The 1918 Queen’s Hotel travellers guide is a 72 page guide and describes itself as “Descriptive of Toronto, Its Points of Interest and Public Buildings” and gives an interesting, historic view of Toronto just after the end of WW I. While the tourist guide is over 100 years old, at least some of the locations still exist – I’ve added [commentary and links in blocks like this] Shortlink: wholemap.com/TouristGuide1918
They describe themselves on page 8:
The Queens Hotel – McGaw & Winnett, Proprietors. TORONTO, CANADA. One of the largest and most comfortable hotels in the Dominion of Canada, being adjacent to the lake, commands a splendid view of Toronto Bay and Lake Ontario. It is well known as one of the coolest houses in summer in Canada, and is elegantly furnished throughout. 200 Rooms with 100 Bathrooms in connection.
Besides the text, below, there are also ads for many Toronto stores of the time, including:
- ‘The Resources of a Great Store’ – Eaton’s or Eaton’s Alley
- ‘Ladies Tailors – Afternoon, Evening, and Reception Gowns’ – Briens Limited – 186 King Street West
- ‘Fine Furs’ – Fairweathers Limited – 84-86 Yonge Street
- ‘Infants Delight – the finest soap Made in Canada’ Taylors
- ‘Don’t say soap, say Palmolive’
- Gunns Limited Mape Leaf bacon and ham
- ‘The shopping centre of Toronto – Robert Simpson Company Limited
Background on the Queens Hotel, from our page of historic photos:
The north side of Front Street just west of Yonge Street has long been the site of a hotel. The ‘Ontario Terrace’ of houses were built in 1843 (which you can see in the 1867 photo below) then became known as the Sword’s Hotel in 1853, then from 1860 to 1862 the Revere House. It was finally renamed the Queen’s Hotel in 1862, and remained as such until it was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway and torn down in 1927 to build the present Royal York Hotel.
The Queen’s Hotel was one of the city’s most prestigious, and advanced, hotels – the first in Canada with a central hot air furnace, a passenger elevator, and running water and bathtubs in the rooms.
The beautiful grounds about it being both spacious and airy, the Croquet and Tennis Lawns render it one of the most pleasant and desirable Hotels for business men, pleasure seekers, and the travelling public.
Is furnished with all the Latest Modern Improvements. Handsome Passenger Elevator. Telephone in Every Room, etc.
From the engraving it will be seen that “The Queen’s” is four storeys high, covering a large area of ground, used exclusively for hotel purposes, and, having lawns on either side, with means of exit from the house, in addition to those in front and rear, these render it almost impossible for any accident to take place from fire; consequently. “The Queen’s” is looked upon as the safest Hotel in the Dominion of Canada.
Telephone communication throughout.
The Queen’s Hotel Traveller’s Guide
(Original is available from The Toronto Public Library on the Internet Archive.)
Churches
| Denomination | Locations | Principal Church | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baptist | 40 | Jarvis Street | Corner of Gerrard and Jarvis Streets |
| Bible Christian | 4 | Agnes Street | Corner of Agnes and Terauley Streets |
| Catholic Apostolic | 1 | Catholic Apostolic | Corner of Gould and Victoria Streets |
| Congregational | 9 | Bond Street | Corner of Bond and Dundas Streets |
| Christadelphian | 1 | 269 College Street | 269 College Street |
| Episcopal | 1 | St. Alban’s Cathedral | Rowland Avenue |
| Episcopal | 45 | St. James Cathedral | Corner of Church and King Streets |
| Episcopal (Reformed) | 1 | Christ Church | Corner of College and Lippincott Streets |
| Hebrew Synagogues | 6 | Hebrew Synagogue | Bond Street |
| Lutheran | 1 | Lutheran | 116 Bond Street |
| Methodist | 42 | Metropolitan | Queen Street East., between Bond and Church Streets |
| New Jerusalem | 1 | New. Jerusalem | Elm Street |
| Presbyterian | 42 | Old St. Andrew’s | Corner of Jarvis and Carlton Streets |
| Roman Catholic | 22 | St. Michael s Cathedral | Shuter Street between Bond and Church [historic photos] |
| Society of Friends | 1 | Society of Friends | Carlton Street between Yonge and Church |
| Salvation Army | 12 | Salvation Army | Corner of James and Albert Streets |
| Unitarian | 1 | First Unitarian | 216 Jarvis Street |
(We have more details and historic photos of some of these places of worship online here.)
Places of Interest and Public Buildings
- City Hall, Queen Street, head of Bay St.
- Parliament Buildings, Queen’s Park.
- Osgoode Hall, Queen Street West. [historic photos]
- Armories, University Avenue.
- Normal School, Museum, etc., Gerrard and Church Streets.
- Masonic Temple, North Yonge Street.
- Canadian Pacific Railway Building, corner King and Yonge Streets.
- Customs House, corner Yonge and Front Streets.
- Post Office, Adelaide Street East.
- Public Library, corner College and St. George Streets.
- Royal Bank Building, corner King and Yonge
- Union Bank Building, corner King and Bay Streets.
- Toronto General Trusts Corporation
- Building, corner Bay and Colborne Sts.
- Bank of Toronto, corner King and Bay Sts.
- Provincial Lunatic Asylum, Queen St. West
- Toronto General Hospital, College Street and University Ave.
- Dominion Bank Building, Yonge and King
- High Park, Western City Limits [historic photos]
- Lieutenant-Governor’s Residence, Rosedale. [Chorley Park historic photos]
- City Dairy, Spadina Avenue.
- Exhibition Park and Buildings.
- St. James Cathedral (Episcopal), King Street East.
- Knox Church (Presbyterian), Spadina Avenue.
- St. Michael’s Cathedral (R.C.), Shuter Street. [historic photos]
- Metropolitan Church (Methodist.), Queen St. E.
- Baptist Church, corner Jarvis and Gerrard
- Knox College, St. George Street.
- Trinity College, Queen Street West.
- Toronto University, Queen’s Park. [historic photos]
- McMaster Hall, Bloor Street West. [now the Royal Conservatory]
- Allan Gardens and Burns Monument, corner of Sherbourne and Carlton Streets.
- Riverdale Park and Zoological Gardens, Winchester and Sumach Streets. [historic photos]
- Queen’s Park and Monuments to:
- The Heroes of Ridgeway
- Queen Victoria
- Governor Simcoe
- Sir John A. Macdonald
- Hon. George Brown
- Sir Oliver Mowat
- the Heroes who fell in the North-West Rebellion
Educational Institutions
Toronto can boast of the following Educational Institutions, all of which are worthy of a visit:
- University of Toronto, Queen’s Park. [historic photos]
- Upper Canada College, Deer Park. [historic photos]
- Collegiate Institute, Jarvis Street.
- School of Practical Science, Queen’s Park.
- Normal School St. James Square.
- Model School St. James Square.
- Knox College, St. George Street.
- Baptist College, Bloor Street.
- Trinity College, Queen Street West.
- Wycliffe College, Queen’s Park.
- Loretto Abbey. Wellington St. West
- St. Michael’s College, St. Joseph Street.
- Toronto Technical School, 275 Lippincott St.
- McMaster University, Bloor Street West. [now the Royal Conservatory]
- Moulton College, Bloor St. East.
- Victoria University, Queen’s Park.
- Bishop Strachan School, Lonsdale Road.
- St. Andrew s College, Rosedale.
A few facts about Toronto
Toronto, the Capital City of the Province of Ontario, is 84 years of age, being incorporated as a city in 1834. Its population then was about 10,000; to-day it is 500,000. Toronto’s acreage in 1834 was 5,000 acres; in 1917 it is 26,000
Toronto is the seat of the Ontario Government, and is the financial and commercial centre of the Province.
There are over 1,000 factories, representing an investment of $150,000,000; employing upwards of 150,000 people whose pay roll amounts to $100,000,000 annually.
The City’s assessment amounts to $602,777,559, and the tax rate last year (1917) was 25 1/2 mills in the dollar.
The City is governed by a Board of Control, composed of the Mayor and four Controllers, all of whom are elected annually; they are assisted by a Countcil of twenty Aldermen, from the seven wards in the City, also elected annually.
- The Queen’s Hotel signed the first contract for central telephone connection in Toronto in 1879.
- There are now over 50,000 telepnones in Toronto.
- Toronto s net debt stands at $100,000,000.
- City property is valued at over $20,000,000.
- The City Hall is estimated to be worth $2,500,000.
- Toronto has 40 parks, with a total of 1,640 acres.
- The site of the city covers 40 square miles.
- The first electric cars appeared in To ronto in 1894.
- Toronto was founded as a French trading post in 1749.
- Toronto s Exhibition Grounds cover an area of 270 acres.
- Toronto is the second largest city in Canada.
- During 1917 the city issued building permits to the value of $10,000,000.
- The principal clubs in Toronto are the York, Toronto, National, Albany and Ontario.
- The average increase for the past five years in Toronto s population has been 25,000.
- One of the largest organs in the world is in Toronto. It is in St. Paul s Anglican Church.
- Toronto is lighted at night by its own Hydro-Electric system, which is to be largely added to.
- Toronto has 540.70 miles of sewers and a practically completed trunk sewer, costing $2,500,000.
- Toronto has nine public hospitals for the care of the sick. Altogether, there are 65 hospitals, asylums and public homes.
- There are 6 daily newspapers in Toronto, 49 weekly papers, 20 semi-monthly, 76 monthly, 8 quarterly, and one directory company.
- The City Hall has a floor space of 5M; acres, is valued at $2 500,000, has a clock with a diameter of 20 feet, which is 300 feet from the sidewalk.
- Each year there is the largest exhibition on the continent held in Toronto. In 1917 900,000 people attended this exhibition.
Public Parks
- Queen’s Park Head of College Avenue.
- Allan Gardens Sherbourne, between Carlton and Gerrard Streets.
- Riverdale Park Corner Sumach and Winchester Streets.
- Exhibition Park King Street West.
- Reservoir Park Yonge Street North.
- Scarboro Park Queen Street East.
- High Park Queen Street West. [historic photos]
- Lome Park West of Humber River.
- Island Park Island opposite City, reached by ferry.
Theatres and places of Amusement
- Royal Alexandra – King Street West.
- The Arena – Mutual Street.
- Shea’s Theatre – Richmond and Victoria.
- Lacrosse and Baseball Park – Hanlan’s Point.
- Grand Opera House – Adelaide Street West.
- Hanlan’s Island – Opposite the City.
- Gayety Theatre – Richmond Street West.
- Scarboro Beach – King Street East.
- The Hippodrome – Terauley Street.
- Rosedale Golf Club – Bedford Park.
- Loew’s Theatre – Yonge Street.
- Toronto Golf Club – Long Branch
Steamer Lines
- Niagara River Line – To Niagara-on-the-Lake, Queenston and Lewiston.
- The Hamilton Steamboat Company – To Hamilton.
- The Toronto Ferry Company – To and from the Island.
- The Canada Steamship Line – To Rochester, Thousand Islands, Montreal and Quebec.
Brief Sketch of “The Queen City of the West”
Information for the Traveller and Pleasure Seeker:
NOTICING Toronto from the decks of any of the steamers that come into its harbor, travellers or holiday-seekers are very unfavorably impressed with its appearance. At first sight nothing but bare, low-lying stretches of land meet the view, but as the boat approaches the northern shore of the lake and enters the bay bearing the city s name, through either of the channels at the eastern or western points of the Island, the view of the city is imposing, and its forest of spires and many factory shafts give evidence of a prosperous and numerous community. The site of the city was originally very marshy, and in consequence it was of old known as “Muddy York,” the latter being its sometime name. The history of the town is comparatively uninteresting until the years 1812-15, when the place was sacked and partially destroyed by the American forces. Time, however obliterates old scars, and the Toronto of to-day shows no sign of that early conflict. What the century did for our neighbors it has in no inappreciable way done for us; and both people have reasons to be thankful for the blessings of the new civilization it has been theirs so auspiciously to found and advance.
When our town was incorporated in 1834, the name of York was dropped, and Sir John Colborne, who was at the head of affairs in this country, altered its style back to the old Indian name, the meaning and derivation of which is a little obscure, some being of the opinion that the word comes from the Mohawk Dr-on-do, “trees in the water”; others that it is an Indian name signifying “place of meeting.”
At the first election of the city W. Lyon Mackenzie was elected as its first Mayor. He was foremost in the Rebellion of 1836-38, which was the cause of great trouble and depression, but afterwards proved a great blessing, for by it Toronto had years of great commercial prosperity, and now ranks high as the first financial city in the Dominion.
As before stated, the immediate points of the city lie somewhat low, yet there is a grand ascent, and the lines of Tom Moore,
“Where the blue hills of old Toronto shed
Their evening shadows o’er Ontario’s bed“
may have had a more true application in former days than some critics of the present seem to approve. The land, a mile from the lake, is 108 feet above the water’s level, and two miles further on it is some 250 feet; four of five miles north the city seems to be at one’s feet.
Nine lines of railroad, as follows, now have terminal stations in the city: The Grand Trunk Railway, operating the East and West divisions, the Southern, Midland and Northern divisions; the Canadian Pacific Railway, operating the Toronto, Grey and Bruce, the Hamilton and Buffalo and the Ontario and Quebec divisions; and the Canadian Northern, operating its own line from Sudbury to Toronto and Ottawa. During the season of navigation steamers run to and from all points; and numerous schooners make Toronto their port of entry and exit.
In the City of Toronto there are at present about 100,000 public and private buildings, and the population is placed at 500,000. The City of Toronto has advantages over most cities and municipalities, owning large tracts of freehold property in the best business centres, for which it receives a large annual revenue from leaseholders. The yearly civic income and expenditure is over $18,000,000 as an average. The assessed value of city property this year (1917) is $602,777,559.
The city is divided into seven wards, six of the wards sending three and one ward two representative Aldermen to the City Council.
Toronto is celebrated for its aquatic sports, the renowned scullers, Hanlan, O Connor and Durnan, having given an impetus to this class of sport and made Toronto famous throughout the world. The bay on the city side, is one long line of public and private boat houses. Of the former, the most prominent are the Queen City Yacht Club, Toronto Canoe Club, Argonaut Rowing Club, Don Kowing Club, and of the latter almost one unbroken line. During the boating season, in the afternoon and evening, the bay is the scene of a great carnival, which, in winter, is varied by ice-boating – a very exciting sport.
A visit to the Island will be appreciated by all. In the centre is the Island Park and the Island Club House of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. At Hanlan s Point there is a roof garden, an electric merry-go-round, one-quarter mile bicycle track, lacrosse and baseball park, and various other amusements. The whole space is brilliantly illuminated at night by multi-colored electric lights, and the various bands of the city play alternate evenings during the season.
The golf lover will find many beautiful links in and around the city, principal among which are The Lambton Golf and Country Club, The Rosedale, The High Park and The Toronto Golf Association.
The traveller, arriving at any of the railway stations, or by the steamboats, will find the “Queen’s Hotel” within easy distance.
Passing into the city, the visitor will see that the streets of Toronto are spacious, well laid out and regularly built. The main arteries of the city are Queen and Yonge Streets, which, crossing each other at right angles, divide the city into four large sections. Yonge Street runs north and south, Queen Street east and west.
Yonge Street
Starting from the foot of Yonge Street, named after Sir Geo. Yonge, northward from the bay, the most striking objects to be met are the Customs House, Bank of Montreal, the Bank of British North America, the Globe Building, the Traders Bank Building, the Canadian Pacific Railway Building, the Dominion Bank Building, and the Royal Bank Building, said to be the highest building in Canada. The lower portion of Yonge Street, from King to the bay, is composed mostly of wholesale houses, while above King it is almost an unbroken line of retail shops of every description, and it is perhaps the most busy street in the city, many of the buildings being of fine structure. Yonge Street is the great thoroughfare of the north, runs almost north and south, extending from the bay as far north as Holland Landing, a distance of thirty miles, and divides the city into two grand divisions. At the south-east corner of Yonge and King Streets are the handsome offices of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which are their headquarters in Toronto; across from these are the offices of the Grand Trunk Railway system.
Holy Trinity Church
The site of this beautiful edifice is in Trinity Square, between Alice and Louisa Sreets, and was built by a lady whose name has never been known to the public. The endowment was anonymous, being £ 5,000 sterling, appropriated as follows: £3,000 to build the church, and £ 2,000 as the basis of an allowance for the incumbent. A short time ago a Memorial Brass was put up in the church to the memory of the donor.
Ontario College of Pharmacy
In St. James Square, 42 and 44 Gerrard Street, is the Ontario College of Pharmacy.
College of Physicians and Surgeons
The headquarters of the College is situated on University Avenue. The office of the Registrar of the College is at No. 170.
Temple Building
On the north-west corner of Richmond and Bay Streets is the headquarters of the Independent Order of Foresters. The building, erected under the superintendence of the late Dr. Oronhyateka, is, if not the best, certainly among the best and most complete of Us kind in the Dominion. The Temple is intended as an office building, but a portion of it is devoted to other purposes, and is used quite extensively for social functions of every description. [historic photos]
Ontario Veterinary College
Is situated on University Avenue, and is the most important of its class in America. Students from all parts of Canada and the United States have graduated here, and almost every State of the neighboring Union and every county in Canada has its representative student.
The Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology is situated on the south-west corner of Bloor Street and Avenue Road, and is well worth a visit from anyone interested in Mineralogy, Geology and Egyptian antiquities. [historic photos]
King Street
King Street is sixty-five feet in width, well built up with substantial brick and stone buildings, many of them being equal to any on the American continent. About sixty years ago it was completely composed of wooden structures and hardly passable to pedestrians, but now each side is lined with stately edifices devoted to the financial business of the city. The improvements on this street are advancing rapidly, and it is now one of the finest streets in Canada.
At the west corner of King and Yonge Streets, we notice, first, the fine building of the Dominion Bank, and then a little further west the handsome building occupied by the Bank or Commerce. Opposite this is the Manning Arcade Building; on the corner of Bay Street another fine building, probably one of the finest in the whole of Canada erected and now occupied by the Bank of Toronto, and near by (on Bay Street) is the Molsons Bank, Toronto General Trusts Building, and the Union Bank, then a succession of fine stores some of recent erection and of different styles of architecture, which cannot fail to attract attention.
St. Andrew’s Church
On the south side, a short distance farther on, stands St. Andrew s Church, which is, externally, one of the finest specimens of Norman architecture on the continent. Its entire effect is very striking.
Exhibition Buildings
Were opened to the public by the Earl of Dufferin, then Governor-General of Canada in September 1878. The old Crystal Palace Building, built mostly of wood and glass which stood for so many years as a landmark of the Fair Grounds, was destroyed by fire a few years ago, and is replaced by buildings of much more modern appointments. The old Grand Stand has also met the same fate, and the Exhibition authorities now boast of having the largest covered Grand Stand on the continent, a statement which is readily believed when one gets an opportunity to view the immensity of this structure. The ground are situated overlooking Lake Ontario, and can be reached by trolley cars The stranger in the city ought not to leave without paying a visit to what is conceded to be finest Exhibition Park on the continent.
Home for Incurables
On Dunn Avenue, Parkdale, is a large red brick building of light and cheerful appearance ocupied by one of Toronto’s worthiest charities – Home for Incurables. A walk through the rooms will well repay the visitor. As may be expected from the name of the institution, those who enter the house are supposed to be diseased beyond hope of cure.
High Park
Farther west is High Park, 320 acres a magnificent stretch of alternate hill and dale, with beautiful trees and shrubbery. This fine park and grounds were formerly the property of the late J. G. Howard, architect, etc., who resided on the estate. Being a man desirous of benefiting his fellow-creatures, he nobly presented a portion of this park to the city for recreation grounds. This took place during his life. On his death, which took place in the month of February, 1890, by his will he deeded the whole of his property and hall to the city, and thus provided for Toronto a place where her tired citizens can rest and enjoy themselves after the toils of the day or week are over. The generous donor is interred, along with his wife, in a massive stone mausoleum erected in the grounds, and which he built during his life. The railing surrounding the stone is of great interest, having at one time formed part of the railing around the stately Cathedral of St. Paul, London, England. _Another feature attached to them is that on the passage out the vessel was wrecked; but Mr. Howard’s will was not to be thwarted; he had the rails recovered from the bottom of the St. Lawrence River by the aid of divers, and thus carried out his original intentions. The famed Grenadier Pond is situated on this property, and here boating and fishing can be indulged in. [historic photos]
Leaving the park by the lake shore entrance, we turn our steps to the
Humber
This is a favorite resort for picnics and excursions, has hotels boat houses, etc., and is a most enjoyable place for an afternoon’s outing. Several romantic walks and drives can be made from this point, and the artist can find any amount of scope for the employment of his brush and pencil.
Trinity College
Returning eastward along Queen Street, the visitor arrives at Trinity College, standing back some distance. It is a very handsome building, in spacious grounds, and was erected in 1851, at a cost of $40,000, after plans prepared by Mr. Kivas Tully. The building is of white brick, with white stone dressings, and is designed in the third period of pointed English architecture. It has a frontage of 250 feet, facing south, with wings projecting east and west, 53 feet each. It is designed to accommodate eighty students, with class rooms, chapel, library, and museum; also private residences for the Provost and two senior professors. It is a great ornament to the unwearied zeal of the late Right Rev. Dr. Strachan, the first Lord Bishop of Toronto. The College is the training school of the clergy of the diocese, and has a high reputation.
During the year 1899 several additional wings were added and extensive alterations made to the chapel.
Osgoode Hall
A short distance farther brings the traveller to Osgoode Hall, which is named after the late Hon. Wm. Osgoode, Chief Justice of Upper Canada, and contains rooms and offices for the Superior Courts of the Province. The cost of the building has amounted to about $300,000. The grounds comprise about six acres of land.
A Law School has been established under the direction and tuition of three readers, designated, respectively, the Reader on Common Law, the Reader on Equity, and the Reader on Real Property. Four scholarships have been established, one for students under one years standing, of $150.00 per annum; one for students under two years standing, of $200.00 per annum; one for students under three years standing, of $250.00 per annum; and one for students under four years standing, of $300. 00 per annum.
The building is of classic style and is of great beauty, the centre hall being very fine. The Courts of Queen’s Bench, Common Pleas and Appeals are all fine chambers. [historic photos]
City Hall
The City Hall is situated at the head of Bay Street, which site was purchased at the cost of $250,000. Contracts for the erection of this building were let in 1887, and the work commenced in 1889, at a cost of two and a half million dollars. The building is about 300 feet square, and built of stone, and is of Romanesque architecture; it has a tower 300 feet high, with an illuminated clock, which is 21 feet in diameter, and one of the largest in the world. The architecture of the building was executed by E. J. Lennox.
University Avenue
Turning back for a short distance, the above avenue is reached. At the entrance of the avenue will be seen the magnificent monument to the Canadian heroes who fell in the South African War of 1899 to 1901. The drive and promenade, leading from Queen Street to the University grounds, is nearly one mile in length, 120 feet in width, and contains about ten acres of land. It is handsomely planted with trees on either side, through the centre of which runs a carriage drive, flanked by a grass border of considerable width. The avenue is one of the finest in the Dominion, or perhaps on the continent, and was laid out about the year 1829 or 1830, by the University of King’s College, now the University of Toronto, and planted by the late John Wedd. In 1859, this, with College Street avenue, which is much narrower, and crosses it at right angles at its northerly termination, together with fifty acres of the University Park, were granted to the Corporation of the City of Toronto, on a lease for a period of 999 years, for the purpose of a public park, to be kept in order by the city. Building lots for villas of a certain description have also been laid out for leasing around this park, and many elegant residences have been erected.
The University Buildings
Driving for a short distance in the park, the traveller arrives at the University. This magnificent pile of buildings was erected during the year 1854-59, to provide accommodation not only for the University of Toronto (which simply confers degrees), but also for the University College, with its various lecture rooms, residences and students quarters. The massive structure was designed by Messrs. Cumberland and Storm, and built under their direction. The chief facades of the building are to the south and east, the former of great massive elevation, for distance effects from the lake and city.
The general outline of the building approaches the form of a square, having an internal quadrangle of about 200 square feet, the north side of which is left open to the Park. The main frontage of the south is about 300 feet long, with a massive Norman tower in its centre, 120 feet in height, and comprising two storeys, that on the ground being devoted to lecture-rooms, and the upper storey to library and museum; this may be called the public portion of the building. The east side of the building is 260 feet in length, and erected by a subsidiary tower. The west end of the quadrangle is about 260 feet in length, and is used as residences for the students. The whole cost was nearly $500,000.
Situated in the University grounds will be found Convocation Hall. Victoria College. Wycliffe College, School of Practical Science, Medical Building, School of Domestic Science, and others devoted to various branches of education. [historic photos]
The Volunteers’ Monument
Very near the University stands the Volunteers Monument, erected by the public in memory of the volunteers who fell in the act of repelling the invasion of a body of Fenian marauders from the United States in the year 1866. It is a composite structure of red stone, and contains also two statues in niches, representing two soldiers, and two female figures, typifying the mourners. A statue of Britannia surmounts the whole. Some of the slain were members of the University, and to their memory a window is also erected in the College Hall.
To the south-east of the Parliament Buildings is erected the monument to Queen Victoria; also one erected by the ladies of Canada to the heroes who fell in the North-West Rebellion.
A little to the west stands a handsome granite column, upon which is mounted a life sized statue of the late Hon. George Brown. The statue shows Hon. Mr. Brown holding a roll of manuscript in his hand, and standing in an attitude as if just about to deliver an address. This handsome monument was a few years ago erected by his many friends and admirers, to the memory of the Hon. Mr. Brown, who as journalist, statesman, the leader of the Liberal party in Canada, and one of the Fathers of the Confederation of the Canadian Provinces, was more prominently identified with the interests of the country than any other Canadian statesman. The statue of the late Sir Oliver Mowat also adorns this section of the grounds.
Parliament Buildings
Situated at the southern end of Queen’s Park are the Parliament Buildings for the Province of Ontario. In front of the immediate approach to the Buildings will be seen the handsome statue of the late Sir John A. Macdonald, Premier of the Dominion. The view from the front of the buildings takes in the handsome University Avenue. Looking northward, Avenue Road, a continuation of University Avenue, is seen beyond the group of oaks that adorn the park.
The principal frontage is 435 feet, with a depth of 260 feet, the main entrance forming a double letter E, and enclosing within its walls 76,000 square feet. The centre facade measures 120 x 125 feet. The main entrance is composed of three noble arches 18 feet wide by 26 feet high. This entrance is flanked by the great towers, with their domes of copper and wealth of stone design.
Magnificent views are obtained from these towers. The structure took six years to complete at a cost of $1,250,000.
The Observatory
Situated on Bloor Street West is the Observatory, instituted for the observation of meteorological events. The collection of scientific instruments, including a recent addition of a telescope especially obtained for observing the transit of Venus, is large and interesting. Weather reports, notices of the approach of storms, and the weather probabilities generally for the Dominion are issued from this Office. “Old Probabilites” some times makes mistakes, but not often, and for twenty-four hours ahead is generally reliable.
McMaster Hall
The Toronto Baptist College on Bloor Street West is a grand effort in architecture. It is the seminary for Baptists throughout Canada. All local colleges of this denomination have been closed to theological students and students transferred to this city. The college is built of brown stone, faced with brick. It is five storeys in height. There are several lecture-rooms, chapel, library, reading-room, two dining-rooms, gymnasium, andaccomdation for some sixty students. Expense has not been spared to make it one of the most complete affairs of its kind in America. The building was presented to the Baptist denomination, free of debt, by the late Hon. Wm. McMaster, of Canada. [Now the Royal Conservatory of Music – historic photos]
Upper Canada College
Situated in Deer Park are the stately buildings of Upper Canada College, which institution, founded in 1829, for many years occupied the commodious row of red brick buildings on King- Street West, which have lately made way for many fine warehouses. The grounds surrounding the College are extensive and well laid out, and the interior equipments are all that modern art and appliances can make them. The new College buildings, occupying, as they do one of the fine old homesteds that were once the pride of early settlers, cannot fail to interest anyone paying them a visit. [historic photos]
Returning through the upper ravine, the traveller reaches Yonge Street once more, and a drive eastward will bring him to the
St. Paul’s Anglican Church
On Bloor Street East, built entirely of stone in the early English and the decorated periods of Gothic, at a cost of $350,000 with a seating capacity of 2,500.
Jarvis Street Baptist Church
At the corner of Jarvis and Gerrard Streets is a splendid structure, built of Queenston stone, pointed in Ohio stone, and is of the Gothic school “adapted,” and has a spire and tower 165 feet high, is amphitheatrical in form, and contains a fine organ.
The Normal and Model Schools and Educational Offices
Close by, upon one of the most attractive spots in Toronto, are the buildings and grounds of this department, which include the Educational Office, and the Depositories. and Educational Museum, the Normal School with Girls and Boys Model School. The buildings are situated upon the centre of an open square of about seven and a half acres of ground.
A short time ago a bronze statue was erected in front of these buildings to the memory of the late Dr. Ryerson, whose efforts in the cause of education will ever be remembered. The Educational Museum contains specimens of Canadian and Natural History, and the best variety of maps, charts, diagrams, philosophical apparatus and school furniture. It also contains an extensive collection of celebrated Italian, Dutch and Flemish oil paintings and engravings, and casts in plaster of some of the most noted groups of statuary (ancient and modern), together with a collection of English, Canadian and classical busts. Free admission may be obtained daily from nine until five o clock.
Allan Gardens
A short distance farther east is situated the Allan Gardens. The beautiful grounds occupied by the gardens extend over a space of ten acres, all of which are highly cultivated. They were first opened to the public on the visit of King Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, in 1860. A tree planted by him has now reached considerable size. The gardens are open to all who desire to visit them.
St. Michael’s Cathedral
Returning south, the visitor sees this church, which stands at the corners of Church, Shuter and Bond Streets, with an entrance on Bond Street. It is in the early decorative style of English Gothic architecture, built of white brick and cut-stone dressings, being 200 feet in length by 90 in width, and with the transepts making a total width of 115 feet, exterior dimensions. The windows are large and filled with tracery of great variety the eastern window of seven lights being 156 feet high and 18 feet in width. The transepts have large rose windows, with canopied niches, in the gables. The building is wholly under one roof, forming in the interior a nave 170 feet long, 40 feet wide and 50 feet high, with pier and arches trifornium and rich ceiling. The side aisles are 180 feet long by 20 feet wide and 48 feet high, with a gallery at the west end. The building was commenced in 1845 and finished in 1847. The tower and spire are 250 feet in height. [historic photos]
The Metropolitan Church
This fine structure, opposite St. Michael’s Cathedral, is the principal Methodist Church in Toronto, and is situated in the centre of McGill Square, between Church and Bond Streets, the square having a frontage of 248 by 552 feet. The architecture is of the early French style, is an ornament to the city as well as a credit to the Methodists.
The material used is white brick, relieved with cut-stone dressing. The dimensions of the main building are 72 by 128 feet, the chapel in the rear being 63 by 63 feet, over which are large and commodious class and committee rooms. In front of the church is a massive tower, 29 feet square, and 80 feet in height to top of pinnacles; on either side of the junction of the main building with the chapels are two smaller towers, 16 feet square and 122 feet high. The roof is covered with slate of variegated bands. The church will seat comfortably 1,800, but will contain 2,500 persons.
St. James Cathedral
This fine structure is the principal Episcopal Church in Toronto, and is the fourth church which has occupied the same site, the last one having been burnt in 1849. It is of early English Gothic architecture, and is beautifully executed, recent alterations costing $40,000 having greatly improved the appearance of the interior of the church. The corner stone of the present building was laid on the 20th of November, 1850. The extreme length is 200 feet, and 105 feet wide.
During the year 1873 the massive tower was completed, making it 150 feet 3 inches in height. The handsome side porches and pinnacles on the west side were also completed during the same year. The spire is 150 feet 9 inchs high, and the wrought-iron vane 16 feet, making a total height from the ground of 306 feet, being several feet higher than Trinity Church, New York, and the highest in America. The total cost has amounted to about $166,000, including the peal of bells.
In 1875 the celebrated Chiming and Illuminated Clock, which took first prize at the International Exhibition at Vienna, was purchased from J. W. Benson, of London, England, by the citizens of Toronto, and presented to the Dean and Church Wardens of St. James on Christmas Eve, 1876. The movement of the clock, next to that of Westminster, is the largest in the world, and in point of quality of material and finish of workmanship, is unexcelled by any. The clock plays the Cambridge chimes on the smaller bells every quarter of an hour, and strikes the hour of the day on the larger bell. In 1876 the site was enclosed with a handsome new fence set on stone.
During the last few years the interior of the church has been remodelled, the galleries have been removed, choir stalls have been placed in the gallery. A brass lectern, the gift of a member of the congregation, adds to the ornamentation of the sacred edifice. The entire chancel has been relaid with polished tiles, and the building lighted by electric light.
The Free Library
Standingat the north-west corner of College and St. George Streets, and is an imposing pile, which has just been completed. In 1883 the library property was handed over to the city in trust, and the books therein have formed the nucleus of what will doubtless be one of the most useful of the many educational institutions in the city. There are fourteen branch libraries in connection with the central one, for the accommodation of the residents in the different parts of the city.
The Toronto General Hospital
Is situated on College Street at the corner of University Avenue. The hospital, which cost $4,110,000 to build was opened to the public in July, 1913. The buildings cover an area of 10 acres. There are 714 beds, with an additional 150 beds in the private patients pavilion. There are over 300 nurses employed, the total staff numbering 650. The Hospital site, which takes in a whole square, contains the following buildings: On University Avenue, The Pathological, Out-Patients , and Emergency Buildings; on College Street, The Medical, Administration, and Surgical Buildings; on Elizabeth Street, The Obstetricai, Servants’, and Power Buildings; on Christopher Street, The Nurses Home and Private Patients Pavilion.
The Toronto Post Office
Is situated on Adelaide Street East, facing Toronto Street, and was opened to the public on Monday, 20th April, 1874. The style of architecture is Italian. It is 75 feet in width by 60 in depth and is 66 feet to the eaves, but a dome carries it 3 feet higher. The building is of richly wrought Ohio stone, three storeys high, with a basement and a lofty attic in a Mansard roof. The front elevation is composed of a central break, which is relieved with complex columns and pilasters, with polished caps and marble bases and moulded cornices at heights corresponding with each other. On each side of the central break is a recess bay, and beyond, at each outer angle ,a tower having instriated pilasters and a continuation of the cornices as on the pilasters of the central break. In the rear of the main building is another, one storey high, with basement.
The Customs House
Is situated at the foot of Yonge Street. This is a superb building in the Italian style of architecture, very much ornamented, having entablatures representing great travellers, and the arms of many of the principal cities of the Mother Country and elsewhere.
The Lieutenant-Governor’s Residence
A magnificent structure, just lately completed at a cost of $1,200,000, is situated in North Rosedale, and is justly termed a masterpiece of architectural beauty. The site is ideal, picturesque, and will well repay a visit. [Called Chorley Park, torn down in 1961 – historic photos]
