blogTO | Posts by jonathan

blogTO | Posts by jonathan http://www.blogto.com/ Toronto blog Copyright 2009 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:34:18 PST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Autumn Colours from a Toronto Rooftop In lieu of my yearly saunter down into the Don Valley to take snaps of the changing colours of the leaves, I decided instead to do something a little different. Me and a friend climbed over 50 floors in order to gain a more holistic view of fall in Toronto.

As opposed to my usual spread for the season -- macro shots of the red, yellow and green hues, with the usual smattering of twigs, branches and joggers in the background -- I was able instead to appreciate the not-so-greenery from an incredible height.

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/11/autumn_colours_from_a_toronto_rooftop http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/11/autumn_colours_from_a_toronto_rooftop City Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:44:50 PST City Jonathan Castellino 2009-11-02T20:44:50 The Haunted Abandonments of Toronto and Beyond Haunted places are in vogue this time of year, so with Halloween fast approaching, I thought I'd share some of the beautiful yet terrifying abandoned places I've visited recently.

The longer a place rests unused and unseen, the more mysterious the items inside become; the longer the interval between being lost and found, the more imagination one must employ to create a story surrounding it. Since time distorts what it cannot destroy, even the items that remain in an abandoned building seem strange, out of place, and uncanny.

Telling stories about such objects becomes necessary, then, as the human mind refuses to accept total abandonment: we insist on furnishing an imagined genealogy for the orphaned objects that cross our paths.

In a way, ghost stories can be read as metaphors for the feelings that these objects and places evoke. Although they may be dismissed as mere superstition, I believe that on some level they reflect our imagination's need to see life in the lifeless.

More...

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/the_haunted_abandonments_of_toronto_and_beyond http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/the_haunted_abandonments_of_toronto_and_beyond City Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:47:44 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-10-26T11:47:44 An Unfettered View From Atop the Canada Life Building Ever since I was a small child, when a trip to downtown Toronto seemed such a glorious affair, I have been drawn to the Canada Life building at Queen and University. Built in 1931, with its beckoning weather beacon installed in the early 50s, it serves as headquarters to Canada's oldest insurance company. Since its creation, a hideous modernist complex was erected to house the expanding organization just West, creating a very interesting contrast with the beautiful old building.

Compared to what has arisen in the city since, the 320-foot tall structure may not seem such a giant, yet it still offers a very impressive and unique view of the area just north of the business district.

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/an_unfettered_view_from_atop_the_canada_life_building http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/an_unfettered_view_from_atop_the_canada_life_building City Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:16:35 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-10-20T09:16:35 Exploring What Remains Of Thomas Meredith House There are few things in our built environment quite as sad as abandoned houses... such as downtown Toronto's George Street Thomas Meredith House.

Anyone familiar with the area around Thomas Meredith House is aware of its degeneration over the past few decades, and unlike some, I do not believe in revitalization in the form of poutine. Even so, this rough area is home to some truly hidden gems (no, not Filmore's).

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/exploring_what_remains_of_thomas_meredith_house http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/exploring_what_remains_of_thomas_meredith_house City Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:25:41 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-10-13T10:25:41 Visiting The School Of Restoration Arts At Willowbank For those of you who've experienced an uneasy feeling when witnessing massive machinery clawing down a derelict or historic building and thought, "gee, I wish someone could have saved that," allow me to introduce you to the amazing work at the Willowbank School of Restoration Arts.

Having just graduated the first class in their 3-year program, the school - despite the age of the main estate - is still very young. With only a small handful of students at the institution (of varying ages), low tuition, and a general philosophy that hands-on work is as important as theory, Willowbank is truly one of the most beautiful and unique (if somewhat esoteric) post-secondary institutions I've ever visited. The school itself is one of their major projects!

More...

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/visiting_the_school_of_restoration_arts_at_willowbank http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/visiting_the_school_of_restoration_arts_at_willowbank City Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:15:34 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-10-06T11:15:34 Gaining A New Perspective From The Top Of Yorkville People-watching in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood is the pastime of many. One can sit for hours observing the glamorous shops and their patrons, trying to pick out the rich and famous.

I, however, prefer to watch buildings. We chose this particular spot that day not because of the glitz and glamor, but rather because of the richness of vision it offered. I am rarely in this particular neighbourhood, so I found it rather enjoyable to place myself above it - and its people - if only for a few hours.

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/gaining_a_new_perspective_from_the_top_of_yorkville http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/gaining_a_new_perspective_from_the_top_of_yorkville City Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:37:29 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-09-29T16:37:29 Visiting The Ghost Of Ringwood Manor During the railway rush in the late 1800s, Mr. Gibson, a contractor, had Ringwood Manor built in the town we now know as Whitby Ontario. Unfortunately, after an economic decline in that arena, the bank foreclosed the property before the turn of the century.

A common landmark for those who cruise the 401 Eastward from Toronto, this beautiful mansion has suffered from many a malady in this last decade. From a broken pipe flooding its interior, to the reckless and insistent work of vandals and arsonists, the place has died a slow death. A descendant of the original builder reported in a local newspaper that they thought the place was beyond repair; perhaps this is true, but it was, and still is not beyond a closer inspection

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/visiting_the_ghost_of_ringwood_manor http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/visiting_the_ghost_of_ringwood_manor City Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:54:55 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-09-22T11:54:55 Exploring the Wrong Side of the Tracks at the Leaside Locomotive Shop In 1919, the Canadian Northern Railway opened its locomotive house and repair shop in what would develop into Toronto's Leaside neighbourhood. With the increasing importance of the rails in the latter part of the 19th century, the Leaside Junction (as it was known then) gained increasing importance, and grew from that point.

Despite the seeming 'front' of the building in its current state, the original facade was at the rear, facing eastward; its architect, Frederick Todd, built this flat-roofed building in a very practical manner that would maximize the use of space and increase efficiency, with expediency in the repair of the craft as its logical conclusion. It's come a long way since those days, but unfortunately has been all but forgotten.

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/exploring_the_wrong_side_of_the_tracks_at_the_leaside_locomotive_shop http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/exploring_the_wrong_side_of_the_tracks_at_the_leaside_locomotive_shop City Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:35:41 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-09-15T10:35:41 Bay Street, the Gardiner and a Zone Of Urban Transition We found ourselves staring directly down where the ebb and flow of the river of DVP cars breaks into separate streams. Usually on my rooftopping journeys, I imagine that I will never get to see that particular view again, and hence try to make the most of my time. This would be no exception.

I did, however, make a second sojourn to retrieve a forgotten memory card; this time, we were greeted with an eerie rolling fog coming in from the west, which, coupled with the already settling smog, made the city all around (save for the east), fade into beautiful, if somewhat ominous, layers. This fresh perspective from the same view served to me as a reminder that no matter how cold and harsh the city may sometimes appear (especially as a pedestrian), that the city is eternally new, and that appearance is at the self-same time everything, and nothing.

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/bay_street_the_gardiner_and_a_zone_of_urban_transition http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/bay_street_the_gardiner_and_a_zone_of_urban_transition City Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:26:55 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-09-08T10:26:55 Ontario's Forgotten Landmarks: Recalling Red Roofs At The Whitby Psych My somewhat obsessed relationship with the derelict Ontario Hospital for the Insane in Whitby began somewhere in the bridge of the late 90s and early thousands. What turned out to be a tainted love was initiated by my new (at the time) friend Ninj, who, knowing my various obsessions, led me to the place for the first time.

As fate would have it, I ended up knowing several nurses at the site during its various iterations. Most projects, as they say, start off with the best of intentions, and in the first two decades of the 20th century, the theory and initial development of the old Whitby psych was no exception.

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/ontarios_forgotten_landmarks_recalling_red_roofs_at_the_whitby_psych http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/ontarios_forgotten_landmarks_recalling_red_roofs_at_the_whitby_psych City Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:14:18 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-09-02T13:14:18 Rooftopping Toronto: Rising Above Brutalism At City Hall At the peak of the concrete behemoth in the middle of downtown Toronto we all know as Toronto City Hall lies a spectacular view. The love/hate brutalist design of the building itself hides its grace at its very pinnacle, it would seem.

It is disconcerting that this vantage point is hidden away from so many, for so much of the year. That being said, whenever I snatch a chance to rise above the sterile eye-shaped structure, I make sure to take my time to gaze about.

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/08/rooftopping_toronto_rising_above_brutalism_at_city_hall http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/08/rooftopping_toronto_rising_above_brutalism_at_city_hall City Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:07:37 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-08-25T12:07:37 Ontario's Forgotten Landmarks: A Village Unraveled I recently took a drive out to Whitby to visit the site of many of my childhood's fondest memories - Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village. I had heard that much of it had gone into disrepair since its closing in early 2006, but was amazed to find that the most heartbreaking elements were those left behind.

After serving the community for over 25 years, the owner, a man now into his eighties, finally had to give up his legacy. Although portions have been kept as a municipal park, much of the property's 36 acres is overgrown, and stripped of its joyous former life.

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/08/ontarios_forgotten_landmarks_a_village_unraveled http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/08/ontarios_forgotten_landmarks_a_village_unraveled City Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:33:13 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-08-18T14:33:13 Toronto Behind the Boarding: Rising Out Of A Pit Near Queen & Spadina First a fire-damaged building, then a muddy hole, the most recent iteration of Urban Outfitter's eastern neighbour on Queen West is an unfinished concrete pit.

Places like these seem particularly drawn to Toronto's Queen St. (as seen here, or here, or even here). I found a similar space on the eastern end of Queen near the water filtration plant, but it had been cleaned up, and is not hidden from the public behind boarding, which on the other end of town seems nothing more than an opaque bulletin board for seemingly random advertisements, rarely intelligible. Nevertheless, bizarre patches such as this intrigue many.

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/08/toronto_behind_the_boarding_rising_out_of_a_pit_near_queen_spadina http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/08/toronto_behind_the_boarding_rising_out_of_a_pit_near_queen_spadina City Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:23:53 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-08-13T11:23:53 Ontario's Forgotten Landmarks: Ghosts Of Steeltown Like all larger cities, Hamilton has its architectural ghosts. These empty shells speak to a forgotten past, and point dismally to the future of all buildings. Paraphrasing Paul Virilio, one might say that architecture itself is merely the art of making ruins.

It is hard to believe now, but as recently as a few decades ago, Hamilton Ontario was a major rival of Toronto's when it came to entertainment and the like. Here's a closer look at these ghosts of memories - a look inside some of Hamilton's silent buildings.

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/08/ontarios_forgotten_landmarks_ghosts_of_steeltown http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/08/ontarios_forgotten_landmarks_ghosts_of_steeltown City Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:31:00 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-08-10T10:31:00 Rooftopping Toronto: Rising Above The Core Toronto's beautiful raised views are unique not only in what they give, but in what they take away. The more distant one gets from the street below, the more layers of noise and density fold away - but, at the same time, the more clarity and perspective one gains as his focus widens.

Although farther north than usual, we had been quietly observing our target urban lookout for quite some time. Trumped in height only by the potentiality of One Bloor in the direct vicinity, our journey seemed rather daunting. After surprisingly little hesitation, however, we headed up.

Watching the city slowly drop away as if into a fog, each individual floor seemed so marginal, yet in sum, this particular experience eventually gave way to a spectacular view of Toronto.

]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/07/rooftopping_toronto_rising_above_the_core http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/07/rooftopping_toronto_rising_above_the_core City Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:55:20 PDT City Jonathan Castellino 2009-07-27T11:55:20