Tag Archives: Exhibit

Heritage Showcase 2013 at Scarborough Town Centre

Posted on by
Reply
Scarborough Town Centre

Scarborough Town Centre.     Photo: Jeremy Hopkin

Heritage Week Display – February 22-24

On Family Day, the third Monday of February, we began what was formally known as “Heritage Week”. To mark the occasion, the annual Scarborough Archives heritage display was set up at the Scarborough Town Centre by the Scarborough Historical Society.

Scarborough’s heritage is barely 200 years old if we set aside the early Native People who once inhabited the area. Yet local heritage is something on which we can all reflect, regardless of our ancestral roots.

Scarborough remained a purely rural community until about 1910 when suburban development then began at Birch Cliff. Electricity first arrived in the township in 1912, a water works in 1921 and high schools in 1922 and 1929. By 1940 the population reached 23,274.

During the post war boom, subdividers quickly transformed open farmland into streets of closely packed houses, commercial buildings and industry. By 1955 the population had surpassed 100,000 and Scarborough had become one of the federated municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto. During the next 45 years, families from all parts of the world came to make a new home in Scarborough. In 1998, with a population of over half a million, Scarborough’s municipal government, along with the rest of Metro, was amalgamated into one municipal government, a new City of Toronto. Community names such as Scarborough, Agincourt, Highland Creek and West Hill are still recognized and Scarborough had retained its own Community Council to deal with local issues.

As we celebrated Heritage Week 2013, the Scarborough Archives and Historical Society set up its annual display at Sears Court in the Scarborough Town Centre, during regular mall hours from Friday, February 22nd to Sunday the 24th.

This columnist and a host of volunteers were on hand to meet Scarborough Mirror readers and the general public, answer questions about our heritage and display the Archives’ extensive photo collection for all to view. Included in the photo collection were hundreds of aerial photographs showing the development of the communities during the boom years 1950-1975…

– Rick Schofield.

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

Posted on by
Reply

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.

Heritage Week display at Scarborough Town Centre

Posted on by
Reply
Scarborough Town Centre

The Scarborough Town Centre played host to Heritage Showcase

By Rick Schofield

Heritage Day or Family Day is the third Monday of February, and Heritage Week gives us a chance to look back at our community’s history. To mark the occasion, a special Heritage Week display was set up in the Scarborough Town Centre at Sears Court on the weekend of Feb. 24 to 26.

Scarborough’s documented history is barely 200 years old, yet local heritage is something on which we can all reflect, regardless of our ancestral roots. We remained a purely rural community until about 1910 when suburban development then began in Birch Cliff. But more growth is on its way.

During the post war boom, developers quickly transformed open farmland into streets of closely packed houses, commercial buildings and industry. By 1955, the population had surpassed 100,000 and Scarborough had become one of the federated municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto. Aerial photographs in the Scarborough Archives dating from 1949-1970s illustrate the rapid transformation of the landscape. During the next 50 years, families from all parts of the world came to make a new home in Scarborough. Our community is now one of the most culturally diverse in the world.

In 1998, with a population of more than half a million, municipal government was amalgamated into a new City of Toronto but community names such as Scarborough, Agincourt, Highland Creek and West Hill are still recognized and Scarborough has retained its own Community Council to deal with local issues. We’re like the Boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx, which amalgamated into New York City back in 1898. Those names are still in use today, more than 100 years later. Our municipal government has changed, but the Scarborough community names still survive.

As we celebrated Heritage Week 2012, we  reflected briefly upon the days when early settlers set out to clear the land and build homes for their families.

Once again, to mark Heritage Week, the Scarborough Historical Society and Archives set up a display at Sears Court in the Scarborough Town Centre, during regular shopping centre hours from Friday, Feb. 24 to 26, 2012

Archives’ volunteers were on hand to meet the general public, answer questions about our heritage and display the archives’ extensive photo collection for all to view.

Residents were invited to come look at the hundreds of post war aerial photographs showing the development of Scarborough and look through community photo albums filled with street scenes and historic landmarks. Those interested in Scarborough’s history can sgtill visit our Facebook page: “Scarborough, Looking Back” or our website: www.scarboroughhistorical.ca

note:  If you missed us this year, we’ll be back in February, 2013.