On June 8, the Walking Club planned to walk along Dundas St. from the Dundas West subway station as far as Yonge-Dundas Square. The idea was to see how Dundas evolves from a rather sketchy stretch around Roncesvalles to a prosperous thoroughfare lined with steel and glass skyscrapers in the city centre.
Even before we left Bloor St., we ran into several fire trucks attacking a blaze in an abandoned restaurant at Dundas and Bloor Streets.
At Roncesvalles, we noticed several closed businesses that indicated a lack of commercial activity in the area.
There were, however, some signs of hope like the Bandit Brewery.
There was also an interesting vegetable garden in someone’s tiny front lawn:
Once east of Lansdowne, the landscape appeared much more prosperous with even a store selling fur coats!
Along the way, we came across many murals that help to brighten up the area.
The famous Lula lounge is in the middle of the Portuguese community, and, no surprise, they were supporting Ana Bailao for mayor.
Just past Dufferin St. is Gladstone Ave., a street that houses not only the former Neilson’s chocolate factory, but also St. Anne’s Anglican Church.
As a special treat, I had arranged for a guide to meet us at the church to give us a tour of the artwork contained inside. This church is a National Historic Site, containing works by J. E. H. MacDonald, Frederick Varley, and Franklin Carmichael, all members of the Group of Seven painters. There are also medallion sculptures by Frances Loring, who, I believe, created the Lion Monument that used to mark the beginning of the Queen Elizabeth Way.
The church building is unlike most other churches in Toronto. When it was erected, the favoured style was Victorian Gothic Revival which had pillars by the side aisles which often blocked worshippers from seeing what was happening in the service. The rector at the time and his board decided that they wanted a “preaching” church, so they chose to build in the Byzantine style, which meant a central dome and no pillars to block sight lines.
Inside, we found a treasure of paintings which illustrate Biblical events.
This is a view of the chancel.
Jesus calming the Storm.
The Crucifixion:
Jesus in the Temple:
The Nativity:
The church also has a reredos made of Venetian glass behind the main altar.
Here is one of the medallions representing the Evangelists (St. John) which are found around the centre of the dome.
The tour was so extensive, informative, and fascinating, that we lost track of time and ended the walk at the church. The rest of Dundas St. down to the city centre will have to wait for another day. If you are at all interested in Canadian art, try to arrange a visit to St. Anne’s church and, I am sure, you will be amazed at the art treasures housed in this special building.
(There is a Christmas Sing-along concert on Dec. 3 at 2:00 PM—Pay what you can donation. Featured are St. Anne’s Choir, Mississauga Chamber Singers and Toronto Beach Chorale—a perfect opportunity to see these treasures while enjoying the real music of Christmas.)
Probus Club of Kingsway-Islington 