The Islington Mosaic Heritage Murals
From West to East Along Dundas Street West
Photo by Alan L Brown - April 2008
Titled "Welcome to Historic Village of Islington", this mural, located on the west wall of 5164 Dundas Street West, co-ordinates 43.642974 -79.534246, was designed by graphic artist, Peter Lee. The accompanying plaque for this mural says:
Positioned at the western gateway to the Village of Islington Business Improvement Area (BIA), this mural welcomes passersby to our historic community. It also expresses, in graphic form, what organizers are trying to accomplish with the Islington Mosaic heritage murals project. Designed by graphic artist Peter Lee, this mural shows the historic buildings appearing in the BIA's silhouette logo seen on village street signs and banners. The shadowy high-rise buildings represent the present. The road leading to the village is peopled by figures from the past. This mural was painted by lead artist, Jim Bravo, and Etobicoke School of the Arts students, Hannah Reynolds and Tongson Chen. To produce the mural, the design was projected onto the wall, blocked out in crayon and then painted-in with latex paint.
Photo by Alan L Brown - April 2008
By artist John Kuna 2007, this mural, titled "Riding the Radials", is located on the east wall of the building at 5110 Dundas Street West, co-ordinates: 43.644785 -79.532698. The accompanying plaque for this mural says:
From 1917 to 1931 the old Guelph Radial Line, that ran behind this site, linked communities from Lambton Mills to Guelph. Forerunners of today's electric streetcars, radial trains were so named because they "radiated" from the city centre outwards to neighbouring towns and villages. Long before the construction of provincial highways, radial lines were part of a transportation network that facilitated the integration of communities such as Islington into what is now the Greater Toronto Region. To evoke feelings of nostalgia, artist John Kuna used a painterly style recalling old coloured postcards and turn of the century paintings. Note how the radial masts are painted so as to form part of the adjacent building to convey a sense that the train is presently docked at station before carrying passengers onwards to their destination.
Photo by Alan L Brown - April 2008
Located on the east wall of 4988 Dundas Street West, co-ordinates: 43.647015 -79.530625, this mural, titled "Honouring Islington's Volunteer Fire Brigade", honours Islington's volunteer firemen. It was painted in 2007 by John Kuna. The accompanying plaque for this mural says:
This mural, by artist John Kuna, honours the men of the Islington Volunteer Fire Brigade whose hall was located in this block. Fighting fires, often at great personal risk, was their main purpose; but in the 1940s these men also served their community in a more light hearted fashion. During the winter months they would dam Mimico Creek below T. Montgomery's Inn to create a much used and loved skating rink. Note how the winter mural's design ingeniously incorporates a boarded window in the back of the building, using it as the serving window for the little hut from which volunteers played 'dance' music and dispensed hot chocolate and other refreshments.
Photo by Alan L Brown - August 2007
Located at 4984 Dundas Street West, co-ordinates: 43.647244 -79.530464, this mural, titled "Islington - The Way We Were, Part II" was painted by John Kuna in 2006. The accompanying plaque for this mural says:
Designed as a companion piece for the mural on the opposite wall, this mural depicts Islington ca 1912. Together they form a unique historical diorama with the first one looking east and this one looking west along Dundas Street. This mural shows the old Islington Hotel and drive shed as well as neighbouring shops then located on the north side of Dundas Street at Burnhamthorpe Road. The Islington Burying Grounds are seen in the distance and in the foreground workers are depicted preparing the road to be paved in the ongoing development of Islington as a thriving community. In 1912 Burnhamthorpe Road was located west of its present location. As shown in the mural, it ran between the Islington Hotel and Clayton's Butcher Shop. The hotel's drive shed stretched across the current intersection which has now been reconfigured to connect Burnhamthorpe Road and Cordova Avenue.
Photo by Alan L Brown - June 2006
Painted in photographic representational style, this mural, titled "The Way We Were - Islington ca 1900", is part of a unique, historical diorama located at 4972 Dundas Street West, co-ordinates: 43.647407 -79.530271. It was painted in 2005 by Toronto artist, John Kuna. The accompanying plaque for this mural says:
Looking east along Dundas Street from Cordova, this mural depicts Islington at the turn of the century. Collaged from images in the photo archives at Montgomery's Inn and posted on etobicokehistorical.com, both the buildings and the people were real. The family shown at left was inspired by figures in a photo by famous Islington photographer, Walter Moorhouse. Hopkins' store was located at 4906 Dundas. The old Wesleyan Methodist Church and manse - which were also seen in our first mural, "Faith of our Fathers" - were across the street.
Photo by Alan L Brown - August 2007
Located at 4959 Dundas Street West, co-ordinates: 43.647558 -79.529541, is this mural, titled "Timeline: Islington Then and Now" by John Kuna, 2006. The accompanying plaque for this mural says:
This mural depicts Dundas Street at three stages in Islington's history. The shops on the right are currently located in this block. The cars in the centre are from the 1950s. The buildings at left are from the early 1900s. At that time, flowering catalpa trees graced the south side of Dundas Street stretching from Mimico Creek to Cordova Avenue. They had been planted by Mr. J.D. Evans and lent a quaint yet exotic feel to the village. Dunn's Store was located on the north east corner of Dundas Street at Burnhamthorpe Crescent. The store sold dry goods, groceries and hardware. It was also Islington's Post Office. That site was later home to Old Mill Donuts and is now the Second Cup.
Photo by Alan L Brown - April 2008
Painted in Post Impressionist style, this mural, titled "Briarly - Gone but not Forgotten", faces 4937 Dundas Street West, co-ordinates: 43.647966 -79.529166. It was painted in 2007 by John Kuna. Currently, there is no accompanying plaque for this mural.
Photo by Alan L Brown - June 2006
Painted in 2004, Islington's first mural, titled "Faith of our Fathers", was a pilot project painted on plywood panels secured to the tall, thin, wall overlooking 4901 Dundas Street West, co-ordinates: 43.648940 -79.528377. It was designed by graphic artist Peter Lee and painted by Islington muralist Olaf Schneider. The accompanying plaque for this mural says:
In the early 1900s, social and religious life in Islington revolved around the old Wesleyan Methodist Church located just east of here. Though the building depicted in this mural has been demolished, part of the parsonage still remains as the shops at 4879 and 4883 Dundas Street West. This was the second Methodist Church in the village. When the congregation outgrew the first building, it was sold to the Etobicoke Township and became the Municipal Offices and Police Station. It is now the Fox 'n Fiddle. From 1885 - 1949, area worshippers met in this building which was renamed Islington United Church in 1925. In 1926 the church's spire was damaged by lightning and replaced with a tower. Today Islington United Church is located at 25 Burnhamthorpe Road.
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