Spadina | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘Spadina’

snowy morning on Queen West

Posted: March 20, 2022 in alleys, graffiti and street art, landmarks, stores
Tags: alley, buildings, bus shelters, daisy, dolls, graffiti, Graffiti Alley, hoardings, Jeremy Lynch, jumblefacefoto, kode 905, kyara cabrera Fong, Life©️, lovebot, luvs, mannequins, murals, paint, pasteups, Poetaia, Queen West, Rush Lane, slaps, snow, Spadina, stickers, street art, streetcars, th!nk, TTC, uber5000, urban ninja squadron, visual noise, Windigo Army, winter

… and Graffiti Alley

below: Northeast corner of Spadina and Queen West

below: Mannequins on orange

below: Queen Street westbound approaching Bathurst

below: It’s always nice to see that there’s at least one Lovebot still hanging out in Graffiti Alley.

below: On the door, a jumblefacefoto collage

below: Reach out and touch someone

below: Open your eyes

below: Are you smiling? Are you happy?

below: Southeast corner, Queen & Niagara

below: Same intersection slightly later in the morning and from a slightly different angle

below: Windigo Army piece

below: A little orange character pasted to a pole; the work of kode_dipz aka Kyara Cabrera Fong

below: Because of the construction of a new condo at Richmond and Augusta there has been scaffolding in a section of Graffiti Alley. The other day some of it was being dismantled. This woman is more visible now but some of the bars remain.

below: Life©️ one eyed red daisy supersized

below: Part of UBER5000’s Toronto mural.

below: By luvs – a woman and her dog, with duplicate vision

below: A properly worn mask…..

What is creepier? Dolls or mannequins?

below: Poetaia wants to know what you’re up to, wink, wink.

below: Peeling paper makes the gold words difficult to read

below: There’s a yellow eye and possibly a blue one too?

a long time lingering

Posted: December 15, 2020 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: defaced, demolition, empty, falling down, graffiti, John Brown, Spadina, staircase, street art, tag

This view was captured while walking north up Spadina towards Baldwin. It’s a much quieter street these days and looking a little forlorn.

At the southwest corner of Baldwin & Spadina the hoardings around 374 Spadina are still there. They seem to have been there forever now. Once again the site has been sold, if the internet is to be believed. Apparently, there is an OMB (Ontario Municipal Board) approved plan for a two storey restaurant there. I wondered how long that has been on the books so I googled it – early 2007.

Last spring this wall was painted as a tribute to Andre Alexander, aka Hip Pop Art who died in October 2018. Small pieces remain.

The hoardings around that site, along with the covered sidewalk along the south side of Baldwin have been tje canvas for an ever changing selection of posters and artwork. The other day it was this circular piece by John Brown that was tacked to one section of the wall.

In case you’ve always wondered what was behind those hoardings…. Some demolition has occurred as the fire damaged, water damaged, and destroyed just through neglect parts have mostly been removed.

evening, Spadina and Front

Posted: September 8, 2019 in construction, locations, people
Tags: bikes, billboards, bridge, cars, condos, evening, intersections, parking lot, pedestrians, people, reflections, Spadina, streetcar, traffic, TTC, walking

One part of the city that has changed immensely over the past few years is the area near Spadina and Front streets. I was in the area last night and had a few moments to spare so I thought that I would take a look at what’s there now.

below: Waiting for the 510 streetcar

below: Looking south on Spadina approaching Front Street.

below: Many cranes working at the site of the old Globe & Mail buildings on the north side of Front Street, just west of Spadina.

below: Intersection of Spadina & Front, looking southwest

below: Looking west from Spadina as it crosses the railway tracks.

below: City Place, south of the tracks. Red sculpture is ‘Flower Power’ by Mark di Savero.

below: On the south side of the railway tracks, east side of Spadina, part of Northern Linear Park.

below: There is still a parking lot on the northeast corner of this intersection. This image is the view across the parking lot to City Place.

below: Reflections in the clear and green glass of a new building on Front Street, just east of Spadina

below: Waiting for the light to change

below: And once we started walking across the intersection, I loved how her skirt moved as she walked.

Hope Wall

Posted: April 11, 2019 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: Andre Alexander, faces, Hip Pop Art, Kensington, memorial, messages, paint, sidewalk, sleeping, Spadina, street art, wall, writing

Hope Wall on Spadina Ave., near Kensington Market.

below: Messages written on the wall for Andre Alexander, aka Hip Pop Art who died in October 2018.

rich and poor in black and white

Posted: March 17, 2018 in galleries
Tags: 1980s, Avard Woolaver, galleries, Jim Goldberg, locations, people, photography, portraits, Queen St. West, RIC, Rich and Poor, Ryerson Image Centre, Spadina, street scenes, Toronto, vintage

There are a few exhibits showing at the Ryerson Image Centre at the moment but the one that I want to highlight today is “Rich and Poor” by Jim Goldberg. Goldberg took portraits of people in the San Francisco area in their home environments between 1977 and 1985. They are divided into two sections, “rich” and “poor”.

below: Each portrait is accompanied by a comment from the person being portrayed, in their own handwriting. This woman, Nell, provides the wonderful quote: “If you want to stunt your growth, be rich.”

below: The pictures are fascinating, and the words reveal more details of the subjects. “My wife is acceptable”. The poor woman. In the picture she is off to the side and almost disappears into the background as she looks at the floor. I thought of the words ‘abject’ and ‘woeful’ when I first saw her but I think that maybe the best word to describe the look on her face is ‘blank’.

below: Whether you’re rich or poor, or more likely some where in between, what you say about yourself if you were the subject?

This show continues until April 8th

Spadina open doors

Posted: June 29, 2017 in doors
Tags: asian, Chinatown, Chinese, clothing, food, fruit, people, sale, shops, Spadina, stores, streetcar, TTC, vegetables

Spadina doors, stores with doors wide open to take advantage of the summer days. Spadina was once the center of the garment industry in Toronto. Then it evolved into Chinatown, especially the area south of College and north of Queen. It still retains some of its Chinese character although there are many other Asian and South Asian influences. There have also been some changes as the Asian merchants and residents move to the suburbs.

below: Racks of clothing for sale on the sidewalk

below: A quiet corner for a cigarette break

below: She’s standing outside a restaurant that’s covered with signs and menus.

below: There are usually many vendors with small tables of items for sale, such jewellery, herbs & other plants, small household items, clothing, knick knacks, etc.

below: And last, an open door of a different kind.

As you can see, the doors themselves are uninteresting, it’s the context that counts here.

This is a “Thursday Door” post. If you are interested in doors, there are lots of blogs that feature door photos on Thursdays…. check out Thursday Doors organized by Norm 2.0 for more information.

The Bentway

Posted: July 25, 2016 in locations, nature, transportation
Tags: bathurst, Bentway, canoe landing park, city, condos, construction, core, demolition, development, downtown, fences, fort york, Gardiner Expressway, Lakeshore Blvd., Loblaws, public space, railway, Spadina, strachan, urban, waterfront, western Gardiner

The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, commonly just called the Gardiner, has been in the news a lot lately. This 18 km stretch of road between the city and the lake was completed in 1965 after years of planning and building. At the time that it was built, Toronto’s waterfront was largely industrial and there wasn’t much objection to having a 4 to 6 lane expressway, with many sections elevated, built there. The railway had begun the process of dividing the city from its waterfront a hundred years previously.

As the city changes and grows, more and more people live in the downtown core. Industry has moved out and residents have moved in. For so long the land south of the Gardiner as well as under the Gardiner was neglected, especially from a city planning point of view. But now, the city is looking differently at that swath of land. The far east elevated section between the Don Valley Parkway and Leslie Street was demolished in 2001 and there have been calls for the next section (Jarvis to the DVP) to be demolished as well. There has been some controversy as to whether to demolish it or move it… and if move it, where to? I am not even sure what the plans are at the moment. On the other hand, the western section of the elevated expressway (Strachan to Spadina) will remain standing. Work is underway to refurbish the structure – the city doesn’t want any more stories of pieces of concrete dropping onto cars beneath! Plans are being implemented to use the land under the Gardiner much more efficiently. To make it work for the public.

The Bentway is the name that has been given to this new park, or public space, beneath the Gardiner Expressway from Strachan 1.4 kilometres east to Spadina. The first phase is due to open Canada Day 2017 and it involves the stretch between Strachan and Bathurst. Many of you have probably driven on the Gardiner but do any of you know what is under it now? Let’s take a look.

below: The Gardiner passes over Strachan Avenue which in turn passes over the railway tracks.

below: On Strachan Ave looking west. Condo development in this area has extended right to the railway line. The Exhibition GO train station is in the distance. You can also see the Gardiner to the left of the tracks. Here the north side of the under part of the expressway is walled in and the enclosed space is used by Exhibition Place. At this time there is no plan for the Bentway to extend this far; I have used this photo to provide more context as to the location of the park.

below: A closer look at the Gardiner on the west side of Strachan Avenue. Maybe there is potential to expand the park westward? to Exhibition GO station? And by the way, those concrete structures holding up the expressway – those are called ‘bents’ and that is why the park is called what it is.

below: This photo was taken as I stood on Garrison Common and looking towards Strachan Avenue. This will be the western end of the new park. You can see the underside of the Gardiner as it passes over Strachan Ave which in turn is also a bridge. This bridge once crossed the Grand Trunk Railway tracks that were built in the 1850s. New entrances to the park are planned that incorporate the present sloped embankment of the bridge.

below: A quick aside: It’s a slightly different angle, but here is a photo of the Strachan Avenue bridge from 1959, before the Gardiner was built. I suspect that there has been upgrades made to the bridge since then. Photo credit: R.L. Kennedy, found online (also a good source for the history of the Grand Trunk Railway in Toronto). Garrison Common is to the right.

Garrison Common is the green space surrounding Fort York. It will abut (be continuous with?) the new Bentway. Fort York is a National Historic Site and on its 43 acre site are original buildings from the War of 1812 as well as an 1813 battle site. Did you know that the Americans beat us here in 1813 and controlled the city of York (as Toronto was known then) for a few days?

below: The new Fort York Visitors Centre is now open. There is still being work done both inside and outside, but it is open to visitors. For so long the fort was hidden away and difficult to get to; it is nice to see it receiving more attention.

below: Jake from Park People, one of the groups helping to design the new park, stands under the Gardiner as he talks to a group of us on a tour. Here, by Fort York, the Gardiner is the equivalent of 5 storeys from ground level, the highest it reaches as it crosses the city.

below: Standing on the grounds of Fort York. The Bentway will be beyond the stone wall. You can get a good idea of the spacing between the bents. These spaces are being referred to as ‘rooms’ and there are 55 of them between Strachan and Spadina.

below: One obstacle is the fact that Fort York Blvd passes under the Gardiner on a diagonal. Plans are to build a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the street. Also in the photo, note the TTC bus – Fort York and vicinity are finally on a bus route. Route 121 runs between the Portlands and Fort York via Union Station.

below: The section under the Gardiner Expressway between Bathurst Street and Fort York Blvd is not city owned. It is owned, and has already been developed, by the Onni Group who built the Garrison at Fort York condominiums on either side of it. This is the eastern end of phase 1.

below: Northbound traffic on Bathurst passes under the Gardiner.

Phase 2 of the park’s development involves land between Bathurst and Spadina. This is an area that is undergoing a lot of changes at the moment, i.e. a lot of construction.

below: Immediately south of the Gardiner on the northeast corner of Bathurst and Lakeshore is a construction site. Demolition of the old 1928 Loblaws warehouse building is now complete. The facade of the old building was disassembled rather than demolished; after cleaning and refurbishing of the bricks, it will be rebuilt in its original location. Two condo towers are planned for the space between Loblaws and the Gardiner. Yes, more condo towers to face the Gardiner and add to the tunnel effect that you get when you drive on the expressway.

below: The development of this site is a collaboration between a number of developers. I found a photo of one rendition (source) of what the space under the Gardiner will look like here in the future. Public space including a cafe are part of the plans. Check back in a couple of years to see what really happens here!

below: Standing on Bathurst Street, looking east along what will be Housey Street. This is just north of where the Loblaws development (above) will be. As you can see, you can’t walk there yet.

below: Southeast corner of Bathurst and Fort York Blvd. This is the section of land just north of Housey Street. Construction hoardings and cranes – familiar sights in this area. It also means that taking photos of under the Gardiner here are difficult!

below: Development north of the Gardiner between Bathurst and Dan Leckie Way.

Dan Leckie Way is a north-south road that runs under the Gardiner just east of Bathurst. It is the western boundary of Canoe Landing Park. This park is north of the Gardiner and the Lakeshore.

below: ‘Tom Thomson’s Canoe’, by Douglas Coupland sits at the highest point of land in the area; it’s almost at the same level as the Gardiner and is very visible as you drive by. This park extends down the hill.

below: Looking the other way from the same vantage point. The street running under the Gardiner here is Dan Leckie Way . Up until this point the Lakeshore is south of the Gardiner.

At Dan Leckie Way, the Lakeshore is still south of the Gardiner and the space under the expressway is wide open. By Spadina, one major block east, the situation changes. The Lakeshore splits and westbound traffic lanes go north of the Gardiner and eastbound lanes stay south. Shortly after Spadina, the Lakeshore runs under the Gardiner and there is no room for any further development under the road.

below: Standing on Spadina, just south of the Gardiner and looking west. Here there is a lot of road to cross for pedestrians on Spadina. Not only has the Lakeshore split to run on either side of the Gardiner, but there are also ramps between the Gardiner and the Lakeshore.

below: Still on Spadina, and still looking west, but now under the Gardiner. The space under the road is not as high as it was previously. Its lower and darker and not as inviting. It will be interesting to see what phase 2 of the Bentway development will look like in this space. I am not sure when it will to be finished but I will keep an eye on it!

As for the eastern Gardiner, what does that look like? Well, that’s a whole other blog post!

Project: Under Gardiner On this site you’ll find detailed maps and diagrams of this area as well as information about the plans for the various sections of the space.

beauty and the billboard

Posted: June 3, 2016 in events, public art
Tags: ads, art, attention, beauty, billboards, CONTACT, Mickalene Thomas, parking lot, people, photography festival, portraits, questions, Spadina, street advertising, women

This is another post about an exhibit from the CONTACT Photography Festival. I know that it’s now June and CONTACT was in May, but I wanted to post these photos. I actually took them early in May as you can probably tell by how many clothes the people in the pictures are wearing. They’re certainly not dressed for the warmer weather we’ve been having lately. I have had trouble deciding what to write in this post.

There is a parking lot at the NE corner of Front and Spadina with some billboards in it. Maybe you saw them as you drove or walked past but maybe you passed by and missed them. There are so many things on the street vying for our attention and a billboard is just another piece of street ‘furniture’.

For the month of May, an installation titled ‘What it Means to be Beautiful’ by Mickalene Thomas occupied a number of billboard spaces at the above mentioned corner. All the images are portraits of women and are “shown within the context of street advertising, where women are constantly bombarded with narrow notions of female beauty.” A sample of the billboards:

Part of the reason that I hesitated to write this post was the fact that the iphone 6 ad campaign was on at the same time. It was a campaign that used photos taken with the phone and the ads were very visual and used very few words. In my opinion, they are more eye catching and visually appealing than Thomas’s work. I found a few of them to show here (below). I know that there were many more but unless I was consciously looking for ads, I didn’t notice them as billboards are one of the things that I block out as I walk. That led to a few thoughts about what catches a viewer’s attention on the street – Faces? Colours? Contrast?

There is more going on in Thomas’s photos and collages than just visual appeal but I still question the validity of asking the viewer to look at them in the context of street advertising. Is it fair to compare her images to ads produced by, and in aid of, a large corporation? Would it have been better to exhibit her work in different form or a different place? I don’t have the answers for those questions. Do you?

And now I will go back to ignoring billboards as I walk.

north of Nassau

Posted: September 5, 2015 in graffiti and street art
Tags: alley, anser, buildings, bunnies, city, doors, downtown, eyes, garages, graffiti, Kensington, lane, poser, scribbles, Spadina, street art, tags, Toronto, trees, urban, walls, weeds, windows

Nassau Street that is, just south of College and just west of Spadina. There is an alley that runs north from Nassau directly behind Spadina. A dead end lane runs perpendicular to it, behind the houses on Nassau Street. Like most alleys in Toronto, there is street art there. Some old, some new, and unfortunately some scribbled over. All in all, this lane is looking a little worn.