streetcars | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘streetcars’

from oranges to little yellow birdies

Posted: May 29, 2026 in construction, galleries, graffiti and street art, history, old buildings, transportation
Tags: Bettys, Black Canary coffee, Bruno Smoky, construction, Crow Bar Cafe, Drug Trading Company, Duke Mews, graffiti, hamster, Jamaal, King St., Metrolinx, Old Town, Ontario line, Patrician grill, Power St., redevelopment, Rowell Soller, Sackville St., Shalak Attack, Sherbourne St., streetcars, TTC, uber5000, yellow birdie

subtitle: A little wander down King Street East (and area) with a look at both the past and present .

…Starting with a cup of coffee and a CONTACT exhibit – photos by Jamaal Owusu-Ansah titled “Hints of Orange” at the Black Canary coffee shop on Sherbourne Street just north of King, showing until 5th June (but coffee and goodies still available after that!)

“I don’t care what the weather says anymore, It’s iced coffee season”

below: Looking west on King from Jarvis with the steeple of St. James Cathedral rising above.

below: King Street has been a vital part of Toronto since the beginning. It was one of the original roads laid out in the late 1790s in the Town of York (which became Toronto in 1834). At that time it ended at Berkeley Street.

below: south side of King street, looking west from Sherbourne

below: The southwest corner of King and Sherbourne streets.

below: More views of the King and Sherbourne intersection – this time the northeast corner with the newer condos rising above. The old bank building became part of those condos.

below: In 1972 when this photo was taken, 230 King Street East was a branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). It was built in 1908.

1972 black and white photo of CIBC (bank of commerce) building at king and Sherbourne

Photo from City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841,

Betty’s (once the Betty Ford Clinic – or just the Betty Ford? – until the original Betty Ford issued a cease and desist order) has moved to Queen St East. The King location closed in 2022 after 30 years on the premises. The building, and its neighbour, 234 and 236 King Street East, are listed as city heritage sites. In 1888, the red brick building was constructed as a warehouse for a bedding manufacturer, Chaney and Co Bedding. And yes, they are empty because a developer plans to build a condo tower here.

below: Duke Mews is a short lane running west from Princess, back towards Sherbourne. It is just north of King Street, between King and Adelaide. Once upon a time, Adelaide Street was called Duke Street.

below: West end

“You are the love of my life”

below: Looking east towards Ontario Street at a view that won’t be available for much longer. The buildings that were once here have been demolished and the site is awaiting redevelopment.

below: This is the brick facade that was retained when the Drug Trading Building was redeveloped (into offices and workspaces, not condos). It was originally built in 1942 (and expanded in 1946). The Art Deco elements on the entrance were also saved. This was the administration building for the company -factories were on the other side of Ontario Street. In 2022 this was the Sun TV building even though the transition to a taller repurposed building was already underway . The Drug Trading Company had been founded in 1896 to supply independent pharmacies with medications and other products.

below: Looking northeast from Duke Mews – past the empty lot and the edge of The Shift to farther along Adelaide Street.

below: Now looking southeast from Duke Mews towards King Street. A small sliver of that property along King will become a park.

below: The facade of the three storey red brick building at Princess and King is being saved.

below: Once upon a time, the Crow Bar restaurant was on the corner of Adelaide and Princess. It closed in 2016 and in more recent years, the corner was a parking lot.

black and white photo of the Crow Bar restaurant on the corner of Adelaide and Princess street, black and white photo

This 1972 photo is from the City of Toronto Archives, fonds 2032, series 841, file 38, item 7. Fonds 2032 is from the Toronto Planning Board and series 841 is a large collection of photos taken of intersections around the downtown core in 1972.

below: Another restaurant of the same vintage nearby on King Street, the Patrician Grill, just closed

below: Interior of the Patrician Grill, at the same location since 1953.

below: Looking southeast at King and Berkeley. Metrolinx has cleared the whole block between Berkeley and Parliament for Ontario line subway construction.

below: Looking southwest at King and Parliament at the hoardings around the block that Metrolinx has taken over.

below: Brick buildings on the northwest corner of King and Power Streets. They are actually the back of 93 Parliament Street – built in 1908 for the Aluminum and Crown Stopper Company as factory and warehouse. They manufactured supplies for bottlers.

below: King and Power 1972 with a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce on the corner.

City of Toronto Archives, fonds 2032, series 841

below: Also King and Power, but in January of 1937 when there were houses on Power Street. This photo is from a large collection of photographs taken in 1936 and 1937 of housing in this area. A large number of the houses are in awful condition, poorly built, and condemned by the city.

below: If you then turn around and face east, this is the view that you get. It’s in black and white and I bet that it could pass as a vintage photo even though I took it a few days ago (except the modern cars might give it away).

below: Another City Archives fonds 2032, series 841 photo from 1972. It’s not a direct match to the photo above, but the building on the corner of King and Power (356 King East) is the same one. It wasn’t looking too healthy in 1972! It is nice to see something that has improved with age (and some TLC). This photo happens to show the row of buildings on the north side of King adjacent to number 356.

below: There are four leaf clovers hiding in the greenery in this Rowell Soller mural beside Sackville Park

below: If you have ever walked or driven this section of King Street East, you may have noticed the bright pink exterior of Cam’s Muffler/Thruway Muffler!

below: Repairs and updates are in progress on the ramps between the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway that cross over King Street. The concrete supports were painted by Shalak Attack and Bruno Smoky a few years ago.

In 1901 King Street was extended as far east as the Don River. Because of the curvature of Lake Ontario, King Street swings north and merges with Queen just before the river.

I’ll end this blog post with three bits of cuteness, all are sections of the large Uber5000 mural on the Queen Street wall of the Toronto Humane Society, one of the last buildings on Queen Street before the Don River. Uber5000’s little yellow birdie is such a happy fellow!

intersections – King and Queen

Posted: March 15, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, intersections, locations, memorials, old buildings, stores, transportation
Tags: alleys, birdo, Easy restaurant, garages, houses, Jim Bravo, lanes, lovebot, mini mart, murals, parkdale, Queen West, Queensway, reflections, Roncesvalles, street art, streetcars, TTC, windows

… and Roncesvalles and Queensway.

King Street merges with Queen Street twice, once in the east at River Street and once in the west when King turns north and joins Roncesvalles. At this point Queen becomes the Queensway.

below: Queen streetcar traveling westbound (center of picture) while a King car makes the turn north into the intersection (right side).

If that King car continues north, it travel up Roncesvalles to Dundas West station.

below: Looking west on the Queensway with all the overhead streetcar wires because….

below: … the TTC Roncesvalles Carhouse is right there. It is 28 streetcar tracks wide and is used for storage and maintenance of part of the TTC’s streetcar fleet.

below:The Queensway also runs parallel to (and within sight of) Lakeshore Blvd, the Gardiner Expressway, and Lake Ontario.

below: There is access to the waterfront is by a pedestrian bridge.

below: Also at this intersection is a memorial to all the Polish citizens who died at the hands of the Soviets during WWII.

monument in a park, large stone with a plaque on it,

Plaque reads: “1940-2000, In Memoriam … Lest we forget… May the tragic deaths of tens of thousands of Polish citizens in Soviet forced-labour camps, political prisons and execution sites, always remind the world that freedom is bought with great sacrifice.
Dedicated to the memory of over one million seven hundred thousand Polish soldiers and civilians arrested in EAstern Poland by the Soviet secret service (NKVD) in 1940-1941, for the only reason that they were Polish citizens and were deported to the far reaches of the Soviet Union (siberia), where many were executed or died of hunger, cold, disease, and exhaustion during World War II.
[words in Polish]”
Alliance of the Polish Eastern Provinces in Toronto, February 10, 2000.

The rest of this post are images of some of the sights along Queen West and in the alleys behind. Some of them may look like photos that have appeared in prior blog posts…. Many things have changed over the years and yet many things remain the same.

below: North side of Queen West, looking towards Roncesvalles.

below: South side of Queen West, looking towards Roncesvalles

Some of the old architecture remains – Volumes could probably be written about all the old architectural features that can still be seen out Queen West and King West. Many of which date from when Parkdale was an affluent suburb of Toronto.

below: An old Royal Bank of Canada building (now used for other purposes).

below: An old Second Empire type of building, that is now home to the Easy Restaurant as well as Rosa’s restaurant.

below:Back of the building – King Street side.

below: The original mural with its yellow convertible once seen on the back of the building is still there, it’s just hidden by a more recently built structure to store garbage bins and other stuff in.

below: If you have passed by this intersection, you may have noticed the yellow motorcycle rider on the King Street side of the building.

below: Dancing in the window

below: A doggie in the window!

below: Ford among the light fixtures. Who is the dimmest bulb?

below: An anchor, many stickers, and a red skull and crossbones

below: Potato sack racers in a mural by Jim Bravo. The sacks all say “Eva’s Fine Deli” on them so perhaps this was once the wall of said deli? Now it is the Dosa restaurant on Roncesvalles.

below: Dreamer

below: Birdo paintings that have faded and weathered. Check out an earlier post if you want to see what they once were like (Animals and Birdo Birds) This post was from March 2015, ten years ago!

birdo street art painting in an alley, bird with blue and white body

below: Still Alive! It’s always marvelous to encounter Lovebot the Robot in the wild.

below: More alley backyard views…. another house with a rooftop terrace or deck. I have mentioned before in other posts with other alleys, that this type of renovation/expansion has become very common throughout the city.

intersections – King & Bathurst

Posted: January 20, 2025 in construction, history
Tags: Bank of Montreal, Banknote Bar, bathurst st., clock tower, construction, facade, King St., Metrolinx, pianos, redevelopment, streetcars, TTC, Wheatsheaf Tavern

below: 504 King streetcar on a snowy January afternoon

As you all know, Toronto is being demolished and redeveloped. Almost every part of the city is affected by the construction of new condo buildings or the upgrading of public transit. It can be difficult to keep up documenting the changes! A few weeks ago I posted some pictures from Queen & Spadina where Metrolinx is building a new subway station for the Ontario Line. The next stop west from there is at King and Bathurst.

Infrastructure Ontario wants to build what they call a Transit-Oriented Community (TOC) at King and Bathurst. The gist of the plan is that these sites will feature high density development around transit hubs. Some of the plans for condo and office may still be at the concept level but the new subway station work is well underway.

below: Looking south on Bathurst from King. On the southwest corner is the Wheatsheaf Tavern which has been here since 1849. The exterior of the building hasn’t changed much in 170 years! It remains untouched by today’s construction.

below: The Banknote Bar on the southeast corner is now gone, or at least most of it has been demolished. The north facade will be incorporated into the new station, the King-Bathurst station (Are they really going to call it that? So Dull. So Bland.).

This 4 storey brick building was previously a Bank of Montreal. It was built in 1901/02 for the Canadian Biscuit Company. It then had a series of tenants until 1923 when Bank of Montreal moved in.

Previously, a mixed use development rising above the old brick structure had been proposed for the site (prior to Metrolinx). Cancelled. At this point there is no other development on this corner.

below: Looking east on King

You can see that the corner (above picture) is now covered by a very big white temporary structure where construction of another station underway. What will be revealed? Plans suggest a mixed office/residential tower above with rebuilding of most portions of the TD bank that was on the corner, as well as the building directly east of it. No car parking spots, bikes only. Concept stage? Or further along? One day we might find out!

Last, the northeast corner –

below: Clock Tower lofts dominates the corner. There really are two clocks on the side of the building, both of which are difficult to see. But that doesn’t matter since they don’t work anyhow.

below: 1919 photo of the Clocktower Building. It was in bad shape in 1980 and was demolished. The Clock Tower Lofts (above) replaced it. In 1919 it was home to Otto Higel Piano Company. The church in the background is St. Marys Roman Catholic church at Bathurst and Adelaide.

1919 black and white photo of a brick building on northwest corner of king and bathurst. 4 storeys, with small clock tower on one corner, church in the background

photo credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 3008

The building dates from 1895; it was built for the Toronto Lithographing Company who used it until 1901. Next, the Newell & Higel Co. Ltd take over the building where they manufacture piano actions, keys and hammers, and organ keys, reeds, and reedboards. By 1912 they employed 450 people. They developed a Player Piano that became famous around the world and business boomed. They expanded the building north to the corner of Adelaide Street West.

By the way, a Player Piano is one that plays itself. The 1920’s were their heyday but advances in technology, especially the introduction of radios and record players, helped kill the Player Piano. By the 1930s production ceased.

below: A 1970s view of the northwest corner.

1970s black and white photo of Otto Higel Piano Company, now a furniture factory

photo credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1526, File 7, Item 5,

below: Looking out the window of the Wheatsheaf Tavern. How many people have sat here and looked out this window? What did they think about?

intersections – Queen and Spadina

Posted: November 20, 2024 in construction, history, old buildings, people, public art
Tags: buses, construction, hoardings, Metrolinx, Ontario line, people, Stephen Cruise, streetcars, subway

Subtitle: More Ontario Line mess

below: Spadina and Richmond…. A giant thimble (by Stephen Cruise) sits on a stack of buttons. Behind it, a building is shrouded in blue netting.

below: Blue, blue, my world is blue… walking north on Spadina under blue netting that protects the sidewalk from work being done on the southwest corner of Queen and Spadina. The whole block between Richmond and Queen is under wraps. This is a future subway station with the imaginative name of Queen-Spadina.

below: Southwest corner of Queen and Spadina

below: A look at what’s happening behind the hoardings….

below: Mcdonalds on the northwest corner is unaffected by the changes around it.

below: Looking south on Spadina with a good view of the southeast corner of the intersection with Queen West.

below: There is a lot happening in the northeast quadrant, all by Metrolinx. the yellow framework that protects and stabilizes a facade is becoming a common sight in Toronto.

below: In case you can’t remember what was on that corner, this is a photo taken back when they were laying streetcar tracks in 1912. Most recently there was a CIBC bank on the corner.

black and white photo from 1912 of brick building on the northeast corner of Queen and Spadina.

Photo taken from WIkipedia Commons, in public domain. Originally from City of Toronto Archives.

below: A couple of the old houses/stores on Queen beside the old brick building seem remarkably unchanged since 1912. (As a light grey car partially blocks the pedestrian crossing at the intersection).

below: The 510 streetcars are not running during this construction.

below: But because the buses are too wide for the streetcar lanes, the middle of Spadina is very quiet… so I can stand here and take pictures.

below: It also means that the replacement buses are now running… and competing with cars for a limited space.

below: Painting over the graffiti

below: Just north of Queen, there is a large vacant lot on Spadina. So large you can see through to Cameron Street.

below: Cameron House and other houses on Cameron Street and beyond.

a short walk up Church Street

Posted: July 18, 2024 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, old buildings, stores
Tags: Church St., churches, Gilda Radner Way, Lombard St., Metropolitan United, mural, Paint Your Faith, pawnbrokers, Piliriqatigiingniq, redevelopment, St. Michaels, stores, streetcars, TTC

Northbound, starting at King… where this large mural still shines. Piliriqatigiingniq was painted in 2015 (see link for more info)

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

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

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

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

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

below: Crossing Lombard. Looking north up Church Street

below: Church & Richmond, northeast corner.

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

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

below: West on Richmond.

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

below: Balconies old and new.

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

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

below: The side of Metropolitan United Church.

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

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

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

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

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

below: Looking east on Dundas

below: Northeast corner of Church and Dundas.

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

below: mmm

from Keele to Dundas West

Posted: April 11, 2024 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art
Tags: construction, crane, Elicser, giraffe building, graffiti, Keele station, lovebot, murals, redevelopment, salt shaker, street art, streetcars, subway, TTC, uber5000, yellow birdies

A short walk between two subway stations….

below: Westbound subway enters Keele station.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

below: Stop!

below: Remembering 1995.

below: Sunny backyard spaces

below: More backyard spaces.

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

below: Waiting at Dundas West Station

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

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

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

below: Graffiti break dancer behind the Giraffe building

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

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

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

below: A miserable little impish guy with an oversized green tongue.

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

rainy day people

Posted: September 26, 2022 in locations, people
Tags: Dundas, families, hoodies, people, puddles, rain, rain coats, splashing, streetcars, TTC, umbrellas, walking, wet, Yonge Dundas Square, Yonge St.

Hanging out and Yonge and Dundas and trying to stay dry

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: 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?

growing pains

Posted: November 13, 2017 in transportation
Tags: cars, changes, downtown, illegal, King St., left turn, lights, people, pilot project, public transit, right turns, signals, streetcars, traffic, traffic flow, transit, TTC, vehicles

Is there anyone who doesn’t complain about driving in Toronto?
Does anyone have a solution that we can all agree on?
No.

Yesterday Toronto began an experiment on King Street. An experiment that CBC called a disaster on its first day. This morning I went to check it out for myself. It was mid-morning so there weren’t many cars. Also, weekday drivers and Sunday drivers downtown are different. On weekdays it’s the regulars who know the roads because they drive them all the time. Does that make a difference? – I’m not sure.

below: At most intersections between Bathurst and Jarvis, traffic is not allowed to proceed straight through – you must turn right. Streetcars and bicycles are the exceptions. The traffic signals now have advanced green arrows to allow cars to turn right before the pedestrians cross the road. Taxis are allowed to go through only between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. You’ll notice that the left hand land has been painted with yellow stripes, i.e. no cars here!

below: Two more changes have appeared. First, the streetcar stops have been moved to after the intersection instead of before. Second, small barricades block the right hand lane after the intersection. These two changes have the effect of blocking cars who try to sneak through on King Street. If there is a streetcar, you’re stuck behind it. I did see a car try to pass a streetcar (on the left) but it was unsuccessful.

Many cars were disobeying the new traffic signs, some out of confusion and some blatantly flaunting the rules. Cars would pull into the right turn lane but then go through the light anyhow.

below: I wasn’t the only ones watching the traffic. Global TV was at King and Jarvis while CTV were stationed at King and Church.

below: CBC interviews people at King & Yonge as a black GMC goes through the intersection.

below: The lighter traffic makes for easier illegal left turns!

below: Taking pictures of drivers doing illegal things was like shooting fish in a barrel. There were a couple of police cars around but so far there are few consequences to doing what you want. It’s early days yet, right? Apparently starting next week, the fine for illegally going straight through the intersection will be $100 and 2 demerit points.

I have one suggestion and that is to change the traffic lights so that the only green is a right turn arrow. The streetcars would have their own light – something like the ‘white line light’ that is used at King and Sumach as well as at Eglinton and Duplex. Having an ordinary green light is almost giving mixed signals to the drivers.

below: Hey! Mr. Bentley watch where you’re going!

Take care out there!

Honest Ed’s waves goodbye

Posted: December 15, 2016 in landmarks, locations
Tags: alley, bargains, Bathurst station, closing down sale, clothing, Ed Mirvish, empty, for sale, Honest Eds, items, lipstick, Matthew Monteith, mirrors, mural, payphone, reflections, signs, streetcars, subway, The Theatre, TTC, walls

Someone has redone the signs in Bathurst subway station….
now they look like they belong at Honest Eds store!

… and when I came up to street level I discovered that the station has been decorated with Honest Eds type ‘adverts’ complete with awful puns

…. including word play based on subway station names such as “Turnstiles, now museum, soon you won’t”. Groan. Smile.

below: The main entrance to the station now looks like an Honest Eds window.

below: They aren’t too easy to read in this picture, but the two signs on the left are, first, “Bacon & Eglinton $3.25” and second, “There aren’t any snakes on our tracks, St. Patrick banished them”. Were you expecting better? [laughing]

Nearby is the real Honest Ed’s store, a landmark for many years. Eighteen months ago, I posted some pictures of the store and at the end of that post I mentioned that the store was scheduled to close at the end of 2016. Well, the end of 2016 is drawing nigh and Honest Ed’s is slowly winding down. The decorating of Bathurst Station is part of the good-bye process.

At the moment, the interior of the store is a shadow of its former self. It is still in business but the goods are getting scarce. There are definitely still bargains to be had. I have a new hat that I bought there today, red polar fleece, that set me back 50 cents… plus tax.

below: Ed Mirvish and a crowd of shoppers back in the day.
The picture still hangs in one of the many corners of the store.

below: Photo taken from the walkway between the two buildings that make up Honest Ed’s store. Looking south.

below: From the same vantage point, but looking north. From here I spotted a new mural.

below: The mural is a large scale photo montage of people passing by the Bloor Street windows of Honest Ed’s. It catches the reflections of both the window contents and the life on the street. It is “The Theatre” and it is the creation of Matthew Monteith.

as I walk Toronto

Recently added

Previous posts

Categories

recent flickr photos

facebook

Instagram

Meta