Historic House Rosedale

Historic House Rosedale

at 184 Roxborough Drive

Nancy Ruth (née Jackman), – feminist, social and political activist, and philanthropist – lived at 184 Roxborough Drive, the house just east of this entrance to Chorley Park, from 1980 to 1996.

Women influenced the history of the city of Toronto and the nation from this house. The thinking, planning and work they did here, and the events they attended, focused on advancing the equality of women socially, economically, politically, and culturally.

Women of the Ad Hoc Committee of Canadian Women on the Constitution organized at this house their successful campaign to entrench equality guarantees for women in the Constitution of Canada when it was patriated in 1982. The Ad Hoc Committee continued its work here during the campaigns against the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords in 1987-90 and 1992.

Women of the Charter of Rights Coalition here planned to influence how governments set out equality guarantees in law, and to educate people on the impact of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

This plaque in face of this historic house – Rosedale – has been placed on a piece of Ontario granite as tough and enduring as the women it commemorates (Heritage Toronto). Photo : Elena

Women gathered here to found LEAF – the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund – to support women who assert their equality rights in the courts.

Women came here to found the Canadian Women’s foundation to promote the economic development of women and girls.

Women worked here under the direction of constitutional lawyer Mary Eberts to support the court challenge by the Native Women’s Association of Canada to the Charlottetown Accord.

Women met here to go on-line, across time, by creating the CoolWomen Internet Web site to highlight and celebrate the contribution of women to the history and the future of Canada.

Nancy Ruth founded here Nancy’s Very Own Foundation, the first feminist private foundation in Canada, which provides much-needed leadership to increase philanthropic giving to women and girls.

Roxborough Drive, Historic House Rosedale The front of the historic house Rosedale at 184, Roxborough drive, Rosedale, Toronto.  Photo : Elena

Many fundraising events were held in the house for organizations based in Toronto that had no access to other large houses. The organisations included the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, the Canadian Women Foundation, Casey House, the DisAbled Women’s Network, Intercede for domestic workers, the International Institute of Concern for Public Health, LEAF, The Linden School, the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, Skyworks Films, and the Toronto Institute for Human Relations. Fundraisers for women in politics included those for Susan Fish, Nancy Jackman, June Rowlands and Barbara Hall.

To this house came: Mona Armour, Sally Armstrong, Denise Arsenault, Beth Atcheson, Sister Rosalie Bertell, Chandra Budhu, Mary Corkery, Catharine Devlin, Valerie Fine, Ursula Franklin, Madeleine Gilchrist, Diane Goudie, Pat Hacher, Gracer Hartman, Margaret Jackson, Tamara Johnson, Catharine A. MacKinnon, Marilou McPhedran, Pamela Medjuck, Florence Minz Geneen, Eleanor Moore, Linda Palmer Nye, Romily O’Connor Perry, Judith Ramirez, Laura Sabra, Pat Staton, Beth Symes, Susan McCrae Vander Voet, Sheila Ward, Susan Woods, Jeanne Woodsworth, and many, many more.

184 Roxborough Drive. The historic house Rosedale as seen from the rear. Photo : Elena

Historic house Rosedale. General view from the rear. Photo : Elena

Meteorological Service of Canada

Meteorological Service of Canada

The Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) primarily provides public meteorological information and weather forecasts and warnings of severe weather and other environmental hazards. MSC is a division of Environment Canada. It monitors air quality, climate, atmosphere, water quantities, ice and other environmental issues. It also conducts research on many scientific issues. Meteorological Service of Canada operates a network of radio stations throughout the country transmitting weather and environmental information 24 hours per day. This service is called Weatheradio Canada.

MRC administrates five weather forecast offices: Pacific and Yukon Storm Prediction Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia; Prairie and Arctic Storm Prediction Centre, split between an office in Edmonton, Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba; Ontario Storm Prediction Centre (Downsview, Ontario); Quebec Storm Prediction Centre (Montreal, Quebec); Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia). The Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre also houses the Canadian Hurricane Centre. It also manages the Newfoundland and Labrador Weather Office Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador.

MSC operates the Canadian Meteorological Centre, which is tasked with providing forecast guidance. The Canadian Ice Service provides ice observations and forecasts for mariners. In support of Canada’s military, some MSC meteorologists are seconded to the Department of National Defence.

Munk School of Global Affaires. Early meteorology in Canada. The British Army began regular meteorological and magnetic observations on the campus of Toronto University in 1840, stimulating colonial society’s fascination with science. After the Province of Canada took over the program in 1853, it built a new observatory, which became the headquarters of the Meteorological Service of Canada. Superintendent G. T. Kingston set up a system of stations, many telegraphically linked, which enabled the Service to issue both storm warnings and daily forecasts by 1876. Opened in 1909, this building was the Service’s headquarters until its centenary in 1971. Today this building houses the Munk School of Global  Affaires. Photo : © Elena

Ryerson University

Ryerson University

Established in 1948, Ryerson University is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario. Its urban campus is in downtown Toronto.

The majority of the buildings of the university are in the blocks northeast of the Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto’s Garden District. Ryerson’s business school, Ted Rogers School of Management (Canada`s largest undergraduate business school) is on the southwest end of the Yonge-Dundas Square, on Bay Street, north of Toronto’s Financial District. It is attached to the Toronto Eaton Centre.

The Mattamy Athletic Centre, is located in the Maple Leaf Gardens arena, formerly home of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ryerson has Canada’s third largest undergraduate engineering school, the George Vari Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science. In addition to offering full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate programs leading to Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees, the university offers part-time degrees, distance education and certificates through the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education.

Egerton Ryerson, founder of the School System of Ontario. Photo: Elena

In 1852 at the core of the present main campus, the St. James Square, Egerton Ryerson founded Ontario’s first teacher training facility, the Toronto Normal School. Mr. Ryerson was an educator, politician, and Methodist minister. He is known as the father of Ontario’s public school system.

Egerton Ryerson is also a founder of the first publishing company in Canada in 1829, The Methodist Book and Publishing House, which is today is part of McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

The Toronto Training and Re-establishment Institute was created in 1945 on the former site of the Toronto Normal School at St James Square, bounded by Gerrard, Church, Yonge and Gould. The Gothic-Romanesque building was designed by architects Thomas Ridout and Frederick William Cumberland in 1852.

Campus Ryerson Polytechincal Institute. Named after the Reverend Egerton Ryerson, founder of the procince’s education system, the Ryerson Institute of Technology was established in 1948 to provide technological education for post-secondary school students. The buildings and many staff members of the former Toronto Training and Reestablishment Institute for veterans, located on this site, were transferred to the new Institute. Diploma courses were offered in various schools of technology, commerce and the applied arts, and the Institute rapidly became a leading centre for technical education in Ontario. In 1964 it was renamed Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, and administration was transferred from the Ontario Department of Education to a Board of Governors. Seven years later Ryerson became a degree-granting institution. Photo: Elena

The Ryerson Institute of Technology was founded in 1948, inheriting the staff and facilities of the Toronto Training and Re-establishment Institute. In 1966, this institution became the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.

Today, Ryerson University offers programs in chemical, civil, mechanical, industrial, electrical, biomedical and computer engineering. The university is also one of only two Canadian universities to offer a program in aerospace engineering accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). In total, Ryerson offers more than hundred undergraduate and graduate programs.

Ryerson University. This coat of arms in Ohio sandstone is a composite of a design by Governor John Graves Simcoe (1791 – 1796) to which were added the motto (religio, scientia, libertas) and the beaver by Dr. Egerton Ryerson, Ontario’s first superintendent of education. Governor Simcoe’s design served as the seal of Upper Canada, and Dr. Ryerson used the composite as the insignia of the Department of Education. This sculpture was placed in the facade of the Normal school which stood on this site when a third floor was added in 1896. This building, later called Ryerson Hall, was demolished in 1963. Photo: Elena

The Toronto Normal School. The Toronto Normal School, the first provincial institution for the systematic training of elementary school-teachers, was established in 1847 through the initiative of the Reverend Egerton Ryerson, Chief Superintendent of Schools for Canada West. In 1852 the School was located in Classical Revival style buildings designed for this site by F.W. Cumberland and Thomas Ridout. At first the Normal School had to provide academic instruction for some poorly educated student-teachers, but, increasingly, emphasis was placed on professional training. As a result the Toronto Normal School contributed significantly to the gradual improvement of teaching standards throughout Ontario and became a leading centre for teacher-training. In 1941 the Normal School was moved to a different site and renamed Toronto Teachers’ College in 1952.

Web Site of Ryerson University: ryerson.ca

Ryerson Theatre School. Photo: Elena

Gardiner Museum

Gardiner Museum

The Gardiner Museum is a Museum of Ceramic Art, located in Toronto, Ontario. It was established in 1984 by Helen and George Gardiner. It houses a large collection of ceramic art which was started by its founders who decided to share their valuable treasures with the public. The museum was originally opened as the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art.

Today the Gardener Museum exposes thousands of items. It has assembled several specialized collections in the fields of pottery from Europe, America, Asia and Africa. Some of the Gardiner’s collections are famous worldwide, such as collections of Meissen porcelain, rare Du Paquier porcelain from Vienna. (This factory was historically the second factory to successfully produce hard-paste porcelain in Europe). We can mention Hausmaler decorated porcelain, one of the best collections of Italian Renaissance maiolica in Canada. Also it has the most comprehensive collection of figures from the commedia dell’arte in a public institution.

The Radlett Collection of Eighteenth-Century English Porcelain also is an important component of the Museum. The 1760 Beer Jug with a portrait of General James Wolfe being one of the best known pieces in this collection. The Robert Murray Bell and Ann Walker Bell Collection of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain is another highlight of the Gardiner Museum. It includes the Qing dynasty Bianhu (flask). The Macdonald Collection of Japanese and Japanese-inspired porcelain, including the Kakiemon cup and saucer with the “Lady in a Pavilion”, forms a very special aspect of the Museum.

Gardiner Museum. Photo : Elena

The Hans Syz Collection is a remarkable assemblage of European porcelain. The Norman and Cecily Bell Collection consists predominantly of English transfer-printed wares of unique quality. The Thomas Henry Clark Collection comprises pieces of English and Continental tin-glazed earthenware. Helen Armstrong bequeathed the Vernon W. Armstrong Collection of eighteenth-century porcelain. Robert and Marian Cumming donated some of the most interesting pieces. Jean and Kenneth Laundy donated a significant collection of creamware. The Gardiner also received outstanding examples of 17th and 19th century French faience from Pierre and Mariel O’Neill-Karch. Many other people have given exceptional ceramic art to the Museum including Aaron Milrad and Diana Reitberger, the Raphael Yu Collection of Canadian Ceramics, etc.

The museum has a statute of Canada’s National Museum.

Between 1987 and 1996 the Gardiner Museum was managed by the Royal Ontario Museum, but in 1996, an endowment from George Gardiner supported the Museum becoming an independent institution again.

The building of the museum was designed by architect Keith Wagland, the architectural firm of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg added galleries. It has large educational, administration and studio space, a retail shop, a cafe and special events area, such as special exhibitions. The building is often cited as one of the most beautiful buildings in Toronto.

The Museum boasts a permanent collection and a full schedule of exhibitions, lectures and programs. They include clay classes for adults and children.

The Gardiner Museum is located on Queen’s Park just south of Bloor Street in Toronto. It is opposite the Royal Ontario Museum.

The nearest subway station to the Gardiner Museum is Museum.

Web site of Gardiner Museum: gardinermuseum.on.ca

Glen Hurst

Glen Hurst

Edgar John Jarvis (1835-1907). One of Rosedale’s early developers, founder of Glen Hurst, Edgar John Jarvis was introduced to this area by his uncle, William Botsford Jarvis of Rosedale Villa. Edgar and his wife, Charlotte, moved here into their new house, Glen Hurst, in 1866. It still stands, although now hidden from view behind these original stone gateposts.

Enchanted by the surrounding ravines, Jarvis envisioned turning the area into Toronto’s most prestigious neighbourhood. To attract affluent buyers, he constructed the first two high-level bridges across the south Rosedale ravine. He also built for sale two of Rosedale’s early mansions. Jarvis also planted Elm and Maple Avenues with their namesake trees.

Glen Hurst, Rosedale Fire plan. Goad’s Fire Insurance Plan, 1890. It shows  properties bought and sold by Edgar John Jaravis from the 1860s until his death in 1907. These areas are shown and brown and shaded.  Huntley Street was later widened, extended north, and renamed Mount Pleasant Road. Fire Plan elaborated and printed in XIXth century.

In the mid-1880s, shortly after the completion of his family’s second Rosedale estate, Jarvis exhausted his finances. His nice estate was then sold. It was not until 1906 that John Jarvis built his third residence. He baptized it Evenholm. His new residence was designed by his architect son, Beaumont Jarvis, at 157 South Drive.

Edgar Jarvis died one year later, in 1907. Charlotte, a poet and music teacher, was hailed a Rosedale pioneer on the death in 1931.

Athletics and Wellness Center is located on the site of Glen Hurst in our days.

Glen Hurst. Original stone gateposts at Glen Hurst, Rosedale. The original house still exists. It is hidden behind these new buildings. Photo: Elena