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. 

Yonge and Adelaide, 1922

 

Location: pedestrian walkway between Yonge and Victoria, north of King Street

Date photo taken: 11 March 2019

Last year the pedestrian pass through that connects Yonge and Victoria and brushes past Adelaide Courtyard got a lot more interesting. A number of large vintage photographs depicting scenes from the neighbourhood's past were installed mosaic-style along the walkway. This one shows road work being done at the corner of Yonge and Adelaide in 1922. The photograph is part of the William James collection at the City of Toronto which consists of over 5000 photographs taken by members of the William James family. Taken largely between 1900 and 1939 they provide a fascinating look into Toronto's past.

Tribute to Labour

Location: Heritage Court, Enercare Centre, CNE

Date photo taken: 25 August 2015

Attending the CNE has been a yearly tradition for me for countless years now and warm days turning to coolish nights makes me nostalgic for the fair. As COVID has cancelled the fun this year I've gone back through my files and dredged up this image from the flower show at the Ex 5 years ago. This figure positioned among the prize winning greenery in the Heritage Court was designed by Charles McKechnie in 1928 to adorn the new Electrical and Engineering Building. Eight statues in total, consisting of four matched pairs, stood dramatically atop the entrance and each was a tribute to labour. They were fabricated from poured concrete and were salvaged when the building was demolished in 1972. The four on display in the Heritage Court have come home in a way, as the Enercare Centre is located where the Electrical and Engineering Building once stood.

If you're feeling nostalgic for the CNE, they have some wonderful archival material up on their website, including photos of the figures sitting atop the entrance to the Electrical and Engineering Building. There are also some fantastic images from the Midway over the years. Browse and you never know what you'll find. For example, I was surprised to see that in 1954 there was a Midway attraction called Striporama!