Gardiner Rehabilitation

 

Location: below the Gardiner Expressway

Date photo taken: 30 August 2020

The Gardiner Expressway, named for Frederick G. Gardiner, the first chair of the former Metro Toronto Council, was constructed between 1956 and 1965, making parts of it over 60 years old. Regular wear and tear combined with weather and the effects of road salt have taken their toll and in 2019 the first phase of the Gardiner Expressway Rehabilitation Strategy was implemented. The focus for this first phase is the section between Jarvis and Cherry Streets, at the eastern end, and represents approximately 1.5 kilometers of the elevated portion of the expressway. The deck is being replaced using a new method known as accelerated bridge construction in which replacement sections are pre-fabricated elsewhere (in this case, in very large tent-like structures just to the east of the site) and then transported  and lowered into position. Work on this section, including repairing the ramps, is expected to be completed in 2021.

#DYK that the expressway is 18 kms long, with 11 km at grade and 7 km elevated? For more facts, and some great early photos, check out About the Gardiner Expressway on the City's website.

The Boa

 

Location: 100 Wellington Street
Date photo taken: 15 February 2018

I just love these elegant yet fun bike racks, which can be found in various lengths around the buildings of the Toronto Dominion Centre. I even love their name, The Boa. This rack actually consists of 5 shorter segments arranged together. And guess what? They're made in Canada, the work of Dobra Design, based in Vancouver.

Creativity is contagious

 

Location: 95 Wellington West

Date photo taken: 20 July 2020

The building at 95 Wellington Street West between Bay and York Streets is getting a face-lift and to help distract from the fuss and bother, the street level columns along Wellington have been outfitted in colourful artworks and quotes about creativity. The work started in 2018 and is expected to be completed sometime next year.

Out of Order

 

Location: Lawrence and Orton Park Road

Date photo taken: 7 September 2020

Image #14 in the Traffic Signal Box Series 

Here is yet another traffic signal box upgraded through the City's Outside the Box program. It was done in 2016 but I just stumbled across it on the weekend. It's a new favourite and a great example of why it pays to look at both sides.

Tribute to Labour

Location: Heritage Court, Enercare Centre, CNE

Date photo taken: 25 August 2015

Attending the CNE has been a yearly tradition for me for countless years now and warm days turning to coolish nights makes me nostalgic for the fair. As COVID has cancelled the fun this year I've gone back through my files and dredged up this image from the flower show at the Ex 5 years ago. This figure positioned among the prize winning greenery in the Heritage Court was designed by Charles McKechnie in 1928 to adorn the new Electrical and Engineering Building. Eight statues in total, consisting of four matched pairs, stood dramatically atop the entrance and each was a tribute to labour. They were fabricated from poured concrete and were salvaged when the building was demolished in 1972. The four on display in the Heritage Court have come home in a way, as the Enercare Centre is located where the Electrical and Engineering Building once stood.

If you're feeling nostalgic for the CNE, they have some wonderful archival material up on their website, including photos of the figures sitting atop the entrance to the Electrical and Engineering Building. There are also some fantastic images from the Midway over the years. Browse and you never know what you'll find. For example, I was surprised to see that in 1954 there was a Midway attraction called Striporama!

Water Guardians

 

Location: Front St. E., between Rolling Mills and Tannery Roads

Date photo taken: 1 June 2019

The West Don Lands community is a still developing neighbourhood at the eastern edge of the downtown core. Home to the Pan Am Games athletes in 2015, all aspects of this community were carefully planned to create a vibrant, livable neighbourhood. A gorgeous park anchors one end, transit options abound and sidewalks are wide enough to be called promenades. Waterfront Toronto, the body responsible for the redevelopment, even incorporated a Public Art Strategy into the early stages of the work. The result is a collection of pretty amazing new works and the seamless integration of an older piece. Water Guardians, created by Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins with James Khamsi is one of the new pieces. It sits adjacent to the splash pad and is, for the most part, endearing. I'll admit though that there have been times at night when its glowing eyes and lumbering attitude evoke a classic monster-movie vibe.

Blast From the Past - Croft Street Garage

 

Location: Croft Street

Date photo taken: 29 August 2013

This mural is one of many that adorn Croft Street, a laneway running between College and Harbord. Or rather, it did. It was painted over, or the garage door replaced, sometime between June 2016 and July 2018. While these eyes may no longer watch over the lane, there are still more than enough murals along this stretch to qualify it as one of the most Instagrammable spots in Toronto.