Niagara

Toronto Central Prison Chapel
70 East Liberty Street
This heritage-designated chapel located in Liberty Village Park was part of what was once a large prison complex. The Toronto Central Prison, constructed in the early 1870s, occupied much of the land between present day Hanna Avenue and Strachan Avenue. It was intended to be an industrial facility, as it was widely believed at the time that prisoners should be put to work while incarcerated, and included a woolen mill, blacksmiths, furniture shop, kitchen, and bakery. The prison quickly became notorious for its dreadful conditions, as inmates were regularly subjected to brutal beatings, whippings, and prolonged periods of solitary confinement. Most of the prison complex was closed and demolished by 1920. The only remaining building of the complex is this chapel, which was constructed in 1877. There have been several attempts to revitalize the building, but none have come to fruition as of yet.

Early Exhibition Buildings
Plaque located in front of the Press Building at 210 Princes' Boulevard
A plaque notes the historical and architectural significance of five separate buildings located nearby on the Exhibition Place grounds: the Press (1904), Music (1907), Horticulture (1907), Government (1912), and Fire Hall and Police Station (1912). They were all designed by noted architect G.W. Gouinlock and are considered to be the finest group of Exhibition buildings in Canada. Largely constructed in service to the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), they act as a reminder of the importance of the event as the major industrial and agricultural fair of the time. The buildings are now home to a variety of different organizations, including Medieval Times in the Government Building.

CNE Bandshell
CNE Grounds
This heritage-designated outdoor concert venue originally opened in 1936 as a permanent structure intended to replace earlier open-air band stages. It was designed in Art Deco style by architectural firm Craig & Madill, heavily influenced by the Hollywood Bowl amphitheatre in Los Angeles. The stage is large enough to accommodate a 100-piece band. The Bandshell hosts the opening ceremonies for the CNE each year, and past dignitaries that have spoken during this event include Prime Minster Mackenzie King and Governor General Vincent Massey. Countless legendary musical acts have graced the stage of the Bandshell over the years, including artists such as Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell, Salt-N-Pepa, Susan Aglukark, Jose Feliciano, and many, many others.

Scadding Cabin
CNE Grounds
This is Toronto's oldest-surviving house, originally constructed for John Scadding in 1794. It was originally built on the east side of the Don River, where Scadding had been granted about one hundred hectares of land stretching from Lake Ontario to present-day Danforth Avenue. The cabin changed hands a few times before being granted to the York Pioneers Association, an organization dedicated to historical preservation of early settler history formed in 1869 and considered to be the oldest of its kind in Canada. They arranged to have the cabin moved to this location for the inaugural Toronto Industrial Exhibition in 1879, which later evolved into the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). The interior of the cabin is open to the public every day during the CNE.

Ontario Place and Trillium Park
955 Lake Shore Boulevard West
Originally opened in 1971, Ontario Place was a theme park that was intended to showcase the unique features of Ontario through various exhibits. It was designed by architect Eberhard Zeidler, and was constructed on three man-made islands along the shore of Lake Ontario. The park featured children's playgrounds, a water park, and numerous amusement rides. Ontario Place was closed in 2012, but several elements of the park remain in use, including the Budweiser Stage concert venue, and the Cinesphere movie theatre. The Cinesphere is notable in that it was the world's very first IMAX theatre. The grounds were partially rejuvenated in 2017 when Trillium Park was opened, a gorgeous 7.5-acre green space that was designed in consultation with people from across Ontario, including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and offers fantastic views of Lake Ontario and downtown Toronto.

Toronto Inukshuk Park
789 Lake Shore Boulevard West
The Toronto Inukshuk Park, formerly Battery Park, is home to the Toronto Inukshuk, a legacy project to commemorate World Youth Day in 2002 that brings an important symbol of Canada's Aboriginal people to the people of Toronto. An Inuit stone structure often found in the arctic landscape, the Inukshuk serves as a guide to travellers on land and sea, providing comfort, advice and spatial orientation. One of the largest of its kind in North America, the structure stands 30 feet high with an arm span of 15 feet. Approximately 50 tonnes of mountain rose granite was used to create the Inukshuk, which was made by internationally acclaimed Inuit artist Kellypalik Qimirpik from Kinngait, Nunavut (formerly known as Cape Dorset).

Monument and Memory: The Second Invasion of York, 1813 / Coronation Park
711 Lake Shore Boulevard West
Coronation Park was established in 1937. The trees planted there commemorate veterans of the First World War and other battles, including the 1885 Metis resistance and the Fenian raids of 1866. First Nations and Metis people have a long history of fighting alongside Britain and later Canada in many wars. For example, during the War of 1812, 8410 Anishinaabeg warriors fought alongside the British against the Americans. Government records estimate that over 4000 Indigenous people enlisted in the First World War, however the true number is likely much higher as Metis and First Nations people without 'Indian Status' were not recognized as Indigenous in the records. Francis Pegahmagabow was Ojibwe, a member of Wasauksing First Nation, a decorated First World War veteran, and part of the 1st Canadian Division which is commemorated in the park. He is recognized as a war hero and was the deadliest sniper of the First World War, having killed 378 enemy soldiers. Like many status Indian veterans who returned home after fighting for Canada, he was not allowed to vote in Canadian elections and was still considered to be a ward of the state by the federal government. On the southern edge of the park is the Victory-Peace Monument. Over 3000 Indigenous people are recognized to have fought in the Second World War, however, just like in the First World War the real number is likely much higher. One of the most decorated Indigenous soldiers in Canadian history was Tommy Prince. He was Ojibwe, a member of Brokenhead Ojibway First Nation, and a residential school survivor. He earned 11 medals during his military career. He was a member of an elite unit referred to as 'the Devil's Brigade' by the Germans. It was a specialized group made up of both American and Canadian soldiers. His bravery and skill on the field earned him both a Military Medal (Canadian) and a Silver Star (American).

The Shoreline: A Place of Meetings / Fort York
250 Fort York Boulevard
Fort York was originally located along the shoreline of Lake Ontario, strategically located at the Western entrance to the Toronto Harbour, strengthening the defensibility of York further to the East. On April 27, 1813 the fort was attacked by a force of 2,700 American soldiers on fourteen ships. In addition to the British soldiers stationed at the fort, a force of Anishinaabe warriors helped in the defensive effort. The Anishinaabe warriors used guerilla-style tactics to snipe at the Americans while concealing their numbers and position within the trees located along the shoreline. The Americans eventually overwhelmed the fort's defenses, the fort was destroyed, and the settlement of York was looted for several days. The fort's defenses were rebuilt, but as the defensive importance of the fort declined and with the increasing prominence of rail transportation in the 1850s, Toronto's shoreline around Fort York began to be filled in to make way for railways. All the land currently to the south of Fort York is thus land fill added since the nineteenth century. A new installation at the Visitor Center attempts to recall the original landscape that bordered the city using weathered steel panels and landscaping that align with the contours of the original shoreline. The recreated shoreline allows visitors to contemplate the vastness of Lake Ontario, and the drastic changes that the land has undergone.

Douglas Coupland 'Monument to the War of 1812'
600 Fleet Street
This public art installation created by acclaimed writer and artist Douglas Coupland was unveiled in 2008. It depicts one toy soldier - coloured gold and wearing the 1813 Royal Newfoundland Regiment uniform - standing over another large toy soldier - coloured silver and wearing the 16th United States Infantry Regiment uniform. It is meant to symbolize the success of the British North American forces in resisting the American invasion in the War of 1812. Coupland has said that the installation is intended as a counterpoint to recent historical revisionism, which suggests that the Americans won the war. The company who manufactured the toy soldiers usually manufactures dinosaurs for theme parks.

Tecumseth Street
Tecumseth Street
Tecumseth Street is named for the Shawnee leader Tecumseh who rose to prominence during the War of 1812 as a gifted military tactician and leader. His name is generally understood to mean Shooting Star and is associated with a celestial panther of his family's Kispoko clan. Tecumseh was likely born circa 1768 in Chillcothe, Ohio or in nearby Kispoko village, along the Scioto River. Tecumseh's father, Pukeshinwau, was a Shawnee chief. Tecumseh witnessed many abuses and land thefts perpetuated by American soldiers and settlers against Shawnee during his youth and when he grew older, he increasingly fought in battles against the Americans in the years following the American Revolution. He fought for Indigenous sovereignty, land rights, and freedom from American tyranny, eventually rising to prominence as an influential chief among his people. In this role he worked to unite different First Nations into a pan-Indigenous alliance against the Americans, as Pontiac, Brant, and other Indigenous leaders had done before him. He had become an inspired orator with a clear message: the First Nations overcome longstanding rivalries and work together to save their land and cultures from the common American threat. During the War of 1812, he worked with the British against the Americans. Using guerilla-style hit-and-run and ambush tactics Tecumseh won some important victories during the war. In one famous battle in August 1812 he, alongside Sir Isaac Brock, succeeded in forcing an unopposed surrender of Fort Detroit. Shortly after receiving an ominous premonition, Tecumseh was killed in action during the Battle of Moraviantown, on October 5, 1813. Tecumseh refused to accept tyranny, risking everything to inspire and unite many different First Nations in a common fight for sovereignty and freedom.

Massey-Harris Complex
915 King Street West
*Note: Private Property. Please observe the building from the street only. This beautiful heritage-designated building - originally constructed in 1885 - is the only surviving structure from the enormous Massey-Harris industrial complex that historically dominated this area. It was designed by noted Toronto architect E.J. Lennox, combining elements of Queen Anne Revival and Classical architectural features. For a time, Massey-Harris was the largest producer and exporter of agricultural equipment in the British Empire, employing nine thousand people in the complex that stretched along King Street West from Strachan Avenue to Sudbury Street. The plant closed in 1982, and the site was subdivided and sold off, resulting in the mixed-use neighbourhood seen today. This structure has since been converted into a residential loft building.

Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH)
Southwest corner of Queen Street West and Shaw Street
This site along Queen Street West has been home to a mental health facility for over 160 years, the first iteration being the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, which opened in 1850. Changing societal attitudes towards mental health led to numerous name changes over the years, and the facility officially became the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH) in 1998. While little of the original facility remains, the Heritage Wall surrounding parts of the grounds - which is heritage-designated with parts dating back to 1852 - is a visible reminder of its past. Notably, the wall was constructed through unpaid patient labour, then prescribed as part of their treatment. Some of the patients inscribed words and phrases into the wall that remain as a testament to their mental suffering. A number of plaques can be found on the interior of the wall that commemorate the work of these patients. Today, CAMH is the largest mental health teaching hospital in Canada, and sets standards in care, research, education, and leading social change.

Jesse Harris Mural
1075 Queen Street West
Located adjacent to the historic walls of CAMH, this mural's positive message that writes, 'You've Changed' is a commentary on our evolving views on CAMH and mental health, and also references the revitalization of the neighbourhood more broadly.

The Great Hall
1087 Queen Street West
This heritage-designated building opened as a new facility for the YMCA in 1890, featuring an auditorium with a capacity of one thousand, a library, lecture hall, reading room, bowling alley, swimming pool, and gymnasium featuring an elevated circular wooden running track. World famous Indigenous distance runner Tom Longboat trained on the wooden running track in 1907 in preparation for his winning performance in the Boston Marathon that year. The Polish National Union took over the building in the 1940s, hosting a Polish community newspaper, and also temporarily housing Polish refugees fleeing the Second World War. It has also been a music venue, hosting performances from artists such as Sonic Youth, Feist, Metric, and Sloan. The building underwent an extensive renovation in 2016, and continues to serve as a cultural hub.