Location: Front and Jarvis Streets
Date photo taken: 4 September 2018
At the north east corner of Front of Jarvis sits this unusual installation. Part bench, part historical curiosity, it includes two round medallions each featuring a sailing vessel with ties to the Great Lakes. This side features the HMS St. Lawrence. One of the largest and most heavily armed warships built in Canada during the War of 1812, it changed the balance of power on the Great Lakes during that conflict. The reverse side features the Griffin (more often referred to as the Griffon), a 17th century ship of exploration that disappeared on the Great Lakes shortly after being launched from Niagara, never to be found.
These medallions were designed by Canadian sculptor Emanuel Hahn for installation in the Memorial Arch at Niagara Falls. When that structure was demolished in 1967, they were retained and eventually installed here. The placement was likely a nod to the historic proximity of the waterfront before landfill occurred, but today, without specific signage, that connection is lost. Encroached upon as it by the expanded patio of a nearby restaurant, and with other installations more effectively calling to mind the old waterline, I feel that the placement of these medallions deserves to be revisited. With new waterfront communities currently being planned and developed in Toronto, surely these pieces can find a better home.
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