North St. Lawrence Market dig Toronto Ontario Canada

“At least” five separate market buildings — constructed successively in 1820, 1831, 1851, 1904 and 1968 — have occupied the property, once abutting the Lake Ontario shoreline before landfill stretched the city farther south.

What was here before is not even in the public records.  We might assist to a intentional demolition of history on these lands.

The artifacts found range in size from a large stone sewer pipe that's about 10 metres long, to items as small as everyday eating utensils.

To date, the crew has exposed the massive foundations of three earlier market buildings as well as cellars used by butchers to store their produce, plus a range of artifacts, including sheep and cattle bones bearing saw marks, shards of pottery, meat hooks, clay pipes and a glass bottle produced for J.J. McLaughlin, the Toronto pharmacist who invented Canada Dry ginger ale in the 1890s.

In the construction trailer that serves as the project office, Robertson shows off a triangular shard of earthenware with a pale blue design found earlier this week — in all likelihood, a piece from a bowl or plate.

For decades, Toronto was notorious for demolishing heritage structures and allowing recognized archeological sites, such as the original parliament, to languish. That changed after council approved an ambitious archeological management plan in 2004. Since then, downtown projects have included the Georgian row house Bishop’s Block, on Wellington St., next to the Shangri-La Hotel; Toronto’s first General Hospital, on the site of what is now the TIFF Bell Lightbox; and the Stanley Barracks, next to the new hotel rising on the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds.

Last year, under a parking lot next to city hall slated to become home to a new $500-million provincial courthouse, a crew led by archeologist Holly Martelle found hundreds of thousands of artifacts from what would have been a dense immigrant enclave. Those discoveries included the foundations of a black church established in the 1840s by African Americans who fled slavery.

As with other excavations, the archeologists overseeing the dig will have to store the vast majority of the artifacts that aren’t exhibited. While city council last year adopted a policy to have archeological discoveries found in the city stored or displayed here, the bulk will remain under lock and key, as is the case with some 150,000 historical objects in two city warehouses. The continuing accumulation of such materials has prompted numerous calls for the establishment of a Toronto museum.

234 Bay Street Old Stock Exchange Building now Design Exchange Building

Also The 77 Wellington St. entrance is accessible.

In 1983 the Toronto Stock Exchange had abandoned its historic home of the last 46 years at 234 Bay Street. Olympia and York (O&Y) purchased the building which was designated a heritage property.

In return for the air rights to build an office tower on the site, O&Y agreed to retain and restore the building.
 
O&Y commissioned a study to consider the idea of using the trading floor as a public facility. The study indicated that Toronto designers would support a cultural design centre. In January 1986, a group of designers organized an event to lobby Toronto City Hall in support of the initiative. City officials recognized a body of ten citizens as “The Group for the Creation of a Design Centre in Toronto”, which was incorporated on February 6, 1987 and came to be known as the Design Exchange.

At the prompting of the citizens' group, city staff funded a study which determined that a design centre in the old Toronto Stock Exchange “was both possible and desirable.”


When was the Toronto Stock Exchange formed?
 
The Toronto Stock Exchange was formed in 1852. It merged with the Standard Stock and Mining Exchange in 1934. The official opening of its moderne-style building at 234 Bay Street took place on March 17, 1937. The Stock Exchange moved in 1983 to the corner of King and York Streets. The Bay Street building was incorporated intact into a highrise development and is now the Design Exchange, a museum of design.

Tenancy to 1983

Aboriginal Peoples
The region was populated by Indians of the Huron and Petun tribes until around 1600, when they withdrew to land south of Georgian Bay. The first European to stand on the shores of Lake Ontario in the vicinity of what is now Toronto was French explorer Etienne Brule in 1615. The Toronto region had been populated for at least ten thousand years before the arrival of Brule.
European Arrivals
In 1750 The French built Fort Toronto on the east bank of the Humber River; it was soon felt to be inadequate in comparison with British forts like Fort Oswego, so a larger French fort called Fort Rouille was built three miles east of the Humber, on the grounds of the present day Canadian National Exhibition.

In 1787 Lord Dorchester negotiated the Toronto Purchase, which transferred the title to a fourteen mile stretch of land along Lake Ontario from present day Scarborough to Etobicoke, and nearly 30 miles inland, from the Mississauga Indians to the British.

On July 30, 1793 John Graves Simcoe arrived at Toronto with his wife, Elizabeth, their servants, and members of the Queen's Rangers. A village and blockade was constructed between present day Queen and Bloor Streets, north of the area in question. At the first town meeting in July 1797, 241 inhabitants were enumerated. The initial population at York consisted of British officials and their families, soldiers, and a small assortment of labourers, storekeepers and craftsmen. By 1812, York had a population of a little over 700.

The area of Bay Street between Wellington and King was farmland.

Post 1812 Settlement

Toronto City Directories list the following tenants and year of residence:
1856
#39 Bay Street (later #82) Francis Stanly
#41 (#84) Francis Boyd, John Boyd (Barrister and Attorney), William Boyd (Attorney)
#43 (#86) Hugh Boomer


1861
#82 Chief Justice Sir JB Robinson
#84 Captain Francis Boyd, William Boyd (Solicitor)
#86 David S Keith (Plumber and gas fitter)


1870
#82 Joseph Simpson (Manufacturer of Knitted Goods)
#84 GL Maddison (Insurance)
#86 N Strang (Second Hand Broker)


1880
#82 Mrs M Whittemore (Widow of EF Whittemore)
#84 Harry Holman (Tailor)
#86 Robert York (Boarding House)


The Great Toronto Fire of 1904 devastated the area which was largely commercial warehouse property. 

According to the atlas of 1910, the properties at 82-86 Bay Street (which would become the Toronto Stock Exchange) were two full lots which backed onto Mincing Street (formerly Mincing Lane) and one half property facing Bay Street (#86)

Searching back issues of the Toronto Star beginning 1894, there is no mention of 234 Bay Street until 1928. At that time it was occupied by WR Houston & Co, Oils of Western Canada. 84 Bay Street is listed in a help wanted add for an office girl to report to AS Houston in 1920.

It is likely the renumbering occurred between those two mentions. 84 Bay Street was the location of McDonald Bullock & Co, investment bankers, in 1917. Mention of the building as "The Toronto Stock Exchange Building" occurs in 1916, prior to merging with Standard Mining Exchange.

The Standard Exchange was located on Richmond Street West at the time of the merger. Perhaps the combined exchange operated from the Richmond Street location during construction of the Bay Street facility. In 1903, 84 Bay was the location of the Davis and Henderson Lithographers.. By May 1910 the CH Westwood Manufacturing Company was doing business there making men's garters.

86 Bay Street was the location of Royal Securities Corporation Limited in 1914.

82 Bay Street was home to the Clavir Hat Company during the years 1918, 1919, and 1920.

Completion of the current building for the Toronto Stock Exchange was completed in 1937 and the TSE moved in in April of that year.

Because the TSE was not at this location it is unlikely that persons associated with the Exchange prior to that date would return post-death. Three is one notable exception. Lyndhurst Ogden, born 12 March 1847 at Isle of Man, came to Toronto in 1876 and was the secretery for the Standard Stock Exchange (TSE) for 33 years, retiring just before his death on 26 April 1915. He was also secretery of The Toronto Club. It is likely that he would continue to hold deep attachments to the TSE wherever it's location.

A full list of principles for the TSE from 1937-1983 is in development. So far, only one name has surfaced Arthur J Trebilcock was the executive manager of the TSE from 1936 to 1956. In 1956 he became its first paid president, and held the post in 1957 as well. He was also the first person to serve as president who was not a stock trader.

He was still living in March of 1969 when his wife died, but no obituary is found via standard sources. Ontario death records are held private for the previous 72 years so while it is likely that Mr Trebilcock has passed on, the date remains elusive.

Building Specifics
The current Design Exchange became home to the Toronto Stock Exchange in 1937 with the first day of trading at the location on March 20, 1937. The building was designed by Samuel Maw in consultation with George and Moorehouse. Artist Charles Comfort did the murals. The original trading floor was constructed from natural maple with black trim and treated to aid acoustics.

This was the first building in Toronto to have air conditioning.

A series of pneumatic tubes ran from the traders to the basement where they were delivered the changes to the person operating the ticker.

Architecture

Year: 1937
Style: Art Deco (1918-1940)
Original Architect: George & Moorhouse

At the crossroads of multiple disciplines, from furniture and architecture to graphics and fashion, the education programs, talks, workshops and youth education initiatives.

These are all curated to reflect the popular zeitgeist and contemporary culture while demonstrating the relevance and importance of design to everyday life. In the heart of the financial district – the original home of the Toronto Stock Exchange – offers a modern Art Deco interior and architecture that conveys elegance and achievement.

A 1994 renovation by KPMB Architects thoughtfully updated the interior and kept the original murals by artist Charles F. Comfort and accents of warm wood and cool marble.


Toronto Stock Exchange (often abbreviated as TSX) is one of the world's largest stock exchanges. It is the ninth largest exchange in the world by market capitalization. Based in Toronto, it is owned by and operated as a subsidiary of the TMX Group for the trading of senior equities. A broad range of businesses from Canada and abroad are represented on the exchange. In addition to conventional securities, the exchange lists various exchange-traded funds, split share corporations, income trusts and investment funds. More mining and oil and gas companies are listed on Toronto Stock Exchange than any other stock exchange.


TMX Group Limited

Type

	Public
Traded as	TSX: X
Industry	Financial services
Founded	May 1, 2008
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Key people	Charles Winograd, Chairman Lou Eccleston, CEO
Products	Stock exchange, futures exchange, market data
Revenue	$717.3 million (2014)
Operating income	$278.6 million (2014)
Net income	$100.5 million (2014)
Total assets	$10,160.3 billion (2014)
Total equity	$2,945.9 billion (2014)
Number of employees	1,400 (2014)
Divisions	Toronto Stock Exchange TSX Venture Exchange Montreal Exchange
Website	www.tmx.com

 The facility stood empty from 1983 until renovations began in 1988. The Design Exchange moved in in 1994.

 This is a 3D printing sculpture

Links
http://www.torontoghosts.org/index.php/the-city-of-toronto/public-buildings/122-the-former-toronto-stock-exchange-current-design-exchange-?showall=1

Two Winged Statues in Toronto. Sirvivors Style Statues How old they really are?

Exhibition Place
Often incorrectly called the “Princess Gates,” they were constructed of precast concrete—cutting edge technology at that time. The nine pillars on either side of the main arch represent the Canadian provinces at that time.

The statue of the Goddess of Winged Victory was carved by Charles McKechnie. On either side of the central arch are various figures representing progress, industry, agriculture, arts and science— entirely appropriate for an exhibition that considered itself at the forefront of all.

By 1986 it was clear that the Winged Victory statue was deteriorating, so it was taken down and replaced the next year with an exact glass-reinforced polymer plastic copy. The nine north columns were replaced in 2004, with restoration on the rest of the structure completed in 2010.

The statue seriously deteriorated and was removed in 1987. It was replaced with an exact glass-reinforced polymer plastic copy. Are we erasing the history with these replacements of winged statues with plastic ones?

McKechnie modelled the statue on the Winged Victory of Samothrace. This famous statue, found on the island of Samothrace in 1863 by the French archaeologist Charles Champoiseau, is now in the Musee du Louvre, Paris.

The statue has a wingspan of 10 feet and is 17 feet high with the laurel crown being 85 feet above ground level.

Here is what I found about the statue:

http://musee.louvre.fr/oal/victoiredesamothrace/victoiredesamothrace_acc_en.html 

Winged Victory of Samothrace circa 220-185 BC Samothrace
Parian marble for the statue and gray Rhodian marble for the boat and base
total H. 5.57 m Paris, Musée du Louvre.

Only a little problem the marble or stone cannot be dated. Carbon dating work only for animals plants not for stone or marble 

The second Winged figure is in front of Canada Life Building

Winged figure holding a golden crown, at the top of the granite column.
 Here is the official History:

Gazing north on University Avenue from south off Queen Street West on June 23, 1939. The Boer War monument is visible. The monument in the foreground is to Sir Adam Beck. 

The Boer War in South Africa commenced in 1899 and ended in 1902. It was the last of the "great imperial wars" fought by the British Empire. What is great in killing people and taking other peple's land ? 

Between 6000 and 8000 Canadians volunteered to fight for Great Britain against the Afrikaners, who were settlers of Dutch heritage. The war was mainly fought against two Boer republics—the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic. 

About 90 Canadians were killed in combat and approximately 180 died of disease. 

To honor those who had perished, Toronto officials chose Walter Allward to design a memorial. He was one of Canada’s most prominent sculptors. Born in Toronto on November 18, 1876, as a boy of 14, he worked with his father, who was a carpenter. 

Walter Allward attended Central Technical School and in Toronto studied under well-known Canadian sculptors William Cruikshank and Emmanuel Hahn. He later studied in London and Paris. Returning home, he apprenticed with the architectural firm of Gibson and Simpson. While in their employment,  he worked at the Don Valley Brick Works, where he modelled architectural ornaments. 

His first important commission was in 1895, to design a figure of “Victory” on a memorial to commemorate the Northwest Rebellion. The monument was located on the southeast corner of the grounds at Queen’s Park and can still be seen today.

In the first decade of the 20th century, mature chestnut trees flanked University Avenue, the broad roadway that led to Queen’s Park. Walter Allward’s South African monument was located at the south end of avenue, which terminated at Queen Street. 

It was not extended further south until the 1930s. When the monument was dedicated in 1910, Sir John French officiated. 

He unveiled a monument that possessed a granite column, at its base three figures cast in bronze.  ( so only the base figures were installed not the old winged figure on the top. Are we missing some history of the buildings and lands that were there before colonization of this land?

  Two them were Canadian soldiers and the third was a symbolic representation of Mother Britain. At the top of the monument was a winged figure holding a golden crown. ( I believe this statue was there before the soldier statues were installed,) Crowds lined University Avenue for the occasion. 

On the east side of the avenue, a short distance north, was the Toronto Armouries, imposing a military presence at the scene. The armouries have since been demolished.

Allward was later to design the great memorial at Vimy Ridge to commemorate the First World War battle of April 1917, in northern France. The monument was dedicated in July 1936 by King Edward VIII.

I saw  an old movie that was showing the construction of the  Canada Life Building at the Open Doors Toronto 2017 and the statue was there before the building was built without the three statues that represent soldiers and glorifying war and killings.

Links:
https://www.apollo-magazine.com/winged-victory-samothrace-back-louvre/

 
 

The top quarries and swimming holes near Toronto

Elora Quarry
Elora is about an hour's drive away, from Toronto making it a very busy place come summertime. The scenery is remarkable here, as the landscape appears both natural and artificial all at once. A beach area has been carved out on the south side of the quarry, though there are also rocks you can swim out to for the purposes of sunbathing.
St. Mary's Quarry
This former limestone quarry is considered Canada's largest freshwater swimming pool. There's a grassy area that serves as a beach, but the floating dock also sees lots of action as swimmers head there to take a plunge off the waterslide into the cool dark waters. There's also a nearby snack bar known as the Tiki Hut.
Grotto at Bruce Peninsula
Surely the most gorgeous place to swim in Ontario (if not the country), this grotto at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula requires a short hike to access, but it's completely worth the effort. Once there, you can swim in the marvellously blue water enclosed by rock faces that have formed through thousands of years of erosion.
Mamora Mine
Not for the faint of heart, this former mine attracts daredevils who jump from some of the ledges down into the cobalt water. Despite the amazing scenery, this a hidden gem. There's little by way of signage, no amenities, and you have to hike in around a fence, but it's still worth seeking out for its surreal appearance and clean water.
Kelso Conservation Area
Kelso Lake is a human-made reservoir that helps to control flooding of the nearby Sixteen Mile Creek. It's also a popular place to swim as its relatively small size leads to warm water temperatures throughout the season. The conservation area maintains a sandy beach and picnic areas on one end of the lake, which is also a destination for Stand Up Paddling on account of its calm waters.

A tree is a living being

A tree is a living being and like all living beings, has an inseparable connection with the creation as a whole. Plants react to expression of human feelings. And according to the crest or ' s design they strive to do all within their Powe to met man's needs they bring firth fruits, and they arouse positive emotions in man with their flowers and they put oxygen into the air so that we can breathe. Plants have been granted another function very important. Plants which come into direct contact with an individual Man create for him a Space of true Love. The kind of Love without which life for the human race would be impossible. If there are a lot of them plants can cream for Man a significant Space of Love if they are of different varieties and man comunicate with them and approaches them with love, plants can create for man a significant Space of Love Wichita enhances the soul and make the body a whole.

Trees reaction

A tree is a living being and like all living beings, has an inseparable connection with the creation as a whole. Plants react to expression of human feelings. And according to the crest or ' s design they strive to do all within their Powe to met man's needs they bring firth fruits, and they arouse positive emotions in man with their flowers and they put oxygen into the air so that we can breathe. Plants have been granted another function very important. Plants which come into direct contact with an individual Man create for him a Space of true Love. The kind of Love without which life for the human race would be impossible. If there are a lot of them plants can cream for Man a significant Space of Love if they are of different varieties and man comunicate with them and approaches them with love, plants can create for man a significant Space of Love Wichita enhances the soul and make the body a whole.

Mount Etna 2016

The name Etna originated from the Phoenician word attuna meaning "furnace" or "chimney".

Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Province of Catania, between Messina and Catania. It lies above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian

Elevation: 3,350 m

Prominence: 3,329 m

Area: 1,190 km²

Province: Province of Catania

Mountain range: Nebrodi

 More than 25% of Sicily's population lives on Etna's slopes, and it is the main source of income for the island, both from agriculture (due to its rich volcanic soil) and tourism.

 Etna's eruptions have been documented since 1500 BC, when phreatomagmatic eruptions drove people living in the eastern part of the island to migrate to its western end. The volcano has experienced more than 200 eruptions since then, although most are moderately small. Etna's most powerful recorded eruption was in 1669, when explosions destroyed part of the summit and lava flows from a fissure on the volcano's flank reached the sea and the town of Catania, more than ten miles away. This eruption was also notable as one of the first attempts to control the path of flowing lava.

The Catanian townspeople dug a channel that drained lava away from their homes, but when the diverted lava threatened the village of Paterno, the inhabitants of that community drove away the Catanians and forced them to abandon their efforts. An eruption in 1775 produced large lahars when hot material melted snow and ice on the summit, and an extremely violent eruption in 1852 produced more than 2 billion cubic feet of lava and covered more than three square miles of the volcano's flanks in lava flows.

 Etna has also produced pyroclastic flows, ash falls, and mudflows, but the lava flows are the most immediately hazardous type of activity, especially to the city of Catania. While the flows themselves usually do not move fast enough to threaten humans, they can cover large areas and destroy crops and buildings. In the event of a large flank (fissure) eruption, evacuating the inhabitants of towns and cities near the volcano would be a huge challenge.

 On 3 December 2015, an eruption occurred which climaxed between 03:20 and 04:10 local time. The Voragine crater exhibited a lava fountain which reached 1 km (3,300 ft) in height, with an ash plume which reached 3 km (9,800 ft) in height. The activity continued on the following days, with an ash plume that reached 7 km (23,000 ft) in height that forced to shut down Catania airport for a few hours.

Before 2001, Mount Etna erupted at an average of once every 1.7 years. Since 2001, a period of higher activity has kept the volcano more active; there have been eruptions every year since except in 2007.

The Parco dell’Etna (Etna Park) was established as a Regional Nature Park by Decree of the President of the Sicilian Regional Authority in May 1987. The property includes part of this Park, comprising the zone defined as an integral reserve. In addition, nine Natura 2000 sites overlap the property to various degrees, providing additional protection for 77% of the area under European legislation.

 The regulations provided within the Decree provide for adequate protection of the key values of the property. Since the completion of a land acquisition process in 2010, 97.4% of the property’s area is in public ownership (region or communities). In contrast, 56.6% of the buffer zone is privately owned.

The management of the property is coordinated by Ente Parco dell’ Etna, established as the managing authority of Etna Park by Decree of the President of the Sicilian Regional Authority in May 1987, working in close cooperation with the Regional Authority of State Forests and the Regional Corps of Forest Rangers (Corpo Forestale). Management is guided by a long-term management plan and Triennial Intervention Programmes.

 Public access to the top of Mount Etna may be officially prohibited for safety reasons, although this regulation has been difficult to enforce. Organized recreational activities such as mountain biking and horse / donkey riding require advance authorisation. Although they appear to be limited at present, they need to be well monitored and managed to avoid negative impacts such as erosion and disturbance of wildlife. No dogs are allowed in the property and illegal hunting appears to be under control.

At the base, the mountain is mostly occupied by crops, especially citrus (up until 500 meter high).

Once, the lower slopes of the volcano were occupied by carob and wild olive, but in recent times these were replaced.

At higher altitudes (600 - 1000m above sea level) the vegetation was at a time characterized by forests of holm oak (Quercus ilex).

Today these forests almost completely disappeared due to anthropogenic influence.

They were substituted by vineyards, olive trees, almonds and pistachios on the western side and hazel on the northern side.

 The holm oak woods are still present on the western slope where one can also find plenty of Oriental hackberry (Celtis tournefortii).

 Between 1000-1500m, the mountain is characterized by forests of downy oak (Quercus pubescens) and chestnut trees.

On the eastern side one can find forests of Turkey oak (Quercus cerris). Above these forests there are black pines, for example the pine forests of Serra la Nave.

Above the 1500 meter mark, pine trees as well as beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) can be found.

In some areas, especially on the eastern side there are trees of Etna birch (Betula aetnensis), considered by some endemic to Mount Etna.

 Above the 2450m mark very few plants can survive that adapted to the harsh environment like the French sorrel (Rumex scutatus). Above 3,000m altitude the continuous eruptive activity of Etna prevents any form of plant life to thrive.

Mount Etna broom Genista aetnensis 

Broom is first thing to grow after each eruption

The terminal branches have a tendency to droop and weep.

From mid to late summer is produces an abundance of sweetly fragrant pea shaped yellow flowers. 

 Young plants are typical of brooms but as they age the shrubs develop into small trees with a greenish bark.

 Genista aetnensis or Mount Etna Broom is a large shrub or small tree endemic to the island of Sicily, in Italy.

It is a very common constituent of the Mediterranean shrubby vegetation but especially around the lower slopes of Mount Etna.