History
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Exploring Toronto through its Indigenous heritage
We discovered new avenues of the city we would have never found unless we had a reason to be there. Many places were sitting right under my nose, not far...
By Trent Weston -
Documenting the collapsed Dundas Street buildings
For the most part, the buildings on the north side of Dundas Street West between Spadina and Bathurst are an architectural hodgepodge. The one exception...
By Peter MacCallum -
The urban photography of Arthur Goss, part 4: Toronto Water Works, 1910-1939
Unlike his Parks Series, which highlights the inclusiveness of the City’s recreational facilities, Goss’s Toronto Water Works Series documents what was at...
By Peter MacCallum -
Remembering the Harriet Tubman Youth Centre On St. Clair West
From November 1, 1972 to September 30, 1975, a Black cultural hub known as the Harriet Tubman Youth Centre operated in a building located at 15 Robina...
By Cheryl Thompson -
The urban photography of Arthur Goss, Part 3: Parks and Recreation, 1913-1940
Following the appointment of Charles E. Chambers as Parks Commissioner in 1912, Toronto’s park system entered a period of continuous expansion, creating...
By Peter MacCallum -
The urban photography of Arthur Goss, Part 2: The housing series, 1936-1940
The Housing Series is the product of the last new project Arthur Goss undertook as the City’s Official Photographer. Between March, 1936 and January...
By Peter MacCallum -
Take the Yonge subway to the future! (expect some delays)
EDITOR: It’s 1954. Fictitious Bert Xanadu is the Mayor of Toronto and owner of the Imperial Six cinemas on Yonge Street. Mayor Xanadu has been governing...
By Mayor Bert Xanadu -
Opposing the Bloor-Danforth Subway
Toronto’s subway system turns 70 this month. Following the completion of the original Yonge line, there was plenty of debate over what rapid transit...
By Jamie Bradburn -
PODCAST: Spacing Radio 076, Time’s running out for accessible Ontario
In 2005, Ontario passed the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which made accessibility for all public establishments a legal...
By Spacing Radio -
How can we make Black history matter?
This piece is co-authored by Dr. Cheryl Thompson and Daysha Loppie Many statues have commemorated white historical figures in Toronto’s public spaces...
By Cheryl Thompson -
The Urban Photography of Arthur Goss, Part 1: Career and technique
Anyone who delves into the visual records related to Toronto’s twentieth-century social history is likely to come across photographs taken between 1910...
By Peter MacCallum -
How We Can Make Toronto More Pleasant, 1971-Style
Publications periodically like asking local leaders and celebrities for their advice on how they would improve their city. One good example was a feature...
By Jamie Bradburn