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UrbanToronto has partnered with Heritage Toronto to capture a moment in Toronto's past. On a weekly basis, we highlight historic photos of the city's people, places and events, and tell the stories behind them.
Standing behind a row of trees is a striking building, the RC Harris Water Filtration Plant during construction in 1935.
Located on Queen Street East, the plant was initially called the Victoria Park Filtration Plant and today is said to be among the most spectacular public buildings ever built in Canada.
It was conceived of by Richard C. Harris, then Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Toronto, and designed by Thomas C Pomphrey. Although conceptualized in the teens, the plant wasn’t built until the 1930s including tunnels, filtration plant, pumping station, service building as well as a landscaped park. Then in the 1950s, the purification plant was vastly expanded. It was soon known as the “Palace of Purification.”
And a palace it was…featuring stone, brick and metal and limestone carvings, with marble and bronze on the interior. The R C Harris Water Filtration Plant was designed in a unique style that combined the Art Deco style with Romanesque Revival and Modern classical elements. Since the beginning, it has stood out from the landscape, evoking commentary from passersby.
It’s not surprising that this structure has been used as the backdrop for film, television and commercials including popular Canadian television series, Flashpoint. [It was also given the literary treatment in Michael Ondaatje's novel In The Skin Of A Lion.—Ed.]
Sources:
Home Sweet Scarborough, Page 55
Many thanks to both Gary Switzer of MOD Developments and Maya Bilbao for putting together the photos and research.
