Changes

 

I just happened to be going by while they were taking down scaffolding around the lower floor of this new building on Spadina south of Bloor St W. The tall building is a new student residence for U of Toronto while the small older building on the left was the site of a wonderful bookstore for 35 years. The old building is now just a reminder of its construction in 1885 and this part only survived after much resistance from neighbourhood groups to its proposed demolition.

Dog On High

 

I  thought that I would give you an idea of how tall the posts were that supported yesterday's dog sculpture by Stephen Cruise. You can see another of the sculptures, this one a chicken, in the background. The posts must be at least 25 ft tall or possibly more.

Sweet Pup

 

This is one of several sculptures by artist Stephen Cruise that are on tall posts running along beside the streetcar right of way along Spadina Ave south of Bloor St. I have always liked this one and have enjoyed watching the patina develop over the years. I'll show you its location tomorrow.

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

Leaves

 

A rare pleasant day called for a walk so I headed out for a bit. Walking along Bloor St W at Spadina I spotted these metal leaves attached to the grates over a ventilation shaft for the subway. I loved that someone thought of this and how it changed the whole atmosphere of the area from boring to something special. I couldn't find an artist signature.

Another Neighbour

 

This is Spadina House which is located beside Cas Loma at the top of those stairs that I showed you the other day. Built in 1866 it was privately owned until the 1980s when it was donated to the city. It was extensively updated and is now decorated in a style from the 1920s and 30s and is operated as a museum. There are many original features like murals that have been restored. This pic was taken early on a Sunday morning before any shoveling happened after the overnight snow.

At The Top

 

This is the view from the top of the stairs leading to Casa Loma looking back down the hill and along Spadina Rd to downtown. The CN Tower is hidden by the trees. I've always loved that large oak tree just left of centre in the pic.

Snowy Casa

 

I was walking up Spadina Rd  towards Casa Loma just after the snow had finished falling on a Sunday morning and loved this view with the trees and the Casa in the background. It was a perfect morning for a walk.

Archives

This is the entrance to the city of Toronto archives building on Spadina Rd. It opened in 1992 as a purpose-built building to house the records created by the city as well as scores of old maps and over a million photos. I haven't been in for a long time and must have another visit. 

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
 

Dreamy

 

I am not sure what the meaning of this mural on a utility box is but it looked rather dreamlike to me especially with all the snow around it. The artist is cocreation_art.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world. 

The Entrance

 

This is one of the entrances into yesterday's apartment building, Spadina Gardens. There are a lot of reflections on the door but if you look carefully you can see the S G etched into the glass. Hopefully it all survives.

A Classic

 

This apartment building is called Spadina Gardens and it was built in 1905-06 in the Classical Revival style. I have always loved the look of it as it reminds me what one might find in Paris. It has survived without being destroyed by redevelopment but several years ago was bought by a European group who would like to change that. There is a movie called "Charlotte's Castle" about how the tenants have been fighting back. I saw that there was a large notice out front detailing how the new owners would like to add 10 stories to the top of the property. We shall see if it gets approval.

Inclusion

This is another mural painted around the construction on Spadina Rd near the Alliance Francaise. It too was painted by Celia Pang and has all types of wonderful images included in it. There was no way to get a shot without the railings. 

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Respect

This mural was spotted on the barriers around city construction near the Alliance Francaise on Spadina Rd and hence the bilingual messages. The artist for this one is Celia Pang aka Dreamdoodle who worked with students from several schools. There are some good thoughts included on this one.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Dog Park In The Ravine

This was taken at one of the entry points into the ravine near Casa Loma. That is Spadina crossing over the ravine on that great bridge and the city has chosen this as a good place to put a dog park. It is always cooler down in the ravine so a fun place for the dogs to play.

From The Top Of The Stairs

When you reach the top of yesterday's stairs and turn around this is your view looking down along Spadina through the lovely trees of the annex neighbourhood and through downtown until you hit Lake Ontario.  Most of the tourists going to Casa Loma come up this way and then turn around to take this shot with the CN Tower in a starring role.

Very Red

This shot of a Japanese Maple was taken a few weeks ago on the grounds of Spadina House. Beautiful all year, it had turned this vibrant red for autumn. I was not the only person taking shots of it.

Sunday Fun

I had never seen a portable badminton net like this one but it is perfect for setting up a game in the park. The net is attached to a loop of metal and balances on the ground with a weight in the middle to hold it down. This couple was set up on the grounds of Spadina House.

The Greenhouse

 I love the greenhouse at Spadina House and always make a point of checking it out when in the area. Its beautiful shape is so pleasing all year long. Functional and beautiful at the same time.

Spadina Garden

 I thought I would show you just a small section of the garden at Spadina House where yesterday's bee was hanging out. The whole area of the garden was teeming with bees.

A Great Tree

I wanted to show you the tree that was used in Friday's post to frame Casa Loma. One nice thing about winter and the lack of leaves on the trees is that we can see the wonderful shapes the branches have. This is a great one.