Monthly Archives: March 2013
<PHOTO – Harvey R. Naylor, City of TORONTO Archives>The Greenwood Yards – where the subway trains go off-shift
One of several subway train yards around TORONTO. This one is on Greenwood Avenue in the East End. PHOTO – http://www.jamiesarner.com
TORONTO Power Generating Station, NIAGARA FALLS (now retired)
Built in the Beaux-Arts-style and designed by architect E. J. Lennox, this station provided electric power for the City of Toronto from 1906 until February 15, 1974. In its prime, it had a generating capacity of 137,500 horsepower. Now the station is a national heritage site, maintained by the Niagara Parks Commission. <PHOTO – Mike Garrett>
The Royal Ontario Museum refocuses its thinking, beginning with a new logo
As the Royal Ontario Museum approaches its 2014 centennial, changes are afoot: a new copper roof, landscaping, lighting, a reconfiguring of the lobby and exhibition spaces, brighter colours, a lower admission price, and a new logo.
DA MAO and ER SHUN arrive in TORONTO on board the Panda Express
This is DA MAO, one of two giant pandas, on board the FedEx Panda Express last evening. The pandas will spend 5 years at TORONTO’s Zoo; then another 5 in CALGARY. They’ll be ready to meet the public on May 18.
And below, ER SHUN, the second panda. After a welcome from the Prime Minister they were given a police escort to the Zoo. <PHOTOS – Toronto Zoo and FedEx>
The Model Railroad Club of Toronto has left the building
Founded in 1938, The Model Railroad Club of TORONTO is one of North America’s premier 0-scale clubs. (I.e. each quarter inch on the model = 1 foot in real life.) And what a model! The Central Ontario Railway is an enormous, intricately detailed microcosm of the 1950s transition-era railways of Ontario, crafted over 76 years by the club members. The entire layout has been dismantled, and moved from a LIBERTY VILLAGE warehouse (formerly a wartime munitions factory) to a new location, 11 Curity Avenue, near St. Clair Avenue East and O’Connor Drive. For up-to-date info: http://www.modelrailroadclub.com
Carla Hemlock’s tribute to the Mohawk ironworkers, who helped build Manhattan
“Tribute to the Mohawk Ironworkers”, 2008, by Carla Hemlock, pays homage to the Mohawk skyscraper builders from KAHNAWAKE reservation near MONTREAL. For over a century, these fearless men have tread narrow steel beams high above MANHATTAN, working on iconic structures like the Empire State Building and the World Trade Centre. Ms. Hemlock’s wall tapestry, in quilted cotton and beads, is part of the Smithsonian Institution collection in WASHINGTON, DC.
Federal Budget: we fill our own potholes, but Massey Hall gets an $8m reno
It’s 119 years old, sits on a hemmed-in site downtown, has played host to anybody who’s anybody in the entertainment world, and needs some fixing up and expansion. The federal government has come to the rescue, with an $8 million “kick start” announced in yesterday’s federal budget. The original stage will remain as-is, sightlines will be improved, and new seating installed. The building will expand into a rear laneway, shared by the Elgin and Winter Garden theatres, and the forthcoming Massey Tower.
PHOTOS – night exterior, Nephron/wikimedia & interior http://www.myworldofphotos.com
PETER HARRIS paints TORONTO in the small hours of the morning
PETER HARRIS paints the city in the overnight hours. “My paintings use the local environment of my daily life to examine the modern landscape as the majority of Canadians experience it – within an urban setting. With over 80% of Canadians now living in cities, our relationship to, and idea about what constitutes an authentic Canadian landscape are continually evolving.”
<Night Lot, 1:45 am, Peter Harris>
<Gas Station, 2 am, Peter Harris>
<King’s Noodle Restaurant, Chinatown West, Peter Harris>
A glass canopy fit for a cathedral . . . St. James’ Cathedral, Church @ King Street E.
Many downtown churches have had a windfall lately from selling property and air rights to developers. There’s money in the bank for much needed upgrades. A classy glass canopy now connects St. James’ Cathedral to a renovated yellow-brick Church House at the rear.
Toronto Savvy 