A&W Root Beer

 

Location: 2856 Dundas Street West

Date photo taken: 27 January 2024

In case it's not obvious, what you're looking at here is a door handle. I love the quirkiness of it and the nostalgic look and it seemed like a good post for the current times.  

With the tariff turmoil we're all experiencing lately, and the desire to buy Canadian, A&W has been put forward as a good alternative to American fast food chains. I was bit confused when I first Googled for confirmation as the first thing I saw were ads featuring mugs like this one but bearing the slogan "All American Food." That's because there are A&W restaurants in the U.S. and they are American. A&W in Canada started out as part of that same American company but it's now completely separate and 100% Canadian owned and operated and has been for decades. So go ahead and enjoy that frosty mug.

Town of York Cenotaph

Location: Eglinton Avenue West, near Keele

Date photo taken: 14 October 2022

Located at the York Civic Centre, this cenotaph pays tribute to the men and women from the Town of York who gave their lives in the service of their country in the First and Second World Wars. It also, unlike many of the memorials in the city, includes the Korean War. While overshadowed in our collective consciousness by the wars proceeding it, it's important to remember that more than 26,000 Canadians served during this conflict. 

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

Connaught Gates

 

Location: Claxton Blvd at Bathurst

Date photo taken: 23 November 2019

These gates, which sit majestically at the entrance to Claxton Boulevard, have had their ups and downs. When first built in 1913, they were a promise of good things to come. Standing at the entrance to what would become Cedar Vale, an upscale community of expensive homes and large lots, they were intended as a lure for potential buyers. The first world war intervened however and that community never took shape. For years the gates stood in isolation, a developer's folly, but inevitably a community did grow behind the gates. With its modest homes and low rise apartments however it seemed out of step with its grand entrance. Eventually the gates fell into disrepair. Enter Terry McAulffe, a local resident and historian. In 1999 he started a campaign to have the gates restored to their former glory. Councillor Joe Mihevc convinced the City to restore the gates, and members of CLARA, the local Ratepayers' Association, took on the task of replacing the large lanterns which had disappeared long ago. A local firm, Lighting Nelson & Garrett, was commissioned to design and build the fixtures and on Victoria Day 2004, the lights were lit for the first time. To see design drawings and fabrication photos, as a well as an archival photo of the gates standing in isolation, check out the Connaught Gates page on CLARA's website.

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.

Metal Viking

Location: Dundas St. W. at Brookside Avenue

Date photo taken: 26 May 2019

Ever wanted to take a selfie with a Viking? The opportunity is yours in the parking lot of Dynamic Iron Limited, makers of custom wrought-iron work since 1970. While their website features lots of railings, window grills and furniture, it also includes a sculpture category with a few more whimsical designs. A project not (yet) featured on the website is the unique historical plaque erected in 2014 by the Junction's BIA. It highlights in part the the area's rich rail heritage and the base is fashioned from two train wheels donated by Metrolinx. John Mrsic, who runs the family-owned Dynamic Iron, welded them together. 

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.

Emery Village

Location: Weston Rd. at Verobeach Blvd.

Date photo taken: 22 May 2015

Emery Village is located in the north west corner of the city, bounded by the Humber River on the west, Highway 400 on the east, Steeles to the north and Wilson Rd. to the south. Almost nothing is left of the small farming hamlet that once existed here, industry replacing farms in the post-war boom, when the North York Official Plan designated all lands north of Finch as industrial.  In 2003 the Emery Village BIA was founded and one of their goals is to restore a sense of history to the area. These signs, along with historical plaques and historically-themed murals are part of this effort. 

To get an idea of what this area looked like once upon a time, check out the historical images of Emery that are part of the Toronto Reference Library's digital archive. 

Beltline Pedestrian Tunnel

Location: Dufferin Street south of Castlefield Ave.
Date photo taken: 7 July 2016

It's hard to believe that only a few years ago this underpass tunnel was a community eyesore, unwelcoming and filled with litter. Today you feel like you're being led into wonderland. When asked for feedback on the project the community responded that they wanted colour. Mission accomplished! The multicoloured treatment on the pedestrian tunnels was done in tandem with a mural project on the adjacent road underpass. The project was led by STEPS (Sustainable Thinking and Expression on Public Spaces) in partnership with Friends of the York Beltline and the local councillor.

Castlefield & Caledonia Design & Decor District

Location: Corner of Caledonia and Raitherm Roads
Date photo taken: 10 September 2015

The Castlefield & Caledonia Design & Decor District is not something I had heard of before stumbling into it and seeing these signs. The area is centered around the intersection of Caledonia Rd. and Castlefield Ave., which is slightly north west of Dufferin and Eglinton. As the name suggests, the area is populated with a wide range of design and decor businesses from rug and tile stores to designer outlets and general home stores. Back in 2007 the City of Toronto released a plan for the district which would help provide a framework for future development in the area. The vision for the neighbourhood was "to ensure the area retains the conditions that originally drew the design and décor businesses to the district" including low rents, large open buildings and an industrial look and feel. Some recommendations in the document included the retention of key industrial structures (the Bell communications tower and the gantry structure from an asphalt plant), improving access to the Beltline park, and the creation of gateway entrances and branded signage for the whole district.