it. The next blog post was the result of a subsequent walk when I started farther north and attempted to find a path south.

below: No Eiffel Tower here!

blue and white toronto street sign for Paris Court, on a wood utility pole

tile pattern beside a glass door

Rambling Leslieville

Posted: March 6, 2020 in alleys, graffiti and street art, intersections, old buildings, public art, stores
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below: Think!  or rather Stop and think.   Above that, tbonez with The Forge Fury in another urban ninja squadron sticker.

2 stickers on a stop sign. one is a picture of a brain with the word think on it. the other is an urban ninja squadron sticker

below: There is a new public art installation nearing completion at the corner of Carlaw and Dundas.  When the project is done, the obelisk shaped sculpture by Pierre Poussin will be in the middle of a small park.  It is made of laser cut rusted metal and will feature internal LED lighting.

a new public art installation at Carlaw and Dundas with construction fence still around it, also a lot of utility poles around it, rusted metal cut with lasers in a design, sculpture is the shape of an obelisk

below: Shadows of the trees along a winding trail.

trees line a sidewalk that has had small curves added to it, shadows of these treees on the fence beside the sidewalk

below:  There really aren’t enough fairies in the world.  The ones that are supposed to clean my home haven’t shown up yet either.

a sign on a wood fence that says the poo fairy doesn't live here scoopy your ppop, aimed at dog owner

below: This looks like it was once an artwork pasted to a wall.  An eagle’s head is still visible at the very top.  Are those its feathers at the bottom by the shoes – one dark blue and one red stiletto.

a ripped picture, very large, of an eagle and a person with wings and high heeled shoes.

below: The northwest corner of Pape and Dundas.  The “This is Toronto” mural by J. Chiale is still there.

an intersection, looking northwest at Dundas and Pape where the house on the corner has a large mural by j. Chiale on the side, newer houses and apartment building in the background.

mural by J. CHiale on the side of a house

below: An old and worn sign

very old no parking sign on a chain link fence

below: A not so old sign with three lovebot stickers on it.

neighbourhood watch sign with 3 lovebot stickers on it

below: Old cars seen in an alley.  Any ideas on what model and year the brown car is?

2 old cars in an alley. one is an old brown car from the 40's, under a cloth. the other is a blue camaro

close up of a wood utilitypole with some paint splashes on it

 

on the side of a house, a wood panel on porch with 2 windows, 2 panels are painted blue and the last one is white

below: Santa Claus hasn’t returned to the North Pole yet!  This front yard looks quite barren

2 plastic Santa Claus figures in a front yard, no snow, in frontof a porch

below:  … compared to this one!  I am happy to report that the “doll house” still exists.   There is at least one Santa Claus in there!

a house with a front yard full of dolls and toys, on the walls, on the fence, decorations

below:  Not quite every inch (centimeter!) is covered.  Christopher Robin and Tigger, Ernie and a Picachu.  Tweety bird in a blue jacket and a white horse, Dora the Explorer is eating an apple.

some of the dolls and toys attached to the front wall of a house

below: These stickers still exist!  A Star Wars family with a dirty back window.

a star wars sticker family on the back window of a black vehicle, 2 kids, an R2D2 and a wokie

below: Usually if a couch is waiting for the garbage man it’s sitting closer to the edge of the street!

an old black vinyl couch on a sidewalk on Eastern Avenue, beside a house

below: Symmetry at the back of Bruce Junior Public School built in 1923.

back of older brick public school, Bruce Public school with pair of chimneys and rows of windows, symmetrical.

below: And then there is the asymmetry created when one side of a semi-divided house explodes upwards.

the back of a house, a semi divided house where one side is the original one storey while the other side has added two storeys and is taller than the surrounding houses, and it is narrow too

below: Leslieville has two murals.  This one covers the side of the building plus the back in pink, red, and orange stripes.   This Guidant Bikeshare mural was painted by Mediah, aka Evond Blake, in 2017.

below: Nearby at the intersection of Queen and Jones is this mural by Elicser Elliot (2016).

Leslieville mural by elicser of a man sitting under o tree in autumn

below: The Coca-Cola Coady Sweets ghost sign is still there but the convenience store under it has been replaced by a Spanish restaurant.

workmen at an intersection, white van parked, in front of building with ghost sign for Coady sweets, new Spanish restaurant on the corner

below: Queen Street East

line of stores on Queen Street East by the B & B fish and chip restaurant

Leslieville mural by iah media on the side of a building,

below: This is on the wall beside a vacant lot on Queen Street East that has been empty for years.

spray paint, large letters, wuns on a wall beside a vacant lot

Queen street east, vacant lot on the north side

below: Another vacant lot but more recently so.

looking through a chainlink fence, across a vacant lot towards Queen Street east and the brick Scotiabank building

below: An alley view, behind Queen Street East

3 storey brick building, from the back in the alley, behind Queen Street East

below: Waiting for spring?

looking through a metal gate with chainlink into a backyard with patio furniture and blue umbrella (closed)

a row of pink window boxes and red planters on a balcony of a yellowish brick apartment building

below: Dundas Street East

houses on a street with the one being an old narrow two storey house in yellowish brick

And how can we end without re-visiting the doll house?!

an old stuffed mouse with black plastic glasses, in front of a blue m & m character throwing a basketball, outside, and slightly weathered

close up of two of the dolls attached to the railing in front of house

the front steps and door to the doll house - a house covered with dollas and toys, also fake plants and flowers in pots on the stairs

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