Find the Love

Location: The Danforth, east of Woodbine

Date photo taken: 3 November 2019

There's nothing like a shot of colour to brighten the grey days of a Toronto winter. You're welcome. Completed in November 2018, this wall is the work of Bareket Kezwer and is a collaboration between the not-for-profit East End Arts, the East End BIA and the City of Toronto.

Gingerbread House for Humanity

Location: Allen Lambert Galleria, Brookfield Place
Date photo taken: 3 December 2019

On December 7th, Habitat for Humanity will be hosting their annual Gingerbread Build. The tenants of Brookfield Place got in on the action a bit early, and have set the bar pretty high! This pretty pink house, casting a warm glow from within, especially caught my eye. Today was the last day for the display in the Allen Lambert Galleria, but winners will be announced on the 5th.

Families wishing to build their own house can pick up a kit containing a pre-assembled gingerbread house form, plus everything needed for decorating, all for $50. Proceeds go toward supporting Habitat for Humanity's programs.

The Nesting Project

Location: Rosemount Avenue

Date photo taken: 23 November 2019

Missing a few of its original amenities, such as the heated bird bath, this colourful and high tech birdhouse still has loads of curb appeal. Created by local sculptor Alexander Moyle, and funded by the left-over proceeds from a door-to-door fundraising campaign to improve lighting along nearby St. Clair, this art project is a story of local passion and perseverance. I love that a viewing window was included. It's a periscope, providing a view into the main nesting area. To keep things equal, a smaller periscope extends from the side of the house, providing nesting birds with a view down. 

Are there letters in that mailbox?

Location: Yonge Street, north of King

Date photo taken: 2 November 2019

Yes, that's Leonard Cohen on that mailbox. Over two years in the making, this past September Canada Post released 3 commemorative stamps to coincide with what would have been Leonard Cohen's 85th birthday. Since then, mailboxes and mail trucks have hit the streets wrapped in his likeness. For fans and philatelists, several products are available, from standard 9 pack stamp booklets to more collectible 6 and 12 stamp panes and a set of 4 first day covers. 

Bell Box - Michael Cavanaugh

Location: Isabella Street, east of Yonge
Date photo taken: 27 December 2018
Image #11 in the Bellbox Series

This fresco, seemingly damaged by the ravages of time, was painted as part of the 2016 Bell Box Murals Project. The artist, Michael Cavanaugh, started the program back in 2009 and in 2018 was recognized with an Urban Hero award for his contribution to the city. While similar in concept to the Outside the Box program initiated in 2013 and run by StreetARToronto, this program remains an independent art project, carried out in partnership with Bell Canada.

Queen's Own Rifles Memorial

Location: In front of St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor, east of Church

Date photo taken: 6 January 2019

This Cross of Sacrifice is dedicated to the honoured dead of the Queen's Own Rifles. It is made of granite and sits atop an octagonal base on which are inscribed the various battles in which the regiment has taken part. While the initial plan was to erect this monument in Queen's Park, the decision was ultimately made to place it in the church yard of St. Paul's Anglican, which is the Rifles' regimental church. Inside the church can be found another memorial to the regiment. A glass-topped bronze casket contains a Book of Remembrance, which includes the names of all Queen's Own Riflemen who have died while on active service. Entries stretch from the Fenian Raid in 1866 to the Korean War in 1955.

Spiders

Location: Niagara - King West neighbourhood

Date photo taken: 26 October 2017

Spiders are big for me this Hallowe'en.  Not sure why. So here's a pic from a few years ago. I want to know where that giant spider lives the rest of the year.

If you want a good Hallowe'en read, I can recommend Web by John Wyndham. While not his best work, it's creepy and it sticks with you. 

Display of early ceramics

Location: 351 King St. E.

Date photo taken: 13 February 2019

This collection of early ceramics represents some of the finds uncovered during the extensive archaeological excavations carried out a few blocks away, in the lot at the corner of Front and Jarvis. Four other recessed display cases feature other finds, such as coloured bottles and an early light bulb. Easy to overlook, the displays can be found in the pedestrian pass-through on the ground floor of the Globe and Mail Centre on King, just west of Berkeley. Reassuring signage near the door proclaims "Open to the Public - Archaeological Display in lobby." 

Tiger at the Vet

Location: south wall of 170 Main Street, at Gerrard

Date photo taken: 20 February 2016

In October 2012 a new mural appeared at Gerrard and Main. It featured figures engaged in martial arts, which was fitting given that the building was the home of DeSantos Martial Arts, owned and operated by Veronica DeSantos, taekwondo and karate master and a member of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame. When the gym moved up the street, the mural stayed. Some adjustments have been made to the doors however. The original mural elements have been painted over and each door now sports a fierce creature - a tiger in this case - along with a yin and yang symbol comprised of a dog and cat, the logo for the building's new tenant, Main Street Veterinary Clinic.

Sumach Silhouette

Location: Sumach Street, north of Eastern

Date photo taken: 23 July 2016

Running up the curve of Sumach from Eastern Avenue is a long fence-like sculpture filled with images of Toronto, past and present. Starting with forests and indigenous structures near Eastern, as you move north you begin to encounter settler ships, log houses, carriages and eventually the buildings that would come to define the city. While some call it the Sumach Silhouette, the official name is Site Specific. It was commissioned by Waterfront Toronto and created by sculptors Scott Eunson and Marianne Lovink. It consists of complimentary panels of corten and stainless steel, with lighting between the two, making this piece even more dramatic after dark.

Adelaide Court House

Location: Basement of Terroni, 57 Adelaide St. E.

Date photo taken: 31 July 2019

The building that currently houses Terroni on Adelaide once served up something very different than pizza. The three-storey structure, fronted by four commanding pillars, was built in 1852-3 to serve as the County of York's third courthouse, and it is one of the few pre-Confederation buildings still to be found in the city. The basement still boasts the cells that once held prisoners awaiting their time in court, although today they house washrooms and wine cellars. How many people who eat in the lovely back garden know that Toronto's last public hanging occurred in that very courtyard? The building also has ties to Canadian culture, having served as an early home of The Arts & Letters Club of  Toronto during a key ten year period, which saw, among other things, the formation of the Group of Seven.

Inside Out Project

Location: East wall of the school near Broadview and Dundas

Date photo taken: 14 August 2019

Running down the entire eastern wall of this school on Dundas Street East is a double row of large black and white photographs. The portraits were facilitated by the Inside Out Project, a global program designed to engage people with art and their communities. 

High Strung

Location: King Street just west of Jarvis
Date photo taken: 13 August 2019

This fun and colourful new seating area on King Street is one of several new “parklets” that have popped up this summer along the King Street Transit Priority Corridor, which is the stretch of King between Bathurst and Jarvis. The parklets are installed in former parking spaces along the route, providing a place to sit and relax, and some are even programmed with activities and art. Chosen through a design competition held by the City, High Strung was designed and built by the landscape architecture team at Brook McIlroy.

P.S. The King Street pilot project is a pilot no longer. On April 16, 2019, City Council voted to make the changes permanent.

Black Creek Pioneer Village

Location: Black Creek Pioneer Village, near Steeles and Jane

Date photo taken: 22 September 2018

School may be out for summer but there's still lots to see and do at Black Creek Pioneer Village. This site, run by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, is a careful recreation of an Ontario town from the 1860s complete with all the buildings you'd expect, costumed interpreters and heritage breed animals. If that's not enough to tempt you, how about a haunted walk? Or some axe throwing? Or maybe some goat yoga with the cutest kids around? These are some of the special programming available through their Nightlife program.

If you just can't make it out to the Village but want to travel in back in time, all of the buildings and animals are profiled on the Black Creek website. 

Weston Mural

Location: Weston Road, just south of Lawrence

Date photo taken: 26 May 2019

This is one small section of a mural that extends almost 80 metres along the south side of the parking lot at the Weston GO and Union Pearson Express station. It was commissioned by the City’s StreetArt Program and the artists were chosen through a public art competition. While the mural doesn't exclusively focus on the history of Weston, this section features two items synonymous with Weston's manufacturing past. The Kodak factory purchased 25 acres of land at Eglinton Ave. W. and Weston Road in 1913 and proceeded to build seven buildings for its growing operations. This area would remain the home of Kodak's Canadian headquarters until 2005. The significance of the penny farthing is a bit more of a stretch. For over 65 years Weston was the home of the Canada Cycle & Motor Company, better known as CCM. While they did initially specialize in bicycles it is highly unlikely they ever produced penny farthings.

736 Dundas St. E.

Location: Dundas Street east of River

Date photo taken: 29 April 2015

While this building may currently be called the Tannery Lofts, the building itself never housed a tannery. The name was inspired by an earlier business located slightly to the east. A one storey tannery building was built by H.B. Johnston in 1910, when this block of land still had a River Street address. In 1913, a new factory was built for the Adam Beck Cigar Box Manufacturing Company. Located on the new extension to Wilton Avenue, which would later become Dundas, it is this building that is now the Tannery Lofts. Originally 3 storeys tall, the building was designed by famed Canadian architect John M. Lyle, better known for designing banking halls, Union Station and the Royal Alex Theatre. In 1931, the property was acquired by G.H. Wood & Co., makers of paper cups and assorted sanitary products.  It would undergo conversion to lofts in 2007, at which time two additional floors were added.

Fun fact: Adam Beck of the cigar factory is the same Sir Adam Beck who founded the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario and whose statue can be found on University Avenue.

Toronto Hydro Timeline

Location: Wood Street and Reverend Porter Lane

Date photo taken: 15 September 2015

At first glance, this fence around the back lot of the Toronto Hydro building near Carlton and Yonge just seems to have a bit more visual appeal than your standard security fence. Look a little closer however and you'll notice dates andphotographs incorporated into the design. If you start at the eastern edge of the fence on Wood Street and walk back toward Yonge, you'll find a timeline of events related to the history of Toronto Hydro. In this panel, you discover that in 1934 cable chamber covers began to appear along city sidewalks as electrical equipment moved underground.

If you want to learn more about power and the city without visiting the fence, check out Toronto Hydro's history page.

Great White Shark

Location: north side of Hooters, NW corner of John and Adelaide

Date photo taken: 20 June 2019

This is a small section of a mural that covers the north wall of 280 Adelaide St. W. The entire piece is dedicated to sharks. This is my favourite bit, in part because of the lovely light effects on the great white, but also because of the hook. I really appreciate it when artists take structural elements that are in the way and find ways to creatively incorporate them. In this case, the tangle of wire becomes fishing line. 

This mural was a project by Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans, which is a public art program by the PangeaSeed Foundation.

Ontario shield

Location: Palmerston Avenue
Date photo taken: 11 May 2019

Walk the residential streets of Toronto and you'll see the whole gamut of yard treatments from manicured lawns to wild looking gardens to parking pads. I prefer yards that show a bit of character so I think this one is pretty nifty. In case you're wondering, it's the shield of arms for Ontario. The top portion is the St. George's cross, which is the flag of England, and represents the province's early ties with that country. The three maple leaves on the lower portion represent Canada as a whole, depicted in Ontario's official colours of green and yellow. If you were to add a moose to the right, a deer to the left and a polar bear above, you'd have the province's coat of arms.

Fun facts: Ontario's floral emblem is the trillium, the official tree is the eastern white pine, the official bird is the common loon and the official mineral (yes, there is one!) is the amethyst.

Businessman Walking

Location: Commerce Court South, Wellington, between Yonge and Bay
Date photo taken: 5 April 2018

This striding fellow is one of several bronze businessmen scattered around the city, mostly in the downtown core. Each one sports an overcoat, hat and briefcase and all are of the same portly dimensions. Captured in mid-stride, in thought or acknowledging a fellow, their placement and selective variety creates the sense, at least for me, that you are encountering not different figures, but rather the same one, just going about his business. They are the work of Canadian sculptor William McElcheran.

To find this guy, enter Commerce Court from the Wellington Street side, near the coil-mounted Jump sign, and go up to the upper level. As a bonus, it's sitting next to a scale model of Commerce Court.

Tahlequah

Location: Laneway south of D'Arcy, east of Beverley
Date photo taken: 4 September 2018

This mural, the second to be featured from Womxn Paint's 2018 laneway event, is by sisters Chief Lady Bird and Aura. It is a tribute to Tahlequah, an orca mother living off the Pacific coast of Canada, who mourned her dead calf by carrying it with her for 17 days.

The next #womxnpaintto mural jam is happening soon, this time in North Etobicoke. Watch for artists at work on Finch between Kipling and Islington on the weekend of July 12-14.

Tetris

Location: Yonge Street
Date photo taken: 23 February 2017

A not great picture of a simple but oh so awesome window treatment on Yonge Street, posted to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the release of Tetris. Crazy! Yes, it was originally released in June 1984. This window belongs to the Riddle Room, a game cafe which also offers 4 different escape room experiences.

What's this?

Location: Distillery District
Date photo taken: 7 June 2019

Three huge, glowing white forms, humanoid but alien, have landed in the Distillery District. We are all encouraged to interact with them. One is even called Poke, but only gently please. These figures are part of a larger art project known as Fantastic Planet, the creation of Amanda Parer and Parer Studios, the ones responsible for the huge bunnies that intruded upon Brookfield Place back in 2016. The inspiration for the project was the stop motion film of the same name from 1973. Toronto isn't the only city these figures will be visiting. Over the summer they will also make appearances in Bilbao, Central Queensland and L.A. They'll be hanging out in the Distillery until July 31.

Ka'Wine & Dine

Location: Queen Street East

Date photo taken: 2 June 2019

Last week, Toronto made history. The first NBA finals game ever played outside the United States was won right here. It might have taken 24 years, but the Toronto Raptors are in the finals. A huge factor in this impressive achievement is Kawhi Leonard, who the Raptors acquired last summer. The problem is, he's a free agent after this season and most reports indicate he wants to return home to California. Sports fans in the city want him to stay here. Ka'wine & Dine is one of the creative ways businesses across the city are showing their love. By placing one of these decals in their window, they are promising to provide free meals to Kawhi for life if he stays here next year. Other businesses have taken the campaign and added their own twist (the one by the Adult Safe Hockey League is one of my favourites). If you're not a business, you can still show your love by making a donation to a charity supported by the "Give back for Kawhi" campaign.

Metal Viking

Location: Dundas St. W. at Brookside Avenue

Date photo taken: 26 May 2019

Ever wanted to take a selfie with a Viking? The opportunity is yours in the parking lot of Dynamic Iron Limited, makers of custom wrought-iron work since 1970. While their website features lots of railings, window grills and furniture, it also includes a sculpture category with a few more whimsical designs. A project not (yet) featured on the website is the unique historical plaque erected in 2014 by the Junction's BIA. It highlights in part the the area's rich rail heritage and the base is fashioned from two train wheels donated by Metrolinx. John Mrsic, who runs the family-owned Dynamic Iron, welded them together. 

Happy Garbage Bin

Location: St. Lawrence neighbourhood

Date photo taken: 20 September 2018

I love subtle upgrades like this one. Unobtrusive and fun. 

Bracondale Hill

Location: Hillcrest Drive and Bracondale Hill Road

Date photo taken: 8 October 2015

Bracondale Hill is a residential neighbourhood located north of Davenport, between Bathurst and Oakwood. It takes its name from the stately home built by Robert John Turner about 1847, located at Davenport and Christie. When Turner's son inherited the estate, he helped establish Bracondale Village, selling hundreds of building lots around the home and building the village's first post office. In 1909 Bracondale was annexed by the City of Toronto. The date on the sign refers to the subsequent development of another subdivision by the Turner heirs on lands to the north and west of their family home. The character of the neighbourhood was set by the inclusion of a minimum construction cost per house. This varied between $4,000 and $7,500 depending on the location, quite significant sums for the period. The house that started it all was expropriated by the City in 1930 and demolished in 1937 to make way for Hillcrest Park.

Binoculars

Location: Teesdale Place near Pharmacy Avenue

Date photo taken: 27 February 2017

This mosaic is part of a larger community art project coordinated by Arts for Children and Youth in 2010 which enlivened the underground parking entrance and the walls of the basketball court adjacent to the Teesdale Community Centre in Scarborough. Local youths were hired to be arts leaders as the community helped with the construction of the mosaics. In addition to large projects like this one the group also holds community art days where they encourage passers-by to join them in the creation of small scale artworks. In this case participants were invited to create a small face on a peace of clay. Those small faces were later incorporated into the community murals.

255 McCaul

Location: 255 McCaul Street

Date photo taken: 4 September 2018

255 McCaul is large building built by the Toronto Board of Education in 1931 to act as its supply warehouse. It was designed by C.E. Cyril Dyson, the Board’s Chief Architect and the man responsible for such iconic Toronto schools as Jarvis Collegiate and Northern Secondary. The building still serves education, acting now as the Exam Centre for the University of Toronto’s St. George Campus. Completely retrofitted in 2008, the building was the university’s first LEED Gold building. It uses roughly 60 percent less water and 30 per cent less electricity than a typical building, despite its age. It accomplishes this in part through two large cisterns in the basement which collect water for flushing toilets and a large solar array on the roof. The building’s green attitude is brought to life by the living wall in the lobby.

Queen's Own Rifles at St. Paul's

Location: In front of St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor, east of Church

Date photo taken: 6 January 2019

St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor is the regimental church of the Queen's Own Rifles, Canada's oldest continuously serving infantry regiment. It explains why the fence surrounding the church yard bears their cap badge. It might also explain why Cody Hall, built on the property in the 1920s, included a rifle range in the basement along with the gym and bowling alley.

Formed in 1860, the Queen's Own Rifles have taken part in every Canadian military campaign. The two on their badge is a nod to the original designation of the regiment - the 2nd Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada - and their motto, In pace paratus means "Prepared in Peace". 

According to a nearby plaque, the fence was erected by the Queen's Own Rifles and the wife of Colonel Charles Osborne Dalton, DSO, KStJ, ED, as a memorial to those who served the regiment from the parish of St. Paul. It was dedicated April 26, 1989.

When I Was a Stranger

Location: in front of St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor, east of Church

Date photo taken: 6 January

This hooded figure, presented life-sized and sitting outside St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor Street, is one of Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz' representations of Jesus. His first and arguably most famous depicted Jesus similarly cloaked, hooded and barefoot, sleeping on a bench. He explained his inspiration to the CBC: "If you look at the history of Christian artwork, most of the representations of Jesus have him embodied as physical perfection... So this is a breakaway from that. I started thinking, how would Jesus want to be portrayed? Would he want to be made out of marble, perfect and wavy, with beautiful gowns? And if you read the Gospels, I don't think that would really interest him. I think he would want to be represented like the least of his brothers.

This installation includes a ring of bronze stools surrounding the figure which welcome passers-by to sit awhile. St. Paul's encourages those who do to take a picture and post it using the hashtag #SittingWithJesus.

Bike Lockers

Location: Lower Jarvis

Date photo taken: 30 January 2017

Ever wondered what the deal is with these big boxes? Manufactured by CycleSafe, they're part of the City's cycling infrastructure and they provide protection against "theft, vandalism and inclement weather", all for $10 per month. Each box holds one standard bike plus gear such as panniers, locks, helmets, etc. and each one is assigned to a single user, who receives a key for their personal use. To find out locker locations and all the details about renting one, check out the City's cycling website.

Pigro

Location: Sculpture Garden, King & Church

Date photo taken: 29 October 2018

The current installation in the Sculpture Garden is an airy creation of sculpted metal and colourful lights, drawing inspiration from both wrought iron street fixtures like fences and lamp posts, and the colourful lights strung for festivals. According to the artist statement, it is a "playful reclining figure... [which] acknowledges the park as a place for rest and relaxation." I love that it brings a bit of light and colour to the darkness of winter in Toronto. It is by Toronto-based artist Tony Romano. 

Waterfall

Location: Inside atrium of Scotia Plaza, 40 King St. W.
Date photo taken: 19 March 2019

The next time you're passing near King and Bay, pop into Scotia Plaza, the unmistakable red granite building near the north east corner. The south wall of the atrium features a soaring 15-storey artwork made up of 69 individual oil on canvas panels. Together they depict a waterfall, specifically the falls in Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park, Alberta. It's by Canadian artist Derek Besant and it was specially commissioned for the space by Scotiabank for the opening of the Plaza in 1989. What's particularly cool about this piece is that it is to scale, being a faithful representation of the size and look of the falls at the time Besant created the work.

If you want to see more by Besant, he currently has a text and photography project on display in 54 sites throughout the TTC as part of Myseum Intersections, which is on until March 31.

After Work is Guinness Time

Location: Leader Lane, between Wellington and King

Date photo taken: 28 February 2019

Located on quiet, narrow Leader Lane, this massive Guinness ad can catch you by surprise. Stumbling across it almost feels like finding an Easter egg. If you love it enough to want to carry it around with you, I noticed that someone is selling tote bags and other items featuring a snap of the wall.

Beach (2793 km)

Location: Toronto Scupture Garden, King & Church

Date photo taken: 4 March 2019

Earlier this week I was walking and scolding myself for not dressing warmly enough when I encountered this message. It stopped me in my tracks. It was created, as far as I could tell, out of simply ice and snow. If it had contained a QR code for a travel agency, I'd probably be on a plane right now. I wonder which beach I'd end up on? 

Traffic Signal Box - Succulent

Location: corner of Jarvis and Carlton
Date photo taken: 5 January 2019
Image #12 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

With spring flowers and outdoor greenery still several weeks away, here's a lovely succulent courtesy of self described art person and plant enthusiast Angelica Fernandes. If this box leaves you wanting more just pop across the street and check out the Arid House in Allan Gardens, home to a large display of unusual cacti and succulents.

Hatch

Location: Winchester Public School, Ontario Street

Date photo taken: 6 January 2019

This mother bird and chicks are part of a larger mosaic called Hatch, located on the west side of Winchester Public School. Designed by Anna Camilleri, it was created with the help of over 400 students and staff at the school and is one of five public art projects in the neighbourhood overseen by Red Dress Productions. If robins are a sure sign of warmer weather to come, I present these ones as a reminder that winter won't last forever. 

3 Mutual Street

Location: Mutual Street, just north of Queen

Date photo taken: 17 March 2013

This handsome building sits on the lower portion of Mutual Street in an area currently undergoing intense redevelopment. In 1973 it was added to the city's heritage register but, unlike the row houses just to the north, it has never been designated. An application has been submitted for a 35 storey condo development on this corner, but initial plans call for the partial retention of this building as well as some of the buildings around the corner on Queen. It will be interesting to see how the project develops.

Desert Blooms

Location: East-west platform at Yonge and Bloor

Date photo taken: 28 January 2019

Desert blooms have come to Toronto just in time for our deep freeze. Scottsdale, Arizona, which is home to a very robust arts and culture scene, has taken over the Yonge and Bloor subway station with their colourful flower murals. The flowers, which invite Torontonians to "come see what blooms in the desert" are the work of Phoenix-based artist Lauren Lee. Ms. Lee's original canvases were digitally enlarged and printed on vinyl before being shipped to two of North America’s busiest transportation hubs, Penn Station and Plaza in New York City and Yonge and Bloor station in Toronto. Watch the art take shape and hear Ms. Lee talk about the project on absolutelyscottsdale.com's website.

Toronto Light Fest - 2019

Location: Distillery District

Date photo taken: 21 January 2019

If you check out the website for the Toronto Light Fest, you'll discover that, in their opinion, winter sucks. They aspire to "create a positive, magical urban world that people of all ages and backgrounds will enjoy and look forward to." I certainly do. While I don't think winter sucks, there is no denying it's dark a lot of the time. I love patio lights and holiday lights and now for the next fews months I can enjoy the lights in the Distillery. I took this picture on a Monday night, when the temperature was -13C and felt much colder, but it meant that I got to stand in this structure - I dub it the aurora igloo even though its actual name is Enunciation - all alone, for as long as I wanted. It was cold, sure, but it was also very calming. 

The Hand

Location: southeast corner of King and University

Date photo taken: 17 December 2017

This monumental hand is the work of Romanian-born artist Sorel Etrog. After living and studying art in both Israel and New York, Etrog came to Canada in 1963 and made Toronto his home. Created in 1972, this is one of over a dozen of his works on display in public spaces around the city. The closest can be found right across the street, on the northeast corner of King and University. For many, his most coveted work was the statue best known as the Genie which was awarded each year by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television until it was replaced by the Canadian Screen Awards, and a new statue, in 2013.

Snapshot - Queen Street, west of Yonge

Location: Queen Street, looking west from Yonge
Date photo taken: 21 December 2018

This short stretch of Queen Street West is seeing its fair share of changes lately. In addition to the dramatic new skybridge which opened in 2017 replacing the original one installed back in 1979, this image includes glimpses of two very different renovation projects. In the centre background is the 33-storey building formerly known as the Simpson Tower. Designed by John B. Parkin, a firm often referred to as legendary for its modernist designs, it was completed in 1969. The update has removed the original bronze-tinted glazing and thick concrete bands that ringed the building, updating the look along with the energy efficiency of the building and removing a distinctive piece of history from the city's skyline. 

In the right foreground of the picture is the construction scaffolding surrounding 2 Queen Street West, which is a very different renovation story. This building, which has been covered whole or in part by cladding since the 1960s is now being restored back to its 1885 glory. For more detail and some great pictures, check out this article.

Hey Kids, You Rock!

Location: Alexandra Park
Date photo taken: 2 April 2013

This colourful mural with a positive message appears on the building housing the washrooms in Alexandra Park, near Dundas and Bathurst.