Posts Tagged ‘TMU’

True Love fades

Posted: January 3, 2025 in construction, locations, old buildings
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and other little observations along Dundas Street East – a street that has seen intensive redevelopment in the central core.  These changes are slowly moving east with the consequent mixing of old and new.

Once there were large red hearts on the sign, as well as on the building, but they have disappeared.

sign on True Love Cafe, a bright purple building

The True Love Cafe opened at the corner of Dundas East & Sherbourne back in 2004.  The outside was purple and apparently so was the inside.  Before that (since the 1950s), the space was George’s Spaghetti and Jazz Bar.

Once there were messages like, “I love you” on the walls as well as menu items written inside heart shapes, but these too are no more.

gate across entrance to true love cafe, red door, purple building, painted over window,

man on a bike cycles past true love cafe, a purple building with red awning over door

attached to side of purple building, empty frames that once held signs.

graffiti on a pole with two people with arms upraised, lone has written love, love, love, on it in black marker

below: South side of Dundas at Sherbourne.

church on southeast corner of dundas and Sherbourne, Lahore Hakka Chinese restaurant on the south west corner of same intersection

below: Also at Dundas and Sherbourne are the most famous telephone boxes in the city – or at least most photographed

exterior of front of hair salon with pictures of men and women with their hair cut

West of Sherbourne, some of the original large old brick houses still stand. Some converted to commercial uses long ago; some are still residences.

upper level of bay and gable house on Dundas East

front of old convenience store, bars over windows and gate across entrance, faded coca cola sign, green trim, magenta painted bricks,

jumble of items in a store window, metal bars over window, red coca cola boxes, potted plants, reflections of buildings across the street,

old brick houses on Dundas East

old yellow brick house behind a metal fence, green frontyard

part of lower floor of old brick building painted white

part of older white brick house, two storeys, each with one window, small part of house that juts out and is near back of yard

below: (Dundas and Pembroke) Another blue and white development notice – with another very tall condo.  Yet again, all these residences but only 6 car parking spots compared to parking for bikes; Doug Ford screams about closing bike lanes while the city actively discourages car parking.  Great for the developer as car parking costs more money to build than bike spaces.  The sign says 49 storeys, the latest Toronto paperwork on the site says 55 storeys).  The facades of the 4 heritage houses that the condo replaces will be saved.

blue and white city of toronto development notice sign on front yard of a house on dundas east

below: Nearby, another closed restaurant.

looking through window into empty and permanently closed restaurant. some reflections of buildings across the street in the window as well

below: North side of Dundas, just east of George Street.   It’s looked shabby for years but it’s still in one piece.  George’s Pizza, George’s BBQ, and  Piassa Injera and Takeout (Ethiopian).  The sign in the window of the pizza restaurant says “open” but the whole building is for sale.   No price given on the realtors’ website, but its 6000 SF with 3 retail units and 10 residential apartments.  It’s probably a candidate for demolition?

old brick houses on Dundas converted to businesses awhile back, George's Pizza, George's BBQ

below: Looking westward at Dundas and George

looking westward along dundas at george, new condos, one old second empire brick building on the southwest corner, now a King Place BBQ and curry restaurant

below:  King Place BBQ and Curry stands its ground

King Place BBQ and Curry restaurant, painted orange, in an old second empire brick building at Dundas and Dalhousie,

below: The Filmore Hotel still stands at George and Dundas East

filmore hotel at the corner of george and dundas east

dundas street looking east towards george street, old filmore hotel can just be seen behind newer condo development

below: Looking east along Dundas

dundas street east, looking eastward towards george street, new condos on both side of dundas, window reflections on the right hand side

below: Southeast corner of Dundas and Mutual

southeast corner of dundas and mutual

cyclists at the corner of dundas and mutual

below: Dundas and Mutual, northeast corner

two men talking, at the corner of Dundas and Mutual where old building is now behind scaffolding

upper storeys of older building, second empire style, mansour roof, brick, painted yellow, ground floor has addition for a store front, now cannabis store

below: Old City of Toronto Archives photo from 1978 showing the northeast corner of Dundas and Mutual back when the building was pale bluish grey and not yellow; it was home to Denys Barbecue and not a cannabis store.  The Warwick Hotel (built 1910) is long gone.

City Archives 1978 colour photo of northeast corner of Dundas and Mutual, Warwick Hotel,

below: Where the Warwick Hotel once stood is now part vacant lot and part parking lot. This concrete building (partially seen in the photo above too) was built for Sears Canada, completed in 1971.   It features cantilevered blocks to form an upside down ziggurat.   What is a ziggurat?  It is a building where each subsequent floor is smaller than the one below it with the result being a pyramidal shape.

wrought iron fence in front of a large parking lot which is front of a modernist concrete building in upside down triangle shape

below: Reflections at Dundas and Jarvis

reflections in a large window at dundas and jarvis, showing 222 Jarvis, inverted ziggurat building being renovated,

man walking along dundas at jarvis

below: Dundas and Dalhousie

looking east along dundas from dalhousie street, construction traffic cones, tall buildings,

tall condos, new development, downtown

side of an old red brick smaller building in front of a wall of new condo glass and steel with many reflections in the windows

machinery with giant drill, at a construction site

digger in vacant lot at dundas and mutual, old red brick structure with new condos in the background

old smaller red brick building on dundas, with brick taller building behind

below: Church and Dundas – closing in on Yonge Street and TMU

vacant lot at church and dundas, now a construction site

cyclist rides past construction site at Church and Dundas, looking east, with many new condos rising in the background, yellow construction machinery

new building clad with wood tones and dark blue, with orange bollards outside door

below: Birdo mural on Church Street.

birdo mural

below: A squirrel with a nut (or other edible) on the ramp to one of TMU’s buildings on Church Street.   He’s not waving goodbye, but perhaps he’s thinking “Gotta run!”

black squirrel on concrete ramp entrance to glass fronted building, a bright blue building beside it

As this has turned into the first post of January 2025…  Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous New Year with many walking and/or photographic opportunities!  Have a good one!

A Photographer at Work

Posted: December 2, 2024 in galleries
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Lee Miller: A Photographer at Work is the title of a recent exhibit at TMU’s Image Centre,

A brief synopsis of her long and storied life – Miller (1907-1977) started her career as a model in New York in the 1920s. She went to Paris in 1929 where she became a fashion photographer. She also tried her hand at conceptual photography in the 1930s when she was living in Egypt with her first husband.  During WW2 she was a war correspondent for Vogue magazine in Europe.

two people looking at black and white photos in an art gallery, an older man and a woman with long red hair

black and white photo in a gallery, of a woman in old fashioned bathing suite standing beside and posing with a large fake fish

below: Fashions for Factories with the subtitle: “Every picture tells a story of streamlined,  uncompromising chic for a vital job.”  One of the paragraphs is this: “A woman is apt to be much what she looks. Fix her up smartly and she’ll be smart at the job.  The factory people know this.”

page from Vogue magazine from the early 1940s, spread on fashion in the factories, and what women were wearing at work, hat like turban, short sleeved shirt

women looking at an exhibit in an art gallery

below: Three actresses and models in a photo taken in New York in 1933.  One woman is unidentified and the other two are Dorothy Hale  (1905-1938) and Kendall Lee Glaenzer (1903-1978)

Lee Miller photo of three women, two sitting on a couch and the other standing behind it. Book case behind couch

below: “What’s Yours?” a double page spread in Vogue magazine with coats on the left and dresses on the right. Country coats and town coats… day dresses and afternoon dresses from a time and place when those details might have been important.

double page spread in Vogue magazine showing three women in each of four photos with different kinds of coats

black and white photo from vogue magazine, young woman holding a tennis racquet. Part of a tennis net is on the wall behind her

below: From an article, Six for Dinner”.  The six refers to six long, simple yet stylish dresses for the well dressed woman of the time.

three back and white photos on a green gallery wall, by Lee Miller

below: Advertising ‘intimate apparel’ but staying modest and discrete (r very coy?)  The age of the girdle! (even though this model doesn’t really need one!) – so glad that that phase has passed (sigh of relief).

black and white lee miller photo for vogue magazine, showing corset, or under garments for women, bra and girdle, slip, hard to tell because details are hidden

old black and white photo by Lee Miller, of three women, fashion photography, 2 standing are wearing slacks, woman witting on ground is in a dress

below: From 1945, chronicling the liberation of Europe by the Allied troops.

two photos, on left is a cover of vogue magazine from 1945, a woman in a head scarf, with bright red lipstick, on right a large photo of a recently liberated part of Europe and an article describing the liberation

below: November 1944, Paris.  “Ah Madame! Merci!  The article is written in French and it is a thank you to all the women who played a role in winning the war.  Like her fashion work, her focus during the war years was also on women and how the war affected them and their place in the world.

two photos on a gallery wall, on left is woman on a motorbike by the eiffel tower in Paris and on the right are a group of black and white photos of women working, article is thanking women for their role in winning world war 2

Her documentation of WW2 and its aftermath was extensive.  She was one of the first photographers into Hitler’s residence (and there is a photo of her in his bathtub).  She also documented the liberation of many of the concentration camps.  After the war, she continued working for Vogue, taking pictures of models and celebrities.

two people looking at photos on the wall of an art gallery

Unfortunately, this exhibit ends today, 2nd December.

in transit

Posted: August 1, 2022 in old buildings, people, transportation
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Yesterday, Sunday of the long August weekend, I was sitting on a streetcar after walking around downtown.  I was in no rush; I was enjoying the scenery and the people watching.  The streetcar detoured off route so I didn’t end up where I expected to.  But no problem, I had my camera with me.

very front of a TTC bus at a bus stop with a streetcar turning in front of it, also reflections of turning streetcar. Some people standing on the sidewalk

These photos are glimpses of life in the city as seen through a streetcar window as it passes by.  Most of them were taken through glass…  and often the streetcar was moving…  so please don’t expect technically perfect shots!

hot summer day, people waiting for an arriving TTC streetcar on College Street, woman in a wide brim blue hat and flowery skirt, man in blue Hawaiian shirt with orange and yellow flowers

below: Northeast corner of Spadina and College streets.

northeast corner of Spadina and College streets, people crossing Spadina, low rise old brick building

below: “The Best in Town”for banana boats! cones!  sundaes! shakes!

an ice cream truck on College Street,

a person in orange t shirt and white shorts running to cross intersection of Bay and College

below: Dundas at Bay. Ryerson School of Management, Best Buy, and Canadian Tire.

intersection of Bay and Dundas, westbound traffic and bikes, some pedestrians ready to cross Bay as well.

below: Reflections on Dundas

reflections of a TTC streetcar in the window of a building on Dundas

below: Surfacing from Dundas subway station

people exiting Dundas subway station on the northwest corner of Dundas and Yonge, a couple trying to figure where they are

below: The newest mural near Dundas and Victoria.

large black and white mural on Dundas Street, white car parked in front of it. Mural features portraits of people

below: University buildings at Dundas and Church – and the rebranding of Ryerson as TMU (Toronto Metropolitan University).

corner of Dundas and Church streets, looking northwest, Ryerson University buildings, a man on a bike waiting for a green light

below: Ran out of gas, northeast corner of Dundas and Church

northeast corner of Dundas and College. Old gas station that has pumps and most of buildings removed, overhang structure still in place, taller buildings behind

below: Dundas and Mutual.  An old building put to a modern use.

corner of Dundas and Mutual, two men on bikes, older house on corner with yellowish brick and mansord roof, now a cannabis shop

below: The sign says it all. Every time I pass Filmores I am surprised to still see it standing. I thought that it was supposed to be torn down months (years?) ago.  I was also surprised to see Filmores on sites like Expedia, Hotel.com and Booking.com.  You can’t actually book one of their “straight forward rooms” on these sites, you have to call or email the hotel directly.  If you want to know more than that, you’ll have to do your own research!

front of Filmores Hotel on Dundas Ave., with sign over front entrance that says the rumours of our closing are greatly exaggerated

below: You might be able to stay at Filmores, but you can’t eat at The Love Cafe anymore.

old sign for the love cafe, bent and slightly broken above heart shaped sign, on exterior of the restaurant

below: Christmas wreaths on the doors of Dunhill Electric Co.

Dunhill electric, a very narrow storefront on Dundas

below: Dundas and Ontario Streets, Royal Oak Inn

Dundas and Ontario streets, Royal Oak Inn, Hydra Tattoo

below: Dundas and Parliament, north side

Dundas at Parliament

people sitting on a TTC bus

a young woman in black hajib and white bag walks past closed doors of a bus

Happy trails!