An important piece of Toronto’s architectural and artistic history is set to go to auction this month. The Bridge Builders, Construction, Bloor Street Viaduct, 1915, is a major, museum-quality canvas by Toronto-born artist Peter Clapham Sheppard, an associate of the Group of Seven.
The rare oil painting (58 x 40 in) captures the construction of the Bloor Street Viaduct (begun in 1915), an engineering feat that shaped the city. (Below: construction photos provided by Cowley Abbot auctioneers)
In Sheppard’s painting, a central elevator tower dominates the scene, showing the support cables used to transport concrete-filled hoppers. Workers bring the moment vividly to life, emphasizing the scale of the project. The painting captivated art critics’ attention during its early exhibitions more than a century ago.
Below, a photo of construction Dec. 31, 1916, from the City of Toronto Archives.
The next shot is the Bloor Street Viaduct (officially named The Prince Edward Viaduct), looking east to Broadview Avenue, circa 1920. It had just opened for traffic Aug. 23, 1919.
Famously, despite the streetcar on the bridge, city planners had the foresight to also construct a subway deck, saving a great deal of money when the Bloor-Danforth line was built in the 1960s.
A multi-page City of Toronto history of the viaduct, here. Below, the viaduct today.
The blogTO’s “facts you didn’t know about the Bloor viaduct” page, here.
The Cowley Abbot auction house page on the painting up for sale, here.
#Toronto #bloorstreetviaduct #painting #peterclaphamsheppard
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Love this. The viaduct is an important part of Toronto’s literary history as well: it is a central location and running theme for Michael Ondaatje’s 1987 novel,” In the Skin of a Lion.”
I did not know the Skin of a Lion connection, thanks for that especially. Moving it up my TBR list, where it’s been languishing.
I travel below it both ways on the subway frequently so I also found this fascinating.
I lived near-ish to that bridge for a long time, so I also know it well. I’ve always particularly loved that they thought to make it a double-decker, right from the start.