Author Archives: scarboro

In the news: R.C. Harris to be honoured with exhibit

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R.C. Harris Filtration Plant, 1952. Photo: Toronto Archives.

 *Excerpt from the Scarborough Mirror, Aug. 30, 2012.

Scarborough filtration plant’s namesake honoured
Exhibit celebrates 100th anniversary of R.C. Harris being named Toronto’s waterworks commissioner

Article By Joanna Lavoie

An exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the appointment of Roland Caldwell (R.C.) Harris as Commissioner of Works for the City of Toronto is being presented Sept. 15, 2012 to March 2, 2013 at The Market Gallery, 95 Front St. E., Second Floor.

The exhibition – titled “The Water Czar: R.C. Harris Works for Toronto, 1912-45′ – chronicles the remarkable 33-year career of the Toronto public works legend as the head of the city’s works department through archival photos, maps and plans, and rarely – or never-before-seen artifacts.

Roland Caldwell Harris, 1933.
Photo: Toronto Archives.

WONDERFUL TRIBUTE

“This exhibition is a wonderful tribute to a remarkable city builder. When Torontonians drink a glass of tap water or cross the Prince Edward Viaduct, they are benefiting from his work,” said Scarborough Centre Councillor Michael Thompson, chair of the city’s economic development committee, in a release.

An international engineering firm, CH2M HILL, is sponsoring the exhibition. The company’s history includes a merger with Toronto-based Gore, Naismith and Storrie, which worked closely with Harris throughout his career.

Harris, who became Toronto’s works commissioner following a series of water-related scandals that led to the resignation of the city engineer, was appointed not necessarily for his technical acumen but for his administrative ability.

CIVIC VISION

Before long, he developed a civic vision where public works were viewed as the cornerstone of greater Toronto. During his three-decade career, Harris tackled a number of the city’s water challenges notably developing bridges and making the harbour more accessible, obtaining a secure supply of tap water and getting rid of the city’s wastewater.

DRINKING WATER

The circa-1941 water treatment plant at the foot of Victoria Park Avenue and Queen Street East, which currently provides 45 per cent of Toronto and York region’s water supply, is named in honour of Harris’ many accomplishments.

The Market Gallery, a program of the City of Toronto’s Cultural Services that presents exhibitions dedicated to Toronto’s art, culture and history and offers educational programs for school groups and adults, is open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Please visit The Market Gallery website for more information.

Historical plaque unveiled at St. Nicholas Anglican Church

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St. Nicholas Church, Birch Cliff. Photo: Jeremy Hopkin.

By Jeremy Hopkin.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the St. Nicholas parish of Birch Cliff village, a historical plaque was commissioned by the parish in co-operation with Heritage Toronto and Scotiabank. The plaque was unveiled on August 9, 2012 during a special ceremony held inside St. Nicholas Church, with several parishioners and visitors in attendance.

Six people of interest were chosen to speak of the history and importance of the church to the community and then together unveiled the plaque; Archbishop Colin Johnson, Diocese of Toronto; Deb Chapman, Pastoral Associate; Sonia Halloran, Church Warden; Councillor Gary Crawford; Alexandra Smith, Scotiabank Branch Manager; and Patrick Forster, Heritage Toronto Board Member.

Unveiling ceremony of historical plaque in St. Nicholas Church. Photo: Jeremy Hopkin

The plaque reads as follows:

“The Anglican parish of St. Nicholas was founded in 1912 to serve the growing village of Birch Cliff. This building, opened in 1917, was designed by Toronto architect Harold Carter. Its steep roof and pointed arch windows are characteristic of the Late Gothic Revival style. Carter’s original plan was finally completed in 1953, when the congregation expanded after the Second World War. As one of the first churches in the area, St. Nicholas Church has played an important role in the development of Birch Cliff. – Heritage Toronto 2012 / dedicated August 9, 2012.”

Harold Carter (1885-1956) was also involved in the design of Hart House (University of Toronto), Emmanual College, Toronto; Birchcliff Heights Public School, R.H. King Collegiate (demol. 1976; archway and wall fragment relocated to the Guild Inn, Scarborough), Winston Churchill Collegiate, West Hill Collegiate and W.A. Porter Collegiate, Scarborough.

On Saturday, September 29th, St. Nicholas will hold a 100th Birthday Party Community Picnic from noon until 3pm.

Scarborough Archives verandah restoration begins

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Scarborough Archives after restoration of wooden verandah. Photo: Don Allen

By Jeremy Hopkin.

The Scarborough Historical Society is pleased to announce the restoration of the upper woodwork on the verandah of the Scarborough Archives building is complete. The facility in which the Scarborough Archives now resides was formerly the W.J. Morrish general store. Constructed during 1891, the building served residents of Highland Creek and surrounding rural areas as a general store until closing its doors in 1967.

Although essential repairs to the exterior of the building were made when the Archives first occupied the building, the verandah could not be included as it did not work within funding guidelines. In the meantime Scarborough Historical Society volunteers continually painted all exposed woodwork on the verandah to protect it from further deterioration until project funding could be acquired.

Earlier this year, Hydro One stepped forward to provide the Scarborough Historical Society with a donation to commence with restoration. A request for tender was publicized and the architectural restoration specialists of Colonial Building Restoration were awarded the work contract. They began the process of dismantling and stripping the wood on July 3rd, 2012.

Scarborough Archives verandah woodwork under restoration, 2012. Photo: Rick Schofield.

Over a century of accumulated paint was painstakingly removed from the wood by use of heat guns and stripping tools. This revealed that although most of the underlying wood is in great shape for its age, time has taken its toll – two of the main posts had to be replaced along with other small deteriorated areas. Sections with dry rot or damage were replicated and replaced so that the entire verandah could be properly reassembled and painted.

As paint was removed, notes were made on the layers of coatings which once covered the wooden members over the years. Deep under the paint remained evidence of a coat of linseed oil from what most likely is the original sealing coat made during construction in the 1890s.

Molding details which had disappeared from the posts several years ago were also re-created, utilizing an 1894 image of the W.J. Morrish general store front as reference.

The tin plated roof of the verandah, also in need of repair, was not included in the current restoration project, although the Scarborough Historical Society plans to undertake this secondary task in the near future when additional funding can once again be acquired.
The existing tin roof is not original when one examines the 1894 photograph. However, the original roof material needs further research and in the short term, to protect the existing tin,  the Society will repair the joint where the roof meets the building and repaint the existing tin with rust inhibiting primer/sealer and quality paint.

Verandah restoration image gallery:

Scarborough Archives after restoration of wooden verandah. Photo: Don Allen
Scarborough Archives verandah woodwork under restoration. Photo: Rick Schofield.
The Scarborough Archives verandah is propped up during restoration. Photo: Rick Schofield.
The Archives verandah is propped up as a post is replaced. Photo: Rick Schofield.
An employee of Colonial Building Restoration heats and scrapes paint from the verandah of the Scarborough Archives. Photo: Don Allen.
Wooden spindle from the Scarborough Archives verandah during restoration. Photo: Rick Schofield.
Verandah of the Scarborough Archives during woodwork restoration. Photo: Don Allen.
Verandah of the Scarborough Archives during woodwork restoration. Photo: Don Allen.
Verandah of the Scarborough Archives after woodwork restoration. Photo: Don Allen.

In the news: The Scarborough Hospital honours its past

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The Scarborough Hospital, April 2012. Photo: Jeremy Hopkin

*From www.insidetoronto.com, Apr. 22, 2012.

The Scarborough Hospital honours its past
Longtime doctor joins archive committee to preserve hospitals’ past.

Article By Danielle Milley

A lot has happened in the more than 50 years since The Scarborough Hospital opened and now there’s a group of people who’ve stepped up to document those five decades of history.

The hospital recently formed an archive committee to preserve the past of the 56-year-old general campus and the 27-year-old Birchmount site. Dr. Barney Giblon is one of the three co-chairs of the committee. The retired family physician has always been interested in preserving history and with his long history at the general site, he wanted to be a part of the committee. “I’m almost the longest serving physician on staff and I’ve always been interested in archives so when this ad appeared I thought ‘won’t this be a wonderful thing to do,'” he said. The hospital has a lot of information, but it’s also missing a lot so Giblon is glad the committee came about to preserve the history, photos and documents before they were lost.

With the general site being Scarborough’s first hospital, Giblon believes archiving TSH’s history isn’t just important for those associated with the hospital. “It is a really wonderful thing, not just for the people who worked at the hospital or who work there now, but for the whole community of Scarborough because it’s part of the history,” he said.

23-I-6.1 Scarborough General Hospital

The Scarborough General Hospital, circa 1961.

The archive committee is made up of volunteers, many of them former staff members such as Giblon. The goal is to collect, catalogue and preserve hospital memorabilia, including publications, photographs and documents from both campuses. The committee is reaching out to staff, physicians, volunteers and the community for any items that would be historically significant to the hospital in an effort to build the collection of hospital archives.

The committee has already been the recipient of a large donation of items from the family of Marion Goodchild, the hospital’s first medical laboratory technician and a member of the first group of 13 staff members to join the hospital in 1956. The donation included newspaper articles; programs from milestone events such as the hospital’s expansion in 1958 and its 25th anniversary celebration; copies of “The Pulse,” the hospital’s first newsletter, and a booklet developed in 1972 to commemorate the departure of the Sisters of Misericorde, the founders of TSH.

Goodchild was also an avid photographer and her collection of photo albums documented a variety of events at the hospital. “We are so grateful to Ms. Goodchild’s family for providing us with such a remarkable piece of our past,” said Anne Marie Males, the vice president of patient experience at TSH and the champion behind the creation of the archives committee. “Our hospitals have a rich heritage and we need to recognize and celebrate those individuals who helped build these hospitals and our community.”

Giblon is asking anyone else with documents, photos or stories to share them with the committee. “If people have memorabilia from the hospital we’d love to be able to access it, see it or copy it,” he said.