Inside the Mystery

 

I showed you the outside of this mysterious building a few weeks ago (HERE) and happened to go by recently when the front wall was totally open. A nearby security guard told me that the space is to have some kitchen areas with some demonstrations and that people would be able to sit on these large 'stairs' to eat and watch.

Old And New

 

This is a shot of Markham St in the Mirvish Village development on the old Honest Ed's site. Ed's store was where the new buildings are but he also owned all of these old Victorian house that were rented out as studios, shops and restaurants all at reasonable rental rates. The houses are being restored and a few are again occupied. The building on the right was a pub before and now is open as a restaurant with a small patio out front. We have to wait to see what the others become.

Coming Soon

 

I am still on the redevelopment site of the old Honest Ed's location. You can see in this drawing a bit of the scale of the development with the construction of several tall rental apartment buildings as well as the refurbishment of the old Victorian buildings along Markham St. It occupies a square city block and the whole thing is called Mirvish Village after Honest Ed himself who was Ed Mirvish. It looks like there are lots of activities to come in the neighbourhood.

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

A Bit Of A Mystery

 

Just  across the road from yesterday's parkette in the Honest Ed's complex is this rather mysterious building. With a group of high rises as a backdrop it is short and the front of it folds open like a garage door. I have no idea what it will become but I would guess that it will be some type of community activity centre. It is still under construction.

Stary Wall

 

The redevelopment of the old Honest Ed's site has been going on for several years but they have finally been opening some businesses and this is a parkette along Markham St which has a stage area, plantings, and this great mural which has no artist info. That is a fountain on the right side but it wasn't turned on when I was there.

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

New Tower

 

They are building a timber tower as an addition to one of the athletic buildings at U of Toronto. When I went by in November it was covered in tarps so I will have to go back to check out the progress.

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

Slow Progress

 

Construction of this condo building has been going on for years now so they must be doing a lot of fine details on the interior. A Starbucks sign has appeared on the ground floor which was a bit of a surprise since it looks like a long time before it will be opening.

Joining

 

I'm always fascinated by the methods architects find for joining additions to old historic buildings. This is a pic of the Royal Conservatory building taken from the pathway of Philosopher's Walk. I like the joining of the new with the old and the glass walls must give a grand view of all the trees along the Walk. I do wonder about birds flying into all that glass though.

Progress

 

I showed you this laneway house a few weeks ago (HERE) and went by recently to check the progress and spotted 2 guys doing the roof. It looks like things are moving along well. I'll keep track of it.

More Laneway Construction

 

Yet another laneway house is under construction in the neighbourhood, replacing a garage. There are no windows allowed on the sides because it is right on the property line so a lot of these houses have large skylights. I'll try to keep track of this one to see how it turns out.

Small Foundation

Yet another laneway house is under construction near me. This one looks like it is going to be a small one judging by these foundation walls. It looks like it is the same size of the garage it is replacing. We will have to wait to see.
 

Demolition

 

This is all that remains of a long term care home that has been demolished slowly over the last few months. Unfortunately I think it is being replaced with a condo tower but we shall wait and see. It would be nice if it was a nicer LTC instead.

Renewal

 

This fine looking building is a Toronto Hydro substation that has just undergone an extensive refurbishment that seemed to last  over a year. All of the mortar between the bricks was ground out and replaced and even the stone steps were reset. The building is well over 100 years old and looks ready for the next 100.

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.

 

I went by the old Honest Ed's development site lately after hearing on the news that it will be about a year until it is all finished. It was nice to see that these old buildings along Markham St have all been restored and are waiting for new windows. The first building on the right used to be a cafe and the others housed galleries and studios. It will be interesting to see what happens to them. Those high rises behind are all to be rental apartments with some at affordable rents.

Construction Continues

 

I've been following the conversion of this church on Bloor St into condos for a few years (see HERE) and went by the backside of it to see what was happening there. There is nothing but the facade left and 2 towers with most of the previous interior parts of the facade clad in plastic. It certainly looks like completion is a long way off.

Curves Continue

 

I showed you this building under construction in the Annex neighbourhood back in May (HERE) and as you can see work continues. I am still thinking that it will be quite interesting when finished. Love those curved balconies.

A Different View

 

I thought that I should show you a different view of the Wychwood library from the one I showed on Tuesday. This one gives a better idea of how the addition is linked to the original building. I do plan on going by for some interior shots.

Library Addition

 

This is the Wychwood Library which was one of 10 libraries in Toronto funded by the Carnegie Foundation. It was built in 1916 and had a round addition built in the 70s ( See HERE). The latter addition has been removed and this modern wing visible on the right was added which more than doubled the floor space in the building. The library was closed for 4 years to undergo construction. I'll have to go in one day for interior shots to check out the new and old features.

Ongoing Work

 

I've been watching the progress of the construction around what was Bloor St United Church which was sold for condo construction. I last showed it a quite a while ago (HERE). All that is left now is the facade and the towers as work goes on behind it.