Masc – 287 Jarvis

Location: Decorative stonework, 287 Jarvis Street
Date photo taken: 25 October 2012
Image 1 in the Mascs of Toronto Series

Toronto is full of faces, staring stonily out from buildings across the city. When presented alone these faces are referred to as mascarons. In the Mascs series, this blog will widen the definition to include any interesting faces, whether they be prominently presented or hidden among other decorative details.

This face is from the front of 287 Jarvis Street, a heritage property built in 1890 by architects Knox and Elliot. It currently operates as a rooming house run by Homes First Society.

Electro-Voice V-15 Microphone

Location: CBC Museum, Canadian Broadcasting Centre, 250 Front St. W.
Date photo taken: 15 Jan 2013

This microphone is one of many on display in the CBC Museum, located on the main floor of the CBC building at Front and John Streets. In this space, and another one on the lower floor, the CBC displays equipment, props, merchandise and more from its long history of radio and television broadcasting. The museum is free and open from 9 to 5, Monday thru Friday.

For more information on what you can see in the CBC building, read the post on Hogspot.

Tree Tags

Location: Queen's Park
Date photo taken: 11 December 2013

Many trees around the city are now sporting small metal tags, just above eye level. Some of those tags are painted green. They mark ash trees that are healthy enough to be good candidates for inoculation by a product called TreeAzin™. TreeAzin™ helps protect ash trees against the ravages of the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive insect species that has taken up residence in Toronto and threatens to wipe out the city’s population of ash trees by 2017. That’s about 860,000 trees. It’s too expensive to treat every tree, especially since it has to be repeated every two years, so the city is prioritizing high value trees. If you’re a home owner and have an ash tree on your property, take note: if it succumbs to the bug, and most experts expect that most untreated trees in the city will, you will be financially responsible for having the dead tree removed. For more information, visit the City of Toronto’s page on Emerald Ash Borers.

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.

Allan Gardens at Christmas

Location: Allan Gardens Conservatory
Date photo taken: 19 December 2012

Every December, the Conservatory at Allan Gardens hosts a Christmas Flower Show. Thousands of flowering plants, including over 30 varieties of poinsettia, are added to the already beautiful permanent collection of plants in these historic greenhouses. The Conservatory is free to enter, and is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. During the Christmas Flower Show, which runs until January 7, there are several evenings when hours are extended until 7 pm and the scene is enhanced by candlelight.

Giant Reindeer

Location: Outside Sears, Toronto Eaton Centre
Date photo taken: 22 November 2012

Giant reindeer have once again found their way in to the Toronto Eaton Centre. There are six of these aluminum critters throughout the mall, and standing at 6 and 8 metres tall and lit with LED lights, they make an impression. Designed by the UK-based company Fuzz Wire, they were first introduced last year and they generated lots of positive feedback for the Centre. Unlike this year's tree, which is receiving mixed reviews at best. If you hate the modern pink installation, blame the reindeer. According to the senior marketing director for the Toronto Eaton Centre, the reindeer were so well received last year that they wanted the tree to visually integrate with them.

Number 9 Audio Mural

Location: West facing wall, 222 Gerrard St. E.
Date photo taken: 25 October 2012
Image 2 in the Mural Series

Since 2004 this building has been the home of Number 9 recording studios. When in 2008 the Cabbagetown BIA offered a mural to a local business and they declined, Number 9 stepped in and offered up the side of their building. Owner George Rondina worked with the artist, Ryan Dineen, to design the mural. Obviously he wanted the theme to reflect his business, but the trumpet was included for more personal reasons – it was the instrument his father always wanted to learn to play.

As a side note, Number 9 Audio Group is releasing a Christmas CD with proceeds going to support the Children’s Wish Foundation. If you need a few fresh new songs for your seasonal collection, check it out.