Toronto Historic Museums Threatened

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Toronto's historic museums are threatened. On September 26th the closure of Toronto museums with the lowest attendance will go before city council. 


Take action by writing the Mayor and Councillors (contact information) and joining the facebook group "History is Not Gravy: Save Toronto's Historic Sites" 

Walking Tour of Fort York

Sunday, June 12 · 1:00pm - 2:30pm


Explore the history and evolution of Fort York, the Garrison Common and the nearby Lake Ontario shoreline from the early British colonial era to the present day. Hear about the origins of the Fort, the fortification of the harbour, and the subsequent transportation, industrial and recreational development of this vital area.

FREE walk & FREE admission to Fort York following tour. 


See more details 

ACO North Waterloo Branch - Annual General Meeting

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE NORTH WATERLOO REGION BRANCH OF ACO

Guest Speaker

ROLLO MYERS Manager of the Provincial Office of ACO in Toronto & Governor of the HERITAGE CANADA FOUNDATION

A Visual Story of Old Town Toronto Citizen & Political Involvement Conservation Measures and Continuing Challenges Facing Conservationists

And Important To All! – How residents of Waterloo Region can learn from this experience

THURSDAY EVENING MAY 26, 2011 

LOCATION: WATERLOO REGION MUSEUM 

10 Huron Road, Kitchener, Ontario N2P 2R7 

DOORS OPEN 6:45 pm Meeting Begins 7:00 pm

Toronto's Heritage Buildings

If you haven't seen this great video on Toronto's heritage buildings that have been lost, its a must watch:

Public Meeting: Policies and Terms of Reference for Designating (HCD) in Toronto Heritage Preservation Services, City of Toronto

Notice from the City of Toronto Heritage Preservation Services

Heritage Preservation Services have recently produced draft "Policies and Terms of Reference for Designating Heritage Conservation Districts (HCD) in Toronto".

As part of the review of this draft policy, we [Toronto Heritage Preservation Services] are currently undertaking a process of consultation with relevant provincial and municipal agencies, professional practitioners and interested members of the public. The consultation meeting for interested members of the public is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 3, 2010 in Committee Room 4, Second Floor, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West.View the Public Meeting Notice.

Toronto: History Matters Lecture Series

Reprinted from Activehistory.ca

History Matters Lecture Series

The Toronto Public Library Presents: Programs for the constantly curious…

History Matters

Connect with Toronto historians at these lively lectures showcasing current research on Toronto’s past and discover some of the surprising ways history matters to everyone in our city today.

Making the Scene in 1960s Yorkville
Stuart Henderson
Tues. Sept. 14, 2 pm
Yorkville Branch
22 Yorkville Ave. 416-393-7660

I’ll Drink to That: Booze in Hogtown
Craig Heron
Tues. Sept. 28, 7 pm
Annette Street Branch
145 Annette St. 416-393-7692

A Public Technology: The Building of Toronto’s Yonge Street Subway
Jay Young
Thurs. Oct. 14, 7 pm
Beaches Branch
2161 Queen St. E. 416-393-7703

Isolating Undesirables: Prisons, Pollution and Homelessness in Toronto’s Don River Valley, 1860-1932
Jennifer Bonnell
Thurs. Oct. 14, 7 pm
Bendale Branch
1515 Danforth Rd. 416-396-8910

Keeping the City Clean: Portuguese Women in Toronto’s Cleaning Industry, 1970-1990

Susana Miranda

Thurs. Oct. 21, 7 pm
Bloor/Gladstone Branch
1101 Bloor St. W. 416-393-7674

Locating Parkdale’s Mad History: Back Wards to Back Streets, 1980-2010
Megan Davies and David Reville
Thurs. Nov. 4, 7 pm
Parkdale Branch
1303 Queen St. W. 416-393-7686

Organized by the Toronto Public Library, with the assistance of Dr. Lisa Rumiel, SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow, McMaster University

Editor’s note: ActiveHistory.ca is happy to provide web support to anyone who wishes to start a History Matters lecture series in their own locale. Please contact us atinfo@activehistory.ca if you are interested.

AN ARTIST’S RECORD OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE

Reprinted from the Ontario Heritage Connection

(June 30, 2010) For over three decades, Laurel Campbell has drawn inspiration from Canada’s heritage sites and landmarks, working primarily in the media of watercolour and pen and ink. Her upcoming July and August exhibition at Campbell House in Toronto features works from her long career in the heritage field, including the loan from a private collection of a winter view of Campbell House.

All other works are for sale. They represent significant sites in Ontario and the Maritimes, from Benares Historic House in Mississauga and The McMichael Home in Waterford to Point Clark Lighthouse on Lake Huron.

An opening reception takes place at Thursday, July 8, 5 - 7 pm, at Campbell House.

The exhibition is an opportunity to see – for the first time – the complete collection of 12 pen-and-ink drawings of iconic Toronto buildings, which the artist produced to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the city’s incorporation. The drawings were published in 1984 and 1985 in sold-out editions of the Old Toronto Calendar. The series depicts University College, Casa Loma, St Lawrence Hall, Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, The Yorkville Firehall, Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, The Old Mill, Gooderham and Worts Distillery Warehouse, Allan Gardens, Scadding Cabin, The Officers’ Quarters, and Olivet Congregational Church (today’s Heliconian Club).

Laurel Campbell is not a direct descendent of Sir William Campbell, whose fine Georgian home is now known as Campbell House Museum, yet perhaps she may be distantly related through the large and long-connected Clan Campbell!

The exhibition is on show from June 30th to August 30th at
Campbell House Museum
160 Queen Street W., Toronto
www.campbellhousemuseum.ca

Free admission to gallery
Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 9:30 am—4:30 pm; Saturday, 12—4:30 pm

You are invited to the opening reception, 8 July, 5—7 pm, of Laurel Campbell Watercolours: An artist’s record of architectural heritage

The photographs show Olivet Congregational Church (which is now the Heliconian Club) and Gooderham and Worts Distillery Warehouse.

Doors Open Toronto: Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

Four Floors of Rare Books

One of the Chinese Books on Display

Ceiling of the Library

Pictures by Kayla Jonas

According to the Doors Open Toronto Website:

The Fisher Library comprises the south tower of the Robarts Library complex. The interior is one of the most impressive and dramatic sights in the University, with five mezzanine floors of rare books surrounding an exhibition area. It is named in honour of Thomas Fisher who came from Yorkshire to Upper Canada in 1821 and settled by the Humber River. There he operated a grist mill, and played an active role in the public life of the community. In 1973 his great-grandsons, Sidney and Charles Fisher, donated to the Library their own collections of Shakespeare, various twentieth century authors, and the etchings of the seventeenth century Bohemian artist, Wenceslaus Hollar. Since that time the Library has grown to approximately 700,000 volumes and 3000 linear metres of manuscript holdings and reflects the wide diversity of research conducted at the University of Toronto. Chronologically, the range is from a 1789 B.C. Babylonian cuneiform tablet from Ur, to original drafts and printed works of contemporary Canadian writers such as Margaret Atwood.

Event information:
The Library will feature an exhibition of Chinese rare books, entitled, Leaves of Enchantment, Bones of Inspiration: The Dawn of Chinese Studies in Canada. The books on display are drawn from the Mu Collection, one of the major Chinese rare book collections in North America, spanning the period from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It originally formed the personal library of a Chinese scholar, Mu Xuexun (1880-1929). In 1933, it was purchased by the Canadian missionary, Bishop William Charles White and then shipped to Toronto in 1935. The exhibition will highlight the treasures of the collection with a broad coverage of subject areas. The long and rich history of Chinese writing and book culture will be vividly illustrated along with related artifacts from the ROM.

See the Toronto Library Website for more details

Doors Open Toronto: Allan Gardens Conservatory

Pictures by Kayla Jonas

According to the Doors Open Website:

152 years ago, George William Allan (1822-1901) offered a 5 acre oval-shaped parcel of land to the Toronto Horticultural Society. This generous act of private sector philanthropy was a legacy for the citizens of Toronto. In 1902 a fire destroyed the original 1878 Pavillion. The new Palm House was designed by City Architect, Robert McCallum and constructed in 1910.

The design suggests a move toward Modernism at the end of the Victorian era. The steel structure guaranteed that it would last considerably longer than any of its wooden predecessors. Plants from the original Palm House were transfered into the New Palm House in 1910. It should be noted that the Palm House is perhaps the 7th oldest structure of its kind in North America. Additions to the Palm House were made by the Lord and Burnham Greenhouse Company in 1924 and 1957. In 2004, the header house of the former Univeristy of Toronto Research Greenhouse was relocated to Allan Gardens. This greenhouse has become the focus of the Children's garden programme.

For more information on Allan Gardens see the Toronto Botanical Garden Website

Stay tuned this week for pictues of other Doors Open Propeties including: the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and the Coach Hosue Press.

Doors Open Toronto: Toronto's First Post Office

Exterior

Writing with a quill by candle light

Letter sealed and ready to be mailed

Pictures by Kayla Jonas

According to the Door's Open Website:

Toronto’s First Post Office is a small private museum administered by The Town of York Historical Society, situated on its original site and within its original walls. The interior is a recreation based on authentic archival materials discovered still extant from Postmaster James Scott Howard’s original construction in 1833. We are a legally incorporated non-profit organization, members of the Ontario Museum Association, Canadian Museums Association, the Ontario Historical Society, as well as numerous other local historical societies and related organizations.

See Toronto's First Post Office website to learn more

Stay tuned this week for pictues of other Doors Open Propeties including: Allan Gardens Conservatory, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and the Coach Hosue Press.

Doors Open Toronto: Gooderham Flatiron Building

Gooderham Flatiron Building - 49 Wellington Street, Toronto

From the Doors Open Website:

The Gooderham Building, better known as the Toronto Flatiron building, was completed in 1892 to be the headquarters of the Gooderham and Worts distillery and more specifically; George Gooderham's office.

For more information check out the Woodcliffe Landmark Properties website.

Stay tuned this week for pictues of other Doors Open Propeties including: Toronto's First Post Office, Allan Garends Conservatory, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and the Coach Hosue Press.

Toronto Island Ferry

Reprinted from the Ontario Heritage Connection

(May 17, 2010) Toronto's much loved ferry boat, the Trillium, celebrates her centenary this year! Join Heritage Toronto and author Mike Filey, a champion for the ferry's restoration, for dinner and a cruise of Toronto harbour in honour of the occasion on July 2. As we cruise, hear Mr. Filey's stories of the harbour, Toronto Island, and how the ferry was rescued from a watery grave.

If you can’t make the cruise, viewing without dinner or a cruise will be available at Doors Open, May 29th and 30th as well.

On July 2nd, the harbour will be especially scenic as the Tall Ships will be in port for the Toronto Waterfront Festival. Since the Trillium is only used for special charters and not in regular Toronto Island ferry service, this is a rare opportunity to enjoy a harbour cruise on this historic vessel.

The Trillium was built at the Polson Iron Works at the foot of Sherbourne Street in 1910. She was retired from ferry service in the 1950s and towed to an Island lagoon, where she languished for many years. In the 1970s, at the urging of Mike Filey and others, Metro Toronto Council approved a project to restore the Trillium to service. On May 19, 1976 the refurbished side-wheeler steamboat was officially welcomed back to active service on Toronto Bay.

Boarding:
Friday, July 2 - 6:30 pm at Toronto Ferry Dock, Bay St. and Queen's Quay West

Cruise:
7 to 10 pm.

Tickets:
General admission - $65
Heritage Toronto members - $55

Ticket includes commentary by Mike Filey and a delicious buffet dinner with a cash bar.

To order tickets:
Please contact Karen Czaniecki at 416.338.1338 to order by phone, or please download the ticket order form from our website at www.heritagetoronto.org.

Tickets must be purchased by June 25.

All is not lost if you are unable to go on the cruise, you still have a chance to visit the Trillium. Mike Filey, will be aboard the renowned city ferry at the ferry docks on Queens Quay, to sign copies of his book, Trillium and Toronto Island, The Centennial Edition for Doors Open on May 29th and 30th from 10 am to 4 pm. This new updated version has just been released by Dundurn. With a new foreword and updated photos, Filey traces the Trillium's remarkable rise and fall and commemorates one of Toronto’s finest treasures.

About the Book
In June 1910 a new steam ferry for the Toronto Island Company was launched and christened Trillium. Now, 100 years after its debut, Mike Filey revisits the history of this notable landmark with the Centennial Edition of Trillium and Toronto Island. Updated with new photographs and introductory commentary, this anniversary edition of the book details the remarkable journey of Toronto's favourite ferry.

The historic vessel was reconstructed in Port Colborne in 1975, and is the last side-wheeler paddle-steamer operating in North America. Crew members will be on hand to answer questions about the vessel.

But in this case instead of being scrapped, the century-old paddle wheeler was raised and refitted after Filey and his wife, Yarmila, launched a bid to save the vessel after seeing it “literally rotting” in a Toronto island lagoon.

They enlisted the support of then alderman Art Eggleton, a friend, future mayor and senator and later Paul Godfrey, who was metro chairman at the time.

In service since 1976, the only remaining steam-powered vessel in the city’s fleet is used primarily for touring the harbour.

Built for $75,000 at a Sherbourne St. slip, Trillium was launched June 18, 1910.

The now 500-passenger ferry is being freshly painted, its electrical system and boilers checked, prior to receiving special guests at centennial celebrations on June 18th. A key visitor on June 18 will be Jane Aitken, daughter of Phyllis Osler, who christened Trillium 100 years ago and attended the 1976 relaunch.