Weston Cenotaph

Location: Little Avenue Memorial Park, Little Avenue near Weston Road
Date photo taken: 22 May 2015

This memorial sits in a pretty little park just off the Humber River valley in the community of Weston. Unveiled in October 1950, it replaced an earlier monument which had fallen into disrepair. Elements from the initial cairn were salvaged and incorporated into the new cenotaph, including stones, the bronze sword, and the original World War 1 plaque. An alteration was subsequently made to add a third plaque, reading simply PEACEKEEPING. 

Text from the plaques:

1914 1918

In memory of those of Weston who made the supreme sacrifice

and in honour of those who served in the great war.

1939  1945

To the glory of God in honour of those who served and to the

glorious memory of those who died in the Second World War

Traffic Signal Box - Maple Leaf Mosaic

Location: Maple Leaf Drive at Jane
Date photo taken: 22 February 2020
Image #13 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

Happy Canada Day!

This box is the work of Thomas Dannenberg and it was commissioned in 2018 as part of the 6th year of the Outside the Box project. This city run program invites artists and graphic designers to apply for the opportunity to paint one of the many traffic signal boxes that dot intersections across the city. Applicants are encouraged "to consider the context of the local area and the city as a whole" when creating their design. Outside the Box is one of many projects run by Street Art Toronto, which also maintains an artist directory - the perfect place to find an artist to paint that garage mural you've always wanted.

Weston Mural

Location: Weston Road, just south of Lawrence

Date photo taken: 26 May 2019

This is one small section of a mural that extends almost 80 metres along the south side of the parking lot at the Weston GO and Union Pearson Express station. It was commissioned by the City’s StreetArt Program and the artists were chosen through a public art competition. While the mural doesn't exclusively focus on the history of Weston, this section features two items synonymous with Weston's manufacturing past. The Kodak factory purchased 25 acres of land at Eglinton Ave. W. and Weston Road in 1913 and proceeded to build seven buildings for its growing operations. This area would remain the home of Kodak's Canadian headquarters until 2005. The significance of the penny farthing is a bit more of a stretch. For over 65 years Weston was the home of the Canada Cycle & Motor Company, better known as CCM. While they did initially specialize in bicycles it is highly unlikely they ever produced penny farthings.

Weston Mill Stone

Location: Weston Road, just south of the 401

Date photo taken: 22 May 2015

Image 6 in the Remnants Series

Geographic features often play a key role in deciding where people will settle. For the former Village of Weston, the sudden drop in elevation along the Humber River provided the impetus. The fast flowing water was ideal for powering mills, and shortly after the area was surveyed, the first mill was built along the banks. Over the years that mill would be expanded and others built in the area, until Weston became a thriving milling centre. This mill stone was placed in this small grassy patch in 1957 as a reminder of the early days of industry in this neigbourhood.