John FitzGerald's photos

Spadina rhymes with Dinah rather than with Dina.

Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, with New City Hall in back.

Technically underachieving, so more tolerable in the big view -- click the pic or type Z.

The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Norwich. The cathedral opened in 1145, and most of the original structure has been retained. A new edit of a photo posted earlier on Flickr.

The west elevation of Old City Hall (a description of which is provided with the previous shot) seen from Nathan Phillips Square. I once saw a tourist bus park on Queen Street in front of New City Hall (out of shot to the left); the first thing every person who got out of the bus did, however, was take some photos of Old City Hall. I have a winter version of this shot, with the pond transformed into a skating rink, that will no doubt appear eventually. It's summer now, though, so I took a new one today.

Opened in 1899; the archiitect was E. J. Lennox, Before designing the building Lennox toured the major Richardsonian Romanesque buildings in the United States. The massing of this building seems clearly to have been inspired by H. H. Richardon's own Allegheny County Courthiuse (1888) in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis City Hall (whose exterior was completed 1895; Charles F. Haglin and Charles Morse), and Cincinnati City Hall (ca. 1890, Samuel Hannaford). While the building also incorporates some decorative motifs from these buildings, Lennox introduced some stylistic innovations and stunning decoration of his own. However, after World War II Toronto City Council, having noticed that there were no Modernist buildings in Toronto, decided to fill Toronto with Modernist buildings. It declared Old City Hall derivative, and in the 1970s announced it would be destroyed to make way for the Eaton Centre. In those days, though, ordinary citizens used to take part in public affairs, and an enraged citizenry rose as one to defend this iconic building. At one of the demonstrations people washed the then pitch-black stone to reveal the beautiful colours underneath, and that tipped the scales. The building was allowed to stand, although with its once magnificent interior gutted, and today it is a provincial courthouse. This view is looking north on Bay Street towards the south (front) elevation. The next shot has a view of the west elevation.

2 St, Clair Ave. W., Toronto. This view is no longer -- since this picture was taken the canopy has been removed. I suppose that lowered the insurance rates by lowering the probability of falling ice. This was on Flickr once, but never here, I don't think.

St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto. On the whole SC West is not as trendy or chain-ridden as this view might suggest. I took this from the streetcar stop in the middle of the street.

Four years old, but making its first public appearance,

As well they should be. The theme is more apparent in the big version -- click the pic or type Z to see it.

In the big view you can see how cool buddy's shirt is. Click the pic or type Z.

An old photo I have never posted before. Taken at the Old Autos Show in Bothwell, Ontario. Again I like the big version. You can click the pic or type Z to see if you agree.