Urban decoder

Architecture

On Augusta just north of Queen, there’s a beautiful Victorian house amid all the surrounding grunge. What’s the story? —Erica Berman, Annex

The Club Monaco building at the corner of Bloor and Avenue Road is emblazoned with the words “Department of Household Science.” Is this where women were once taught the physics behind the tuna casserole? —Raoul Fernandez, High Park

I noticed 11 cement vaults lined up side by side near the lighthouse on the Leslie Street Spit. Some were carved with names and dates. What are they doing there? —Chris Sulway, Leslieville

There are a number of strange little houses across town that look abandoned and have industrial-strength steel front doors with electrical hazard signs drilled into them. My husband jokes they’re KGB safe houses. What’s the story? —Deborah Moore, Leaside

I’ve heard that there was once a lakeside dance hall built into the Scarborough Bluffs. Is this true? If so, what happened to the place? —Nicola Cartwright, Summerhill

I’ve noticed the lights in the Bank of Montreal building flickering and switching off in odd patterns at night. Is it the work of some crazed janitor? —Brooke Desmond, The Beach

In the former industrial district off King Street West at Liberty, there’s a strange old building sitting next to land recently cleared for condos. What is it?

What’s the story behind those two houses on the east side of Leslie north of Lawrence? They’re geometric, blue and purple and look as if they belong in a cartoon. What are they worth? Who built them and why? —Lori Rich and Shawn Fiedler, Willowdale

Sitting in a shallow basin in Norman Jewison Park (just east of Yonge, between Isabella and Gloucester), there’s a small tombstone inscribed with the words “In Memory of Barney.” What is it? —Uno Alexandre Ramat, The Village

What was the original intent for the large, unfinished, grey concrete structure that sits above the underground parking lot just west of Yonge Street between Adelaide and Temperance? —Eric Brazier, Yonge and Eglinton

The Starbucks at the northwest corner of Yonge and College is housed in a strange red-brick building that looks like an old castle. What’s the story behind it? —Rena Macrae, Deer Park

What’s the story behind 471–473 Bloor Street West? It used to be a restaurant but has been boarded up and rotting away for at least 15 years. Is it a tax write-off? An eccentric landlord? A family feud? —Carolyn Dodds, Seaton Village

On Berkeley Street, just north of Dundas, the façade of an old building stands propped up by huge structural beams. What’s its story? —Erin Murray, Bloor West Village

Can you tell me why the Ernst & Young Tower of the TD Centre has a floor named 7A? I always feel as if I’m in Being John Malkovich when the elevator doors open at that floor. —Peter McNeill, St. Lawrence Market area

Dear Urban Decoder: I saw this odd, futuristic-looking dwelling on Leonard Place, a glorified alleyway in Kensington Market. Who lives there, and what’s the story?

What happened to the “multiculturalism” statue in front of Union Station? It seems to have disappeared. —Gordon Iversen, Queen West

Why is the MuchMusic/ Citytv building festooned with marble gargoyles reading books? They seem rather out of place among the pop stars and teenyboppers that frequent the joint. —John Davis, The Annex

At U of T, on the north side of Russell Street just east of Spadina Circle, there is a strange new building with pulleys on the front and an extremely large door. What goes on in there? —Chuck Wahlberg, Annex

Dear Urban Decoder: Driving down the western side of Queen’s Park Crescent, I’ve noticed a large monument near the Wellesley bridge. Why is it so hidden?

Dear Urban Decoder: In the former industrial district off King Street West at Liberty, there’s a strange old building sitting next to land recently cleared for condos. What is it?

What’s the story behind all the boarded-up buildings on Howard Street and Glen Road near Bloor? You’d think this prime piece of real estate so close to the Sherbourne subway exit would be used for some infill development. Instead, the block has been an abandoned eyesore for years. —Julie Jai, Bloor and Sherbourne

On Dundas West in the Junction, there is what appears to be an old funeral home with the sign Rue Morgue House of Horror on the front. What kind of evil lurks inside? —Louise Montgomery, Bloor West Village

There’s a futuristic house in Riverdale that looks like something from the moon. What’s it doing on Sparkhall Avenue?—Lisa Digiovanni, Leslieville

What’s the story on that tiny cemetery on the east side of Pape, south of Gerrard?—Elizabeth Hubert, Cabbagetown

It seems as if the northeast corner of Yonge and Dundas has been under construction forever. What’s the deal? —Jennifer Charbonneau, Liberty Village

There’s a stone archway on the east side of Yonge, north of Gerrard. Where did it come from?— Jeff Smith, Cabbagetown

When they’re finished building a skyscraper, how do they get the giant crane off the rooff?—Natasha Sanjabi, Regal Heights

Who was “Bigley” of the Richard Bigley building at Queen and Mutual? And is it true that this is the oldest ghost sign in North America?—Hugo Bernier, Downtown

There are two vacant bank buildings on Yonge across from the Eaton Centre. They’ve languished in disuse for years. Will they ever be occupied?—Douglas McTaggart, Cabbagetown

Why are there iron crucifixes attached to the building next to Fran’s Diner on College Street?—Tessa Wong, Kensington