Reader at Harbord Collegiate

 

Location: Harbord Collegiate

Date photo taken: 8 February 2016

With it being back to school time, here's a figure to inspire the scholar in each of us. This rather serious looking fellow is one of a pair gracing the doors at the western edge of the building on Harbord. 

7 Wellesley Cottages

 

Location: 7 Wellesley Cottages

Date photo taken: 6 March 2022

Stumbling across the Wellesley Cottages is akin to suddenly finding yourself in Narnia. That might seem a little extreme but hear me out. The way to the cottages is not obvious. True, there is a small street sign denoting Wellesley Cottages on Wellesley east of Parliament which marks the entranceway, but only the truly curious or those with some prior knowledge are likely to be lured in. It's just an access after all, but at the end sits a little laneway out of time, containing seven 19th century cottages. A small detached building like this one sits at either end of the lane, in between which sit a row of 5 adjoining workers cottages. Originally approximately 400 square feet each, they housed carpenters, labourers, a clerk and a tinsmith. Now they generally boast modern interiors with carefully disguised extensions, and list for what you'd expect a house in this affluent neighbourhood to fetch. This one, No. 7 is particularly interesting. Not so very long ago, it seemed out of place on the street. It sat alone at the end, small like its neighbours, but covered in wooden shingles and lacking the distinctive steep gable over the door. One publication referred to it as "an unkempt runt of a building". A renovation around 2010 that significantly extended the living space also returned the facade to its previous historic appearance. Thanks to Google streetview, 2009 view, you can see the difference for yourself. 

Jarvis Street Gargoyle

 

Location: Jarvis Street facade, Jarvis Street Baptist

Date photo taken: 17 March 2017

This is one of several dragon-like gargoyles stationed on the exterior of Jarvis Street Baptist, the large, brown-stone church at the corner of Jarvis and Gerrard. Built by the firm of Langley, Langley and Burke, it was originally constructed in 1875 and then rebuilt in 1938 following a devastating fire.

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 . 

Baldwin Better Built Bungalow

Location: 58 Dewey Drive

Date photo taken: 21 March 2017

This tidy bungalow on Dewey Drive probably looks very much as it did when it was first built back in the early 1950s. The "cut-stone front under picture window" and "sidewalk to curb" mentioned in a November 1953 advertisement from the Toronto Daily Star are still clearly evident, although the "gravel drive" has been paved. Interior highlights listed included modern L-shaped living and dining room, 14-ft kitchen with loads of cupboards, including broom closet, lino-tile floors to purchaser's choice of colors, ceramic tile counters and splashback, 4-piece ceramic tile bathroom with double medicine cabinet, electric light fixtures, stove cable, fruit cellar, steel beam construction, divided basement, and economical hot air heating. With all that, the 6-room, 1.5 storey bungalows could be had for $2,650 down, and a total price of $12,090. Other enticements to move to this new subdivision, dubbed Maryvale Gardens, included spacious lots, paved roads and sewers paid for, plus a short commute to Toronto. 

Former entrance to Blantyre Public School

 

Location: Blantyre Public School

Date photo taken: 29 November 2020

This former doorway stands ready to welcome students back to school. Sort of. If you were to walk through it, you would actually find yourself in the parking lot. 

I love it when pieces of older buildings are salvaged and repurposed on site. They act as landmarks in time, helping us to better understand the history of a place. In this case, this installation takes us back to 1928 when Blantyre Elementary first opened. I find the placement a bit odd but I believe it serves a purpose. It seems that this doorway, paired with the hedge that runs out from either side of it, is a feature designed to stop the unwitting from tumbling down the short steep grade behind.

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.

171 Eastern

 

Location: 171 Eastern Avenue

Date photo taken: 6 July 2020

Last year lots of people in the city were reading about the Foundry, a grouping of historic buildings formerly occupied by the Dominion Wheel & Founderies Company. The Province had ordered the demolition of the buildings, all of which were included on the City of Toronto's Inventory of Heritage Properties, to make way for a new housing development. Thanks to quick action by a group of concerned citizens, demolition was halted and discussions have resulted in two of the four structures being retained. They will be incorporated into a new design for the site. This building was not one of the lucky ones. It's not surprising and few will miss it, but I have always loved this building. Built in 1930 to house the Foundry offices, it was really quite ordinary. But ordinary can be pleasant, especially when ordinary no longer equates with common. The new plans look exciting though, and I can't wait to explore the revitalized space.

457 Richmond Street West

 

Location: Richmond Street, west of Spadina
Date photo taken: 11 April 2019

This mid-century modern building is located in the heart of Toronto's Garment District, an area of the city once dominated by textile warehouses and factories. Built in 1950, it's a small but wonderful example of the type of building that once dominated this neighbourhood. A browse through the 1950 city directory lists the earliest tenants of the building as the New York Cloak Co., the Du-Rite Dress Co factory, Golden Gate Dress Co Ltd. and Nu-Line Sportswear. The basement also housed Richmond Lunch.

In December 2017 this property and 93 others were added to the City of Toronto's Heritage Register, all contributing properties in the King-Spadina Heritage Conservation District Plan. It is unlikely the building will survive however as an application has been made to develop this site for a new condo and there are no plans to retain this structure. 

24 Mercer

Location: 24 Mercer Street

Date photo taken: 15 April 2015

When I'm out walking, I often stop and snap pictures of buildings and streetscapes that appeal. More often than not, there's a heritage element that I admire. Such was the case with this picture. The building at 24 Mercer was designed by architect John Tully and constructed in 1857 as a two-storey private home. While originally the street was largely residential - the 1884 Goad's Atlas of the City of Toronto shows it just doors away from a public school - after the Great Fire of 1904, much of this area was taken over by industry. This building was purchased by the Toronto Hat Block Company to provide manufacturing space and at some point after this, the third storey, with the plainer windows and different brick style, was added. Mercer Street is now returning to its residential roots. To the east of this building (right in this picture) now stands The Mercer, a 33 storey condo building. To the west is a boutique hotel. 24 Mercer itself is slated to become Bungalow on Mercer, offering 12 loft-style units in a tall thin building, anchored by the original portion of the historic facade. 

Capital

Location: Berkeley Street, south of Front

Date photo taken: 30 August 2020

It's CNE time again, which is how I often refer to this last few weeks of summer. Except of course that summer really continues for a few more weeks, and oh yes, the Ex has been cancelled for another year. Rather than digging out something from a past visit, I thought this week I would share a piece of CNE history that exists outside of the fair grounds. Back in 1928 the Electrical and Engineering Building was added to the Exhibition. Inside were featured modern wonders made possible by electricity. Outside were decorative columns and oversized figures created by Charles McKechnie, the same person responsible for the iconic winged figure atop the Princes' Gate. The building was demolished in 1972 but some of the decorative items were salvaged. Some can still be seen at the CNE, but somehow at least three ornamented capitals found their way to Toronto's Free Theatre (TFT). Perhaps it was just good timing. The theatre was founded in 1971 and it began performing out of the converted Consumer Gas building on Berkeley shortly after. In the 1980s TFT merged with CentreStage and Canadian Stage was born. The Berkeley Street Theatre is still a Canadian Stage venue and the capitals are still on the front lawn. 

Pioneer Village Station

 

Location: 2800 Steeles Avenue West
Date photo taken: 22 September 2018

This is one of two similar-looking buildings that act as entrances to the Pioneer Village TTC station. Designed by SGA/IBI Group Architects in joint venture with Alsop Architects, the TTC page dedicated to this stop describes them as "a pair of sculptural objects, robust and yet embodying playfulness and free flowing movement." They are certainly striking. A friend, on seeing this picture without the aid of their glasses, mistook the structure for a turret. That is forever how I will think of these buildings, and it seems somehow fitting. After all, they sit on opposite sides of Steeles, one in Toronto and one in Vaughan, protectors of their respective realms.

The Faces of 77 Elm

Location: 77 Elm Street

Date photo taken: 27 March 2021

It's funny. I've always liked the building at 77 Elm Street. Built in the early 1980s, it's rather stark and monolithic, but there is a playfulness there too. Take the detail above. Panels like this are arrayed along the ground floor, facing the street. To me they remind me of the moai of Easter Island, patiently standing, watching the city as it passes. I was surprised then to learn that the building is sometimes referred to as the Nightmare on Elm Street. One critic I read gave it a grade of D- and used phrases such as "arbitrary and inappropriate" and "the architectural equivalent of a black hole". 

Known as the Alan Brown Building, it provides rental housing specifically     for physicans, nurses and other professionals working at SickKids.

Commissioners Street Stack

 

Location: Lakeshore at McCleary Park

Date photo taken: 7 July 2020

Standing 137 metres tall, the stack at the former incinerator complex on Commissioners Street in the Port Lands is an impressive sight. Though not as tall as the Hearn's stack (which is poking out from behind in the photo above) the open vista provided by McCleary Park makes it easier to admire. Built in the early 1950s, it was the last incinerator facility to be built by the City and today the building is a listed heritage site. It ceased burning things in 1988 due in part to health concerns about released toxins and today functions as a transfer station for the City's Solid Waste Management Services division. It's also where you can go to drop off your household hazardous material and e-waste, although possibly not for long. The Port Lands are currently under redevelopment and the Port Lands Planning Framework re-envisions this complex as a community hub with a creative sector incubator. Fingers crossed! The stack itself recently underwent extensive rehabilitation so it's all set for whatever the future has in store.

Brownley Apartments

 

Location: 40-42 Isabella Street, between Yonge and Church

Date photo taken: 3 February 2013

Image 3 in the Portals series

It's been awhile since I posted my last door pic, so here's another Art Deco favourite. The Brownley Apartments were built in 1931 and the building is listed on the Toronto Heritage Registry. While today this section of Isabella is mostly dominated by later 20th century apartment complexes, prior to the construction of this building it was largely given over to comfortable single family homes. For those paying attention, remnants of the older street still persist and the two buildings just west of the apartments are prime examples. The Jared Sessions House at 34 Isabella was built prior to 1860, and 36 Isabella, known as the Robert Wood House, was built in 1885. 

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.

Revolving Doors

Location: 1 Adelaide Street East
Date photo taken: 7 February 2018

I spend a lot of time thinking about how people use doors. Strange but true. Two behaviours fascinate me: over-use of disabled assist buttons and avoidance of revolving doors. The pandemic has changed my attitude toward the first, but revolving doors are a good Environment Day subject. Originally designed in the 1880s to prevent the "entrance of wind, snow, rain or dust" they are now recognized for their ability to curb unwanted air flow (think cold air blasting you when you walk by a store's open door in the summer). This can result in significant energy savings, but only if people use them. Sit and watch the entrance to a building with revolving doors however and you'll notice that a lot of people avoid using them if they have another option. Oxford Properties is one company trying to change that. They have decorated the revolving doors in several of their downtown locations with green leaf patterns and included wording about energy efficiency in an effort to win users over.

NeaTO: Students at MIT were curious enough about the phenomenon of revolving door avoidance to author a study on the subject. When they polled people about their door choices, attitudes toward revolving doors boiled down to fear, loathing and laziness: fear of getting trapped, either entirely or just an arm, leg or bag; distaste at potentially having to share the space with a stranger or have them dictate the speed of rotation; and complaints about the effort required to push the door.

Toronto Reference Library

Location: 789 Yonge Street
Date photo taken: 19 September 2013

It's no secret that I love the Toronto Public Library. While we can't currently visit them, the system has 100 branches which are as diverse as the city itself. They include beautiful Beaux Arts branches built with grant money from Andrew Carnegie and small storefronts tucked into strip malls. Then there's this grand and airy gem designed by Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama. In addition to housing the bulk the of the library's reference collection, the Reference Library also includes the TD Gallery, special collections such as the Baldwin Collection of Canadiana and the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, a Digital Innovation Hub and countless spaces for lectures, talks, workshops, classes and more.

Even in these days of closures and social distancing, the library is still making books, movies and music available to Torontonians through their digital channels.

Concourse Building Entrance

Location: Adelaide St. W. at Sheppard St.

Date photo taken: 11 February 2018

This gorgeous entryway graces 100 Adelaide Street West, also known as the Concourse Building, which opened in 1928. Canadian artist and Group of Seven member J.E.H. MacDonald and his son, artist Thoreau MacDonald, designed the decorative elements of the building including the colourful mosaics which adorn the entrance. Depicting the four elements and various Canadian industries, these mosaics, along with the rest of the south and east facades, were retained when the rest of the building was demolished to make way for the new 40+ storey EY Tower.

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.