Gordon’s Dairy

Gordon’s Dairy

Oct 4, 2019

Gordon’s Dairy

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Artist

John Kuna

Title

Gordon’s Dairy

Year

2008

Where to Find It

4968 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke, Toronto, Etobicoke, ON, Canada

About

The original building had a yellow-tile front and a lunch counter and dairy bar inside. In the 1940s the dairy was a popular hang-out for area youth and Gordon’s horse-drawn milk wagons were a familiar sight on Islington streets. The mural is based on a photo from the Islington Archives at Montgomery’s Inn. The man on the left in the suit is Ken Gordon; the one on the right is his brother Bud.

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Harold G. Shipp’s First High Flier!

Harold G. Shipp’s First High Flier!

Oct 4, 2019

Harold G. Shipp’s First High Flier!

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Artist

John Kuna

Title

Harold G. Shipp’s First High Flier!

Year

2008

Where to Find It

4994 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke, Toronto, Etobicoke, ON, Canada

About

In 1944 Harold Shipp convinced a Lancaster bomber pilot who ferried supplies from Toronto to England during the war, to fly over the school’s football field and drop hundreds of leaflets, a few of which could be traded for tickets to the school dance. Unfortunately, a rogue wind scattered the leaflets across the Chinese market gardens near Montgomery’s Inn. In the ensuing mayhem, excited football fans frantic to secure a winning ticket, stormed the field and trampled the carefully tended cabbages.

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Honouring Islington’s Volunteer Fire Brigade

Honouring Islington’s Volunteer Fire Brigade

Oct 4, 2019

Honouring Islington’s Volunteer Fire Brigade

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Artist

John Kuna

Title

Honouring Islington’s Volunteer Fire Brigade

Year

2007

Where to Find It

4988 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke, Toronto, Etobicoke, ON, Canada

About

Each winter in the 1940s and 50s, the fire brigade diverted water from Mimico Creek to flood Central Park. This created a huge skating rink just south of Dundas W. The mural design incorporates a boarded casement at the back of the building and appears as a serving window for the little hut. Volunteers once played dance music and served hot chocolate and treats from such a window.

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Islington The Way We Were, Part II ~1912

Islington The Way We Were, Part II ~1912

Oct 4, 2019

Islington The Way We Were, Part II ~1912

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Artist

John Kuna

Title

Islington The Way We Were, Part II ~1912

Year

2006

Where to Find It

4984 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke, Toronto, Etobicoke, ON, Canada

About

This mural is situated opposite its counterpart at 4972 Dundas W. Like bookends, both murals flank a little plaza creating a unique historical diorama: the first mural faces east and this one faces a northwest along Dundas W. from Cordova Avenue. At that time Burnhamthorpe Road was located west of its present location and has since been realigned to connect with Cordova Avenue.

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MIMICO CREEK ~1920

MIMICO CREEK ~1920

Oct 4, 2019

MIMICO CREEK ~1920

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Artist

John Kuna

Title

MIMICO CREEK ~1920

Year

2008

Where to Find It

4986 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke, ON, Canada

About

Long before Islington Avenue was extended south to Bloor Street in 1962, artists gathered near Montgomery’s Inn to paint the local colours. Young boys spent lazy afternoons fishing in Mimico Creek which wound through the valley framed by sumac, spruce and pine. The farm house owned by the Appleby family shown at the top right was located on the northwest corner of Dundas W. and Islington. It was built in an Ontario Gothic style with fine gingerbread trim.

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