Masc - Confederation Life Building

 

Location: 20 Richmond Street East

Date photo taken: 4 April 2013

Image 5 in the Mascs of Toronto Series

The Confederation Life building at 20 Richmond Street East is one of those buildings that's just covered in interesting carved bits. Among the decorative foliage you'll find dragons and gargoyles and this fellow. I think it's the architectural equivalent of an Easter egg and while I haven't yet found proof, I believe that it's a portrait of Confederation Life founder John Kay Macdonald.

Female Masc – St. James Cathedral

Location: St. James Cathedral, Church and King
Date photo taken: 20 April 2013
Image 4 in the Mascs of Toronto Series

In a previous post, a crowned man's head was featured from the Cathedral Church of St. James. While the majority of figures on the building are male, there are some women represented. As with the men, they appear to represent different stages of life and ranks in society.

Masc – St. James Cathedral

Location: West side, near King Street
Date photo taken: 20 April 2013
Image 3 in the Mascs of Toronto Series

This is one of well over a dozen heads which grace the stately Cathedral Church of St. James at the corner of Church and King Streets. There are no known notes or references to these many faces in the church's archive so it is assumed that rather than representing specific people, they were instead generic ornaments thought to be appropriate to the building style and scope. When looked at together, one might suppose that they are meant to represent men and women from a range of positions in society and at the various stages of life.

Masc - Old City Hall

 

Location: On a corbel on the east side of Old City Hall
Date photo taken: 4 April 2013
Image 2 in the Mascs of Toronto Series

Old City Hall was designed by E.J. Lennox and completed in 1899. It is an example of the Romanesque Revival style of architecture. You don’t have to look very hard to find interesting faces on this building – they are everywhere!
 

Masc – 287 Jarvis

Location: Decorative stonework, 287 Jarvis Street
Date photo taken: 25 October 2012
Image 1 in the Mascs of Toronto Series

Toronto is full of faces, staring stonily out from buildings across the city. When presented alone these faces are referred to as mascarons. In the Mascs series, this blog will widen the definition to include any interesting faces, whether they be prominently presented or hidden among other decorative details.

This face is from the front of 287 Jarvis Street, a heritage property built in 1890 by architects Knox and Elliot. It currently operates as a rooming house run by Homes First Society.