City of Toronto Archives

 

Location: 255 Spadina Road

Date photo taken: 9 April 2025

There's an awful lot to love about the City of Toronto Archives. Their collection contains millions of records that detail the history of our city and the people who have called it home. If you visit, you can get a glimpse at how all those documents are organized thanks to a huge viewing window installed just outside the Research Room. You can also take in an exhibit. A new one, Under the Wrecking Ball: Shaping Toronto’s Downtown 1960-1989, opens May 1. It takes a look at some of the large-scale land redevelopments that occurred during the post-war years in Toronto and some of the the buildings that were lost as a result.

If you can't get to the Archives during their somewhat inconvenient opening hours (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm), there are plenty of online exhibits to enjoy. Also, a significant portion of their 1.25 million photographs have been digitized and can be searched using their database. If you prefer a curated experience, there is also a section featuring some of the staff's favourite photos. 

Tempo

Location: St. Clair West station

Date photo taken: 25 September 2013

If you've ever found yourself in St. Clair West station, you might recognize this blast of colour. It's a small piece of Gordon Rayner's extensive mural which adorns the mezzanine level, one floor above the trains. When the Spadina line was built in the 1970s, the TTC selected a number of Ontario artists to produce art for each of the nine stations on the line. While some of the pieces have since been removed, the majority are still in place and stations on other lines, in particular the new Sheppard line, also feature large installations. With a little time and for the price of a TTC ride, you can take a tour of this spaced out gallery of Canadian art.