Parkdale is not far from us, but we haven't spent any time there we moved here almost six years ago. These photos are from a section that runs along Queen St. West.
Monday, a holiday here in Ontario, we decided to check it out. I had a location in mind, but that deserves its own post. There were also some churches that will appear over the next few weeks along with other murals spotted.
This diverse community is home to Tibetan, North African and West Indian enclaves mixed in with some great bars, restaurants, vintage fashion, furniture and fabric stores.
There are many murals in this area, a Birdo.
An unusual amount of U-Haul trucks in the background!
Lights, camera, Toronto! Many movies are made here in Toronto. On any given day there are at least twenty shoots taking place around town.
The Bell Boxes Murals Project has painted 160 murals on Bell Canada outdoor utility boxes throughout Toronto, Southern Ontario and Quebec.
Jim Bravo – Celebrating the forgotten cinemas of Parkdale.
There are still many of the original buildings along this part of Queen St. West,
Another Bell mural box.
1408 1410 Queen St W 1910 photo. In 1889 F W Hutt operated a hardware store Furnishings Paints and Putty .1914 a grocer J N Carsar.
The Parkdale World Peace Monument outside the library.
Masaryk Hall has been an integral part of Toronto’s Parkdale community for over 100 years, and has evolved over time to serve as a venue for various sports activities. The south portion of the building, constructed in 1898, became the Parkdale Curling Club. In 1907, it was converted into an indoor roller skating rink. In 1915, it was renamed the Pavlova Dancing Academy and became a popular local dance hall. In 1936, the building was purchased by Reginald E. Cole. Although the Pavlova name was retained, the structure came to be used as a tennis club. Following this, John Inglis Co. Ltd. leased the building as a recreation centre for its wartime employees. From 1945 until the building was acquired by the City of Toronto in 1979, Masaryk Hall was used by the local Czech community and named the Masaryk Memorial Institute in memory of Tomáš Masaryk (1850-1937), Czechoslovakia's first president. Since 1987, the building has been known as the Masaryk-Cowan Community Recreation Centre. The building is protected by an Ontario Heritage Trust conservation easement and was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1986.
Another box in the community centre's communal gardens.
Sculpture on the side of the centre.
In the laneway behind the library.
I'm working on what this sign says ------ Electric.
Beer cans spell PARKDALE beside Duggan's Brewery, a local.
Painting our stories.
"Delicious! Refreshing! Drink Coca-Cola" and on the bottom, very hard to read and almost indistinguishable is "Relieves Fatigue" which was a Coca-Cola slogan in 1906.I am trying to read business name to the right of the Coca-Cola ad.
These murals were around the library.
There are many small fruit and vegetable shops along here.
At this point we were making a mad dash to the car before the skies opened.
The murals and ghost signs are quite a treat to see!
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