Built as a Masonic lodge between 1876 and 1878, the Occident Hall, as it was then called, was one of the first buildings designed by architect E. J. Lennox, the man behind such iconic structures as Old City Hall and Casa Loma.
Occident and St. George’s Chapters held their meeting in the building. The spacious Blue Room on the top floor, which measured 50’ by 30’ was rented for various functions. This grand hall possessed a massive domed ceiling. Most Masonic Halls in this era contained large halls that they could rent to derive income for the upkeep of the building.
The windows on the second floor are Roman arches, but the yellow-brick trim above them is Gothic. This is an unusual design arrangement.
TORONTO, July 12, 2021 /CNW/ - Cadillac Fairview (CF) is proud to announce the CF Toronto Eaton Centre Art Corridor in partnership with OCAD University (OCAD U). The 18-month long exhibit features nine vibrant and inspiring designs created by three diverse and emerging OCAD U artists Raquel Da Silva, Jason Zante and Daria Joyce. Their art will transform a popular portion of Yonge Street into a beautiful outdoor gallery located directly above the iconic shopping centre.
November 2021 - I found ANOTHER Plensa in our archives! 2017 Beverly Hills, Los Angeles CA!!
Endless by Jaume Plensa
September 2021 - I was cleaning out photos in my archives and was stunned to find that we had another Jaume Plensa sculpture from a 2013 trip to Calgary!!
This sculpture called Wonderland is at the base of Calgary's tallest tower, The Bow. The wire mesh piece stands 39 feet high and resembles a young girl's head. (It was actually inspired by a real girl in Spain.) Interestingly, the sculpture has two entrances so that visitors can walk inside of it. “My vision for Wonderland is to inspire everyone who experiences the sculpture: I believe the architecture of our bodies is the palace for our dreams,” said Plensa.
It was one of those quiet weeks. We didn't get out very much. House stuff got done, rearranging plants and all the usual chores. The charity bag continues to get fuller.
The winter coats got need to be moved to the front closet.
I forgot to mention John was gifted this when he got the snow tires put on last week at the dealership.
Our toaster died so John ordered a new one using credit card points.
We went to Leon's and Homesense. Our living room lamp is starting to flicker, John has tried changing the bulbs but to no avail.
I did pick up a plant basket and another set of bath sheets.
We are kind of in the market for a new stand up freezer, ours is almost ten years old, is not frost-free and the plastic doors are all cracking and difficult to open. We're not in any hurry and didn't see anything that interested us.
We also stopped in to Loew's and Bed Bath and Beyond without getting anything.
We did go to Burger's Priest for lunch and chose to eat inside after showing our vax pass and ID. Always good!
Thursday I went to Farm Boy, Winners and $ store at College Park.
Friday John did a fruit and vegetable run to Lanzarota. Prices are climbing like crazy! A bag of romaine hearts $6.95!
I am almost finished knitting my sweater!! I am so excited that an Frida Immersive Dream is coming to Toronto!
Sunday Korean chicken skewers (link above) with a modified Asian salad. The chicken skewers were good, I did them in the oven. I thought the glaze could have been thicker.
I baked a gingerbread with crystalized ginger -new recipe. This tended to break up when we sliced it, but I have been reading a gluten free bread cookbook this week and it mentions if you take the bread out of the loaf pan too early your bread will break up.
Tuesday salad - romaine ham tomatoes hardboiled eggs cheese red onions nuts and berries salad topper
Wednesday seafood cioppino (link above), I didn't have any fennel but did have fennel seeds. It was very good, a nice change from our usual fish chowder.
Thursday chips (fries) fried eggs, fried tomatoes and beans
Friday Porterhouse steak with sauteed cabbage bok choy onions and mushrooms.
I baked cinnamon mini donuts and then went looking for copycat timbits recipe.
WATCHING
I finished The Forsyte Saga and was not quite satisfied with the ending.
I discovered finished Grantchester seasons 4 - 6 now on Prime PBS! I must say I thought the transitioning to a new vicar (spoiler alert) was very well done. Outlander's Tom Brittney is very easy on the eyes! As I watched more I have come to prefer the new vicar and his steadfastness unlike Sydney's flapping around like a chicken. The storylines have become much more interesting and now I need another season!
Mrs. Chapman's behaviour (no spoiler) has disappointed me turnaround was impressive.
I started an Australian series 2013 The Time of Our Lives, perfect for when I am in the kitchen.
We continued with Yellowstone.
Watched Yellowjackets - Pilot and thought it was good, think all-female Lord of the Flies.
It's odd watching these an episode at a time instead of bingeing.
We watched the 2 hour Adele special/promotion in one hour thanks to the PVR, There were so many commercials and we weren't interested in the Oprah interview. Adele was amazing and the stately backdrop of the Griffith Observatory was stunning.
Season 5 of Suspects turned out to be very riveting.
Tuesday was a dark rainy afternoon so we had a movie afternoon.
Just Mercy 2019 is a biographical legal drama which we both enjoyed.
Jump, Darling 2020 is a Canadian drama starring Cloris Leachman in one of her last roles before she died in 2021. A rookie drag queen, reeling from a breakup, returns to his aging grandmother's home in Prince Edward County in Ontario.
READING
I have never thought to read children or YA books, but based on the number of bloggers who do I tried some and enjoyed them.
Gluten-Free Bread Cookbook was a very good guide. I found more tips than most.
However most of her recipes use multiple flours and I didn't find any recipes that jumped out at me.
Gluten-Free Wish List cookbook - this book has pages and pages of information about gluten-free baking ingredients required as well as the equipment she uses.
1. Starts with "U" 2. A Favorite 3.UNUSUAL - chosen by Tom
Starts with "U"
URBANA Ohio Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio. Established in 1805, the town became the county seat with Champaign County’s creation in 1805. The town’s founder, William Ward, named Urbana after the word urbanity.
FAVOURITE
UMBRELLA
UNUSUAL
UNUSUAL UNITING Church Myponga, Kangaroo Island Australia
Even though it is starting to show its age the historic red sign that has hung above Williams Pawnbrokers on Church St. since 1950 is rich in history.
It has had the Williams name for all its 70 years – currently owned by Howard since 1982. Howard first got into the business as a way to stay out of trouble; but being a pawnbroker has since turned into his passion – leading him to run one of the longest operating and most successful pawn shops in Canada.
Still taking a small break from Toronto Lanes, but I'll get back to them.
The Athenaeum Club (167 Church St.)
Originally an athletic club built in 1891, this building was known as the “Labour Temple” from 1904-1968 after the club was purchased by the Toronto Trades and Labour Council by selling shares to members of associated unions. “A library was set up, many unions had their offices located here, and for the 64 years it operated as the centrepiece of the Toronto labour movement, and many meetings held here to discuss the key issues of the day,” says David Kidd, a CUPE member and labour historian who has led labour-themed walks through Toronto. Those issues included public ownership of the TTC and Toronto Hydro, and whether to support conscription during the two world wars. Today the façade of the Athenaeum Club is preserved as part of the “Jazz” apartments.
The Athenaeum Club 1891 Built for the Athenaeum Club, this façade was designed by the architectural firm Denison and King in a Moorish Revival style, rare in Toronto. It features intricate brickwork, several Moorish window arches, and in the balcony, a cast-iron column with an exotic capital. From 1904 to 1967, the building was the Labor Temple - a home to the local labour movement, and host to key debates in Canadian labour history.
Last weekend we were going to the McMichael Canadian Art Gallery in Kleinburg, about 38 km from home.
I had bookmarked these murals, not really thinking we likely would never be up that way.
A former Toronto Walmart is turning into one of Canada’s largest mural projects.
The retail giant recently closed the doors of their Edgeley Boulevard location in Vaughan, Ont. Instead of leaving the property vacant, SmartCentres, along with an alliance of artists, created an expansive series of murals.
In total, four works of art cover each side of the building, spanning 30,000 square feet.
Here Comes the Sun
Ricardo Cavolo is a Madrid-based artist known for eccentric and comic-inspired creations. His mural takes over the southern façade of the warehouse, and he directed the painting from Spain. “The worst part of this process was not being there, but the best part has been realizing this kind of magic is possible even when I’m in a different country,” says Cavolo. The bold colours and sunny, vibrant illustrations are meant to symbolize the power of sharing your inner light with the world to get through turbulent times.
Birds of a Feather
Multidisciplinary artist Jerry Rugg, known in street-art circles as BirdO, added his signature blend of animals and geometric shapes to the western façade of the warehouse. For this project, Rugg wanted to include a long-beaked kingfisher, which would fit his horizontal canvas perfectly. “My style is a merging of my interests: graffiti that pops up in unexpected places, surrealism that’s conceptually strange and graphic design that assembles the parts in a harmonious way,” says Rugg.
Better Together
Toronto artist Ben Johnston—who has painted murals in Serbia, India, Colombia and across North America—stamped his characteristic typography onto the northern façade of the building, using bold pinks and reds. “The colours are associated with joy, warmth, sunshine, enthusiasm and optimism,” says Johnston. “Now more than ever, we need to work together to create a better future.”
An Exploration of Our Timespace
The central figure in Montreal-based Jeremy Shantz’s abstract piece on the eastern façade is a disembodied character floating in a liminal space. Shantz created the drawing and worked with local artists to complete the project, in order to illustrate the different elements it takes to build a community. “Mural art is a fantastic platform for collaboration,” he says. “The talented artists interpreted the drawing through their hands, creating the most beautiful work of art.”
