Queen Street East, southeast corner of Waverley Road, 1903 Researching the history of your Toronto house, or any other building in the city for that matter, can be a rewarding, though sometimes frustrating activity. Fortunately many resources are available online, so that some of your research can be done at any place and any time. […]
Jonathan Locke Hart, a Canadian poet and literary scholar, is launching his new book, Unforgetting Private Charles Smith, at Ben McNally Books tonight. The book is based on a small diary that Hart came across in the Toronto Public Library’s Special Collections Department. Last week, Mr. Hart gave a sneak preview of his book at a […]
Toronto city directories are invaluable for researching local history, genealogy and other topics. Now, for the first time, there is an online guide – Places in Digital Toronto City Directories, 1837-1969 – to help researchers quickly find directory information about more than 100 former hamlets, villages, small towns, townships and boroughs that now are part of […]
Are you interested in finding out more about the development of a community in Ontario to: Research the history of a house or other buildings Trace people that have lived in an area including family members, missing persons, birth paren’ts Determine how a site has evolved over time Discover the growth of a street or […]
In her December 2017 report, City Librarian Vickery Bowles noted, “Toronto Reference Library celebrated its 40th anniversary with a series of programs and blog posts featuring collections and highlighting the history and architecture of the building. The activities and accompanying social media generated lively discussions about what TRL has meant to some of our customers.” […]
Toronto Reference Library is bordered by Asquith Avenue on its south facade; its property there starts at Yonge Street and extends east to Sherlock Holmes Walk, about a half block west of Park Road. All of the buildings shown below once stood on the north side of Asquith Avenue on the site of the present […]
The Toronto Reference Library is located on the east side of Yonge Street between Asquith Avenue and Collier Street. Shown here are some of the buildings on Yonge Street that stood on or opposite this block during the 100 years or so before the library opened on November 2, 1977. 1. Yorkville Town Hall. Stood […]
As the Toronto Reference Library celebrates its 40th anniversary on November 2, we take a backward glance at the changes to the site as the area evolved from dense forest to suburban village to downtown neighbourhood. The present library is bound by Yonge Street on the west, Asquith Avenue on the south, Collier Street on […]
Twenty-five years ago, on September 24, 1992, North York Mayor Mel Lastman and developer Dr. Murray Frum cut the ribbon to officially open the new Barbara Frum Library and Community Recreation Centre. Program for the official opening, September 24, 1992. Toronto Public Library Archives This marked a new chapter in the history of local library service, […]
After being closed for a year, Toronto Public Library’s renovated and expanded Eglinton Square Branch reopened today, Friday, June 23 at 10 a.m. The branch has more than doubled in size from 4,700 to 10,000 square feet, and the community can look forward to a larger, more vibrant, bright, open and airy space. There is […]