May, 2009
May 31st, 2009
This magnificent piece of art is located in Little Norway Park and has an extraordinary story behind it’s creation. In celebration of the work, the Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Association and some of the artists involved with its creation are holding an event in the park this Wednesday June 3rd at 6:45 p.m. From the media advisory:
The Dreamwork of the Whales was conceived and produced by the Ne Chi Zu Works, a group of Toronto-born artists living in Vancouver. The first creative seed was planted in late 1979 when two of the artists were back home in Toronto and visited the new Harbourfront Contemporary Art Gallery. While viewing the exhibit, they were overheard commenting about the quality of the art on display by an American artist: “We’ve got better Canadian artists than this, why aren’t they showing some of their stuff?” The gallery manager struck up a conversation, and before long the two artists left with a cheque for the seed money to get the project started!
May 28th, 2009
While I was away, a few people at the Toronto Star were following my Twitter and Facebook updates which contained snapshots of what I was experiencing in Copenhagen, especially from a …
May 28th, 2009
Hanlan’s Point and the Lighthouse - SATURDAY, MAY 30 @ 10:00 AM
Explore the western portion of Toronto Island from Hanlan’s Point to Gibraltar Point and hear how the landscape and use of the …
May 28th, 2009
Every Thursday, Spacing will bring you a snapshot of Toronto’s past, looking into what took place that week in the city’s history. Throwback Thursday will address how the city has evolved, with an emphasis on issues that remain relevant for development in Toronto today.
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72 years ago today, 13 farms were bought on land immediately south of the village of Malton by the Toronto Harbour Commission (now the Toronto Port Authority) for the establishment what would later become Pearson International Airport.
First settled in 1823, the northeast Toronto township of Malton was a quiet distribution hub for local farmers with about 150 residents prior to the 1,400 acre land purchase in 1937. Over the years, Malton would shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy and become renowned as a leader in aviation around the world.
While the first terminal was nothing more than a converted farm house, Malton Airport became a training facility for the British Air Force during the Second World War. In 1954, Malton became the home of the National Steel Car Company, later bought by the government and renamed the Victory Aircraft Company (VAC), whose workforce of 10,000 would later produce the Avro Arrow.
Although the establishment of an airport provided wartime prosperity for the town of Malton, its rise as a world leader in aeronautical design and manufacturing that climaxed in the 1950s with the Avro Arrow starkly contrasted the disappearance of a little known town called Elmbank.
May 27th, 2009
Each week we will be focusing on blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that …
May 27th, 2009
Detroit has some nice street elements and infrastructure left over from its glory days, much of it worn by time, and also little pockets of innovative new street element ideas.
One of the most striking aspects of Detroit is its glorious early-20th-century architecture. Outside the spectacular art deco Guardian Building, a friend noticed these really nice art deco tree pit covers that echoed the building’s decoration.
I also was struck by the elegant and well-worn manhole covers.
May 26th, 2009
One of Metrolinx’s first battles has been with the Liberty Village neighbourhood near King West and Strachan. Back in March, the transit agency made the surprising proposal to build …
