North York Centre Subway

 North York Centre subway
station ((click to enlarge)

The North York Centre Subway Station is part of the Yonge-University-Spadina

line of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).  It is a beautifully constructed station that serves the North Central municipality of Toronto (formerly North York) and its civic workers as well as a host station for events in Mel Lastman Square and Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts. 

The Civic Centre / Entrance to Novotel Hotel
(click to enlarge)

The North York Centre is located off of Yonge street and between Sheppard to the south and Finch to the North. The Civic Centre (formerly North York City Hall)was once my work place before I had my children.  I worked for the City of North York with my husband.  He was in the Public Works department and I was in Public Health.  In 1998, North York City Hall was still a stunner of a building, made of brown brick and skylight windows overhead.  The departments were divided into multi-tiered layers and that theme played into the new Civic Centre as it appears today. 

The skylight windows brought in so much light in the daytime, limited electricity was used to light workspace.  Today, there is still a hint of the old structure, but a lot has been altered so its scarcely noticeable.

Located inside the Civic Centre is also the Toronto Central Public Library and is one of two in Toronto considered to be a research and reference library. 

Mel Lastman Square
(click to enlarge)

The Novatel Hotel is located inside the Civic Centre adjacent to the Toronto

Centre for the Performing Arts and has about 260 rooms averaging 150.00 a

night. 

Finally Mel Lastman Square is a gorgeous outdoor arena that hosts events year round.  It was named after our former beloved Mayor Mel Lastman who has since retired from political life, but his life is a blog in and of itself.

Mel Lastman Square includes 
personal signature (click to enlarge)

North York Centre subway station was built to answer the demands of the growing population of the City of Toronto to entice downtown core business

and communities to relocate uptown to release central congestion.  In the

last 10 years over 20,000 units of new housing have been approved, with over

16,000 of these presently built or under construction. 

Before a decade ago there was very little needed for a subway station between

Clockwise: Central Library, Novotel Lobby, 
Entrance to Library, Centre for the Perfroming 
Arts, Where am I?, Grand Lobby at the 
Civic Centre (click to enlarge)

Sheppard and Finch, however due to its current population growth North York Centre has proved to be a vital component in the Transit system of Toronto.

Broadview and Castle Frank Subway Stations

Inside Broadview and Castle Frank Stations

Broadview and Castle Frank Stations are on the Bloor-Danforth line of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).  Both stations were opened in 1966 and are both underground railway structures.  They are connected by the Bloor Viaduct which was constructed as a truss arch bridge, at a cost of $2.5 million (in today's inflation dollar it is equivalent to $36 million) and opened on October 18, 1918 as the Prince Edward Viaduct System.




Today it's more commonly known as the Bloor Viaduct, which covers a span of 1680 feet or 494 metres and connects the City from Bloor street East to Danforth avenue passing over the Don Valley parkway, the Bayview extension and Riverdale Park.

I found this huge air vent on the west
 side of the bridge. What it's for? 

Bloor Viaduct-Built 1918-note the "Luminous Veil"

Suicide Magnet-Long way down

I've crossed over this bridge a hundred times in my life by different modes of transportation.  By car, by bike and by train.  So I decided today since there was such a rich history in the construction to accommodate mass transportation in the City, I would enlist both Broadview and Castle Frank stations together in my research of the transit system here in Toronto.  What a gorgeous day it was to do it too!  I was able to take lots of pictures and spent most of my Saturday reading about the Viaduct.




Like many bridges in large cities, this one isn't any different as far as being a suicide magnet.   Its original design did not include the "luminous veil" which was put up in 2003 at a cost of $5 million dollars to prevent grief-stricken people from ending their lives by jumping over the bridge.  It also was to protect the traffic underneath in danger of being hit by a fallen body.  A sign is erected at the western most part of the bridge, which indicates the phone number to the distress center, standing by 24 hours a day to help listen and hopefully saving a life that day.
Beside it is a Bell public phone which requires no coin if you dial the helpline.

Although statistics have proven that the steel rods which look and behave much the same way as a ships mast, do not prevent suicides.  This is to the dismay of many unsympathetic people who feel that the view has been disturbed and was put up in vain due to the fact that one who is in that frame of mind may find alternative choices out of desperation.  As in the heart breaking story about Martin William Patrick McMullan, who jumped the 'Leaside Bridge' just  minutes away.  H was only 19 years old.  I pass by this whenever I am on the bike trail, and stop to pay my respects for the young man and think of his devastating last minutes.   These are pictures of the unprotected Leaside bridge.