Can a park’s past set the tone for its future? By Nicholas Provart Fifty years ago, around the same time that the City of Toronto was planning the Spadina Expressway, urban planners had a bold vision for the area surrounded by Robert Street, Sussex Avenue, Bloor Street, and Spadina Avenue. The thought was to build […]

[Read more →]

If buildings are art, should they be altered from their original form? In Building a Community: Estonian Architects in Post-War Toronto, the Museum of Estonians Abroad (VEMU) at Tartu Colleges features the work of Uno Prii, who designed at least ten buildings in the Annex. These include the Senator Croll Apartments (formerly Rochdale College) at […]

[Read more →]

Dutch Dreams owner recalls Nazi terror, jubilation after liberation In honour of Remembrance Day, we’re reprinting the story of Theo Aben, co-owner of Dutch Dreams. It first appeared in November 2004. By Jessica Shulman Eight-year-old Theo Aben stood rapt as Canadian troops descended upon his town of Amersfoort, Holland. He fought hard to suppress a […]

[Read more →]

Howland Avenue takes its name from noted reformer By David Raymont An Annex-area street recalls the contribution of one-time local business titan and politician Sir William Howland. Howland’s speculation in land in the Annex area resulted in Howland Avenue being named for him. He also founded the village of Lambton Mills on the Humber River. […]

[Read more →]

Heritage Toronto unveils Joseph Bloore plaque 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 […]

[Read more →]

As Canada celebrates 150 years of colonialist history, this display presents another vital component to our history, which has forever shaped the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. The exhibit delves into the geographic land negotiations — treaties — that predate Canadian Confederation. Each of the 24 panels provides a comprehensive explanation of the complicated […]

[Read more →]

Fully restored statue returns to school By Linda Nguyen A bronze soldier has stood proudly in front of Harbord Collegiate Institute for 83 years. He’s watched students saunter in and out of class each day, watched as they skateboard and chatter at his feet, but most importantly, he’s watched over them. Nicknamed “Our Soldier” by […]

[Read more →]

Three Annex veterans recall war service By Annemarie Brissenden Georgette Caldwell remembers the exact moment she decided to join the Women’s Royal Naval Service. It came after the first firebombing of London. Walking along the churchyard of St. Paul’s Cathedral, “you could smell the wood burning, and the cobblestones underneath my feet were still steaming.” […]

[Read more →]

Crossing Bathurst Street with A Different Booklist   By Annemarie Brissenden The Postman, a 2015 play about Albert Jackson, Canada’s first Black postman, opens with an invocation. “Toronto the Good. Toronto, the White. Toronto the Christian, Irish, Scottish, English. This is happening right here in this neighbourhood: Harbord, Major, Palmerston, Brunswick, Euclid, Borden,” says Jackson. […]

[Read more →]

Walter Allward designed Vimy Ridge, local war memorials By Alfred Holden In honour of Remembrance Day, this month we reprint former Citybuildings columnist Alfred Holden’s November 2003 piece on the sculptor who designed many of the nation’s most affecting and prominent war memorials. Though he was an artist, Walter Allward believed no picture, story, or […]

[Read more →]

College Street organization hosts Mandel’s Dreamery installation By Clarrie Feinstein When you walk along College Street, you are struck by it immediately. Both out of place, yet oddly at home, it brings the contrast of now and then into sharp relief. And it reminds you of a time when Yiddish was the language of Kensington and the market […]

[Read more →]

Local residents recognized at Heritage Toronto Awards 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 […]

[Read more →]