St Lawrence Market

[Jonny5]

The Toronto Sculpture Garden has been temporarily closed "for maintenance including remediation and pest control" until September.

I think this is good. It's been looking a bit rough, especially since the adjoining restaurant closed. The fountain has not run this year and has been spraypainted a few times. The last artwork to appear there earlier this summer was immediately destroyed/vandalized (though the artist said this was intentional -- fine, very conceptual, but it didn't do much to make the garden a welcoming stop in the neighbourhood.)

Then I cut through there at night earlier in the summer and it looked like the ground was moving, it was teeming with so many rats running back and forth in the plantings and on the grass. I got freaked out and left quickly. The most rats I've ever seen in one place and some of them were BIG.

My guess is that's why the fountain was shut off. One of the biggest attractions for rats and mice to nest is not only food, but easy access to fresh water.

 

[DSC]

My guess is that's why the fountain was shut off. One of the biggest attractions for rats and mice to nest is not only food, but easy access to fresh water.

I think it was shut because at least some of its controls are inside the now closed Aveda store.

 

[Jonny5]

I think it was shut because at least some of its controls are inside the now closed Aveda store.

Oh, really? So they actually had to go in there and can't now. That's an odd arrangement, but I guess with historic areas that's how that works.

 

[DSC]

Oh, really? So they actually had to go in there and can't now. That's an odd arrangement, but I guess with historic areas that's how that works.

That is what I have heard, the water feature does run down the outside wall of the Store. Before it closed, the Maquette restaurant used to be responsible for opening and closing the park gates as part of their lease - that building belongs to the City but I do not think the Aveda one does