Vino

 

Location: 531 Queen Street East

Date photo taken: 25 February 2024

This mural is located down a driveway on the east side of Fusilli Restaurant on Queen Street. It was commissioned by the owner in 2021. The NOT ART tag, and the distinctive style, call it out as the work of Toronto artist Mahyar Amiri. 

TinEye

 

Location: 233 Queen St. W., just west of Sherbourne
Date photo taken: 8 April 2021

I love this mural. It's colourful and fun and it makes me smile. It's also a corporate logo. TinEye, the company that occupies this building, is an image search and recognition company. Their robotic mascot was added to the front of the building last fall. If you're interested in design, or just want to know more about this friendly looking fellow, the TinEye blog has an article on what went into creating the logo.

Delivery with heart

Location: Distillery District

Date photo taken: 25 January 2021

Meet Geoffrey, your adorable zero emission local delivery robot. I've seen these cute little boxes roaming the sidewalks of the Distillery District, Corktown and the Canary District. With the help of real-life but remote pilots, who also handle communications, these mobile lock boxes currently pick up orders at twelve partner restaurants. Delivery fees currently range from $2.99 to $5.99.

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.

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." 

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.

Frederick and Duke

Location: Corner of Frederick and Adelaide

Date photo taken: 7 February 2018

Image 8 in the Remnants Series

This stone marker on the corner of George Brown's St. James Campus building is not a reference to Shakespeare but rather a reminder that Toronto is a city in constant flux. Back when this building was built in 1872 by Christie Brown & Co., maker of good cookies, the streets which ran east to west between King and Queen looked different than they do today. They were more disjointed and in some stretches they were called by different names. As seen on this 1884 fire insurance map, the street which ran between Jarvis and Parliament, north of King, which is today part of Adelaide, was at that time Duke Street. North of it was not Richmond, but Duchess. Hence, this now curious street marker.

Snapshot - Richmond St. West of Sherbourne

Location: north side of Richmond St., west of Sherbourne

Date photo taken: 29 April 2015

Image 3 in the Snapshot Series

I love this strip of Richmond with its row of red brick warehouses. The neighbourhood around it is undergoing major change, but somehow this small stretch has managed to survive.

Patrician Grill

Location: 219 King St. E. near Sherbourne

Date photo taken: 16 September 2013

The Patrician Grill is exactly what you'd expect, based on the sign. It's a diner serving up comfort food standards like burgers and meatloaf and it's been doing it since the 1950s. Family owned and operated, first by husband and wife team Louie and Helen Papas, and now by the next generation, it remains true to its roots. Stubbornly so. As one story goes, when a note was slipped under the door criticizing them for not having fruit on the menu, the specials board soon read "Fruit-free since 1967". Reviewers on sites from Google to Trip Advisor agree though that good food is exactly what you'll find inside. 

Christie, Brown & Co. Stables

Location: Berkeley Street, north of Adelaide
Date photo taken: 7 May 2015

This nicely proportioned building on Berkeley Street was originally a stable built for Christie, Brown & Co. The company was founded in 1868 in Toronto by Mr. Christie (yes, the one who makes good cookies) and Alexander Brown. In 1872 they built a factory on Adelaide and expanded it four times over subsequent years. To help support the business, this stable building was built in 1906. The architects were Sproatt & Rolph who also designed such landmarks as Hart House and Upper Canada College and collaborated on others including the Royal York Hotel and Eaton's College Park,

A recent City of Toronto document describes the building as "a well-crafted example of a stable with Beaux Arts Stylistic elements". The document is a staff report recommending that the building be included on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties, a recommendation that city council approved. This listing will help ensure that the structure will be preserved during any redevelopment of the site. Currently this site, along with adjoining properties on Parliament Street, are the proposed home of a new condo development, East United Condos.

For a detailed description of the building (including blueprints) and its significance, see the report prepared by Heritage Preservation Services.