iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Joël León

Muddy York @muddyyork.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

On this date in 1891, the saints used to name Toronto's wards were replaced with numbers. The saints would endure in the names of ridings and TTC stations.

03511

Reposted by Joël León

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

To be clear, any mayor or city council can do their own version of this in their city. The differentiator is will, or excuse. If they’re not, it’s because they’re choosing not to, either because they’ve wrongly convinced themselves they can’t, or because they don’t want to badly enough (or at all).

410433

Reposted by Joël León

James Taite @jamestaite.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

On the south wall of the Centre Block, west of the Peace Tower, sits this whiskered grotesque, pretty obviously a caricature of Thomas Fuller, designer of the first Centre Block, 1859-67, and Dominion Architect 1881-96

0223

Reposted by Joël León

Dan Seljak @anotherglassbox.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Apologies for the heavy breathing but I straight up chased and caught up with this boat when I realised what it was… if you look/listen closely, you can join Joël for the @tosoarch.bsky.social boat tour today.

282

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Harbour Terrace, Toronto, 1987. Li Architects.

052

Reposted by Joël León

Jason Thorne @jasonthorne.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

When most people think of “heritage” buildings they think of buildings from the 19th or early 20th centuries. But Canadian cities have some amazing modern buildings, too. The 1955 St. Peter's Estonian church and 1963 Nielsen building are two of Toronto’s most recently-designated heritage buildings.

1456

Reposted by Joël León

Alex Bozikovic @alexbozikovic.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Barton Myers, 1934-2026. A crucial figure in Toronto architecture and urban design has died

65216

Reposted by Joël León

Shit Nonprofits Say @nonprofitssay.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Don't think of this as a Friday. Think of is as the Monday of your working over the weekend.

044

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

What a weekend for Toronto's waterfront. 🛥️💙

0233

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Caracas: nature/city, magical realism, macaws not pigeons, architecture. Toronto: freedom + safety, transit, WIP Rio de Janeiro: nature/city, layered, beach, baroque Vancouver: nature/city, walking, cycling, easy Halifax: seafood, nature/city, punching above it's weight.

050

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

We hope this ongoing research on Toronto's Queer Spaces can play a role not just in documenting these spaces but in creating policies to foster and protect them. Architects shouldn't just shape part of the built environment, we should be stewards for it, and this research is part of it.

0126

Reposted by Joël León

Toronto Society of Architects @tosoarch.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Attending this year's Toronto Pride Street Fair? Come visit our booth on Church just north of Wellesley to learn more about our city's #queerspaces through our mini-exhibition. You can even snag some limited edition merch celebrating The Village to help support this work!

1104

Reposted by Joël León

Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Day 2 of church street pedestrianization. I am floored at how fast it happened. Nice work from the TSA interpreting a 8 sites. Even got into the Steps controversy (you can see the remnants of the steps in background)

The Steps 1980s -2004
Look carefully at the building in front of you and you will see remnants of the wide 4-5 steps that formed the entrance to businesses located just above. These covered steps became THE hang out spot for Toronto's queer community in the 1980s and 90s.
One of the few outdoor gathering spaces in The Village, The Steps were the place to see and be seen and quickly became synonymous with Toronto's queer culture. Their fame was such that they would become featured as a recurring skit in The Kids in the Hall, where Butch, Smitty and Riley would discuss topics like AIDS and marriage equality.
Unfortunately, while The Steps were initially celebrated as a hang out spot, by the early 2000s, there were divided opinions on their value and importance. What some call hanging out, others saw as oitering, and the decision was eventually done to renovate and remove the steps to discourage gathering. This decision erased one of the most iconic spaces of The Village, but similar steps would reemerge in the addition of The 519 built only a few years later.

411321

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

And with that, our @tosoarch.bsky.social activation is now out on Church St—and people are reading them 🩷🖤. So proud of what our team was able to accomplish in just a couple of weeks and excited we get to contribute to this great initiative. Streets are for people.

4327

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

It's been a few late nights and a whole lot of heart, but very soon (tonight!) we'll be rolling out a special @tosoarch.bsky.social installation for the Church Street pedestrianization project. 🩷🖤 Excited to be contributing to this initiative!

061

Reposted by Joël León

Rodney 🚧🚇 @chanface.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Catch me on CBC (TV?) tonight at 11pm EST! Church street pedestrianization rollout starts tomorrow Friday at 4pm! Come volunteer or donate at: www.experiencethevillage.ca More info below in thread ⬇️

1578

Reposted by Joël León

Jocelyn Lambert Squires @jocelynsquires.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Love this! I fully agree with Shawn, that overcrowded street festivals are a sign that we need more of them, not less.

0325

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

@adambunch.bsky.social is such a fun and talented storyteller. If you haven't had a chance to attend a talk or take a tour with him, this is a great opportunity to do so.

011

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Toronto serving rainbow 3 ways 🌈

0123

Reposted by Joël León

Jason Thorne @jasonthorne.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

At the launch of the new East West Water Shuttle on the Toronto waterfront. A pilot project to test demand for a fixed route water transit service … and a potential pre-cursor to a permanent seabus system on the waterfront.

56717

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Come join us on Friday for a discussion about the bizarre! Which building do you think is the weirdest one in Toronto?

010

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

There is a moment in every project where it starts looking like your sketches, and today was the day for this one. This project was all about not screwing up what was already a really nice façade—minimal but impactful interventions.

050

Reposted by Joël León

Jocelyn Lambert Squires @jocelynsquires.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Here at Architects Talk: Toronto's Identity, presented by @tosoarch.bsky.social for #DoorsOpenTO at #UofTDaniels! @novakovicto.bsky.social giving beautiful context on the question of, what is architecture in Toronto? Glorious to see the room so full ❤️

1163

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Took a walk down the Don today, from Eglinton to (almost) the lake. What a wonderful reminder that we share this land with so many creatures.

3121

Reposted by Joël León

Mark Shaw 🇨🇦✌️🇪🇺 @markshawtoronto.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Yonge Street was pedestrianized 1971 - 1974. It works in other cities and it also literally worked here, bring it back!

A picture of Yonge street in the 1970s, pedestrianized. There are flowers and planters, people reading the newspaper and sitting at park benches. Everyone looks happy.

39527

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

That was fun! Thanks to everyone who joined us for this @janeswalk.bsky.social on this cool Spring day!

050

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

A day of architectural events, starting at 401 Richmond for the launch of Dave LeBlanc's newest book: Hidden Toronto, followed by a great panel discussion organized by ACO Toronto at Allan Gardens. A nice reminder of how many people love our city.

062

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Coming soon this summer (fingers crossed): a pedestrianized Church Street. Go support this initiative!

081

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

More creative and beautiful projects like these please ♥️ Not only is the conversion great, the new façade is bold and thoughtful.

071

Reposted by Joël León

Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

New Order sang of Blue Monday. Easter Monday is Weird Monday tho. You can take it off and pretend it's a holiday, but you will still feel the guilt and anxiety of a regular monday.

2231

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Paella mixta to mark the end of Holy Week. A little piece of home to brighten up this grey Toronto day.

010

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

Some of the newest towers joining the Toronto skyline, this time by Studio Gang and Foster + Partners

030

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Highly recommend a meal at Gooney's to anyone visiting Ottawa.

050

Reposted by Joël León

Alex Bozikovic @alexbozikovic.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

New ideas need old buildings. In today’s @globeandmail I showcase a vision for Toronto’s Old City Hall as a space for contemporary culture - opening this year. Let’s go. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

theglobeandmail.com

How Old City Hall can be Toronto’s new heart

Toronto’s proposed Old City Hall renovation promises a place for gathering and the arts

811431

Reposted by Joël León

Jason Thorne @jasonthorne.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Launching Winter Stations 2026 — Toronto’s annual exhibition of temporary outdoor art installations at Woodbine Beach! This is “Specularia” by Andrew Clark (USA) and “Embrace” by Will Cuthbert (Canada).

2356

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

One of the best publications out there. If you don't already support @spacing.bsky.social , you should!

1113

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

A great move. Our turn Toronto—our city hall also has a great observation deck and opening it only once a year for Doors Open is not enough. Let's celebrate our built legacy.

043

Joël León @joelleondanis.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Advocacy can take many shapes. Tonight was all about celebrating art and architecture in our city. Thanks to everyone who put up with my bad jokes and random facts!

040