Educator | Communicator | Photographer
“Their doctor is in the neighbourhood, so I figured I’d just bring them down to the Roasterie to pick up some beans while we were all down here. Oh! He’s the photo of the day? Haha, with all that sunblock smeared on his face. Yeah, it’s really nice out right now.”
The landscape of Sunnyside and Kensington changes so fast, it’s hard to remember sometimes what it looked like before. Two years ago, I shot a photo of the 10th street strip, knowing that it would look remarkably different. I wonder what it will look like two years ago from now, or twenty years from now.
10th Street NW on April 19, 2014
“Happy New Year – 2016 could be a BIG year for The Sunnyside Project.
In the past I have alluded to having some re-development plans for The Sunnyside Project. I am formally starting down this path in 2016 and it is important for me to have dialogue with the immediate neighbours and community. There will be a formal Community Engagement process but I want to start communicating with my Facebook friends.
I realize the important history of the Sunnyside Grocery and the many good memories and therefore want to be transparent with my plans and seek your input at an early stage. Change and managing expectations is tough so I realize that I will not please everyone with my plans but hopefully you will hear me out before you pass judgment on the plans. I have also learned the importance of pursuing passions and that we each have been placed on this earth to do something that only we can do with our unique DNA and life experiences. Through the Sunnyside Project I hope to pursue my passions for architecture/design and reasonably priced housing while facilitating community, supporting urban agriculture, supporting the visual arts and exploring my intrigue with some of the new Green Building technologies.
When I purchased the property, I did not have all of these passions but after meeting people in the community, my mind has been opened to many new ideas and I have been exposed to some of the things (and most importantly people) that make Sunnyside the special place that it is.
Even though I have only owned the property since June 2014, I have had a lot of personal enjoyment with it and it will be sad to move on to the next phase. My dream though is to create something that while different, will be even more beneficial to the residents of Sunnyside in the long-term.” To learn more about this exciting project, visit: www.facebook.com/sunnysidegrocery
“We moved in here February 2010 and moved out December of 2011. A good friend of ours lived here for about a year before they demolished it. We moved a few blocks over to 4a Street.
They way we got our house we live in now is good story. We became good friends with an older couple just by way of walks through the dog park. We mentioned that we were interested in buying a house, but wanted to stay in the neighbourhood. The couple mentioned that they were considering selling theirs, so we made a deal. We didn’t need to involve any realtors or agents–they just wanted to sell their house to people who wanted to live in the neighbourhood. It’s actually kind of funny: they had bought the house back in the day for $80000.
Anyways, before they demolished the house we moved from, we went inside and took the original doors which were made of solid wood, the old claw foot tub, even one of the original heater grates. There were a lot of hidden treasures too. There was one door knob that was a real find. It had been painted so many times that when we stripped off all the paint, it had this beautiful filigree workmanship to it. It looked like it should have been the front door, and maybe it was at one point. There’s an old picture of Sunnyside from 1911, and the house that used to be here is in it. It just didn’t have any of the additions.
I think that if you go out for a five minute walk, you hear a story. There’s such a good community here. Whenever we take the dog for a walk, we always have something to talk about. You run into people you know, even people you used to live by–they’re still happy to see you.
Sarah works downtown and this neighbourhood is central for my work. We walk wherever we need to go. There’s so many friends here. You know, good people is everything you need.
The dog park is also amazing. It’s not a manicured park. It’s a nice woods where you meet so many people.
Sunnyside is a good safe neighbourhood. You see lots of kids out playing, even though you’re in the inner city. Everyone looks out for each other, it’s really good for that.” Sarah and Jack, with Kira–standing in front of the property they used to live in. The lot has been empty and abandoned for about three years.
It’s Record Store Day and Kensington’s own Hot Wax Records is getting in on the action! Well, it’s been Record Store Day for them since 1978. New, used, generally oddities–it’s all here!
Hot Wax is at 114 10th Street NW.
“It’s so lovely. You get some young couples in the apartments, some old folks in the houses. Some of the people here are living in the homes that their parents raised them in, and there’s something more…
The warmth, the friendliness, the community. It’s so generous and, well, contagious! People are attracted here because the shops, the walkability, the river, but they don’t see the how nice it is to know your neighbours, become a regular in the shops… That’s the magic of Sunnyside: you want to be a part of that, I don’t know, is ‘neighbourliness’ a word? Ha ha!”
***Note: ‘Neighbourliness’ is indeed a word.***
“We need life! We need youth! We need young families to make this place home! It can’t just be a neighbourhood for the old and crotchety (ha ha, like me) or the young hipsters. Who is going to play in the playgrounds? Who’s going to go trick-or-treating? Who is going to participate in the Community Association events?
You see, that’s the real question we should be asking. How do we make this neighbourhood more viable for young families?”
“Hey here’s a question: what do you think about how all these changes to the neighbourhood affect the topography? Do you think that the way we perceive Sunnyside will change based on how we navigate through the streets and the new buildings? Will people look at Kensington and think that this is a sleepy little hamlet? Or will they start to think that this is a happenin’ place where something new and cool is going on? I think that’s worth a study on its own.”
I actually think that change is good–deliberate change with mindfulness and intent. Ask me about that some day.
“Oh wow, I just need to get outside. I’m so happy that the sun is shining and everything is turning green. All we need now is just some good Spring showers, you know, for the trees and the farmers.”
“This is my office away from the office. It gives me a chance to get away from the crowds and just g et some work done. Also, it’s a good opportunity to get re-caffeinated, haha!
I’ve been a bike mechanic since 1987, but off and on over the years. Joe’s Garage was opened in 2007. I’m usually set up on the Bow River Pathway on the south side of the bank between 10th street and the Peace bridge (right close to 3rd avenue SW).
When I moved from Toronto, this felt like the neighbourhood that I used to go to. I’ve lived in this neighbourhood since about 2006. It’s got a lot of the kinds of things that I like in a community.” Joe Nunn, Proprietor of Joe’s Garage.
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