Heritage Toronto Mondays

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UrbanToronto has partnered with Heritage Toronto to capture a moment in Toronto's past. On a weekly basis, we will both be highlighting a historic photo of the city's people, places and events, and will be telling the stories behind them.

Many thanks to both Gary Switzer of MOD Developements and Maya Bilbao for putting together the photos and research.

This week's photo:

Toronto Exchange

In the 19th century, Wellington Street East was among the most important financial and commercial streets in Toronto. Among the banks, office buildings, and financial institutions, stood the Toronto Exchange. The Exchange was built by the Association of Merchant Millers and Businessmen, established in 1854 by an Act of Parliament. It is seen in the centre of this photo topped with the name of the institution, and a statue that could be seen in the area.

The Toronto Exchange was built in 1855 and designed by James Grand, who incidentally was the co-owner of Grand and Toy. Its first office was located close to the Exchange at the corner of Leader Lane and Colborne in a building that's now the Tom Jones Steakhouse. The Toronto Exchange was built of fine limestone and designed in the Greek Revival style. This grand structure was meant to convey an air of elegance and sophistication, and solidify the importance of the Toronto Exchange within the commercial and public affairs of Toronto.

The Toronto Exchange straddled the corner of Wellington and Leader Lane, a small street that was named after a now defunct newspaper, the Leader. Facing Wellington Street, the building featured a portico and two Greek Doric columns. The two upper floors featured a rhythmic pattern of windows. The entrance was slightly different on Leader Lane featuring four half columns surrounding a large centre door and two shorter side doors.

In 1877, the Imperial Bank established its office inside the Exchange, encompassing the front half of the main floor. Around that time, the facade was altered by prominent architect Henry Langley who removed the Doric portico and created a series of round arches on banded columns. When the Board of Trade moved into the building in 1891, it was renamed the Imperial Bank Chambers. The Toronto Exchange was demolished in 1941.

Source:

Lost Toronto. p. 56-59

 

[thecharioteer]

Another view:

Architectural elevation and plans (from Toronto No Mean City):

After the unfortunate Langley alterations:

The fire in 1941 that destroyed the building:

 

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Heritage Toronto and the Toronto Historical Association release report on state of heritage in Toronto
David Crombie will host press conference to launch "Heritage Voices" on February 10th

January 27, 2011 – On February 10th, 2011, Heritage Toronto and the Toronto Historical Association will introduce "Heritage Voices", a report on the perspectives of Toronto's heritage community on the state of heritage in 2011.

The report will be launched for the first time on Thursday, February 10th at 10:30am at the Great Hall, the 3rd floor of St. Lawrence Hall at 157 King Street East (at Jarvis).
Former Toronto Mayor David Crombie will host the press conference.

In the spring of 2010, Heritage Toronto and the Toronto Historical Association held a series of consultation sessions to determine the significant issues facing heritage preservation and the heritage community in Toronto. Consultations were held in Scarborough, Etobicoke/York, North York, downtown Toronto, as well as one city-wide consultation held at Metro Hall. Representatives from historical associations, museums, resident groups and First Nations communities were invited to attend. The public was also invited to provide input through Heritage Toronto's website.

Heritage Toronto - Talbot Apartments, saved by the OMB


This report provides a summary of the consultations, highlights the major themes and recommendations that arose from these discussions, and provides comment on the improvements or similarities with the recommendations made by Heritage Toronto in its 2001 "Report Card on Heritage".

Themes reflected in the report deal with heritage resources at City Hall, legislation, political will, planning and the lack of a City of Toronto museum.

The launch is open to the public and media, and limited hard copies of the report will be available at the press conference, and will also be available to download from our website www.heritagetoronto.org.

The report has been supported by the McLean Foundation and the Howard and Carole Tanenbaum Family Charitable Foundation.

About Heritage Toronto - Heritage Toronto works with the citizens of Toronto to advocate for, preserve, and promote a greater appreciation for our city’s rich heritage. Through partnerships with local community groups and volunteers, Heritage Toronto works to heighten awareness of our shared history by providing city-wide programs and services. Programs include free neighbourhood walking tours, the annual Heritage Toronto Awards and William Kilbourn Memorial Lecture, our downloadable iTours program, Building Storeys, our heritage photography exhibit, a heritage plaques and markers program and participation in Doors Open Toronto.

About the Toronto Historical Association: Founded in 1998, the Toronto Historical Association (THA) is an umbrella organization representing volunteer heritage organizations from across the City of Toronto, which actively participate in heritage preservation and public education programs about Toronto’s heritage. Prior to amalgamation volunteer heritage groups from the former cities met on an informal basis to exchange ideas and information and joined together annually for a Heritage Showcase exhibit. With the onset of the amalgamated City of Toronto, a number of the groups believed it would be important for them to become an official organization in order to present a co-ordinated voice for heritage volunteers to the City. Organized as a registered not-for-profit organization, THA is an affiliate of the Ontario Historical Society. The Association operates on a volunteer basis with a Board of Directors, drawn from among the Member organizations.

For more information:

Rebecca Carson
Communications Director
Heritage Toronto
416-338-1339
Cell - 416-700-9249
rcarson@toronto.ca

 

[interchange42]

UrbanToronto has partnered with Heritage Toronto to capture a moment in Toronto's past. On a weekly basis, we will both be highlighting a historic photo of the city's people, places and events, and will be telling the stories behind them.

Many thanks to both Gary Switzer of MOD Developements and Maya Bilbao for putting together the photos and research.

This week's photo:

Toronto Street

In the 19th century, Toronto Street was among the most prestigious streets in the city. Stretching from King to Adelaide, Toronto Street's importance developed partly due to its unique location. It was adjacent to the elegant shopping district on King Street East and near the commercial and financial district that blossomed around the then city hall at Front and Jarvis. At the north end of Toronto Street were law courts at 57 Adelaide.

The first building that we see on the left side is the Seventh Post Office. It was built in 1851-1853 by architects Frederic Cumberland and Thomas Ridout. It was designed in the fashionable Neo-classical style, resembling a Greek temple and featuring Ionic columns, corner piers and an entablature topped with the Royal Arms of England. The building acted as a post office until 1873 and was later occupied by government offices until 1937. Much later it was renovated by Argus Corporation Limited.

Next door, with people strolling by, is a unique looking structure known as the Masonic Hall, demolished by 1965. Interestingly, this building was erected as a concert hall by famed piano makers A and S Nordheimer. The architect, William Kauffman designed the structure in the 1850's in a style that he referred to as “Modern Munich.†The exterior featured pronounced vertical lines and a stepped roof that was different from other styles at the time. Soon, the building was home to a variety of Masonic lodges that used the fourth floor assembly rooms as well as a number of reception rooms and vestibules. This building also featured a number of offices and shops on the first, second and third floors.

Next door to the Masonic Hall stood the Union Loan and Savings Company building. It was designed in 1876-8 by Langley, Langley & Burke in a High Victorian Gothic style, with features reminiscent of some of Langley's designs for churches. Perhaps its most distinguishable feature was the tower, that was intended to give the building and the company importance on the streetscape. It, too, was demolished in 1914. Barely in view here is the Toronto Union Block built in 1873 as the original home of the Union Loan and Savings Company.

At the summit of Toronto Street was the General Post Office, technically Toronto's 8th Post Office. It was designed by Henry Langley in 1873 in the Second Empire style and, for a time, was one of the most renowned structures in the city. It was highly ornate, standing three stories with arched windows, dentils, a clock, and pediment. The front entrance featured columns crowned with the royal arms that are just in view in this photograph. Before it was demolished in 1958, it acted as the main federal office building in the city, and then became known as the Adelaide Street Postal Station.

Sources:

http://torontohistory.org/Pages_STU/Toronto_Post_Office.html
Lost Toronto, passim

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

" The building acted as a post office until 1873 and was later occupied by government offices until 1937. Much later it was renovated by Argus Corporation Limited." QUOTE.


MIGHT'S TORONTO CITY DIRECTORY 1942:

Bank of Canada, Toronto Agency.

?

Who's Who in Canada, 1958-59:

Argus Corp - E P Taylor,

15 King St W.

?

Directory of Directors, 1965.

Argus Corp - E P Taylor,

10 Toronto St.


Regards,
J T

 

[interchange42]

UrbanToronto has partnered with Heritage Toronto to capture a moment in Toronto's past. On a weekly basis, we will both be highlighting a historic photo of the city's people, places and events, and will be telling the stories behind them.

Many thanks to both Gary Switzer of MOD Developements and Maya Bilbao for putting together the photos and research.

This week's photo:

Campbell House

Standing amidst the urban environment at Queen and University Streets is the Campbell House. Built in 1822, it is the oldest remaining house from the historic Town of York. The home was first located at the corner of Adelaide and Frederick Streets, and built for Sir William Campbell and his wife Hannah. Scottish born Campbell held numerous high profile positions in Toronto including lawyer, office holder, Justice of the Peace, militia officer, and politician. His home was designed in the fashionable Georgian style.
After Campbell's passing in 1834, the home was used for a variety of purposes including private residence, office space, horseshoe nail company and elevator company. The final owners of the property, Coutts-Hallmark Greeting Cards, proposed to demolish the home, but instead it was offered to any party willing to take it away from the property. The Advocates' Society, an association of trial lawyers saved and relocated the building, then restored it to its present look.
As can be seen in this photograph, the house was moved to the northwest corner of Queen and University on Friday, March 31st, 1972. Beginning at the break of dawn, the move took approximately six and a half hours. Crowds of onlookers watched in amazement as the 300 ton home was moved ever so slowly along city streets, a distance of 5305 feet.
Today, Campbell House is one of several historic house museums in Toronto. Along with tours of the home, programs and special events, the old house now includes a restaurant. This finely designed Georgian home gives visitor a journey back into time to see what it would have been like to live large in the Town of York. Onlookers will also appreciate the Georgian style in all its glory.


Sources
http://www.campbellhousemuseum.ca/index.html
Dictionary of Canadian Biography, article on Sir William Campbell

 

[interchange42]

UrbanToronto has partnered with Heritage Toronto to capture a moment in Toronto's past. On a weekly basis, we will both be highlighting a historic photo of the city's people, places and events, and will be telling the stories behind them.

Many thanks to both Gary Switzer of MOD Developements and Maya Bilbao for putting together the photos and research.

This week's photo:

Toronto Normal School

Students traversing Ryerson University will certainly be interested to know that one of the most significant mid-19th century buildings in Toronto was located on their campus.

Long before Ryerson University was established, the area bound by Gerrard, Church, Gould and Victoria Streets was occupied by the Toronto Normal School. Established early on by prominent educator Egerton Ryerson as the hallmark of the Ontario Public Education System, the Toronto Normal School opened at present day Bond and Gould Streets in 1852. It was designed as a teacher's college and included two schools inside one building, the Toronto Normal School (for teacher training) and the Model School (a private boy's school). Inside, there was space for two hundred teachers in training and six hundred students.

Prominent architectural firm, Cumberland and Ridout was hired to design the Normal School. They created a striking building that merged a variety of styles including Palladian, Gothic, and Renaissance Revival. Above the portico was a decorative cupola that could be seen from a distance. In the 19th century, the Normal School was considered to be in a great location, above the business district, with a great view of Lake Ontario and the Bay…a view that no longer exists today.

The area where the Normal School was located came to be known as St. James Square, then one of just a handful of planned open spaces in downtown Toronto. Along with the school building and a botanical garden, the Normal School became an important centre of the arts in Toronto. It was home to the Department of Education and the Museum of Natural History and Fine Arts, that developed into the Royal Ontario Museum. Later, the building was used during WW2 as a training facility for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Eventually, the campus of Ryerson University (founded in 1948 as the Ryerson Institute of Technology) was established on the grounds surrounding the old Normal School building. It is seen in this photograph not long before it was demolished in 1963, although a portion of the front facade was preserved and incorporated into the present campus.

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Normal_School
Lost Toronto, Article on Normal School, Pg. 118

 

[interchange42]

UrbanToronto has partnered with Heritage Toronto to capture a moment in Toronto's past. On a weekly basis, we will both be highlighting a historic photo of the city's people, places and events, and will be telling the stories behind them.

Many thanks to both Gary Switzer of MOD Developements and Maya Bilbao for putting together the photos and research.

This week's photo:

Yonge and Sheppard, 1934

Residents and passersby of Yonge and Sheppard will certainly be interested to know that this busy corner was once the centre of a community known as Lansing. The area has roots dating back to the late 18th century when a Joseph Shepard erected a log cabin at the north west corner. Eventually, the Shepard family built mills, taverns and a general store on the northwest corner of Yonge and Sheppard. The general store was erected in 1860 in the Georgian style and can be seen on the right hand side of this photograph standing adjacent to a more rustic looking Sheppard Avenue. In the mid 1880’s, a post office opened inside the store known as Lansing, and soon after the community came be called, Lansing. The store was also a stop on the coach line from Yorkville to Richmond Hill.

In the early 1920’s, the Shepard general store was sold to George and William Dempsey, and came to be known as the Dempsey Brothers Hardware Store. For decades the store was a familiar locale to passersby on Yonge Street but by the 1980’s, the old building had weathered. In 1989 it was sold to developers and in 1996 the old store was moved from its original location to 250 Beecroft Road, a few blocks north. It was subsequently renovated and the front facade and verandah were restored to their former glory.

Sources
http://torontohistory.org/Pages_STU/Traffic_at_Yonge_and_Sheppard.html
http://www.torontohistory.org/Pages_JKL/Lansing_1.html

Historical plaque, Lansing

 

[interchange42]

UrbanToronto has partnered with Heritage Toronto to capture a moment in Toronto's past. On a weekly basis, we will both be highlighting a historic photo of the city's people, places and events, and will be telling the stories behind them.

Many thanks to both Gary Switzer of MOD Developements and Maya Bilbao for putting together the photos and research.

This week's photo:

Eglinton Avenue at Dufferin Street, 1924

Like every corner in Toronto, Eglinton and Dufferin Streets has its own story to tell. The area was settled in the early 19th century by Matthew Parsons who owned a farm called Fairbank’s. The farm was part of a larger 200 acre plot of land in the vicinity of current day Dufferin and Eglinton streets.

In the mid 19th century, settlers moved into the area and a village began to emerge. A post office was located at the corner of Eglinton and Dufferin in the 1870’s and hotels and restaurants soon followed. Vaughan Road, originally a native trail, intersected with Eglinton and Dufferin Streets on its way from Yonge to Vaughan Township. Today, Vaughan has changed greatly, and forms a dead end at Eglinton and Dufferin Streets. But in this 1924 photo looking west from Dufferin and Eglinton, a car can be seen speeding along Vaughan. A branch of the Dominion Bank stands on the corner as well as numerous shops lining Eglinton.

Matthew Parsons donated part of his land to built the Fairbank Methodist Church, founded in the 1840’s. The first church was replaced with a new structure in 1889 that evolved into the Fairbank United Church in 1925. Modified from the original, the church still stands on Dufferin Street at Wingold Avenue.

Fairbank became one of the stops on the Beltline Railway, a speculative railway venture in the 1890's that proposed to link numerous suburban communities. Fairbank was touted to be among “the Highlands of Toronto”, but the project failed soon after.

The village of Fairbank remained part of York West Township until it was swallowed up into Metropolitan Toronto. The area is now part of the City of Toronto although the name Fairbank is remembered by residents and is retained by several landmarks including Fairbank Memorial Community School, and Fairbank Memorial Park.

Sources

http://www.fairbankunitedchurch.com/history
http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/fairbanks.html
"http://www.lostrivers.ca/points/vaughanrd.htm#er
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caledonia-Fairbanks

 

[interchange42]

UrbanToronto has partnered with Heritage Toronto to capture a moment in Toronto's past. On a weekly basis, we will both be highlighting a historic photo of the city's people, places and events, and will be telling the stories behind them.

Many thanks to both Gary Switzer of MOD Developements and Maya Bilbao for putting together the photos and research.

This week's photo:

Knox Church, Agincourt

Knox United Church at the northeast corner of Sheppard and Midland Avenues in Scarborough is a signpost for Agincourt’s past. The community was settled by English, Irish and Scottish settlers in the early 1800's, originally around today's Brimley Road and Sheppard Avenue. The community began to spread out into the surrounding area with hardware stores, general stores, sawmills, and temperance halls. The area was named Agincourt after a post office that opened in the general store that received its name after a town in France. Soon, the area had two railway lines, the CNR and CPR railways. *
Knox Presbyterian church opened in 1848 with forty members at today's Sheppard Avenue and Midland Avenue (originally Church Street). It was part of the property belonging to an early settler by the name of Thomas Kennedy.
Knox Church was one of the first Presbyterian congregations in Scarborough Township. Originally catering to the growing Scottish population, the small frame structure was surrounded by a cemetery that still exists today with the names of many pioneer settlers. In 1872, a picturesque church opened at today’s Sheppard and Midland Avenues built of fashionable polychromatic brickwork. Knox Presbyterian Church evolved into a United congregation in the 1920's.


Sources
http://www.scarboroughhistorical.com/local_history/scarborough_community_names.htm
http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/02/nostalgia_tripping_agincourt_village/
Info from Structures feature of Agincourt in 2007.
Historical plaque by the Scarborough Historical Society.

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

"A new store was built adjacent to the church and for many years was operated by the Kennedy family." QUOTE First above link.


John Russell Kennedy, President of Rexall Drug Co, 1936 1953? - 68/70 Broadview Avenue, was the son of William Andrew Kennedy,

owner of the store fast by the above church.


Regards,
J T

 

[Goldie]

Then & Now

This week's photo:

Knox Church, Agincourt[/img]

Same church 2006 (see thumbnail):

 

[junctionist]

I love seeing old 19th century heritage buildings like this church in a historic village now surrounded by post-World War II suburbia.

 

[interchange42]

UrbanToronto has partnered with Heritage Toronto to capture a moment in Toronto's past. On a weekly basis, we will both be highlighting a historic photo of the city's people, places and events, and will be telling the stories behind them.

Many thanks to both Gary Switzer of MOD Developements and Maya Bilbao for putting together the photos and research.

This week's photo:

Hotel Hanlan

One of the most popular hotels in Toronto was once located on Toronto Island. Hotel Hanlan was built on the western tip of the Island, then known as West Point. In the early years of Toronto, and still today, the Island provided city dwellers with a place to rest, relax, and keep cool in the hot summer months. Naturally a number of hotels on the Island sprung up, including Hotel Hanlan on what would later be called, Hanlan’s Point.
Hotel Hanlan was built in the 1870s by Island resident John Hanlan. It was built of wood and designed in the fashionable Second Empire style, seen in numerous Toronto buildings at the time. Featuring sloping roofs characteristic of the Second Empire style, the hotel was enlarged in the 1880s with a third storey and balconies, and was said to have a certain weightlessness to it. Hotel Hanlan was later operated by John Hanlan's son, Ned Hanlan who became a world famous oarsman and later Toronto politician. On Sundays, the Hotel bar was known around Toronto as a place where “boys” would come to drink.
Around the hotel was a popular amusement park with a merry go round, roller coaster, boat rentals, and a baseball stadium. Part of the hotel including the amusement park were decimated during a fire in 1909.

Sources
Canada. The country, its peoples, religion, politics, rulers, and its apparent future, 1886, p. 64
Lost Toronto, article on Hotel Hanlan.

 

[interchange42]

UrbanToronto has partnered with Heritage Toronto to capture a moment in Toronto's past. On a weekly basis, we will both be highlighting a historic photo of the city's people, places and events, and will be telling the stories behind them.

Many thanks to both Gary Switzer of MOD Developements and Maya Bilbao for putting together the photos and research.

This week's photo:

St. Michael's Hospital

Seen here are several nurses and visitors standing on the rooftop of St. Michael's Hospital, around 1910.

St. Michael's Hospital was founded in 1892 by the Sisters of St. Joseph, a religious group of women established more than 300 years ago in Le Puy, France. The Sisters arrived in Toronto in 1851 and established several institutions in the city including St. Michael's Hospital. The chosen location for St. Michael's Hospital was an old Baptist church on Bond street, just north of Queen Street. The sisters took over the building then called Notre Dame des Anges, a boarding house for working women. But, when a diphtheria epidemic took hold of Toronto, the city's medical health officer appealed to the sisters for assistance and they opened a hospital. The hospital originally had space for 26 beds and a staff of six doctors and four graduate nurses. Only a year later, there were large new wards as well as an emergency department. By 1912, there was space for 300 beds, and a five room operating suite. Perhaps the nurses and visitors seen in this photo were discussing this very expansion to the hospital, or a future one? Today, St. Michael's is a leading hospital in Toronto.

In the background of this photo can be seen the Metropolitan Wesleyan Methodist Church. It was built in the 1870s by Henry Langley who designed numerous churches in Ontario. Langley built a monumental structure of white brick with decorative cut stone, in a design evoking the thirteenth century French Gothic style. This church became known as the Cathedral of Methodism, standing next to St. Michael's Cathedral (Catholic) and down the block from St. James' Cathedral (Anglican). Along with many churches in Toronto, it joined the United Church in 1925 and became known as the Metropolitan United Church. The church structure was nearly decimated by fire in 1928 and rebuilt, so the church that stands there today is not the same one that's seen in this photo.

Sources:
http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/about/index.php
http://www.csj-to.ca/Who_we_are/history.php