22 Sept 2022

Here's the Ben Wicks

 Mural on the side of a building - wall is painted white with a black and white cartoon figure of Ben Wicks and the words "Here's the Ben Wicks"

Location: South wall of 426 Parliament Street
Date photo taken: 19 May 2022

Ben Wicks was many things - Toronto resident, writer, media personality - but he was best known for his cartoons. Starting with the Toronto Telegram in the 1960s, his work eventually appeared in newspapers across Canada and the United States. And eventually on the wall of a building in Cabbagetown. It turns out Ben Wicks was also a would-be restaurateur. His self-named restaurant The Ben Wicks opened at 424 Parliament Street in 1980 and remained open for over 30 years, although the majority of that time it was owned and operated by Robert McEnirney, Wicks having realized very quickly that his talents lay in other areas. The Ben Wicks, like Wicks himself, is now gone, but the mural remains and has been joined by a heritage plaque, tucked away on a nearby railing.

No comments:

Post a Comment