This wall leads into a railway underpass and this mural which is a homage to all the pigeons that live there extends through to the other side and out about the same length as what you see here. It is impossible to get the whole thing in one pic while dodging the traffic along a busy Davenport Rd. The mural was painted in 2006 by a community group and has survived the elements quite well.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals from around the world.
"Praise The Loft" is the title phrase for the brochure advertising this conversion of yet another Toronto church into lofts. This time it is the old Perth Avenue Methodist Church which was built in 1913 in Neo-Gothic style and designed by noted Toronto architect George Miller. The exterior of the building has historic designation so much of it will be restored while 24 lofts will be created inside and an attached building will be constructed next door.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click here to see more religious buildings from around the world.
I was out for a walk in the Casa Loma neighbourhhood and happened upon a Little Free Library box. I had heard of them but this is the first one I have seen so I immediately crossed the road and there in the middle of the row of books was Sue Grafton's "W Is For Wasted"! Needless to say, I brought it home and am now half-way through. I love the idea of these little libraries - click here to read more about them.
If you look hard at the base of yesterday's sculpture you keep discovering more and more little creatures hiding in the tree trunk. If you look at the bottom left you will see a wee mouse that has been well polished by many little hands over the years, 2 bunnies towards the right and a couple of fairies towards the top. Scattered around the piece there are also foxes, toads, birds, and more.
This bronze sculpture is found in a small park across the road from the park with the fountain that I showed on Tuesday. Located in a children's playground it shows Peter Pan atop a gnarly tree and is inscribed "to the children at play". It is an exact replica of the sculpture found in Kensington Gardens and was commissioned by local residents in 1929 and unveiled on the same day as the fountain across the road. I'll show you some details of the creatures hiding around the base tomorrow.
I saw this car parked by a local garden centre and was intrigued by the crest combining the Canadian maple leaf with the Swedish three crowns. It turns out that the car belongs to the Swedish Canadian Chamber of Commerce whose mission is "to be a facilitator of and a gateway to business, cultural and social development between Sweden and Canada". Who knew?
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
This fountain is found in "Amsterdam Square" a park at the corner of Avenue Road & St Clair Ave. The park and the fountain were donated to the city in 1929 by a local resident, H.H. Williams, and the fountain is inscribed as follows - "Replica of the fountain at the Peace Palace, The Hague, presented by H.H. williams as a mark of his love for peace". The fountain was restored a few years ago so it is nice to see it running again!
This mural of David Bowie has been on the back of what had been a used record/CD store for many years. The store has moved around the corner but Bowie is still hanging in there!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
This 1913 Gothic Revival building was the Deer Park United church at St Clair Ave and Avenue Road until 2008 when the dwindling congregation could no longer afford the upkeep on the large building. The church was de-sanctified and sold to developers but development has proved to be a long and tedious process and ownership has changed hands several times as have the plans. It appears that the present plans retain and convert this building with a new structure to be built behind but I'm not sure about that.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click here for more religious buildings from around the world.
On one short block of about 10 store fronts on Avenue Road at Davenport Road you will find 5 flower shops very similar to this one. It is the go-to place for people from miles around looking for the freshest flowers since the turn-over rate is really high. It seems quite odd to have so many such shops all together but it makes a great place to find just what you need.
Trying to take a pic of this dress proved to be difficult because of all the reflections but I rather like how its black top disappears into the house reflection. Wouldn't it be perfect for a soiree?
Taking part in Weekend Reflections. Click here for more reflections.
All of the windows in the Weston Public Library have stained glass created by the Robert McCausland Ltd company in 1914. Of the 24 windows, 23 have the name of an author in the banner while one has a blank banner - no one knows why. They are wonderfully suitable for a library don't you think?
Extra info: Robert McCausland Ltd is a 5th generation family owned company that is the oldest stained glass company in the western hemisphere and was founded in Toronto in 1856.
I had little time during our Doors Open event in May to explore the locations but one place I did visit was the Weston Public Library in the Weston neighbourhood. It is yet another of the libraries built with a grant from the Carnegie Foundation and was built in 1914 and designed by Toronto architects Lindsay & Brydon in the Arts & Crafts style. I love this mosaic found over what was the main entrance at the time before a major addition in the 1980s. The building now has heritage designation. I will show you one of its wonderful stained glass windows tomorrow.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
There was something about the symmetry in this entrance to the parking garage of a condo building that intrigued me. It's always nice to see a fountain and the greenery seemed tempting but there was no indication that the area was open to the public so I didn't go in. Apparently the city is starting a new program to have this kind of area posted with signs indicating that the public is welcome in during the daytime - I like the idea!
I found this mural along a laneway filled with mostly tags but this was left intact and I quite like its message to create your world!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
Perhaps this is one that I will have to return to in the winter when all the leaves on the trees and ivy aren't hiding this lovely Rosedale home. The Cardinal from a few days ago was just around the corner from here - nice place to roost!
This pic was taken along the sidewalk that I showed you in yesterday's post. Rosedale is a very well treed neighbourhood so it is difficult to catch a whole house in a pic but I love the grand front entrance on this one with those fine columns.
Yesterday's Cardinal was sitting on a fence along this sidewalk in the Rosedale neighbourhood of Toronto. Rosedale is home to the 'old money' of the city and is probably the most expensive area in the city. I've always loved this beautifully tree-lined street with its winding brick sidewalks and beautiful homes. I'll show you a couple of the homes over the next days.
This Cardinal seemed to be quite interested in what I was doing and he actually sat and posed for a couple of moments on this lovely fence by a lush garden. I'll show you tomorrow where he was.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click here to see more fences from around the world.
Food trucks seem to be popular everywhere these days and they are also a source of interesting signs. Here we have one truck serving the very popular poutine (french fries covered with gravy and topped with cheese curds) and the other one serving everything you could think of and more!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
I happened upon this birthday party for a lucky child, taking place in a local park on a beautiful afternoon. It looked like everyone was having a great time!
This is the last of the murals from the Islington neighbourhood that I have to show you but it is actually the first one you encounter when heading along Dundas St to view them all. It is titled "Gateway Welcome Mural" and was painted on the curve of the bridge over the Mimico Creek. The artist is once again John Kuna and it was done in 2011. Those ladies look like a fun trio!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
This is yet another pic taken along St Clair Ave in the Forest Hill neighbourhood and it shows Holy Rosary Catholic Church which was built in 1927 to replace a much smaller chapel that had been used since 1892. The new church was modeled after the 15th century Gothic church, St Mary The Virgin in St Neots, Huntingdonshire, England but when looking at that church you can't help but notice the grand bell tower it has. I could find no info on why there is no tower or steeple here but apparently there are beautiful stained glass windows that I couldn't see since the church was locked. I may have to start going to mass on Sundays in order to get inside these churches!
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click here for more religious buildings.
I caught this tennis class just starting at the club at St Clair & Spadina Rd last week. They were doing warm-up exercises before the real work began - summer has definitely arrived here!
It isn't officially summer here yet but it feels like it so I thought I would go by and check out the canoe sculpture that I showed you in April when this fountain was empty (click here to see it). What a difference water and leaves on the trees makes to our world!
I was out with the camera, looking for shots for the blog when this women went whizzing past me and disappeared into the distance. Her pace was pretty impressive!
There is no missing this vet's office on Bloor St W. The wall used to be a constant target for taggers but this sign has helped to solve that a lot although you can see that it has had to be touched up a bit .
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
Toronto is criss-crossed by an extensive network of deep ravines that have been carved out over the centuries by the 3 rivers and the numerous creeks & streams that run through the city. They have almost all been left in a natural state as a protection against flooding and so you are never very far from a path such as this one leading down from a busy downtown street into wilderness. They are well used by walkers, runners, and especially people walking their dogs!
I found this mural on the side of the service building in a local park looking out over the children's playground. The mural was donated to the city by artists in residence from the Tumivut Youth Shelter, a shelter for homeless Aboriginal youth, that is nearby. I'm sure the playing children must enjoy the wonderful images in the mural.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
The June theme for the City Daily Photo Blogs is Zest and there is nothing like a group of kids playing with a ball to give us a good demonstration of Zest and all its synonyms such as energy and enthusiasm. I captured these little guys after school one day in a park along a busy street downtown.
To see more examples of Zest from around the world, click here.
