Jane’s Walk Recap 2012

Yesterday we led a Jane’s Walk, “An Insider’s View of Ossington.” Approximately 50 people joined us as we strolled down Ossington on the west side, and back up the east side, between Queen and Dundas. Below are some photos we took of the crowd, and others taken by some of the participants.

One of the great things about Jane’s Walks, besides being free, interesting, and fun, is that everybody has a story to share, and yesterday, we learned some new things about Ossington Village.

We shared stories about the recent development of the food, art and real estate scenes of Ossington, and even delved into some history. We pointed out some of the street art along Ossington, places where famous people have visited, and places we like to hang out.

We were also told a few stories.

For example, the CAMH rehab facility at the bottom west side of Ossington near Queen used to be a firehouse, not surprisingly when you look at the tower. The tower itself was built expressly for a firehouse, as the place to hang their nylon firehose to dry after use.

Another interesting story was about the condos at Halton and Ossington. The Ossington development was built on the site of a former auto repair shop and car wash, and the condos on Halton took over from an old church that was sold and demolished. Just east of there, where another set of newer townhouses now exists, the developer bought an old church for only $650,000 and converted them to the houses today.

We finished the weekend at a neighborhood favorite, which is also an unknown spot to many in the city, The Communist’s Daughter. We even got Michael Johnson to come outside and play some of his gypsy jazz for the crowd. A perfect ending to a tour of Ossington.

Jane’s Walks occur for a weekend each Spring. We had a great time leading one, and we’ll likely do it again next year. Let us know if you went on any Jane’s Walks or if you have any interesting info on the history of our neighborhood.