Beneath Crawford Street at Queen West sits a concrete bridge — spanning a river that no longer exists above ground. Garrison Creek was culverted in the 1880s but the bridge they built over it was simply paved over and forgotten when the street was raised. You can see the brick abutments and remnants of the bridge structure from Trinity Bellwoods Park, just south of Queen Street. It's one of the most tangible physical traces of Toronto's lost river network.
Neighbourhood: Trinity Bellwoods · Address: Crawford St at Queen W / visible from Trinity Bellwoods Park (south of Queen entrance) · Hours: Viewable from park and street at all times — do not enter the culvert · Price Range: Free · Editorial status: Not yet verified
It's one of the few places in Toronto where you can actually see the remains of a bridge built to cross a long-buried river. Stand over history in the open air, steps from the city’s busiest streets.
Unlike plaques or covered-up ruins, the Crawford Street bridge’s brick abutments and concrete arches are directly visible from the ground, making Toronto’s now-invisible Garrison Creek tangible. Most buried river crossings were demolished or are totally inaccessible—here, the past is hiding in plain sight.
Ghost Signs of Toronto are one of those things you can walk past for years without noticing, and then suddenly you start seeing them everywhere. Once you know to look up, the city changes a bit. High on old brick walls, above shopfronts and awnings, you’ll catch the faded remains of hand-painted ads from another Toronto: tobacco brands nobody sells anymore, dry goods companies that vanished generations ago, soft drink lettering from before anyone had heard of vinyl wraps or digital printing. The best part is that they don’t feel curated or cleaned up. They’re just there, weathered and half-erased, hanging on. Kensington Market has one of the best concentrations, especially if you wander Spadina, Baldwin, and Augusta slowly instead of charging through looking for lunch. The older brick buildings around there still carry these pale layers of paint in cream, red, black, and blue, often with gorgeous old typefaces that feel weirdly alive even when only a few letters are still legible. Some signs are huge and theatrical, covering an entire side wall. Others are so faint you only notice them when the light hits just right and a word starts to emerge from the brick. The stretch of Dundas between Yonge and Parliament is worth doing too, especially if you like seeing the city outside the postcard version of downtown. You’ll find walls where whole ads are still readable, and others that are basically visual ghosts, just outlines and shadows of lettering. Parkdale and parts of the East End have their own survivors as well, tucked above discount shops, apartment conversions, garages, and old commercial blocks that somehow escaped being completely refaced. What actually happens when you go looking for ghost signs is pretty simple: you walk, you scan second- and third-storey walls, you cross the street a lot, and you stop every few minutes to squint at brick. It’s catnip for photographers and graphic design people, but even if you’re not either of those, it’s satisfying in a low-key way. You’re not visiting a museum. You’re spotting fragments of the city that have accidentally survived. Some are protected because the neighbouring building shields them from rain and snow. Others are disappearing in real time under fresh paint, renovations, or demolition hoarding. A practical tip: don’t stare at eye level. Most of the good ones are above the ground floor, and modern storefront signs usually block them if you’re too close. Stand across the street if you can. Overcast days are best because bright sun can wash faded paint right out, while soft grey light makes the lettering easier to read. Start from Spadina Station and walk south into Kensington, then just let yourself drift. It’s free, always visible from the sidewalk, and easy to combine with coffee, people-watching, or a longer wandering day. If you like old Toronto, go sooner rather than later. A few disappear every year, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.
The Crawford Street bridge is a 19th-century concrete bridge that was buried when Garrison Creek was culverted in the 1880s. The bridge once spanned the creek where it crossed Crawford Street. When the street level was raised and the creek enclosed, the bridge was simply left in place and paved over. Its abutments are visible near the Trinity Bellwoods Park entrance at Queen West.
Yes — the brick abutments and remnants of the bridge structure are visible from the street and the adjacent Trinity Bellwoods Park, particularly near the Queen Street West entrance to the park. You can view it from public space. Do not enter any culverts, drains, or restricted infrastructure.
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