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.

2:10 Shadow

Location: Shuter St. east of Yonge
Date photo taken: 8 Sep 2014

I saw this interesting bit of paint on the sidewalk the other day and was intrigued. The colour and stark rendering are reminiscent of the lines and marks that appear on roads and sidewalks before construction teams go to work and yet the effect is whimsical. So what is this? Is it part of a city project tracking sunlight and the shadow effects of potential buildings? Or is it art? Further down Shuter Street, a parking ticket kiosk has been given the same treatment, but with two different coloured shadows representing different times. I haven't yet noticed these shadow markers anywhere else.

If you know anything about this shadow art, or have seen other instances, leave a comment!

Snapshot - King & Sherbourne

Location: Southeast corner of King & Sherbourne, taken from the northwest corner
Date photo taken: 3 September 2014
Image 1 in the Snapshot Series

As regular readers of this blog will know, I'm just as fascinated by how this city is changing as I am about the neat stuff you find in it. Often while walking I'll see a new building and find myself wondering what was there before. My memory can be short. Sometimes I'll take note of fantastic streetscapes and wonder how they will change in the coming years. Long ago I started to take pictures of pieces of the city, bits of streetscapes and storefronts, corner views and vacant lots. I'm going to start posting a few of them here as Snapshots. I anticipate many won't include text beyond date and location.

In this Snapshot, the King and Sherbourne facades of the designated heritage building at 251 King St. E. are being preserved to add character to the 17 storey boutique condominium being built on the site. The building, which dates from the mid-1800s, was for many years the National Hotel.

The Kingsway Neighbourhood

Location: Intersection of Bloor St. W. and Jackson Avenue
Date photo taken: 19 April 2014
Image 2 in the Neighbourhoods Series

Neighbourhood BIAs, or business improvement areas, are active in neighbourhoods throughout the city and work, as their name implies, to make their areas more attractive to local customers and tourists alike. The Kingsway BIA, which covers the area between Dundas and Bloor from Mimico Creek to the Humber River, has been around, at least in spirit, since 1949 when the Kingsway Business Men's Association was formed. This coming weekend, they are hosting Taste of the Kingsway, a festival which features great food, beer and wine gardens and lots of entertainment including music, a midway, dog show, 3D chalk art and more. Hockey great Darryl Sittler will also be on hand Sunday to sign autographs. Festivities are centered around Royal York subway station.

For more about neighbourhoods and customized street signs, check out the earlier NeaTO post about the Church-Wellesley Village.

The Midway - Starship 4000

Location: The CNE Midway
Date photo taken: 25 August 2014

Experiencing the lights of the Midway at night is one of my most anticipated summer rituals. Viewing them while passing by on the Lakeshore or the Gardiner is a treat but nothing beats wandering in among the rides for sheer sensory overload. While I rarely ride at the Ex these days, I do still have my favourites. Starship 4000 is one of them. Its classic graphics and the blur of its lights while spinning perfectly combine Midway fun with a great retro sci-fi vibe.

The Ex is open until September 1 and then the rides will be packed up and whisked off to their next event. The Midway attractions are provided by North American Midway Entertainment, based out of Indiana.

Livestock Medallion - Pig

Location: Direct Energy Centre, Canadian National Exhibition grounds
Date photo taken: 24 August 2013
Image 4 in the Remnants Series

This cast stone medallion is one of many roundels that once decorated the Livestock Pavilion at the CNE. Built in 1926 as an addition to the Coliseum (now known as Ricoh Coliseum, home of the Toronto Marlies) the Livestock Pavilion consisted of the Cattle Palace, the North Extension or Swine Pavilion, and the Fraser Pavilion. The building, also known as the Industry Building, was demolished to make way for the new Direct Energy Centre. I'm happy that the faces of the pigs, cattle and sheep that adorned that original building remain to remind us of the pride of place that livestock displays and competitions once held at this national exhibition.

Brickman

Location: Jarvis St. just north of Adelaide
Date photo taken: 17 March 2013

This solidly imposing and yet somehow still whimsical figure is called Brickman. He stands outside of a condo building at Jarvis and Adelaide and he was commissioned by the developer as part of the City of Toronto's Percent for Public Art Program. Toronto's official plan "recommends that a minimum of one percent of the gross construction cost of each significant development be contributed to public art" and in this case, I think the piece is pretty special.

Brickman was created by the German art collective inges idee. According to their website, the sculpture is meant to evoke smokestacks and the grid pattern of urban streets and its materials call to mind the 19th century roots of the neighbourhood in which it now sits. One of the coolest things about this piece is that the forced perspective created by using smaller and smaller bricks as you move toward the head of the figure makes it look even larger than its 8-meter height.