History
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How City Hall ended up on St. Clair Avenue
In the late 1940s, Toronto City Hall was bursting at the seams. Now known as Old City Hall, the building on the northeast corner of Queen and Bay streets...
By Chris Bateman -
LORINC: The potential of urban archaeology
For almost six months last year, an archaeological crew meticulously unearthed the treasures that had lain hidden beneath the Centre Ave. parking lot...
By John Lorinc -
Who will save Toronto’s old streetcars?
Toronto’s outgoing fleet of streetcars could be the first not to get a second life in another city. Perhaps due to advanced decrepitude, the current...
By Chris Bateman -
Brampton’s Etobicoke Creek: floods, concrete, and new public spaces
The City of Brampton — Canada’s ninth largest municipality — was founded as a small community in the mid-19th century, as the interior of Southern...
By Sean Marshall -
The Don Mills Safety Village taught kids to drive
1962 was a rough year for kids. In the 12 months between January and December, 20 young people under the age of 14 were killed on Toronto’s streets...
By Chris Bateman -
From folk singers to folklore, 1960s Yorkville lingers
With Canadian Music Week taking place just in clubs throughout Toronto, the historic Masonic Temple concert hall on Yonge Street — which has hosted the...
By Kieran Delamont -
5 Things to know about Heritage Toronto Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2016 Heritage Toronto Awards. Michael Kushnir, development and marketing coordinator for Heritage Toronto, discusses the...
By Kieran Delamont -
Book Review – How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City
Walking was the primary way that people got around cities from the time cities first emerged until the 20th century. But, argues Joan DeJean in her book...
By Dylan Reid -
The “great monster of death” arrives in Toronto
Lenton Williams worked in the printing department at Eaton’s department store. On the evening of June 14, 1905, the 60-year-old was jogging south along...
By Chris Bateman -
When Haileybury burned, Toronto sent streetcars
The town of Haileybury sits on the shore of Lake Timiskaming, a serpentine body of water on the northern reaches of the Ottawa River that marks the border...
By Chris Bateman -
The curious origin of the original low-floor streetcar
Toronto is in the (unexpectedly slow) process of getting new low-floor streetcars. The goal of these new cars is accessibility — they can be used by...
By Dylan Reid -
Toronto’s Depression-era beauty queen baseball star
Women have been playing baseball for as long as anyone can remember. And for much of that time, they’ve been playing despite the men who’ve...
By Adam Bunch