A photo survey of a Toronto apartment demolition

It was with some spontaneity that urban explorer and blogTO contributor Jonathan Castellino took me to this fascinating spot in North York where the demolition of an apartment complex has mixed fragments of its former occupants' lives with mountains of rubble. A entire bathtub here, a ratty old mattress there -- what once existed has now been eviscerated.

Located at the corner of Don Mills and Sheppard, the buildings are being taken down as part of the Parkway Forest Revitalization Plan and will eventually be replaced with a condo project known as Emerald City. This project is one of a number designed to increase density in an area that was originally conceived of as a suburb, but has now had subway access for eight years.

We entered the site with an intent to capture, share, and preserve the beauty of destruction and these buildings' remains beyond their final days. The lead photo and the first five photos below are some of my perspectives from our demolition adventure. The remaining six were taken by fellow explorer Tom Ryaboi.

Photos by the author:

Photos by Tom Ryaboi (tomms on Flickr):