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Unitarian Universalist Church of Olinda
The Universalist faith developed in New England in the late 1700s and reached Canada in the early 1800s. Its central doctrine of universal salvation made it more liberal and inclusive than most Christian churches of the day. Local farmer Michael Fox began organizing Universalist services in the hamlet of Olinda around 1860. Twenty-three men and women formed a congregation in 1880 and built this church the following year. It was one of six Universalist churches... -
Hamilton Central Public School
This school, built to accommodate 1,000 students, was the largest graded school in Upper Canada, and became the only public school in Hamilton at the time of its opening in 1853. Among the earliest examples of an institution inspired by the reforms of Egerton Ryerson, the province's chief superintendent of education (1844-76), it incorporated his scheme of an integrated, rational and graduated public education system based upon a central school and primary feeders. The building's... -
McMaster University 1887
The Honourable William McMaster (1811-1887), a prominent banker and member of the first Senate of Canada, bequeathed funds which enabled Baptists of Ontario and Quebec to found this university. Incorporated in 1887, it was the culmination of educational work sponsored for half a century by Canadian Baptists. Originally established in Toronto, the university was moved in 1930 to this site. Citizens of Hamilton made a gift of land and financed the science building, Hamilton Hall... -
Whitehern
This stately mansion is a finely crafted and well-preserved example of Hamilton's early stone architecture. Built no later than 1850 for city clerk and attorney Richard Duggan, it was purchased in 1852 by Calvin McQuesten, M.D. (1801-85), a prosperous manufacturer and philanthropist. Following his death, McQuesten's descendants occupied Whitehern until 1968 when it was bequeathed to the City of Hamilton for use as a public museum. The home's interior displays family possessions dating from three... -
First Women's Institute 1897, The
The world's first Women's Institute was organized at Squire's Hall, Stoney Creek, in 1897. Erland Lee, a founder of the Farmer's Institute, assisted by his wife, arranged the meeting. About 100 women from the Saltfleet Township district attended and were persuaded by Mrs. Adelaide Hoodless to form an organization of their own to improve their skills in the arts of homemaking and child care. Here, in the Lee home, Mr. Lee subsequently helped to draft... -
British Garrison in London, The
In one of several concentrations of British troops in Upper Canada, various infantry and artillery units were stationed on a military reserve here during the mid-19th century. The garrison, which contributed significantly to the economic growth of London, was first established in 1839 to guard against border raids following the Rebellion of 1837. Although its troops were withdrawn in 1853 to serve in the Crimean War and military duties were assumed by pensioners, it was... -
Huron College 1863
The college was founded by the Right Reverend Benjamin Cronyn who, following his election in 1857 as first Anglican Bishop of Huron, saw the need for a theological school and institution for advanced studies to serve the rapidly expanding population of the region. He selected Archdeacon Isaac Hellmuth to raise funds in England and Canada, and Huron College was incorporated in May 1863. Under Hellmuth's capable direction, 1863-66, the institution provided theological training and a... -
St. Jerome's University
The College of St. Jerome's was established in 1865 by Roman Catholic priests from the Congregation of the Resurrection to educate the growing number of German-speaking students in Waterloo County. With Reverend Dr. Louis Funcken as its first president, the school originally two courses of study — a four-year academic program designed to prepare for professional studies or for the priesthood, and a two-year commercial program designed to produce strong Catholic business leaders. In the... -
Toronto-Dominion Centre
Designed by Modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in association with John B. Parkin Associates and Bregman and Hamann Architects, the Toronto-Dominion Centre is located in the heart of Toronto's financial district. The Centre was commissioned by Allen Lambert, chairman of TD Bank, in partnership with Fairview Corporation. The complex is arranged around a granite-paved pedestrian plaza and originally consisted of three buildings: the 56-storey Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower (1967), the one-storey Banking Pavilion (1968)... -
Burwash Industrial Farm
Burwash Industrial Farm was established in 1914 based on the revolutionary premise that low-risk inmates would benefit from the exercise and skills learned while working outdoors at self-supporting institutions. Burwash Industrial Farm accommodated between 180 and 820 minimum and medium security offenders with sentences of three months to two years less a day. Over time, it grew to occupy 35,000 acres owned and 101,000 acres leased, housing three permanent camp sites, several temporary ones, and... -
Sydenham Public School
This building, opened in 1853 as the Kingston County Grammar School, replaced the earlier Midland Grammar School, a log and frame structure located at King and Gore streets. The new building consisted of two classrooms and accommodated over 100 students on each storey. Its elegant symmetrical exterior, dressed stonework and expansive two-acre site testified to the importance of education to the local community. In 1876, the school was severely damaged by fire and subsequently reconstructed... -
First Regular Baptist Church, Dresden
The First Baptist Church of Dawn - established by former slaves and free African Americans in the 1840s - held its meetings in private homes, then in a log chapel at the British American Institute. In the 1850s, a Baptist congregation met on Main Street in Dresden, until a lot was purchased from parishioner George Johnson on the present site. A church was built by the congregation and the inaugural service of the First Regular... -
Mutual Life Head Office
The head office of The Mutual Life Assurance Company of Canada (now the head office of Sun Life Financial's Canadian operations) was completed in 1912. Designed by Canadian architect Frank Darling, of the Toronto firm Darling and Pearson, the impressive Renaissance Revival style building is ornamented with features such as the two-storey fluted, paired Ionic columns supporting a large segmental arch above the main doors, elaborate window surrounds, and a parapet with a balustrade. It... -
Fort Rouillé
The last French post built in present-day southern Ontario, Fort Rouillé, more commonly known as Fort Toronto, was erected on this site in 1750-51. It was established by order of the Marquis de La Jonquière, Governor of New France, to help strengthen French control of the Great Lakes and was located here near an important portage to capture the trade of Indians travelling southeast toward the British fur- trading centre at Oswego. A small frontier... -
Lake Light, The
This lighthouse, one of the earliest on the Great Lakes, was completed in 1808 as an hexagonal tower 52 feet high, topped by a wooden cage with a fixed whale-oil lantern. In 1832, it was raised to 82 feet and later equipped with a revolving light. The mysterious disappearance of its first keeper, J.P. Rademuller, in 1815 and the subsequent discovery nearby of part of a human skeleton enhanced its reputation as a haunted building. -
Little Trinity Church
Founded in 1842, this is the oldest surviving church in the city of Toronto. Under the patronage of the Right Reverend John Strachan, first Anglican Bishop of Toronto, funds were raised to start construction in 1843. Its first rector was the Rev. W.H. Ripley, and regular services commenced on February 18, 1844. Attended largely by industrial workers, it was known as "The Poor Man's Church", although such prominent citizens as William Gooderham, James Worts, Joseph... -
Loring-Wyle Studio, The
This board-and-batten building, originally the schoolhouse for Christ Church, Deer Park, was acquired in 1920 by Frances Loring and Florence Wyle. Sculpting in the classical tradition, they achieved national prominence and executed many impressive public works, among which are Loring's Sir Robert Borden on Parliament Hill and Wyle's Edith Cavell in Toronto. They were founding members of the Sculptors' Society of Canada and their studio was an important artistic centre where musicians, writers, sculptors, painters... -
Macdonald-Mowat House 1872, The
Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, purchased this house in 1876 and lived here 1876-78. It was built in 1872 in the French Second Empire style by Nathaniel Dickey, a Toronto iron founder. Macdonald owned the property until 1886 and it was occupied by his son, Hugh John, 1879-82. The Hon. Oliver Mowat, prime minister of Ontario, bought and occupied the house in 18888 and retained ownership until 1902. The property was leased, 1897-98, to the Hon. Arthur Sturgis Hardy who succeeded Mowat as prime minister, and sold to Knox College in 1910. -
York Mechanics' Institute
The Mechanics' Institute movement began in Britain and soon spread to North America. Its aim was to teach workers the applied technology behind new methods of manufacture and craftsmanship introduced during the Industrial Revolution. The first Institute in Ontario was established at York (Toronto) in 1830. It sponsored lectures, held classes and operated a lending library. It moved from rented quarters into its own new building on this site in 1861. After passage of the... -
Metropolitan United Church
This "Cathedral of Methodism" was designed by Henry Langley in the High Victorian Gothic style. The cornerstone was laid by the Rev. Egerton Ryerson, D.D., in 1870 and the church was dedicated in 1872. It replaced an earlier structure at the southeast corner of Adelaide and Toronto Streets. The first missionaries from Canada to Japan were commissioned in this church on May 7, 1873. The inaugural service of the Methodist Church of Canada was held... -
Montgomery's Inn
The main section of this building, one of the province's finest remaining examples of Loyalist Georgian architecture, was erected about 1832. Its original owner, the innkeeper, Thomas Montgomery (1790-1877), was a native of Ireland and a Captain in the York Militia. Situated on Dundas Street, one of Upper Canada's principal highways, the inn was a favourite stopping place for travellers and its large rooms provided space for public meetings. The Home District Council designated Montgomery's... -
Moulton College
Near this site in Senator William McMaster's former residence, Moulton Ladies' College was opened in 1888. A year earlier, the bequest of McMaster's fortune to Baptist higher education had led to the founding of McMaster University. His widow, Susan Moulton McMaster, then conveyed the residence to the University for use as a preparatory school for girls. The Ladies' Department of Woodstock College, an older Baptist institution, was transferred to the Toronto college, named Moulton in... -
Royal Canadian Yacht Club, The
The province's first sailing association, the Toronto Boat Club, was formed in 1852 and two years later became the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Dedicated to the promotion of yachting and naval interests, it initiated competitions that stimulated widespread interest in sailing and yacht design, and in 1860, instituted the Prince of Wales Cup, freshwater racing's oldest trophy. The Club was housed on Toronto's waterfront until 1881 when it moved to Toronto Island. This move facilitated... -
Ryerson Polytechnical Institute
Named after the Reverend Egerton Ryerson founder of the province's educational system, the Ryerson Institute of Technology was established in 1948 to provide technological education for post-secondary school students. The buildings and many staff members of the former Toronto Training and Re-establishment Institute for veterans, located on this site, were transferred to the new institute. Diploma courses were offered in various schools of technology, commerce and the applied arts, and the Institute rapidly became a... -
The British army established a military post here in 1840-41 to replace aging Fort York. Known as the New Fort, it consisted of seven limestone buildings around a parade square, and a number of lesser structures. Massive defensive works were planned for the perimeter but never built. In 1893, the fort was renamed Stanley Barracks in honour of Governor Lord Stanley. Canadian forces assumed responsibility for the post in 1870 and garrisoned it until 1947. The barracks then served as public housing until the early 1950s, when all but this building, the Officers' Quarters, were demolished.