This huge mural is located on College St in the Kensington Market neighbourhhod. The young guy looks so carefree up on a roof looking out over trees when he is actually in a busy part of downtown. The artist for this one is Young Jarus who has done a lot of commissioned murals around town.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I spotted this tidy home while walking down Clinton St a few weeks ago. It looks rather Bauhaus influenced to me and what a contrast to its attached neighbour! I like it a lot!
The funnel on this post is meant to stop squirrels from getting up to bird feeders at the top but as you can see it doesn't always work. This squirrel would simply leap from the ground and grab onto the post above the funnel and then hang on with one foot while reaching across to the feeder. He was out there for at least 10 minutes having his full. He won't go hungry!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
That fluff hanging above the squirrel is nesting material for the birds.
I shot this pic down the laneway from the bunny that was painted on a garage door that I showed a couple of weeks ago. The lane is known as Croft St and is mostly lined with garages but there are a several homes as well. This building was originally a munitions factory in WWI and then was a rug cleaning building before being converted into five townhouses each of which is about 2,000 sq ft and will set you back around $2million. They look totally different in summer when covered in ivy (see HERE). More places that I would love to see inside!
This is the modern face of the back of the Daniels building which I have been showing you the last 2 days. You can see the fencing around to stop access to areas still to be completed. There will be a protected courtyard below the grade here as well as berms of greenery. Quite a difference from the Gothic Revival front! I will have to go back when all of the interior spaces have been completed - maybe it will be part of Doors Open this year.
The sign says do not enter but this is the new entrance into the Daniels building at U of T which I showed from the front south exposure yesterday. Here I have moved up Spadina Cres along the side to show you where the old Gothic Revival building meets the new modern half of the building. Our spring is very delayed and landscaping was still being put off when I took this pic. I like how they have joined the two architectural styles here.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This is the building found across from the red brick Borden building at U of T which I showed you last week. This is 1 Spadina Cres and is found in the centre of a roundabout of Spadina Ave just north of College St. It was built in 1875 as Knox College which was a Presbyterian theological school, then became a military hospital during WWI, then had various government uses until being purchased by U of T in the 1970s. The university used it for various office spaces and then for the visual arts program until a major renovation proposal was unveiled in 2013. This is now the John H Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Design and the new use was opened in late 2017 although during a recent wander I found a lot of construction still going on inside. I will show you the wonderful modern addition on the north side over the next two days.
I spotted this colourful tiger along Harbord St near the U of Toronto. It was done by Shalak another one of my favourite mural artists in the city. It looks like it was done several years ago since there are a few areas peeling off but it still looks good.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This sculpture was installed beside our city hall in 2016 and is titled "Peace Through Valour". It was commissioned by the Italian-Canadian community and is dedicated to the 93,000 Canadians who took part in the Italian campaign of WWII. The artist is Ken Lum and four members of the armed forces surround a model of the Italian town of Ortona which was the site of major fighting.
I spotted this robin last week just days before we had several days of rain, ice pellets and freezing rain and the poor bird didn't look too happy then so now it must really be in a mood! It has been an April to remember so far!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is a pic of the carving found at the top of the columns of the porch in yesterday's pic. It is good to see that the details have survived the years so well and are now visible after a growth of vines has been removed.
This building which is found on Spadina Ave just north of College St was built in 1900 as part of City Dairy which was owned by the Massey family. It was taken over by the University of Toronto (U of T) many years ago and is now called the North Borden building and houses various offices and centres of the university. It looks like it hasn't received a lot of TLC through the years and you can see where the two right-hand arches of the front porch have been filled in at some point. The columns on the building are wonderful and I will show you a close-up of some of the carving on them tomorrow. Hopefully this building will get some work done on it now that the new Architecture building has been completed across the road from it. I'll show it next week.
I really liked these colourful balconies when I spotted them on a College St building. They are quite tiny but they must bring a lot of colour into the units. I must go back when it is sunny to see how they glow.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
The garage with yesterday's Birdo mural runs behind this street of lovely Victorian semi-detached homes just north of College St. Each home has a garage behind that is accessed by the laneway which should leave the streets car-free but that is not usually the case. This is the typical type of home in the older parts of the city and each of these could set you back by somewhere between one and two million dollars or even more if there has been a super upgrade of the kitchen etc. Our prices are crazy!
Birdo is one of my favourite mural artists in the city and I was pleased to discover this piece during a recent walk down a laneway near College St. I wish I had found this cutie before Easter as it would have been the perfect post! Tomorrow I'll show you what the houses look like that own the garages along here.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This has become a common sight here where older low rise commercial buildings are being overshadowed by tall buildings either beside them or behind them as in this pic taken on Dundas St behind our city hall. One wonders how long these small buildings will survive without being taken over by yet another tower.
I took this pic back in February when we still had snow. This lovely female Cardinal was having a bit of lunch and I caught her with her mouth full. The male Cardinals are so bright but the subtle tones of the females are wonderful.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
While wandering around the outside of the Church Of The Holy Trinity I discovered this small door tucked into a recess at the back of the building. I have no idea what it leads to but someone spent a lot of time making it look church-like don't you think? After finding out about the fire at the front door it is good to see a camera up beside this one.
This is the door which was visible when I first showed you the Church Of The Holy Trinity on Tuesday. This door is not used but rather one enters the church from the side although the large heart works to welcome all into the congregation. It is a lovely doorway but could use some TLC.
* Since I wrote this post I have found out that the doors here were set on fire last summer and new replacements are near completion and this will again be the grand entrance to the church. You can actually see a bit of charring on the threshold of the doorway.
One of the important programs at the Church Of The Holy Trinity is the Trinity Square Cafe which serves reasonably priced lunches during the week. The cafe is a not-for-profit which runs as a volunteer and training program for people with mental health issues to help them to obtain work in other establishments. They serve soups, salads, and sandwiches with all of the baked goods made on site.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This is The Church Of The Holy Trinity which is located right downtown beside the Eaton Centre which is the huge downtown mall that is a major tourist attraction for those who like to shop. The church was built in 1847 and was slated to be torn down when the Eaton Centre was built but as a result of community outrage it was saved. It is now surrounded by a hotel, the Centre and an office tower but this view looking in from Bay St is still impressive even in winter. This is an Anglican church which has taken an active part in ministering to the homeless and needy. I will show you a bit more tomorrow.
I spotted this mural on the side of a real estate office on Harbord St and I wonder if the binoculars refer to the agents always on the lookout for homes. The artist for this one is Adrian Forrow who is apparently an artist, illustrator, and also an instructor at the Ontario College of Art and Design. I like his style.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
It has been colder than normal so far this spring but the sun is strong and it has heated the ground up enough to bring out the Winter Aconite. Such a cheerful sight! They open up when the sun hits them and stay closed if it is cloudy.
After a winter spent looking rather drab the Goldfinches are starting to show a bit of yellow coming in. These two which I spotted last week were the most yellow of any that I have seen so far. Spring may be coming even though it has been colder than normal.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is one of the urns found at the entrance to the centre wing of Osgoode Hall which is the home of the Law Society of Ontario on Queen St Beside our City Hall. I love the background of the textured wall of the hall.
I'm not sure what kind of bird that is supposed to be on this Little Library but he/she likes books! There was a nice assortment of books in this one.
This metal-clad building has survived in a laneway for many years but is now surrounded by houses that sell in the million dollar range so you wonder how long it will be there. I'm not sure if the sheet metal business is still in operation but I can see this space being easily converted to a living space. I love that old rusted sign.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I really like Gothic Revival cottages and these ones on Clinton St are beauties that have been lovingly restored. This was a very common style in Ontario in the early 20th century. If you closely at the roofline on the right hand one it looks as f there has been an addition to the back which makes sense since they are not large houses. I like the porch on the left hand one.
I spotted this great mural on the side of a building along Harbord St. It was along a narrow laneway so it was hard to get back to get a pic head on. The Blue Jays are additions glued onto the sky which is painted on the wall. The artist for this one is lupoarts aka Luke Pollard. This is one of my new favourites.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
The April theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is One Colour and my submission is this wonderful vintage fire truck which I photographed at the St Patrick's Day parade on Bloor St. All of the trucks and other vehicles of the Toronto Fire Services are red and it seemed like a suitable colour for me to feature.
Taking part in the theme One Colour. To see more examples from around the world click HERE.
