The Great Beaver Quest

 

Location: outside Fire Station 33, Front and Princess

Date photo taken: 21 May 2026

Are you ready for it? The beavers have their balls, and are in position. Let the Great Beaver Quest begin! In honour of FIFA World Cup coming to Toronto, Old Town Toronto and STEPs Public Art have placed 51 specially painted beavers around the neighbourhood, one for each country competing plus a few extras, and are challenging locals and visitors alike to find them. The more you find, the more you can win. Download the free Scavify app and join the quest to take part, or just enjoy the thrill of finding them as you explore the streets and visit the businesses of Old Town. 

This beaver represents New Zealand and was painted by Elizabeth Wise. 

St. James Park lighting

Location: Jarvis and Adelaide
Date photo taken: 13 February 2025

In 2018 the City completed phase one of a revitalization of the heavily used St. James Park on the edge of Old Town. As part of the improvements, this cluster of lighted poles was installed at the north east corner of the park. Designed by PMA Landscape Architects and billed as a "heritage interpretation lighting feature", the reference is subtle. The massing of the poles and their varied heights creates a form that mirrors the silhouette of the cathedral that sits on the south west corner of the park. 

Tiny Tiny Homes

 

Location: St. James Park, Church and Adelaide

Date photo taken: 13 February 2025

The shoveled pathways and wooden stoops lend a real neighbourhood feel to this small gathering of huts located on the western edge of St. James Park in the heart of downtown Toronto. The huts are actually portable emergency shelters created by Tiny Tiny Homes to provide a safer alternative to tent living for those experiencing homelessness. The gathering of neat little homes isn't without controversy however as the shelters were placed without City approval and there is a push to have them removed. It seems they'll stay in place for at least a while longer however as Mayor Olivia Chow has intervened, hoping to find a resolution that benefits everyone. 

Limelight Hydrangeas

Location: Berkeley Street 

Date photo taken: 18 September 2024

Walking up Berkely Street, there's a garden bed planted with small shrubs that have for some time been simply overflowing with the most magnificent flowers. Thanks to the signage so thoughtfully included by whoever planted these, I know that they are Limelight Hydrangeas and that I should be able to appreciate the blooms for a few more weeks yet. While there are great apps to help the curious identify plants, I love that in this case, I didn't have to pull out my phone to know what I was looking at, especially considering that this bed isn't part of a city park or associated with a garden centre.

The St. Lawrence and the Griffon

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. 

Metropolitan Apartments

 

Location: 89 Queen Street East, just east of Church

Date photo taken: 14 July 2021

The Metropolitan Apartments, located on Queen Street where it meets Dalhousie running north, opened around 1910. Built with 15 apartments, it replaced several earlier wooden structures that housed businesses including two barbers, a shoemakers and book shop. Now this location is about to undergo some serious densification. A proposal has been submitted to build a 701 unit condo tower on a parcel including this property and several others fronting on Church Street. The intention is to maintain this structure as part of the podium of the new 60 storey building. I don't think this development has a name yet, but I think that something starting with R should be given serious consideration. For reasons I have been unable to discover, the keystone on the arch above the door features a small carved R . 

Architectural Timeline

Location: Near the north east corner of Church and King

Date photo taken: 19 July 2020

St. James Park, spreading north and east beyond the Cathedral Church of St. James at King and Church, is one of the larger green parks in the heart of the downtown core. Starting in 2018 it underwent a revitalization. As part of the plan, each of the four corners of the park, dubbed the entry plazas, were given special attention. This new bench sits at the south west corner of the park, near the front entrance to the cathedral. The back support features a depiction of various architectural elevations from the area through time, rendered in bronze. It's the work of artist Scott Eunson. 

Barksy

 

Location: Berczy Park

Date photo taken: 4 December 2022

Berczy Park is always full of dogs, and for the holiday season, the Old Town Toronto BIA has added one more. This is Barksy, and he's taken up residence in the park. If you snap a photo with him and post it to social media you could win a $100 gift card to your favourite Old Town Toronto business. Ho ho ho! 

86 Lombard

 

Location: Lombard Street

Date photo taken: 20 July 2020

I've always liked this building. For those curious, like me, about its original purpose, it used to be spelled out in stone over the door, but the words "City Morgue" have long since departed. This was Toronto's third morgue, or "dead house" and it served the city in that capacity for almost 70 years. Built in 1908, it contained 14 body receptacles and was considered "commodious" in its day, but by the 1960s the city had grown almost 10-fold and this facility could no longer keep pace. A new morgue was constructed and this building was turned over to other uses. If you're interested in an in-depth history of the building, you can check out "I See Dead People (On Lombard)" by Kristine Morris, on her blog, Lively Legacy of Lombard Street. Details on the first 2 morgues can be found in Chapter 2 of Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto.

Lightbox

Location: South east corner of Britain and Sherbourne

Date photo taken: 24 March 2021

In 2016 the Harris Institute commissioned the artist known as MEDIAH to create a new mural for their building at Sherbourne and Britain. The mural, which features their name, is colourful and pretty big, measuring over 7 metres in length. The problem is it's located in a fairly out-of-the-way spot, at the back of the building, accessible via a laneway. To remedy this lack of visibility, the company features an image of the mural on a large lightbox on a prominent corner of the building. 

Cycling is Elemental

Location: Richmond Street, between Berkeley and Ontario
Date photo taken: 19 June 2021

Over the summer, the concrete dividers that keep cyclists on the Richmond Street cycle track separated from cars are getting some special treatment. Organized by StreetARToronto, more than 125 different artists have been commissioned to paint the 300+ concrete barriers, creating what StART describes as a bikeable art gallery. Two sections, comprising the stretch between Parliament and University, have been completed to date. This particular section is the work of Sam Roe. 

103 Church

Location: SE corner of Church at Richmond

Date photo taken: 4 April 2013

"The window arrangement is particularly pleasing and a graceful note is added by the use of wrought-iron balconies, entranceway and ornamental lamps." That's how the Toronto Daily Star of January 24, 1930 described the newly proposed building at the corner of Richmond and Church. It was to be the new home of the J. Frank Raw Co. Ltd., makers of surveying instruments and machines for creating blue prints. It was designed by Murray Brown and it won him an award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. I am pleased that the new building was such a beauty because it replaced one of the oldest remaining store blocks from the early days of Toronto.

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." 

High Strung

Location: King Street just west of Jarvis
Date photo taken: 13 August 2019

This fun and colourful new seating area on King Street is one of several new “parklets” that have popped up this summer along the King Street Transit Priority Corridor, which is the stretch of King between Bathurst and Jarvis. The parklets are installed in former parking spaces along the route, providing a place to sit and relax, and some are even programmed with activities and art. Chosen through a design competition held by the City, High Strung was designed and built by the landscape architecture team at Brook McIlroy.

P.S. The King Street pilot project is a pilot no longer. On April 16, 2019, City Council voted to make the changes permanent.

Road Side Inn

Location: King St. between Church and Jarvis

Date photo taken: 21 November 2018

This is one of eight small display boxes that have appeared along King Street recently. Installed by Open Field Collective, each features a small work of contemporary art. The exhibits change every six weeks, showcasing new artists and new works. This installation, titled "We Used to Eat Here", is by Spencer Barclay, an artist who works in miniature. His scenes are incredibly detailed - this one includes graffiti, and a working train signal lamp.

Sick Kids VS Limits Campaign

Location: north side of Adelaide between Church and Jarvis
Date photo taken: 24 October 2017

In October 2017 SickKids Foundation launched the largest fundraising campaign in Canadian health care history. A very visible part of the campaign was the painting of murals in locations across the city. Reaction to the gritty, battle-themed murals was mixed. A lot people loved them for their stereotype-busting, empowering message. Others found them disturbing. In response, the hospital stated that "the fight metaphor at core is not meant to claim that every kid should be a fighter, but rather that at SickKids we’re fighting for every kid."

The goal of the campaign is to raise $1.3 billion dollars to build a new hospital building. The original Hospital For Sick Children was built on University Avenue in 1949 and at the time it was the largest children's hospital in the world. It is still one of the world's largest pediatric research hospitals.

This mural was painted by Omen 514 with assistance from Nick Sweetman, Earth Crusher, Poser and Five 8. Unfortunately its presence at this location was relatively short-lived.

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.

Parcade

Location: King Street, between Church and Jarvis

Date photo taken: 30 July 2018

When it comes to the King Street Transit Pilot I am definitely in the "love it" camp. Except for having to remember to wait before walking once the light turns green, my walks to work are pretty stress free and lunch time is far more relaxing thanks to the groups of Muskoka chairs placed conveniently close to my office. Now add to this some fun new installations spaced along the route. Parcade is one of four designed by students at Ryerson University's SpaceLab. The planters provide some interactive fun, even if it's a bit more low-tech than their namesakes. 

St. Lawrence Hall Ceiling Detail

Location: inside St. Lawrence Hall, 157 King St. E.
Date photo taken: 11 February 2017

St. Lawrence Hall, the impressive cupola-topped building on the south west corner of King and Jarvis, was built in 1850 to provide a space for Torontonians to gather for talks, concerts and other entertainments. It was the heart of the city. The importance of the building as a cultural venue began to wane even before the turn of the century however and despite hosting a range of diverse tenants, from the Irish Catholic Benevolent Union, who installed one of the first basketball courts in Canada, to the National Ballet, the state of the building gradually declined. By the time the City of Toronto undertook an extensive restoration of the building in 1967, as a Centennial project, the structure was in such bad shape that the entire east wing collapsed. Despite this major set-back, work continued and the Hall was officially reopened on December 28, 1967. The total cost of the project was $1,775,000. This ornate bit of ceiling is a recreation from that restoration and can be found in the beautiful Grand Meeting Hall on the third floor.

Shoreline Beacon

Location: Lower Church Street

Date photo taken: 8 February 2016

This new art installation is tucked into a nook on Lower Church Street, just north of the Esplanade. Once upon a time, the natural shoreline of Lake Ontario would have been in approximately this location, before the City extended itself about a kilometer through the use of landfill. This piece, by artist Paul Raff, helps passersby rediscover this part of Toronto's history. The limestone base evokes the natural shoreline, and the projection on the wall explains the rest:

"For 10,000 years this was the location of Lake Ontario’s shoreline. This brick wall stands where water and land met, with a vista horizon."