Looking southeast towards the Riverside Bridge on Queen St E. Built in 1911, the structure spans the Don River and was once known as the Queen Street Viaduct. The plain truss-style steel bridge was the gateway to the east side of Toronto, where many industrial businesses like factories and brickyards existed.
In the mid-1990s, the Riverside BIA held a public art contest. Eldon Garnet was one of the artists who won, and he contributed the now iconic art/phrase on top of the bridge, greeting everyone with “This River I Step In Is Not The River I Stand In.” The art refers to the notion of the Greek Philosopher Heraclitus that you cannot step in the same river twice since it’s in constant movement.
SOURCE
- Riverside To: Riverside Gateway Bridge Project
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives