Spadina House

If you were to continue through the gate that I showed yesterday, this would be your view of Spadina House which is a historic house museum operated by the City of Toronto. The interior shows styles from the 1860s through to the 1930s. It is a really interesting place to visit and I have done so several times. The grounds of the house are wonderful for a wander too.
 

Shoe Museum

 

This is the Bata Shoe Museum which is located on Bloor St very near yesterday's hot dog stand. The museum was designed by architect Raymond Moriyama and is celebrating its 30th anniversary. It is a surprisingly (to me) interesting place to visit with a collection going back thousands of years as well as special exhibits of a more contemporary style. The building is said to reference an open shoe box.

Railway Museum

 

This was the sign at the entrance to the railway museum in Merida Mexico. It was quite interesting to tour as it gave a good history of the development of the railway in the state of the Yucatan. I liked the style of the stencilled letters on the sign.

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

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.

Glass

 

This is the central staircase in the Raymond Moriyama designed Bata Shoe Museum. That 42 ft tall window faces south and lights the whole central part of the building. The window was done by artist Lutz Haufschild using painted, bevelled and laminated glass.

Reflection

 It is always fun to check out the reflections in the triangular windows of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) when walking along Bloor St. This addition to the museum was designed by Daniel Libeskind and is due to have a few changes made to parts of it but I hope the windows remain intact.

May Theme: Museum

The May theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Museum and I couldn't show anything other than our Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) with its wonderful Crystal addition. The Crystal addition was designed by Daniel Libeskind and opened in 2007 to much debate. You either love it or hate it. I quite like it. In this shot you can see how the addition crashes into the older traditional building. 

Taking part in the museum theme. Click HERE to see more museums from around the world.

No Words Needed

These wonderful signs for the washrooms were spotted at the Fort York museum. They are simple but so effective that words aren't really needed.  

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Future Sneakers

There is a show going on at the Bata Shoe Museum about sneakers of the future and all the innovations to come in production and features. I loved the young boy running by the high tech shoes while he is wearing simple functional sandals. Taken when our weather was a bit warmer than today.

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Guardian Lion

 This is one of a pair of marble Chinese guardian lions that are found outside one of the entrances to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). They are from the 17th century and were obtained by the ROM in 1923. This one looks quite fierce.

Fantasy & Nature

This is a poster for a show at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) featuring the beasts of nature and how they have inspired stories and folklore through the ages. It sounds intriguing don't you think.

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

The ROM

This is a shot of the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) from the opposite side that I showed it last week. Here you can really see how the addition designed by Daniel Libeskind looks like it has collided with the original building. 

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Reflections On A Museum

While walking along Bloor St W I was struck by the interesting reflections in the windows of the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). These angular structures are part of the Daniel Libeskind designed addition to the museum.

A Side View

This is the view of yesterday's building which you get when you are walking up Spadina Rd. There is something about the proportions and colour of this building which I love.

For The Chauffeur

 This is one of the outbuildings found on the grounds of Spadina House and it is one of my favourites. It was built in 1909 as the chauffeur's residence and I believe there was a section given over to the garage. I love the Gothic Revival look of it. It is now a private residence and I'm not sure if it is connected to the operations of the main house.

Painting

This artist had brought all her supplies with her and was painting a watercolour of Spadina House as she sat in the cool shade. I didn't want to bother her so didn't go by to view the work.

Believe

This banner has been installed on the fence at the Spadina House museum. At first I found it a bit difficult to read but it says "believe in your power to change", something which we have all had to do this last year. The banner is part of the ShowLoveTO project of the city but I forgot to get the artist's name.  TO is a nickname for Toronto.

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

More ButterflyWay

I have shown you  a few of these blue canoes which are part of the ButterflyWay project of the David Suzuki Foundation movement to encourage neighbourhood across Canada to establish suitable habitats for bees and butterflies. This one is located on Davenport Rd where it crosses Bathurst St and that little building behind it is one of the original tollkeeper cottages that once were used to house the families of tollkeepers who collected tolls along the roadway. It has been dated back to 1835 and is now a museum about the toll roads of the 1800s but because of covid it is closed. I will go back for a picture in the spring when the flowers come out.  

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

The ROM

The building on the opposite corner from yesterday's post is the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). In this pic you can see the original 1932 building and also the Crystal wing which was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind and constructed in the early 2000s. The sign visible on the building is for the Bloodsuckers show which explores nature's vampires such as bats & leeches. Not something I will be rushing to see. That is the Royal Conservatory of Music just peeking at us from the distance.  
Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Recyling

Our Nuit Blanche event took place a few weeks ago which involves a myriad of free art installations set up all over the city and runs from sunset to sunrise. One of the locations was the large garden at Spadina House which had illuminated structures made from recycled things suspended from the trees. This large oak tree had these blue orbs which were made from blue bottles and during the night event were lit from within. They were still hanging there a week ago when I passed through.