Don River Murals

Toronto’s Love Letter Project is a group of murals painted on some of the support pillars for the on- and off-ramps connecting the Don Valley Parkway to the Gardiner Expressway. These ramps cross over the mouth of the Don River just north of where it turns 90 degrees to the west and becomes the Keating Channel.

The murals can be reached on bike from the east by using the Lake Shore East Recreational Trail. It can be reached from the north or west by using the Lower Don River Trail.

To me, the theme of the murals is what the Don River once was and what it could be again. They are a project of the PangeaSeed Foundation.



↑ The southernmost pillar is the tallest. This pillar has the river’s current name as well as its former name. The river was known to the Mississaugas as the Wonscotonach. It was renamed in the 1790s by John Graves Simcoe, who was then the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada.



↑ This mural is by Kirsten McCrea.



↑ This mural is by PA System.



↑ This mural is by MC Baldasarri.



↑ This mural is by EGR.



↑ This mural is by Rajni Perera.

All photographs by Rob Tilley

Sources:
A Love Letter to the Great Lakes
Discover the Don
The Wonscotonach River
John Graves Simcoe

Building T—Pumping Station

North of Toronto’s Lake Shore Blvd. E., a little west of Coxwell Ave., is a building I’ve always considered a fascinating landmark. This round structure is the blandly named Building T. Viewed from the south, it stands out, majestically in my view, on a field, looking something like a sci-fi version of a medieval keep.



↑ Building T can be reached using a bicycle path called Route 4 West (which parallels the Lower Don Recreation Trail). Route 4 West is on the north side of Lake Shore Blvd., south across the field from Building T.



↑ To the southeast of Building T is Beach Skateboard Park. I was there on a weekday, when there was only one skater. On weekends or after school hours, this park can be a busy place.



↑ I picked up a few burrs walking through the above area. It was a lovely late morning, about 10° C out, and not a cloud in the sky.



Formerly known as the Mid-Toronto Interceptor Pumping Station, Building T was designed in 1971 by Gore & Storrie Limited (now known as CH2M HILL), an engineering firm. (Another of their projects was Toronto’s famous R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, designed and constructed in tandem with H.G. Acres Limited between 1932 and 1941.)

↑ Building T is notable for its catenary arches. The exterior is made of concrete, stone, and aluminum.







↑ Building T was not the first pumping station on the site. That was Building M—or as it is called on the building itself, Main Drainage Pumping Station. Building M was constructed in 1911.



Buildings M and T service Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant. Construction on the plant began in 1908. At the time it was Toronto’s only municipal sewage treatment facility and remained so until 1926. Some of this facility’s buildings can be seen in the above view, looking south from near Building T.

Click here to see an excellent overhead drawing of the treatment plant and M and T buildings.



↑ Another view looking south. The Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant’s stack and water tower can be seen in the far distance between the west side of Building M (left) and Building T (right).



↑ Seen from below, Building T is a striking sight. I had to get within a metre or two of it before I noticed an unpleasant odour.



↑ These light fixtures ring the building.



↑ The Tubs and Gee Gage Rugby Field lies to the southwest.



All photographs by Rob Tilley

Sources:
1091 Eastern Avenue – Inclusion on Heritage Inventory
Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant Pumping Stations (1911 and 1971)
CH2M HILL
Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant
Odour Control at Ashbridges Bay

The Mouth of the Don River

Well, actually, Toronto’s Don River really doesn’t have a mouth. At its southern end the river makes a 90 degree turn and becomes the Keating Channel, which then lets into the Inner Harbour 750 metres to the west. In the above image, the lower bridge carries Lake Shore Boulevard East while the eastern end of the Gardiner Expressway lies above. Keating Channel is just beyond.

This area just north of Keating Channel is a very busy place. Here, the Don is crossed by a footbridge (on which I stood to take the above photo), another bridge supporting both Lake Shore Boulevard and a railway track, and the ramps connecting the Gardiner Expressway to the Don Valley Parkway and to Lake Shore Boulevard. This is truly an urban river scene.

The water of the Don is heavily polluted and looks it. But much effort has gone into restoring the river. In 1989, the Task Force to Bring Back the Don was created; and since then, wetlands along the river have been restored and hundreds of thousands of plants and trees have been planted. Pollution levels in the river have been reduced and restorative work continues. However, the Don remains one of Canada’s dirtiest rivers.



↑ I felt sorry for these two ducks swimming in the river.

This area of the Don River can be reached in pleasant fashion by bicycle. The Lake Shore East Recreational Trail follows Lake Shore Boulevard from Coxwell Avenue to the Don River. The Lower Don Recreational Trail follows the Don River south from Overlea Boulevard to Lake Shore Boulevard, where it hooks briefly westward, ending at Parliament Street.



↑ This railway track crosses the river just to the north of Lake Shore Boulevard. The on-ramp to the Gardiner Expressway can be seen at the top right.



↑ Looking west from the east side of the river.



↑ Looking east from the west side of the river.



↑ Looking southwest from the footbridge.



↑ Looking northeast to the footbridge.



↑ Looking north from the footbridge. These are the ramps connecting the Don Valley Parkway to the Gardiner Expressway.



↑ The bike path west of the footbridge.



↑ Under the on-ramp to the Don Valley Parkway. This is just west of the river.



↑ On the right is the on-ramp to the Don Valley Parkway. This ramp, although it looks a bit like a long slide, is not nearly as fun as a slide...



↑ Looking to the footbridge from the west side of the river. You wouldn't want to swim, fish, or picnic here, but the area certainly has many impressive sights.

All photos by Rob Tilley.

Sources:

Ford, Ray – “Death and Rebirth on the Don River”
Wikipedia – “Don River (Ontario)”
City of Toronto – “The Don River and Central Waterfront Project: Cleaning Up Our Waterways"