Toronto Necropolis

Back in July of this year, I went on a ROM Walk of the Toronto Necropolis.

This cemetery is comprised of 18.25 acres, and was opened to replace Potter's Field, which at one time was situated on the North West corner of Bloor and Yonge Streets.

Pictured here is the plaque located at the entrance to the grounds.

The Chapel, the Porte-Cochère, and the Superintendent's Lodge were all built in 1872 by Henry Langley.

This was a good time to photograph the Chapel's steeple, all covered with ivy.

To the right of the Chapel is the entrance way or Porte-Cochère, and the Lodge for the grounds keeper or superintendent.

When Potter's Field became completely full, the City fathers moved everyone to the Necropolis.
Some of Toronto's earliest settlers and quite a few famous Torontonians are buried here on these grounds.

This picture is the tombstone of William Lyon Mackenzie.

You can also find Ned Hanlan, George Brown and Thornton Blackburn; buried here; but the most recent funeral would be that of Jack Layton.
The woman standing in the forefront is our guide on this walk.

Finally, I do not know who this man and his family were, but I was attracted to the sleeping lions that circumvent the tombstone.

The Annex

Last month I took a tour of "The Annex" with the ROM Walks (Royal Ontario Museum).

This area was the city's first planned suburb for professional and upper middle class residents, with some unique Toronto architecture. We traveled over to Bedford Avenue, and north to Lowther, where Taddle Creek Park sits.
There is a large sculpture, called "The Vessel" in the centre of this small but busy park.

We then wandered along Lowther to number 26, which was designed for Barbara Gordon.
It features the elements of both Italianate and Gothic Revival styles.

In 1880 Ms. Gordon married Robert Parker, owner of Parker's Steam Dye Works (later renamed Parker's Cleaners).

Further along Lowther, we come to number 78, which is a residence now, but used to be the stables for the Eaton family.

The mansion at the corner (157 St. George) was built for Edward Eaton in 1898, but is now a U. of T. frat house.

Across the street, at 196 St. George, is The First Church of Christ, Scientist, which was completed and dedicated in 1916.
The architect was Solon S. Beman, of Chicago, who also built several edifices for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

South of here, at 135, stands the George Gooderham House, built for his large family in 1898, but today it is owned by the York Club.

According to our tour guide, this house is an example of Romanesque Revival style architecture, with its rounded-arched entrances and circular turrets.

From St. George we walked two blocks west to Madison Avenue. where there are still many, mansions lining the street. Almost all of the original structures have survived.

All pictures were taken by myself, except for this final picture, which is from Google Maps.

Finally, what visit to the Annex is not complete unless you visit the "Maddy" (The Madison Avenue Pub).

Parkdale

Mother's Day found me in front of the Parkdale Library on Queen West.

I had decided to explore Parkdale with the first guided ROM Walk of the 2015 season.
The leader took us south on Cowan Avenue and talked about some of the history behind the founding and subsequent amalgamation with the City of Toronto.

This was Parkdale's first telephone exchange.

Many of the churches in Parkdale were built in the late 1880's. Like this one.

This is the St. Mark and Epiphany Church.

Back up on Queen Street, we stopped in front of a building that once housed the Parkdale constabulary. It was almost in ruins until the residents arranged to have it fixed up. It is an art gallery at present, but has retained the original front door and clock.

There are a few hidden gems located within the boundaries of Queen & King
One of them is Trenton Terrace:

This is a cute little row of worker houses built post WWI for the local factory worker families.

Another little enclave is Melbourne Place:

A little bit of trivia here.
On Dunn Avenue, at 157 lived a very well known writer named Mazo de la Roche.
I believe there is a documentary out there called "The Mystery of Mazo de la Roche"
She also lived at 86 Yorkville Avenue for a time.....but that's another story.