Water Guardians

 

Location: Front St. E., between Rolling Mills and Tannery Roads

Date photo taken: 1 June 2019

The West Don Lands community is a still developing neighbourhood at the eastern edge of the downtown core. Home to the Pan Am Games athletes in 2015, all aspects of this community were carefully planned to create a vibrant, livable neighbourhood. A gorgeous park anchors one end, transit options abound and sidewalks are wide enough to be called promenades. Waterfront Toronto, the body responsible for the redevelopment, even incorporated a Public Art Strategy into the early stages of the work. The result is a collection of pretty amazing new works and the seamless integration of an older piece. Water Guardians, created by Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins with James Khamsi is one of the new pieces. It sits adjacent to the splash pad and is, for the most part, endearing. I'll admit though that there have been times at night when its glowing eyes and lumbering attitude evoke a classic monster-movie vibe.

Blast From the Past - Croft Street Garage

 

Location: Croft Street

Date photo taken: 29 August 2013

This mural is one of many that adorn Croft Street, a laneway running between College and Harbord. Or rather, it did. It was painted over, or the garage door replaced, sometime between June 2016 and July 2018. While these eyes may no longer watch over the lane, there are still more than enough murals along this stretch to qualify it as one of the most Instagrammable spots in Toronto.

Connaught Gates

 

Location: Claxton Blvd at Bathurst

Date photo taken: 23 November 2019

These gates, which sit majestically at the entrance to Claxton Boulevard, have had their ups and downs. When first built in 1913, they were a promise of good things to come. Standing at the entrance to what would become Cedar Vale, an upscale community of expensive homes and large lots, they were intended as a lure for potential buyers. The first world war intervened however and that community never took shape. For years the gates stood in isolation, a developer's folly, but inevitably a community did grow behind the gates. With its modest homes and low rise apartments however it seemed out of step with its grand entrance. Eventually the gates fell into disrepair. Enter Terry McAulffe, a local resident and historian. In 1999 he started a campaign to have the gates restored to their former glory. Councillor Joe Mihevc convinced the City to restore the gates, and members of CLARA, the local Ratepayers' Association, took on the task of replacing the large lanterns which had disappeared long ago. A local firm, Lighting Nelson & Garrett, was commissioned to design and build the fixtures and on Victoria Day 2004, the lights were lit for the first time. To see design drawings and fabrication photos, as a well as an archival photo of the gates standing in isolation, check out the Connaught Gates page on CLARA's website.

Fire happens fast

Location: Sherbourne, between King and Adelaide

Date photo taken: 5 August 2020

I stopped and did a double take when I saw this ad. Not because I thought the building was on fire, but I wanted a closer look. This isn't a peel, running up the brick and onto the windows. There are no windows on this wall. The ad was created to match the wall colour and the size, placement and detail of the windows perfectly. Well done Publicis Media.