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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Reds

Location: Mattamy Athletic Centre, Carlton and Church

Date photo taken: 29 January 2017

Back in January 2010, the historic Maple Leaf Gardens building at the corner of Carlton and Church was gutted in preparation for its transformation. While the Loblaws store on the main floor was the first thing to open, the majority of the building would remain dedicated to sports, becoming the new athletic centre for Ryerson University. During the process, certain key elements of the building's history were retained and incorporated into the new development. Some, like the marquee on Carlton Street, are obvious. Others are more like Easter eggs, there for those who take the time to look. High up on the Carlton Street wall, above the main lobby and next to the elevator bank, is this row of original red stadium seats.

The Mattamy Athletic Centre is open to the public most days between 6 am and 10 pm. They also host free community skate days about once per month. The next one is being held on Family Day, from 1 to 4 pm.

Central Tech Gnome

Location: Above the western entrance to Central Technical School, Bathurst & Harbord
Date photo taken: 11 July 2013
Image 3 in the Figures Series

This is one of a pair of figures that sit above the doors of TDSB's Central Technical School. This figure, working with a hammer and chisel, represents the technical education available at the school which today includes access to Ontario Youth Access Programs. These allow secondary school students to begin their apprenticeships in trades related to automotive, carpentry, cooking, electrical, plumbing and HVAC while completing their diplomas. The other figure, holding a book and representing the academic side of the school's programming, was featured on NeaTO in September 2013.

Centennial sidewalk stamp

Location: Bright Street
Date photo taken: 23 February 2014

They're everywhere under our feet and if you watch for them, they can provide clues to how the area around you has developed. I'm talking about the contractors' stamps on the sidewalk. Most of the time they simply identify the company that laid that particular section of the sidewalk and when it was done. This allows the city to perform audits and to evaluate the quality of work by different contractors. Sometimes however there's something a little extra special. Like this stamp, which identifies a section of sidewalk laid by city staff in 1967, which incorporates Stuart Ash's iconic centennial logo. If you stop and think about it, this stamp tells you that this particular patch of sidewalk has been around and in use for almost 50 years!

Confederation Life Dragon

 

Location: Richmond Street facade of the old Confederation Life Building, near the Yonge St. corner

Date photo taken: 4 April 2013

 

The imposing structure at the north east corner of Yonge and Richmond was built by the Confederation Life Association in 1892 and served as their offices until 1955. The building was one of the tallest in Toronto at the time and was built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, similar to nearby Old City Hall. The beautiful red sandstone was sourced from the nearby Credit Valley quarries and the lower levels are highly ornamented. This dragon is just one of many figures that can be seen near street level. Not all have fared as well - the sandstone is soft and is prone to weathering, especially in our tough climate.

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.

Walk Here

Location: In the sidewalk, Bloor St. W. at Brock Ave.
Date photo taken: 9 June 2014

This little bit of sparkle in the sidewalk is part of a street art project initiated by the Bloordale community called the Walk Here Bloordale Community Garden. Local residents were invited to a drawing workshop where they were encouraged to think about the many ways that flowers pop up in our lives, then to draw a flower that reminded them of a time when they either gave or received a flower. One hundred of these drawings were transformed into small stainless steel sculptures by artist Dyan Marie which were then embedded in the sidewalk along Bloor Street when the city re-paved it in 2013. This is a great example of how a local Business Improvement Area can work with city services to positively influence their neighbourhood.

The Bloordale BIA formed in 1976 and their mandate is: Improving the atmosphere, appearance and the economic viability of Bloordale, Bloor Street from Dufferin Street to Lansdowne Avenue. Coming up on July 19 - 20, they are presenting the BIG on Bloor Festival.

Central Tech Gnome

Location: Above the western entrance to Central Technical School, Bathurst & Harbord
Date photo taken: 11 July 2013
Image 1 in the Figures Series

This figure is one of two that sits above the main entrance on the west side of the Toronto District School Board's Central Technical School. The two figures together represent the two sides of the school's curriculum. This one in cap and gown, reading a book, represents the academic side. The other, in work clothes, holding a hammer and chisel, represents the technical side. They were not included in the original design for the building but were instead, according to a history of the school, a gift by the Scottish stonemasons who worked on the construction.

St. George and the Dragon

Location: St. George's Greek Orthodox Church, 115 Bond St
Date photo taken: 4 April 2013

This beautiful mosaic depicting St. George slaying the dragon is found in the central tympanum above the Bond Street doors of St. George's Greek Orthodox Church. This church, which is home to the oldest Greek orthodox community in Canada, started out life as Holy Blossom Temple. It was built in 1897 by John Wilson Siddall, a Canadian architect, and remained a synagogue until 1937 when it was converted to St. George's. The structure underwent renovations in the 1960s and the 1980s, and it was during the 1980s that this mosaic was installed. It was created by Italian mosaicist Sirio Tonelli.

Also of note is the interior of the church, which was elaborately painted by two master iconographers from Greece. If you want to get a look at this unique space it will be open for Doors Open on May 25th and 26th although sadly, photography of the interior is not permitted.

Fur Trading Relief

Location: Commerce Court North Building, south side
Date photo taken: 3 November 2012

The Commerce Court North building at King and Bay Streets, completed in 1931 to house the headquarters of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, is a gorgeous example of Art Deco architecture. Not only is it capped with a series of massive carved heads (check out this awesome Flickr picture), but there are carvings galore to be appreciated at ground level. The reliefs depict Canadian wildlife, plants and iconic enterprises, as well as scenes of gods and goddesses associated with commerce. The carvings were done by William Dawson of Montreal and Peter Thomson of Toronto. This particular relief which depicts fur trading can be found on the south side of the building.

To read more, see Creating Memory, by John Warkentin.

Robert Simpson Co. Monogram

Location: The Bay building, near corner of Bay & Richmond
Date photo taken: 1 November 2012
Image 1 in the Remnant Series

The building that houses The Bay’s Queen Street store has always been a mecca for shoppers. It was built in stages by the Robert Simpson Company, which first opened its doors at the corner of Queen and Yonge streets in 1894. This monogrammed window grill, which bears the letters RSC, can be found on the art deco addition at Bay and Richmond which was completed in 1929 and included the grand Arcadian Court restaurant on the 8^th floor. These grills are unlikely to be updated to HBC any time soon as the heritage designation which the building enjoys forbids major changes to the exterior.