Recently renovated, the building at 1 Spadina Crescent received an award for its impressive transformation at the 2019 Heritage Toronto Awards last month.
On Oct. 28, Heritage Toronto announced the winners of its annual awards recognizing exceptional contributions to the conservation and celebration of heritage in Toronto.
By Annemarie Brissenden and Ahmed-Zaki Hagar
Blue martinis, operatic voices, and fabulous food marked the University of Toronto Faculty Club’s grand reopening of its historic Wedgwood Ballroom on September 25. Formerly known as the club’s dining room, the space was renovated over the summer and has been renamed for the plaster mouldings that have been hand-painted in white and many shades of blue.
Tour-goers stop at Hodo Kwaja (656 Bloor St.?W.) for a taste of walnut cake. TEMI DADA/GLEANER NEWS
By Annemarie Brissenden
A heritage tour of Toronto’s Korea Town starts — as it should — at the Bloor Street United Church of Canada, once home to the Alpha Korean United Church.
PICTURE BY GEREMY BORDONARO/GLEANER NEWS: Approximately 100 people gathered at 117 Bloor St. E. on Aug. 31 to celebrate the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to Joseph Bloore. The plaque, located close to the site of Bloore’s home, includes a part of a previous one dedicated to the inspiration for Bloor Street and text by Heritage Toronto. It took more than seven years to create this new plaque, which may never have been unveiled if not for the passion and enthusiasm of local residents.
PHOTO BY GEREMY BORDONARO/GLEANER NEWS: Heritage Toronto unveiled a plaque commemorating Albert Jackson, Canada’s first Black letter carrier, on July 21. The plaque is located on Lombard Street, outside the former Toronto General Post Office. Jackson lived and delivered mail in the Annex, and was the subject of The Postman, a play performed on Brunswick Avenue, Palmerston Boulevard, and Major Street in 2015.
Former Chief of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and community historian Carolyn King received Heritage Toronto’s Special Achievement Award in recognition of her decades-long efforts to preserve the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation’s community and to celebrate First Nation heritage at this year’s award ceremony, held in conjunction with the annual Kilbourn lecture on Oct. 17 at the Isabel Bader Theatre. The presentation capped off an evening that celebrated a host of local historians.
The heritage property at 145 Madison Ave. Matt James/Gleaner News
By Eddie Mumford
‘Majestic’ would be a word to describe the house at 145 Madison Ave. With its uniformity of smooth brick and irregular shape, the massive, detached home stands out amongst the neighbouring houses. But the house, declared a historical site (under the Heritage Act) in 1974, has recently become a source of anxiety for its owner.