LESLIEVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Join us as we continue our visual tour of the history of the East End’s main drag from the Don to Victoria Park through Riverside, Leslieville, the Ashbridges neighbourhood, the Beach Triangle and the Beach. A nod of appreciation to the Riverdale Historical Society who has done amazing work to keep local history of Riverdale alive. To find out more about them and to join, go to: https://riverdalehistoricalsociety.com/
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that what we now call Toronto is on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.

By Joanne Doucette. Joanne is a local historian, a past Chair of the Toronto Public Library, founding member of the Leslieville Historical Society, and co-founder of the DisAbled Women’s Network. She is retired and lives in the Coxwell-Gerrard neighbourhood. She is administrator for the Metis Minute Facebook Page and moderates the following Facebook groups: Midway, Toronto Beaches Historical Photos, and the Coxwell-Gerrard Facebook page.
This walk starts at Grant Street and goes east along the north side of Queen Street East to Boulton Avenue in the Riverside neighbourhood.



The slideshow below explains how to understand Goad’s Atlas. It is not a map really, but a plan prepared to show the risk of fire for specific buildings. Why? For the insurance industry to help determine rates. To see Goad’s Atlas from different years online go to:
http://goadstoronto.blogspot.com/
or
http://skritch.blogspot.com/2012/04/goads-atlas-of-toronto-online.html
For more maps of Toronto go to:
http://oldtorontomaps.blogspot.com/p/about-this-project.html












For more about the designation of 744 Queen Street East go to:
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2014/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-69516.pdf
https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/en/oha/details/file?id=4836
For more about the architects Darling and Pearson, this Torontist article is a great introduction: https://torontoist.com/2011/11/historicist-the-lasting-legacy-of-darling-and-pearson/
For more about the architecture of this area go to:
http://riverside-to.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/FINAL-RiversideArchitecture2018-1pg-8.5×11.pdf





























The Poulton Block is an example of Gothic Revival architecture. To find out more about this go to: http://www.ontarioarchitecture.com/gothicrevival.html

Photographer unknown, ca. 1901. From The Toronto Public Library Annual Report, 1900, following p. 18.
The first Toronto Public Library branch east of the Don was in Riverside, just west of Leslieville. It owed its existence to public demand and the lobbying of a local businessman and leading member of the Masonic Lodge, William B. Poulton.
In 1888 Poulton, with the assistance of some local men, tore down an old brick house next to the Poulton Block. The Poulton Block, designed by Kennedy, Gaviller and Holland, was home to a Masonic Hall, at the corner of Queen Street East and Bolton Avenue. Poulton put up a new building adjoined to the Masonic Hall in the same Gothic Revival style. This new building became the home for Toronto Public Library’s first branch “over the Don”. The branch was just north of Queen Street East on the west side of Boulton Avenue. The Globe commented, “This is a step in the right direction, as many who patronize the Free Library have to travel all the way to Church street to secure their books” (Globe, July 18, 1888).
This prominent building was constructed for William B. Poulton, a painter and a Mason, primarily for use by the Masonic Orient Lodge. The block was designed by Kennedy, Gaviller & Holland, Architects, in Gothic Revival style. Early occupants of the ground-floor shops included a druggist and a bank. The third floor, marked by Moorish window arches, served as ‘Orient Hall’ until 1912. From 1888 to 1910, the Toronto Public Library’s ‘Eastern Branch’, its first branch east of the Don River, was located in rooms at the back of the building.
2007 Heritage Toronto Plaque
The Eastern Branch of the Toronto Public Library was the only branch east of the Don until 1910 when a Carnegie grant funded the new Riverdale Branch at Broadview and Queen Street East.
For more about the history of libraries in Toronto’s East End go to:
https://leslievillehistory.com/the-gerrard-ashdale-library-its-beginnings/



Please check this website for the next part of this digital tour as we “walk” from the Don River to Victoria Park in a series that links together to form a chain.
My history of Leslieville is available for reading free of charge at:
https://archive.org/details/PigsFlowersAndBricksFeb32017
To contact us go email: leslievillehistory@gmail.com
To visit our Facebook page go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/821994634490152
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