honestly

People in Toronto are going through a period of

 nostalgia and mourning

for the end of an era

of a giant discount store.

the store lit up 5 years ago (above) and today (below)

By now, many of the lights have burnt out. No one quite knows what will become of the iconic sign that has been a part of this corner at Bathurst and Bloor since what feels like forever, but has really only been since the early 1980's - though the store itself has been there for 68 years. 

Long before the ubiquitous Dollarama and other dollar stores, Honest Ed's was the place to go for cheap deals. 



















As you can no doubt guess, Ed Mirvish was larger than life with a personality and generosity unmatched by anyone else in the city. (he died in 2007)
He sold pretty much anything you could possibly need 
from the tacky...

 to the necessary


a bit of a backstory here is needed - Ed was also a theatre impresario and with his Royal Alex Theatre in an unlikely area of town near the railway tracks, he also opened up several restaurants in the area to attract people. One of them was Ed's Warehouse, and if you wanted to dine there, you (well, the men only) had to wear a jacket and tie. No worries if you were neglectful - a closetful of old ties and jackets was available for your choice to borrow!

The store had shrunk in size over the years, and the maze of aisles and corners and stairways to get out of the place is long gone as other businesses leased space in the massive building and as stock decreased over the three year closing. 




By the time I went for one last walk around, things had been well picked over and there was an empty, sad, it's-time-to-go feel to the place. The things left for sale weren't particularly memorable. Though you could buy a t-shirt (and yes, I did)

And then there are those signs.

Thousands upon thousands of hand painted signs for those unmemorable (and sometimes memorable) things for sale. Or, in the case of the Thanksgiving Turkeys that drew long lines of hopeful people happy to stand for hours to get their hands on a free bird...

It was the signs that people really wanted to have as a souvenir

Ed enjoyed a good pun, and the store - outside and inside - was full of them

and yes, the floor did have a definite slope to it!



But, now it is finally time to turn off the lights and say goodbye

a final stroll around Honest Ed's for Restless Jo
and signs for Lesley

high level

A walk around the High Level Pumping Station

located at Avenue Road and Dupont, in what was then the

Village of Yorkville (Toronto)

It is now in a residential area, which may seem odd, until you realize that none of these homes were here when the pumping station was built. Originally the pumphouse was built near the Castle Frank Brook. It wasn't long before the brook became insufficient and water was pumped from Lake Ontario with several expansions made to the 1906 pumphouse. Eventually, the Castle Frank Brook was buried as the area became more developed, but the 'spirit of the stream' is remembered in the two toned brick work on the road.

I was there during Doors Open so inside were displays and photographs of the way the building used to look.

sadly, that fountain is long gone. but doesn't it make sense for a pumping station to show off with a fountain?!

brightly painted machines pumping away

and some antique machinery no longer in use

big wheels with leather straps

gauges

and old wrenches

and these wonderful swing lights!

swing on over to RestlessJo for more Monday Walks

stylish dressing

Last week, for my birthday, a friend took me to see the Dressing for Downton Costume Exhibit at Spadina House in Toronto. Here is a postcard (because this is a nicer view than one at this time of year with dirty snow everywhere) of the 1866 house next door to the more famous Casa Loma. The house sits in what was at the time the wealthiest area of the city and was owned by James Austin who founded the TD Bank and Consumers Gas.

The exhibit and tour nicely ties in what life was like for the Granthams of Downton in Yorkshire and the Austins of Spadina in provincial Toronto during the 1920s and 30s. Things may not have been as grand or busy at Spadina House, but it was a little more progressive (telephone and electricity and kitchen gadgets, for example) 

On display were about 20 costumes worn by the Grantham sisters, Lord and Lady Grantham, the Dowager Countess, Matthew and Isobel Crawley as well as Mrs Patmore, Daisy, Mrs Hughes and O'Brian

My photos aren't the best, but there is a video link at the end that gives you a better idea of the dresses on display.

Mrs Hughes and her keys!

Lady Mary's dress worn on that fateful night when she took Kemal Pamuk as her lover

A "plain" dress worn by Lady Edith on the left and a dress worn by Lady Cora on the right

and Lady Sybil below

I cannot impress on you how tiny these dresses are! they don't look nearly as small in the pictures, but some of them (Lady Mary) had to be put on children's mannequins as they wouldn't fit on the adult ones.

there is also a Downton-inspired Afternoon Tea but ... it's sold out!

you only have until April 13, 2014 to see this exciting exhibit... (thank you, Beverly!)

Casa Loma

The fate of Casa Loma has been up in the air during the last few years. But this week, one of the things Toronto City Council managed to succeed in approving was for Liberty Entertainment Grp to take over as the new operations managers of the main house and grounds.  There was some fear that it may end up having part of it turned into condos which seems to be a favoured solution to old buildings needing massive repairs and renovations. But the new plans - for a restaurant and events rooms as well as a museum and galleries for highlighting the stories and history of Toronto (something sorely missing and desperately needed) looks promising and exciting. Sadly, this news was overshadowed by council dealing with the Rob Ford scandal. 

Henry Pellatt was an eccentric millionaire who, among other things, founded the Toronto Electric Light Company in 1883. He and his partners would later build the country's first hydro generating plant at Niagara Falls. His fortune would begin to unravel once he lost the monopoly on electricity when it became public. Then there was the war. In the end, he had to sell his castle after living in it for only nine years.

 circa 1914

circa 1954

It took over 300 workers three years to build the $3.5 million home. The start of WWI put an end to construction and much of the house was unfinished due also in part to the expensive excesses of Pellatt and architect E.J. Lennox. There is an elevator (for his wife, Mary, who was in a wheelchair), an oven large enough to cook an ox, vertical passageways to fit organ pipes and a central vacuum. There are ballrooms, a conservatory and a tunnel to the hunting lodge and stables (which themselves are outfitted with mahogany and Spanish tiled stalls). 

The tower and the attic are empty and the swimming pool was never completed, but the unfinished bowling alley is now a gift shop and the unfinished gymnasium is now a cafe. There is currently an ongoing exterior renovation and soon some more interior renovations (including air conditioning!) but it won't be closed to the public. So go visit.

PostcardFriendshipFriday

where the key no longer works

There is a wonderful episode of Yes, Prime Minister (I know, they were all wonderful) where Sir Humphrey, the Cabinet Secretary, has some of his responsibilities taken away from him and reassigned. His key is also taken away from him and the locks changed so that he can't just wander into the PM's office from the cabinet office whenever he likes. I was thinking of this as the locks were changed at Toronto City Hall keeping the Mayor-in-name-only out of the Deputy Mayor's (new) office. Humphrey was more of a schemer than a bully, so it is unlikely that Ford will resort to the same antics. But there will be antics. We know this.

you can watch the episode here or you can read about it here

In the meantime, here are postcards showing City Hall as it looked in 1965 when it was built.

The council chambers located in the flying saucer bit in the centre of the two towers.

Measuring 155' in diameter and 40' to the peak of its domed ceiling, the clear-span concrete shell hovers over the circular central assembly space and semi-circular public gallery. A continuous band of glass between the upper and lower shells provides indirect daylight.

and in 1978, with Nathan Phillips Square looking slightly less bare

Nathan Phillips ("a mayor of the people") was apparently very popular  

(I don't remember as he was in office from 1955-1962) 

and the driving force behind the building of this 'avant-garde' new building 
(the excitement of the opening, I do remember)

crowds at the Ex

One reason I don't particularly want to go to the Ex is the crowds of people there. Though, really, the crowds are not nearly as massive as they used to be back before there was competition from so many other festivals and another (all summer long) amusement park. There was a time, when if you wanted to see the newest and most innovative products of the year, this was the place to see them.

The Government Building would later be named the Arts and Crafts and Hobbies Building (that's how I remember it) and now is called The Medieval Times Building. It is one of several throughout the grounds designed by George Gouinlock, "built in 1912 to showcase the exhibits of local and foreign governments".

the fountain was a popular spot for meeting up with your friends. it was named for George H Gooderham who was president of the CNE Assoc when it was built in 1911.

(it's now been replaced by a more modern fountain. not sure why)

the card above was sent Aug 29, 1951, 
while the other card showing the fountain was sent Sep 4, 1937 (though I suspect the postcard is much older)

PostcardFriendshipFriday

let's go to the Ex!

Today is the day the Canadian National Exhibition, or the CNE, or 'the Ex' as it is affectionately called, opens for the 135th year. It runs for 18 days up to and including Labour Day. The next day is the first day of school, so around here 'the Ex' symbolizes the beginning of the end of summer.

For PostcardFriendshipFriday, here are three postcards of the eastern entrance graced by the Princes' Gates.

this first one is a "Canadian Art Deeptone" series

The Canadian National Exhibition has been held annually since 1879 and is the  greatest annual exhibition in the world. It is international in scope. The investment in grounds and buildings is about $20,000,000 with almost 100 permanent buildings covering 350 acres and with a mile and a half  of lake frontage. Annual attendance is over 2,000,000 with annual receipts over a million and a quarter.

this "Colourpicture" card was part of a booklet as you can see from the perforated edge

Incorporated in 1879, the C.N.E. is staged annually at a cost of $2,225,000; covers 350 acres 1 1/2  miles along Lake Ontario; has 14 miles of paved streets; 2 1/4 million sq feet of display space. Coliseum Arena seats 12,000; C.N.E. Grandstand , 26,000. Record attendance 2,723,000.

finally, a "Plastichrome" by Colourpicture which is newer and has none of the statistics favoured by the above written on the back. 

There are nine pillars, representing the nine (at the time) provinces.

Princes’ Gates was opened in 1927 to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII, and his brother Prince George, the Duke of York, crowned King George VI after his brother’s abdication.

and just to continue with the stats theme..... from the website - 

Over the course of its 18 day run, the CNE attracts more than 1.3 million people each year. so, slightly less than during the 1940s(?) when these first 2 postcards were produced.


CNE Lets Go to the Ex 1982 by Retrontario