This is the Weston Library which is in the Weston neighbourhood of the city. Weston was a small farm town outside the city but many years ago the city grew and engulfed it. The library was built in 1914 with a Carnegie Foundation grant and still retains the style of those times.
These are the tracks from the Up Express which is a train running from Union Station in downtown Toronto out to the Toronto Pearson International Airport. At this point in the Weston neighbourhood the tracks are first covered by these pipes and then head underground for a short distance. I'm not sure if these pipes are supposed to buffer the sound or what their purpose is.
This is one side of the pedestrian bridge that crosses the train tracks in the Weston neighbourhood. As you can see from the crane another condo tower is going up in town this one on the site of what had been the Weston Farmers Market. The market is supposed to relocate to the ground floor of the new building.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I spotted this Gothic Revival cottage in the Weston neighbourhood on a lovely sunny day. Isn't it a beauty with the wonderful brick patterning?
At least twice I have seen this house in the Weston neighbourhood being used for film sets which is understandable since it is rather unique. I like the big porch and the square room at the top right. And who doesn't like a weather vane?
I was back in the Weston neighbourhood a few weeks ago and thought that this house was dressed quite nicely for Christmas. I haven't been by after dark to see if there are any lights involved in the decorations. And you can see some of the flagstones from the Humber River framing little garden spaces.
We are back in the Weston neighborhood for this one which was a tiny little house with a turret when first built many years ago. But if you look over the shoulders of the roof you can see that there has been a large addition to the back of the house. I would like to see that room with the turret!
This is another of the big old houses in the Weston neighbourhood of Toronto. Many of them have these wonderful large porches that look perfect for sitting out watching the world go by. And they all seem to be in good condition despite their age.
Weston is a neighbourhood in the north-west part of Toronto and was a small town that became engulfed by the big city. You can still find many of the old large homes from the original town such as this, most have been restored. For some reason it is still a relatively affordable area in our crazy real estate market.
Another utility box that references the history of its location, this one is located in the Weston neighbourhood. Weston was the site of the CCM (Canada Cycle & Motor Company) plant until it closed in 1983. The company was formed in 1899 and produced most of the bicycles that Canadian kids rode through until the 1960s. I had 2 of them! In the winter the workers at the plant made ice skates from the scrap metal from the bikes. The artist for this one is Robin Hesse and she made a great choice using the Penny Farthing image, don't you think?
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This is yet another old church that I found in the Weston neighbourhood of the city. St John's Anglican Church was established in 1856 and this church built in 1879 several blocks north of this location and a fair distance from the downtown section of Weston which was then a small farming town. A decision was made to move it south closer to downtown and the move began in winter of 1894 while the dirt roads were frozen. A thaw came during the move and turned the road to mud and the church was parked in this location on Main St (now Weston Rd) and never moved any further. It thus remained a few blocks from the centre of town. The building has heritage listing and hopefully remains here for many more years!
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
This lovely church is located in the Weston neighbourhood of the city and was built in 1894 when Weston was a small farming village outside of the city but it is now right in the city. The parish was established in 1828 and a wooden church was built which burned in 1888 and resulted in the new brick church being constructed. That building originally consisted of the left half in this pic, basically from the front of the bell tower back to the left. the front half on the right was added in 1955. You can see the difference in the style of windows and a slight change in the roof. The cemetery has some very old graves - a few I saw were from the 1840s. Once more the doors were locked!
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
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.
I'm back into the archives for pics taken in warmer weather, this one is the of the cornerstone taken from one of the past buildings of Weston Collegiate Institute which is located in the Weston neighbourhood. The school was actually established in 1857 and is the second oldest high school in Toronto after Jarvis Collegiate. The present day student body is extremely diverse and in fact represents more than 80 different countries!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
It was hard to shoot this mural which I found in the Weston neighbourhood of Toronto since it is done as a triptych on a stepped wall along the main street. The panels show school children from 3 different eras and are meant to "celebrate the heritage and multi-cultural development of the Weston community". It was sponsored by various community groups with several different artists involved.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
The November 1 theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Heights."
I found this wonderful bike mural in the Weston neighbourhood of Toronto showing cyclists and walkers going along the trail beside the Humber River which runs all the way through the west end of the city. Weston was the home of the CCM (Canada Cycle& Motor Co Ltd) plant from 1917 until the firm's bankruptcy in 1983 and was where probably most of the bikes ridden in Canada up until then were produced. CCM together with the nearby Kodak plant was one of the major employers in the northwest part of the city and the closure of both of these companies has been a hardship for the area.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
This wonderful Second Empire home has long been one of my favourites in the city. It is located in the Weston neighbourhhood in the north-west part of the city far from my usual haunts but near where I grew up so I have been admiring it for a long time! Built in 1894, it is now historically designated so will remain true to its style on the outside at least. My grandmother's doctor lived and had his office here. There are many great old homes in this area and I plan to head up there for a photo tour when the weather improves (this pic was taken 2 weeks ago so some snow has melted since then).
I was running errands in the north end of the Weston neighbourhood of Toronto on the weekend and just caught a glimpse of the trees at the edge of this sign which is located high on a silo on the grounds of Satin Finish Hardwood Flooring. Of course I made a detour to get a better view and discovered that the company has been in business here for more than 90 years since 1922 and still operates from this same location and is still Canadian owned. And a whole flock of birds was coming in for a landing atop the structure which was pure luck!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
