After weeks and weeks of minute and painstaking research and detail, I have finally signed this mandala as complete.
Mandala # 38 includes a bird's eye view of Cedarvale down to Humewood and St. Clair / along St. Clair to Scarlett Road/ up to Eglinton and back to Cedarvale.
It also incorporates Oakwood Village, Dufferin Street, Corso Italia, Earlscourt, Keele St., Weston Road, Rogers Road, Jane Street, and others which I will mention later.
This mandala is a compact look at how this area of Toronto has become an example of such continuous diverse change over the last 200 years beginning with First Nations of the New Mississauga Credit. I hope I have presented to the the viewers an exciting and whimsical tapestry of this side of Toronto's story.
I discovered many interesting Toronto gems along the way, including info about John Scarlett's toll gates, his house called Runnymede, and the former City of York's time capsule to be opened in 2193, which will be Toronto's Quadricentennial. Can you possibly imagine what Toronto will be like in 2193 ????
York Memorial Collegiate, Vaughan Road Academy, the palm tree art sculpture at Oakwood and Eglinton, St. Hilda's Church at Dufferin and Eg, Oakwood Collegiate, Wychwood Library, the St. Clair, Mt. Dennis, Oakwood and Nortown movies theatres, and Humewood Public School are a few more of the buildings noted on this mandala.
This mandala depicts all the above...and more ! Tobogganing down the hills in Cedarvale Park, a giant frog,representing the park on Jane Street south of Eglinton, with his golden webbed digits stretched out with a magic touch to the central crystal ball !
And the squirrels and birds and ducks and dogs and cats and ladybugs...oh my !!!!
Many heritage buildings, such as Heyden House ( complete with former cupula ) , building # 9 of the Kodak compound and the little church on Scarlett Road which housed some who sought refuge during Hurricane Hazel in 1954. I remember it well, as my father had to make sure the very heavy, back, storm door was secured on our little Victorian Style house on a little street in Brockton, so he could protect my mom and us 6 kids from imminent danger. Oh, the sounds we heard...even our dog " Lady " hid under a bed.
I also remember my dad covering the coal chute to the cellar under the front window ( where many-a-time my job was to count the bags of coal [24] which the delivery man emptied down the chute and quickly report it to my mom or dad for 2 cents reward ) so the basement wouldn't get flooded. Luckily we survived Hurricane Hazel. : )))
This mandala is called " Crosstown Toronto " in reference to the future LRT.
If you scroll down a few posts you will find a link to an article about my mandalas published in the Globe and Mail and written by Dave LeBlanc, the Architourist .
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