History
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That time Toronto City Hall starred in Star Trek
EDITOR’S NOTE: This articles was originally posted in October 2013; it’s being re-posted to celebrate the 50th anniversary of New City Hall...
By Adam Bunch -
What Philadelphia can teach Toronto about art, history, and public spaces
Among North American cities, few can boast the depth of history that’s on offer in Philadelphia. The compact downtown, plotted out by William Penn in the...
By John Lorinc -
Forgotten TTC architecture a reminder of nixed transit plans
Toronto is building the East Bayfront LRT. Well, sort of. This week, Metro News reported that the City of Toronto has set aside $2 million to “rough...
By Chris Bateman -
The very first ride at the CNE
It all started back in the mid-1800s, as a relatively small provincial fair. They held it in a field out behind Upper Canada College, which was on King...
By Adam Bunch -
Happy birthday to the Toronto streetcar system
There are perhaps few things more symbolic of Toronto than its streetcars. For more than 150 years, surface rail has formed the backbone of the...
By Chris Bateman -
Mary Pickford’s most magical photographs
Back in the early 1900s, Mary Pickford wasn’t just one of the most famous people from Toronto. She was one of the most famous people from anywhere...
By Adam Bunch -
Dead rail lines, lost streets, and more Toronto oddities
There’s a couple of new lofts at the southeast corner of Carlaw and Dundas. The courtyard between the two buildings curves elegantly south...
By Chris Bateman -
John Graves Simcoe, Napoleon Bonaparte & the politics of horse shit
This is a photo of horse shit. But it’s not just any photo of horse shit. This horse shit is on Woodbury Common — a beautiful patch of heathland in...
By Adam Bunch -
SUMMER OF THE GUN: 10 years later, conclusion
By John Lorinc and Idil Burale In 2005, the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Task Force made the following call to action: “No one – no family, no...
By John Lorinc -
SUMMER OF THE GUN: 10 years later, pt. III
By Idil Burale and John Lorinc In Toronto, we are good at starting things, but we tend not to follow through or evaluate them down the road. Even before...
By John Lorinc -
SUMMER OF THE GUN: 10 years later, pt. II
The response to the summer of the gun has been characterized as a combination of prevention (i.e. place-based investment) and enforcement (i.e. targeted...
By Idil Burale -
SUMMER OF THE GUN, 10 years later: Part I
In a four part series, Spacing’s senior editor John Lorinc and columnist Idil Burale look back on the “summer of the gun” in 2005. On...
By John Lorinc