The York Mechanic's Institute

At the North-East corner of Church and Adelaide Streets sits a heritage plaque:

 

This was not a former automobile garage, nor was it a training facility for mechanics. It was more a place for teaching new methods of manufacturing and craftsmanship.
It sponsored lectures, held classes and operated a lending library.
This was one of the many steps that eventually led to the present Toronto Library System.
It wasn't until the early 1900's that borrowers were allowed to retrieve books for themselves, instead of asking the staff.
Over the years, the City received enough money from Andrew Carnegie to build ten libraries.
As well, the Library has been the recipient of a number of private collections from a few philanthropists.
One such gift was over 4,000 pictures and pictorial material from John Ross Robertson. This Toronto resident was the founder of the Toronto Telegram, and a fervent advocate of amateur hockey. There is a plaque in front of his home on Sherbourne Street and there is a Public School named after him.
Another donation came from a British librarian back in 1934 (the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books). As well, the is a Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection housed on the second floor of the Lillian H. Smith Library. This collection was donated by Judith Merrill, a fiction writer herself. It is a non-circulating research collection of over 72,000 items.
Her life story is something that I should blog about in the near future.
While the world was celebrating the arrival of the Millennium, the Toronto Public Library received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This allowed the library to purchase 400 internet workstations.
On going sponsor-ships from companies such as the Toronto Star and Toronto Dominion Bank, have allowed the Toronto Reference Library to display some of their collections.

Royal Ontario Museum Rotunda

The intricate designs in the mosaic ceiling of the ROM are probably overlooked by most visitors.
I happened to be on an "Insider's Tour" one afternoon, when the guide stopped to point out the various symbols that adorn the museum's rotunda.

The writing says "That All Men Shall Know His Work".
The rotunda was designed by the ROM architects as part of the 1932 addition to the main building.
Italian craftsmen from Connolly Marble and Tile, worked for eight months to assemble and install the tiles from more than 4,000 12inch by 18 inch Venetian glass.

It was meant to reflect the breadth of the collections contained within.
Above the arches, and in the four corners of the base, are representations of four different styles of architecture:

• Mesopotamian ziggurat
• Egyptian pylon or gateway
• Classic Greek temple
• Mayan temple

 

Between the arches, are four panels; each containing symbols of the early culture.
Some examples are:

• A bison - reminding us of the early cave drawings
•  The winged Lion of St Mark (from Venice)
• The Sacred White Elephant, from India
• The Egyptian Falcon, grasping the symbol for the fullness of Life.

 In total, the symbolism of the dome's pictures suggests a unity of spirit for all work through the ages.

Turner at the AGO

We were nearing the end of the Turner Exhibit, so Marcia and I attended one day last week (she has a membership).

I also wanted my friend, Kinga to see this exhibit, so I snapped up a MAP (Museum and Arts Pass) from my local library.
We almost didn't make it into the gallery, due to the fact that I never kept the receipt.

But, I managed to hike over to the Lillian H. Smith Library, where they reprinted the receipt. Thank goodness!
We still had to pay ten dollars each to see the exhibit, because the MAP only gets you in the gallery.

I snapped a couple of pictures, but anyone can see his landscapes simply by surfing the net.

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851).
He was born in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London.
His father was a barber and wig maker, while his mother came from a family of butchers.
There is a film that was released in 2014 (Mr. Turner). His character was played by Timothy Spall.

 

 According to Wikipedia, Turner became more eccentric over the years, and had only a few close friends. Apparently, his father lived with him for some 30 years, working as his studio assistant, where he mixed pigments and stretched canvases for his son.

This is a photo of my favourite Turner painting.
At the end of the gallery tour, Kinga said "it makes me want to go home and paint".

Word On The Street

While in Vancouver, my sister and I attended the "Word On The Street" event.

The City cordoned off the area around the area bounded by West Georgia Street and Robson, so it was easy to wander around the streets and take our time.


Something that I missed while in Vancouver was the three-dimensional art installation in Vancouver's Central Library courtyard.
It was completed in 2010, but obviously not while I was there.

   

I found the information and picture by accident while surfing, so added it to my BC Trip. It boasts over 1200 LED bulbs, and uses a typography that was once very familiar to Vancouverites; it recalls the City's NEON past when the legendary Woodward's sign was visible over the skyline.

The artist, Ron Terada explained that "it references within the context of a public library, since it touches upon the use of words and language as boundless and imaginative".

 

Dr. Sun Yat -Sen Park

Just looked at the posts for my "BC Trip", and noticed that I never put any pictures of Chinatown in the group.

So....here goes. Please excuse the lack of information on each picture since it has been a long time (2010) since I took these photos.

Entrance to the park.

Inside.
As you can see the park is dwarfed by condominiums in the area west of the downtown core.
These pictures tell all there is to say about this place.

This last picture is the Chinese Zodiac sign for my year of birth 1944.

Incidentally, this year, 2016 is the year of the Monkey, so according to Chinese lore, I am supposed to wear red.

Doors

I have been capturing colorful and interesting doors in Toronto for a few months, now, and thought that I should post some of them.


All pictures were taken by me with my Smartphone.

Above is the door at Church of St. Mark, in Parkdale.
Note the Historical Plaque on the left.
 

 Even though it looks like a church door, it really is the entrance to an old Police Station on Bloor West, near Cowan Avenue.
 

 

This is a photo of the front entrance way to Julie's Mansion (aka The Keg) on Jarvis. The building was once home to the Massey family.

The door in this photo is part of a building that once housed the Canadian Red Cross, but now is a Youth Community Centre.

Hidden way back from the street and guarded by two lion statues, is this red door in Wychwood Park.

Some owners of the stores along Queen West have restored the original wooden doors, in hopes of making the storefront inviting.

 Here we have two wonderful doors side by each in Cabbagetown.

A blue door in Cabbagetown.

Another Cabbagetown door, with wonderful victorian etched glass.

Lastly, there are some older homes in the Annex that have doors and porticos with lots of character.

Oldest Toronto Hotels

One day last summer, my friend Tim decided to do something he called "Ye Olde Pub Crawl". According to him there are only a few pubs/hotels over 100.
Tim wanted to visit as many of these places as possible and sample their fare.

So, off we went on our historical adventure.
The first stop was the Gladstone Hotel at 1214 Queen West.

Here is Tim at the bar.
According to Wikipedia, this establishment is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto. It has been lovingly restored, and even kept the bar and event space open during renovations.

This is the original hand-driven elevator, that still works...so Tim and I took a ride up to the third floor gallery and walked back down afterwards.

Now the Dominion Hotel was closed at the time we ventured east on Queen Street.
This pub was a natural extension to the Dominion Brewery located just west of Sumach. This was an active brewery until 1936, and is now an upscale office block.

At the Black Bull Hotel/Tavern, the bartender told us that this place was the oldest in Toronto.

This is a drawing of the hotel (Source: Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto - 1894).

Here is Tim on the patio of the Black Bull.
 

When we arrived at the Wheat Sheaf, and told the folks there that the Black Bull was the oldest, they disagreed.
The signage over the entrance to this pub says "A Toronto tradition since 1849"

 
Here is Tim perusing the menu at the last stop.
And that was our pub tour for today.
I was certainly ready for a nap after all that beer and food; not to mention the walking.
Tim also wanted to visit the Brunswick, but it was closed as well...apparently only opens at 4 pm.

Wychwood Park Tour

In 1874, a painter named Marmaduke Matthews, built the first house on Bracondale Hill, near Bathurst and Davenport.
The second one was built by Alexander Jardine, a friend of Mr. Matthews.
Together they purchased adjacent land, and in 1891 they registered a plan for a subdivision that became known as the gated community of Wychwood Park.

Many of the homes were built in the English Arts and Crafts Style and several of them were designed by Eden Smith.

The land was divided into irregularly shaped lots, and Taddle Creek was dammed up to create a pond. A park was designed around this new pond and tennis courts added to the acreage.

It should be noted here, that this is now one of the only parts of the city, where Taddle Creek is still visible above ground.

                                           Wychwood Park, general creek scene
                                               June 17, 1916  City of Toronto Archives
                                                                  Series 393, Item 13270

The streets and amenities here are paid for by the residents, and the community is pretty much managed by an executive council.
Several prominent figures have lived in the area, including Marshall McLuhan and Anatol Rappaport.
In the 1980's the area was threatened by demolition of one of the larger houses, for redevelopment. This prompted the trustees and residents to seek designation as a Heritage Conservation District.
In 1985, it became the first residential zone in Ontario to be granted heritage status.