Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Junction Rising

JRA - The Junction Rising - March 30 2010

The Village by High Park condo is rising rapidly over the Junction and we can now see it peeking over the surrounding buildings from St. Clair to Glenlake.

Although the west tower has 9 floors to go we can get a sense of how massive this project of over 600 units really is.  The West tower is at approximately the 14th floor of 23 and the East tower has almost topped out.

Post submitted by Martin L co-chair of the Junction Residents Association

The Good Neighbour

[caption id="attachment_6256" align="aligncenter" width="490" caption="JRA - The Good Neighbour - March 30 2010"]JRA - The Good Neighbour - March 30 2010[/caption]

It’s not a Tim Hortons but the Junction has another great coffee shop on the corner of Annette and Quebec called The Good Neighbour.

The spacious and bright cafe has a trendy lounge feel with eclectic furniture, gas fireplace, and bowling alley counter.  The vintage decor blends in very nice and I expect this will be a Junction hotspot by the weekend.

The Junction coffee standards are very high and my cappuccino was as good as any in the city.  The food on a Wednesday morning was muffins and baked goods which all looked good.

Post submitted by Martin L co-chair of the Junction Residents Association

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Maple Leaf Mills/St Marys Cement repairs to window area

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After many years of completely smashed out windows the warehouse part of the old Maple Leaf Mills  site - now used by St Marys Cement has had the window fenestration area repaired. Much the original window opening  has been filled in by plywood sheeting while a small area has a new window inset

Monday, March 29, 2010

Dogs, are there that many in the Junction area?

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Until recently a dry cleaners and laundry This store on the south side of Dundas St West, just east of Quebec Ave, is becoming a doggy daycare.

Are there that many dog sin the Junction?

Destruction Junction

[caption id="attachment_6200" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="More and more destruction"]More and more destruction[/caption]

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These two photos highlight the changes taking place in the north Junction/ upper Junction. (the author cannot not figure out want the area wants to be called- although I sincerely believe it's simply part of the Junction)

The removal of the Nina Ricci plant that once stood on the open lot pictured above and the almost complete removal of the old Carlton Village Public school as the site in converted into a new police station.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Nordheimer Piano & Music Co history article with exclusive image

The blog asked David Wencer to write  an article about the Nordheimer Piano & Music Co. As on the blogs tour of the The Village by High Park project provided by Deltera’s senior site superintendent Sean McCaffrey - seeing the artifacts of his families Nordheimer Piano factory greatly interests this author in learning more about the factory. Sean McCaffrey is a direct descendant of Samuel Nordheimer the owner of the Nordheimer Piano factory pictured

follows... Sean's image with his kind permission for it to used here, and David's article.

[caption id="attachment_6242" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="This portrait used to hang in his Glen Edyth estate at Davenport and Spadina. Provided for use in this post by Sean McCaffrey."]IMG_0285 (1)[/caption]


Nordheimer Piano & Music Co., began in Kingston, Ontario, when brothers Abraham and Samuel Nordheimer opened a piano dealership in 1842. A few years later they moved to Toronto, and quickly became one of the Dominion’s top dealers of sheet music world-class pianos. Starting in 1858, Nordheimer was Canada’s official seller of Steinway pianos, and the two remained associated with each into the 20th Century.



The company thrived, and in the late 1880s Nordheimer began manufacturing their own pianos, first as part of a group project known as the Lansdowne Piano Company, and by 1890, under the Nordheimer name itself.

In early 1904 Nordheimer opened a state-of-the-art, five-storey factory in what was then the town of Toronto Junction, near what is now the northeast corner of Indian Grove and Hook Avenue. This new building was made of white brick, and featured 60,000 square feet of floorspace, a lumber yard, two large elevator shafts, and a fancy new sprinkler system. The facilities enabled Nordheimer to produce pianos which had a very high reputation; advertising for the company mentions that "the Nordheimer Company’s ideal and energy is concentrated on the forces necessary to accomplish - regardless of cost - the product of the highest class and best grade only."

An advertisement in a 1904 edition of the Toronto Globe touts the Junction factory’s railroad sidings "which, being used in connection with the different railway lines running through Toronto Junction give the Nordheimer Company the best facilities for shipping their manufactured products to every part of the Dominion." From this facility Nordheimer was not only able to ship goods across Canada, but also to send finished pianos to their warerooms and recital hall in downtown Toronto, located at 15 King Street East.

By the early 20th Century, Nordheimer claimed to be the oldest piano and music establishment in the American continent. The company and the owners had certainly grown to be amongst Canada’s elite; Samuel had been President of the Federal Bank of Canada, President of the Toronto Philharmonic Society, and served the German Consul for Ontario. Abraham’s son Albert succeeded Samuel as head of the company; he himself served as the Dutch Consul-General for Canada.

Nordheimer officially ceased to be an independent company at the end of 1927, when Albert retired. Their Junction factory remained in use, however, manufacturing pianos under the Nordheimer name for Heintzman and Co., another prominent Toronto-based piano manufacturer. Sources disagree as to when Heintzman ceased the Nordheimer line, with the latest date given being 1960. It is believed that a total of 27,846 Nordheimer pianos were produced, the bulk of them at the Junction factory.

post text by David Wencer

Monarch Rd access sidewalk removed

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Monarch Road at Junction Rd has lost it's sidewalk access due to the West Toronto Diamond Project.  This roadway is slowly disappearing from our community and along with it the memories of  a beautiful  industrial roadway.

sad.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Tree loss in the Junction - Runnymede Heathcare Centre

[caption id="attachment_6231" align="aligncenter" width="490" caption="Runnymede Heathcare Centre - Tree cutting March 21 2010"]Runnymede Heathcare Centre - Tree cutting March 21 2010[/caption]

A large tree on Fisken Ave in front of the nearly complete Runnymede Heathcare Centre was removed on Monday.  The tree appeared to be in good shape and was protected during the construction of the new centre.  So why cut it down now?

The neighbours around the site have been frustrated at the lack of communication from the centre and I'm sure there're not going to appreciate this either.

post by Martin L
. co-chair of the Junction Residents Association

Mulock Residents Assoc has a great image and two great stories right now

23-03-2010 11-24-03 PM

Click here to read them

Monday, March 22, 2010

Gas Rite getting a tune up?

Gas Rite March 21 2010


A Zoning Review as been issued for the Gas Rite station located at 3449 Dundas Street West.  The proposal includes a “new Retail Building also one coin operated Car Wash and one Drive Thru Car Wash buildings.”

The Junction may still one day become Toronto’s car wash capital.

Submitted by Martin L.  co-chair of the Junction Residents Association

Handyman Shop 3077 Dundas Street West - Update

Handyman Shop March 19 2010



After only 3 weeks the Handyman Shop building is almost completely framed and what a difference it makes.  So far in my opinion the new building looks great.  The curved corner has been replaced, the size and placement of the windows looks good and even with the additional floor the scale is appropriate for the area.

My thanks to the developers for respecting the area and building what so far looks like a perfect addition to the Junction.  It proves you can teardown a hundred year old building and rebuild it with the same character.

I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks when we see the final finishes and the next few months when new tenants and businesses move in.

Submitted by Martin L. co -chair of the Junction Residents Association

West End Food Co-op Info Session

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West End Food Co-op Info Session

WEFC is hosting information sessions for those interested in becoming co-op members, investors, supporters & learning more. The meetings will include:

Public Education Sessions: learn about the co-op movement; local food markets & other exciting topics


* Bond Information and Sales: support your co-op financially and learn more about community bonds

* Co-op Updates & Member Feedback: Learn about WEFC activities & projects and get involved.

Date: Thursday, March 25th
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Location: Tinto cafe, 89 Roncesvalles Avenue.
For more information contact: melissa@westendfood.coop

New York Pork gets re boarded

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The New York Pork building which has recently become run over for urban infiltration people in the city has recently added more board hording to the site, yet in not way enough to stop ingress.

Inside view at flickr opens in new window

Jane subway- underpass at Dundas St West to St Clair Ave

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With the addition of the new Old Mill car dealership on the old Torcan/CP/Fastfreight site next to the Walmart at Runnymede and Dundas St West, whose lot itself was part of the Torcan/CP/Fastfreight site have come some wonderful new street amendments.

Two of these being the black fence and the evergreen trees, both of which help change the intersection from a concrete hole in a better yet not complete intersection in terms of visual and common use appeal.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

if permanent benches won't work outside Junction eating places...

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Will removable furniture? This furniture outside Pusater's running along Bay St, is easily moved in and out I would think. Yes this author has a thing about street life.

Ladies and gentlemen, lets have  more Sidewalk dining in the Junction.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

High Park Family Fun Place - what is it?

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Blog reader Dave has asked  for a post about the  High Park Family Fun Place and what people think about it ?

I can place this post up but it's up to everyone to say what they think of the idea.

1st your author has to declare that the blog is out of it at times,such as when this sign went up the whole womans gym idea which I had heard about went out the window.  Why? because if I think clearly this new concern is the effort of two Junction people who I know and for which I have looked at the business plan.

What I do know is that Jennifer and Pierre (and you would find it hard to find two more committed people) working considerably to round out this idea.  All along I viewed the idea as  a 'community place'  where kids can play with parents, local people can meet and a lot of activities can happen.

16-03-2010 8-19-59 PM

It is a very unique concept, it can read about at their web site http://www.hpfamilyfunplace.ca.

I for one think the idea is great.

from their site

Full Scale Gym designed as a "family/community" styled gym for allages. The gym features treadmills, bikes, weights, 6 plus fitness classes daily for adults, kids, teens and seniors. Personal trainers are available by request.

Art Section is for children of all ages with a focus on drawing, sculpting, painting and photography. For younger children aged 1 - 6 years, we offer Creative Expression where kids can enjoy stamping, tracing, gluing and painting. For older children (tweens & teens) we have organized Crafting classes featuring crafts, photography, drawing and other creative arts.

Party Room for birthdays or parties of any kind. Come and celebrate your special event with us. There are three different party packages to choose from all designed to make your party a great success. We even offer organic food catering

The Lectures & Workshop Room features weekly seminars covering a variety of interesting topics including wealth, health, parenting, culture and community. The Lectures & Workshop Room is also available on a rental basis for local businesses and group gatherings (i.e. book clubs, knitting, scrapbooking etc.). Contact us for full details.

Fuzzy boundaries effort chooses Junction Triangle


The effort to rename the area commonly known as the Junction Triangle



Inside Toronto article on the the vote and the naming process (March 16th 2010) link


Saturday, March 13, 2010

Function in the Junction

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Saturday March 27 2010

Your Junction Residents Association proudly presents Function in the Junction.  A fundraiser to support the continuing historical research of the brave firefighters of the Junction 423.

All proceeds will be used to professionally frame historic photographs and documents for display in the fire house

A four-course dinner will be served at Aquila restaurant from 6-8 pm for $35 per person.

We are  excited to announce  that  the hours for dinner have been extended to 10:00pm  so remember  to book your space  with Aquila

In celebration and honour of Earth Hour we  will enjoy the sounds of acuostic music performed in Candlelight  from 8:30-9:30pm

Friday, March 12, 2010

Giraffe development dismissed by Ontario Municipal Board



This development at Bloor St west and Dundas St. West has been rejected by the OMB with the cities will. In this post are image grabs from the decision that provide a good overview of the respective positions of both sides which also give a good idea of how developers view such issues.

They also give some insight into the Crossways development

In the Globe and Mail (thanks blog reader David for this link)

OMB decision download (pdf)

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Let's go outside: benches for eating establishments front sidewalks

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This image taken in a community very similar to the Junction in New York City Has two basic items for community social activity - the benches outside the cafe and it's "A" sign. Hopefully you can ignore the garbage can planters ...although it's something you could see in the Junction.

One invites you have a look what dishes on offer, without having to stare at a menu taped to a window and in the action be sating at the restaurants sitting patrons. The benches provide a great place to sit and partake of the food that the restaurant in a sort of take - stay around mode, where one can have conversations with passers by.

In the Junction this author gets a real feeling of movement created by the exterior design choices of the various businesses and the building owners, it is very difficult to find a place to just slow down along the Junction strip.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Junction Residents’ Association Meeting Agenda March 11, 2010 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m

Meeting Agenda

Opening Remarks – Martin Lennoxits-your-junction-with-jra-portal

  • Meet and greet your neighbours

  • Treasurer’s report and approval of the minutes

  • Announcement, News, and Events



  • Function in the Junction

  • Public Forum on Metrolinx expansion

  • Green 13 – Hearth Hour March 27, 8pm







      • March 27, 6:00pm to Midnight











      • Monday March 22, see back for details









    • 244 High Park Ave update




Update on Go Rail Expansion – Keith Brooks

  • Keith from the Clean Train Coalition will update us on the project status and the fight for clean trains.


JRA Culture Committee – Neil and Mary

  • Spring Fling Update


JRA Motions and Updates– Martin Lennox

  • JRA Bylaws

    • Project update and vote



  • Bike Lanes on High Park Avenue

    • Project update and vote



  • Living Playground

    • Project update and vote



  • Vine Parkette Benches,

    • Bench overview and a vote on new locations




Open Forum Announcements

  • Toronto Police Service 11 Division

    • Discussion on how to develop this site



  • This is your opportunity to say what’s on your mind.


Adjournment

Please send any questions to info@ junctionra.ca

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Kleen Jet wants a third party sign at 611 Keele St, simply to increase their income from the property

kleen jet

So are third party signs - those that do not advertise the business at the local an acceptable addition by a business owner?

Sign Variance Report - 611 Keele Street
COMMENTS

The property is located in the former municipality of Toronto which is subject to the

Zoning By-law No. 438-86, as amended. Based on the Zoning By-law No.438-86 the

property is zoned IC Zone. The proposed roof sign with trivision displays will replace an

existing roof sign and be located south of St. Clair Ave. W. north of Lloyd Ave on the

east side of Keele St.

The property at 611 Keele St. is a one storey buildings occupied by “Jet Kleen Coin Car

Wash”. The proposed roof sign with trivision displays will be erected approximately 38

meters from another existing third party wall sign at 603 Keele St. The proposed roof

sign will be an illuminated double sign consisting of trivision displays with a face area of

6.0 m x 3.0 m (20ft x 10 ft) each, resulting in a total sign face area of 18.0 square metres

(200 sq. ft) and will replace an existing roof sign.

The sign does not comply with Chapter 297, Signs, of the former City of Toronto

Municipal Code in the following way:

Sign By-law Section

&

Requirements

Applicant’s Proposal Required Variance

297-10.F. Separation of signs.

(1) No person shall erect or

display a sign used for the

purpose of third party

advertising unless it is

separated by a minimum

radius of sixty (60) metres

from any other such sign

used for purpose of third

party advertising.

To erect a third party roof sign

approximately 38 metres from

another third party sign.

To allow to erect a third party

roof sign without required

separation distance between

third party signs.

Therefore, it is recommended that Council deny the requested variance as it is not minor

in nature.

PROPOSED NEW SIGN BY-LAW

On December 7, 2009 City Council approved a new harmonized Sign By-law that will

come into force and effect on April 6, 2010.The following is an evaluation of this

particular sign variance application against the new draft Sign By-Law requirements that

would govern this particular sign. This evaluation has been done to assist Council in

understanding how this proposed sign would compare to the new regulatory requirements

contained in the proposed Sign By-law.

One of the main features of the proposed Sign By-law is that the regulations governing

signs are based upon the “Sign District” in which the sign is located. These Sign Districts

align with the underlying land uses as envisioned in the Official Plan and will classify

COMMENTS

The property is located in the former municipality of Toronto which is subject to the Zoning By-law No. 438-86, as amended. Based on the Zoning By-law No.438-86 the property is zoned IC Zone. The proposed roof sign with trivision displays will replace an existing roof sign and be located south of St. Clair Ave. W. north of Lloyd Ave on the east side of Keele St.

The property at 611 Keele St. is a one storey buildings occupied by “Jet Kleen Coin Car Wash”. The proposed roof sign with trivision displays will be erected approximately 38 meters from another existing third party wall sign at 603 Keele St. The proposed roof sign will be an illuminated double sign consisting of trivision displays with a face area of

6.0 m x 3.0 m (20ft x 10 ft) each, resulting in a total sign face area of 18.0 square metres (200 sq. ft) and will replace an existing roof sign.

The sign does not comply with Chapter 297, Signs, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code in the following way:

Sign By-law Section & Requirements Applicant’s Proposal Required Variance

297-10.F. Separation of signs. (1) No person shall erect or display a sign used for the purpose of third party advertising unless it is separated by a minimum radius of sixty (60) metres from any other such sign used for purpose of third party advertising.

To erect a third party roof sign approximately 38 metres from another third party sign. To allow to erect a third party roof sign without required

separation distance between third party signs.

Therefore, it is recommended that Council deny the requested variance as it is not minor in nature.

PROPOSED NEW SIGN BY-LAW

On December 7, 2009 City Council approved a new harmonized Sign By-law that will come into force and effect on April 6, 2010.The following is an evaluation of this particular sign variance application against the new draft Sign By-Law requirements that would govern this particular sign. This evaluation has been done to assist Council in understanding how this proposed sign would compare to the new regulatory requirements contained in the proposed Sign By-law.

One of the main features of the proposed Sign By-law is that the regulations governing signs are based upon the “Sign District” in which the sign is located. These Sign Districts align with the underlying land uses as envisioned in the Official Plan .

Right on traffic move!- on Old Stock Yards Road at West Toronto Street

west toronto

Transportation Services recommends that Etobicoke York Community Council approve:

1.            Removing the “No Right-Turn Anytime” prohibition for southbound traffic on Old Stock Yards Road at West Toronto Street.
ISSUE BACKGROUND

Transportation Services received a request from Maple Leaf Foods, through Councillor

Nunziata, to have the existing southbound right turn prohibition removed at the north

approach to the Old Stock Yards Road /West Toronto Street intersection.

A map of the area is Attachment 1.

COMMENTS

Old Stock Yards Road and West Toronto Street are industrial roads located west of Keele

Street, south of St. Clair Avenue West. Industrial and commercial development exists in

the immediate area with residential properties located near Cobalt Avenue and Ryding

Avenue. Maple Leaf Foods is located at 116 Ryding Avenue.

Traffic control signals are installed at the intersection of St. Clair Avenue and Old Stock

Yards Road, as well as at Keele Street and West Toronto Street. An All-Way STOP

control exists at the intersection of Old Stock Yards Road at West Toronto Street, and at

Ryding Avenue and Cobalt Avenue.

In 2003, a number of turn prohibitions were installed to discourage traffic generated by

the industrial/commercial establishments from diverting to residential areas. Specifically,

the following turn prohibitions were installed:

a. a southbound right turn prohibition from Old Stock Yards Road to West Toronto

Street;

b. a northbound left turn prohibition from the driveway opposite Old Stock Yards

Road (RONA) to West Toronto Street; and

c. a southbound right turn prohibition at both driveways from the rear of the

premises of 2133 St. Clair Avenue West.

Staff have observed tractor semi-trailers attempting to turn southbound from Keele Street

onto West Toronto Street, their only legal route to access the industrial properties to the

east of Old Stock Yards Road from the north. To complete the right turn, vehicles

waiting at the signals on West Toronto Street must reverse to allow trucks to perform this

manoeuvre, resulting in congestion at the intersection. Since the right turn movement is

difficult for large trucks, operators will ignore either the southbound right turn

prohibition at Old Stock Yards Road and West Toronto Street, or divert through the

residential area via Cobalt Avenue and Ryding Avenue.

Traffic studies at the Old Stock Yards Road /West Toronto Road intersection in 2010

show that over the two hour study period (3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.), 24 vehicles ignored

the right turn prohibition; eight of which were heavy trucks.

This issue was discussed at a recent public meeting attended by residents of Cobalt

Avenue and Ryding Avenue. It was agreed that the southbound right turn prohibition

Old Stock Yards – Right Turn Prohibition 3

from Old Stock Yards Road to West Toronto Street is not successful and should be

removed. Transportation Services staff will continue to monitor this area following the

ISSUE BACKGROUND

Transportation Services received a request from Maple Leaf Foods, through Councillor Nunziata, to have the existing southbound right turn prohibition removed at the north approach to the Old Stock Yards Road /West Toronto Street intersection.

A map of the area is Attachment 1.

COMMENTS

Old Stock Yards Road and West Toronto Street are industrial roads located west of Keele Street, south of St. Clair Avenue West. Industrial and commercial development exists in the immediate area with residential properties located near Cobalt Avenue and Ryding Avenue. Maple Leaf Foods is located at 116 Ryding Avenue.

Traffic control signals are installed at the intersection of St. Clair Avenue and Old Stock Yards Road, as well as at Keele Street and West Toronto Street. An All-Way STOP control exists at the intersection of Old Stock Yards Road at West Toronto Street, and at

Ryding Avenue and Cobalt Avenue. In 2003, a number of turn prohibitions were installed to discourage traffic generated by the industrial/commercial establishments from diverting to residential areas. Specifically,

the following turn prohibitions were installed: a. a southbound right turn prohibition from Old Stock Yards Road to West Toronto Street;

b. a northbound left turn prohibition from the driveway opposite Old Stock Yards Road (RONA) to West Toronto Street; and c. a southbound right turn prohibition at both driveways from the rear of the premises of 2133 St. Clair Avenue West.

Staff have observed tractor semi-trailers attempting to turn southbound from Keele Street onto West Toronto Street, their only legal route to access the industrial properties to the east of Old Stock Yards Road from the north. To complete the right turn, vehicles

waiting at the signals on West Toronto Street must reverse to allow trucks to perform this manoeuvre, resulting in congestion at the intersection. Since the right turn movement is difficult for large trucks, operators will ignore either the southbound right turn prohibition at Old Stock Yards Road and West Toronto Street, or divert through the residential area via Cobalt Avenue and Ryding Avenue.

Traffic studies at the Old Stock Yards Road /West Toronto Road intersection in 2010 show that over the two hour study period (3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.), 24 vehicles ignored the right turn prohibition; eight of which were heavy trucks.

This issue was discussed at a recent public meeting attended by residents of Cobalt Avenue and Ryding Avenue. It was agreed that the southbound right turn prohibition

Old Stock Yards – Right Turn Prohibition 3 from Old Stock Yards Road to West Toronto Street is not successful and should be removed. Transportation Services staff will continue to monitor this area following the signs

city map of area

Friday, March 5, 2010

Transportation Services recommends - Traffic calming not be installed on Medland Street

At the March 09 2010 Etobicoke York Community Council

Transportation Services recommends to Etobicoke York Community Council that:

1.            Traffic calming not be installed on Medland Street, between Dundas Street West and Annette Street.

This report summarises the results of an investigation into installing speed humps on Medland Street, between Dundas Street West and Annette Street.  The staff review shows that the criteria for installing speed humps are not satisfied.

Interesting book about the locale

9780774815352














Suburb Slum Urban Village
Transformations in Toronto's Parkdale Neighbourhood, 1875-2002

From the publishers site...

Table of Contents

List of Maps and Illustrations
Preface

Introduction
1 A Good Place to Live? Perceptions and Realities of Suburbs, Slums, and Urban Villages
2 The Flowery Suburb: Parkdale's Development, 1875-1912
3 "Becoming a Serious Slum": Decline in Parkdale, 1913-1966
4 From Bowery to Bohemia: The Urban Village, 1967-2002
5 Why Does Parkdale Matter?

Suburb, Slum, Urban Village examines the relationship between image and reality for one city neighbourhood -- Toronto's Parkdale. Carolyn Whitzman tracks Parkdale's story across three eras: its early decades as a politically independent suburb of the industrial city; its half-century of ostensible decline toward becoming a slum; and a post-industrial period of transformation into a revitalized urban village. This book also shows how Parkdale's image influenced planning policy for the neighbourhood, even when the prevailing image of Parkdale had little to do with the actual social conditions there.

Whitzman demonstrates that this misunderstanding of social conditions had discriminatory effects. For example, even while Parkdale's reputation as a gentrified area grew in the post-sixties era, the overall health and income of the neighbourhood's residents was in fact decreasing, and the area attracted media coverage as a "dumping ground" for psychiatric outpatients. Parkdale's changing image thus stood in stark contrast to its real social conditions. Nevertheless, this image became a self-fulfilling prophecy, as it contributed to increasingly skewed planning practices for Parkdale in the late twentieth century.

This rich and detailed history of a neighbourhood's actual conditions, imaginary connotations, and planning policies will appeal to scholars and students in urban studies, planning, and geography, as well as to general readers interested in Toronto and Parkdale's urban history

At the Parkdale Residents Association meeting on
Thursday, March 11th, at the May Robinson Auditorium, 20 West
Lodge Avenue, from 7 to 9 PM, this book will be reviewed.

Note: Chapters online indicates the paperback is not yet released the blog will post updates when it is.

Online Price:$19.76
irewards Member Price:$18.77

- Not Yet Released March 05 2010 checked

Thursday, March 4, 2010

The Junction still has some attributes of "the district"

DSC00564 directions



Just north of St Clair Ave on Gunns Rd a packing firm has opened a factory outlet on its property.  A good sign that current Junction packing businesses hold on to some of  the old style Junction packing district business ways. yeh!

How busy can the intersection of Keele St. and Dundas St. West get?

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DSC00632

The above two images taken seconds apart and  within the time range of a west/east red light show the characteristic traffic congestion at  Keele St and Dundas St West.

While the pass though traffic is simply a fact of inner city life,  this author is wondering about the effects of this intersection on the Junction community. Do many people find it troublesome to cross? Does the traffic volume and way drivers turn and pass thought the intersection cause you to pause to cross to frequent the store on either side of Keele St. at Dundas?

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Princes' Gates at Exhibition Place major work

DSC00642 cropped ex

DSC00643 cropped ex

Each day now work proceeds on the restoration of the gates- it is quite dramatic, although slow to watch as it seems each step takes hours or rigging and careful attention to the process.

from wikipedia...

The gates are made of a mix of stone and concrete. The statue at the top of the arch is the "Goddess of Winged Victory," an interpretation of the original Winged Victory of Samothrace, designed by architect Alfred Chapman of Chapman and Oxley, and carved by Charles McKechnie. In her hand she holds a single maple leaf. There are nine pillars to either side of the main arch, representing the nine Canadian provinces in existence at the time of construction. Flanking the central arch are various figures representing progress, industry, agriculture, arts and science. The gates were designed by Chapman & Oxley in Beaux-Arts style.

During the fall of 1986 the Winged Victory statue was taken down and found to be seriously deteriorating. It was subsequently replaced by a glass-reinforced polymer plastic copy in 1987, designed to withstand the elements for over a century. That same year the gates officially became a listed building under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Whats a generally sized retail space building selling for presently?

02-03-2010 10-19-48 AM

02-03-2010 10-17-48 AM

Very nice building right in middle of the Junction - nice.

In disclosure the blog has no connection to this building the author just likes it

Monday, March 1, 2010

Handyman Shop Update

Handy Man 03-01-10 3

After about a month the mostly idle site of the former Handyman Shop was full of activity today asImar Steel Ltd of Etobicoke began erecting a steel framing structure.

The position of the vertical members indicates the curved architectural detail of the old building is being incorporated into the new design.  This is great news to many people who encourage new development but still want developers to respect the physical character of the Junction.

By Martin