Walking across Toronto 2 - Queen Street

Here is my second walk across Toronto. The first went East-West across Danforth/Bloor. This time, I walked from the far eastern end of Queen Street (a few blocks into Scarborough) all the way to the Humber River. Click on any picture to see a big version!  Also part of this map.

I actually started at the Victoria Park Station, walked down Victoria Park to Queen then across to the Humber River and up to Bloor (with some small detours).

(Edit: 2023/2/7 - added Poulton Block (1885))

Starting at Victoria Park Subway Station

Looks like this reno on Victoria Park wanted to save a few of the original bricks in a patch towards the back of the house 😀.

Cool looking old motorbike w/sidecar.

RC Harris Water Treatment Plant from the bottom of Victoria Park. The other side of the building is Lake Ontario.

I had gone on a tour of the plant 8 years ago - really interesting Art Deco design with lots of marble and brass. Here's a shot from the lake side.

Cool old house at the very east end of Queen St. In Scarborough here.

View from Queen Street looking south between houses to an old home. I think it is this one. Second picture is the same home from behind. I had originally heard that this was a summer home for Sir Henry Pellatt, but looks like it was just on land purchased from him.

Not exactly Queen Street-specific, but a cool dump truck with different compartments for firewood.

The Fox Theatre.

Beach United Church has quite the solar array.

Owl in front of Beaches Branch of the Toronto Public Library.

Beaches Branch of the Toronto Public Library.

Kew Gardens.

Beaches Fire Station.

New (well, 25 years ago) homes built on the land of the old Greenwood racetrack (at Queen and Woodbine).

The Ashbridge Estate (and the plaque for it).

And south of here (from the R. C. Harris Filtration Plant all the way past Woodbine) are the Beaches. A couple of pics in case you haven't seen them.

Brenda in front of an art installation on the beach.

TTC yards, and then the Leslieville sign on the west side of these yards.

Poulton Block (1885) - just east of Broadview. Originally intended for use as a Masonic Orient Lodge and designed in Gothic Revival style.

An old Canadian Bank of Commerce building (Queen and Broadview).

Broadview Hotel. Great view from the rooftop bar/restaurant. (Former Jilly's strip club)

This area (just east of the Don River) was an old 'Coleman' office/warehouse. See also this link.

The Don River looking south. And just beside the Don looking north. The yellow machine on the track is a tamper (lifts the tracks and the ties off the roadbed in order to pack, or tamp, ballast under and around the ties).

And looking south again, just west of the Don. The old Don Station used to sit below this spot.

The old Don Station. Now restored and a museum (see previous link).

Following Queen today (the left fork is King). Just out of the picture to the right is the Toronto Humane Society building. 

Cool Mural

Dominion Pub - formerly Dominion Hotel which used to be right beside the Dominion Brewery

St Paul's Basilica (basilica from "an oblong building ending in a semicircular apse used in ancient Rome especially for a court of justice and place of public assembly")

'1871' Berkeley Church event venue

Kim's Convenience - for fans of the TV Series

Dominion Square (there are lots of things named 'Dominion' in Toronto it seems).

Cool looking building that is now a Diamond Taxicab dispatch center

The Moss Park Armoury.

Looks like they're keeping the façade but not much more. The Richard Bigley building and others to the right. 

Now Saks Fifth Avenue (part of The Bay) and formerly Simpsons. This building dates from 1896.

20 Queen Street West - South Tower of the Eaton Centre. I spent some time there with both Castek and Travelers.

Old City Hall. Some interesting stories about the architect (EJ Lennox) and how he got his name carved around the building, and that the grotesque faces carved by the front entrance are supposed to be town councillors, with the one non-grotesque face being that of Lennox.

(E J Lennox center of top row in this picture)

New City Hall

Osgoode Hall

The Four Seasons Centre (Canadian Opera Company)

On the NW corner of University Avenue and Queen Street is Campbell House (former Upper Canada Chief Justice Sir William Campbell). Moved from its original location a few blocks SW of here.

Now the Bell Media headquarters - I always remember it as "City TV - everywhere" with the truck coming out of the wall.

Lots of blundstone boots on walls (see also my walk on Bloor St W)

Spadina and Queen - looking NE. Looks like some of the old garment district buildings (probably re-purposed by now)

Cameron House (good music venue) advertises its bug problems? 😀

Re-purposed church with a Beer Store in it

More blundstone boots

This nice house and gardens right on Queen Street is still a private residence (or office/residence). 

Trinity Bellwoods Park

Another cool looking building. Now a 'late-night bar lounge' called Lobby

Some work being done on The Theatre Centre. This was originally (1908) the Queen and Lisgar branch of the Toronto Public Library. 

Drake Hotel (right) and Cafe (no, not that other 'Drake').

Gladstone Hotel

Intersection of Queen and Dufferin looking NE

Cool mural just west of Dufferin

YACLB (Yet another cool-looking building). Originally constructed in 1909 as Elm Grove House, now the Rhino Bar & Grill

Another interesting building. Originally a police station, and now Gallery 1313 (...a non-profit, artist-run centre exhibiting local, national and international contemporary art).

Typical streetscape on Queen Street West in Parkdale

Neat Dino mural. Lots of antique stores in this area.

Not sure what this is now. Saw "Bank of Canada" which was interesting. Almost looks like there may have been another word before 'bank' if the words are centered.

Lots of tracks and overhead wires. The Roncesvalles Carhouse is a storage and maintenance facility for TTC streetcars.

St Joe's (Joseph's) Hospital

The streetcar tracks (here looking east back at St Joe's) don't look like they have been used recently. In fact, not used at least from here to the Humber, though in most places it looks like a relatively new streetcar right-of-way.

The first two towers built at the mouth of the Humber

Summer camp on the Humber?

After reaching the western edge of City of Toronto I walked north beside the Humber up to Bloor. Beautiful house just west of the Humber in the Riverside Drive / Riverside Crescent area here.

And another one.

Next up - a journey to the beginning (and end) of Gerrard Street. Stay tuned!