This blog originally appeared in Ryerson University Magazine

No visitor to Ryerson since January could miss the gaping hole at Yonge and Gould Streets where the dignified - but neglected - former Empress Hotel once stood.

Perhaps you recall the upstairs bar from your student days. An example of "demolition by neglect" followed by arson, the Empress loss raised the profile of architectural preservation.

There are many reasons to preserve buildings. Many people with no knowledge of architecture or local history enjoy looking at and using older buildings. Variety and complexity are added to streetscapes by structures from various eras. Heritage buildings provide spaces for work, cultural activities and residences that are quite different in form and ambience from contemporary buildings.

Normally - or normally in our era of climate change and ever-advancing springs - the first of the trout lilies begins blooming around April 15. Last year according to the date stamps on my photographs, I'd first seen one blooming on April 12. They might have been out at the same time this year, but if they were I couldn't see them under all the stubborn snow.

The successful commercialization of synchronized sound films in the late 1920s was arguably the medium's most important technological achievement since its invention. But often neglected is how the costly conversion to sound systematically put thousands of silent film musicians out of work.

In Toronto, sound films first arrived at the Tivoli, at Richmond and Victoria Sts., when the Fox Movietone film Street Angel premiered on October 5, 1928. As Luigi Romanelli's  orchestra sat silently in the pit, the whirring strings and woodwinds from New York's Roxy Orchestra emanated from loudspeakers in the Famous Players theatre.

If you're anywhere near my age--and for the sake of my ego, let's pretend that you are--then you remember back in the old days when you needed to actually go to a library in person and look something up in a book when you wanted to learn about it. This involved something called "card catalogues," which contained many small pieces of paper that told you where on the shelves you needed to look. Very likely, you spent an unbelievable amount of time and small change standing next to a photocopier, copying a report or an article out page by page. Nowadays you can download anything in a fraction of the time, for free, and while listening to a book or a song to boot, and Natural Heritage information is no exception.

Perhaps not the close-up Gloria Swanson had in mind when she called out her famous line in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, the above photo was taken during the silent star's visit to Toronto in July of 1950 -- one of the 34 stops in her publicity tour for Paramount's Sunset Boulevard.

Although the film would not premiere in Toronto until the following month, Swanson's two-day stop was a busy one.

On Monday, July 3, she met with Mayor Hiram McCallum at City Hall, inspected the construction of the Yonge St. subway, visited Paramount's Bond St. office, had tea at Eaton's Georgian Room, took the stage at Shea's for the CJBC radio broadcast "Opportunity Knocks," then went over to the Toronto Men's Press Club.

Of all the wild critters universally beloved by children, the one you have the greatest chance of seeing in the winter time is the squirrel. They run, they play, they chatter, they stand adorably on their hind paws with their front paws held in front of their bellies like small furry beggars. They're small and easily won over with a couple of peanuts. They're also a lot tougher than they look, remaining active and outdoors throughout a Canadian winter. This might have something to do with all that black fur.

Counterintuitively, much of the protection for Natural Heritage in Ontario is driven by the Planning Act's Provincial Policy Statement, better known for driving urban density levels, development charges and zoning--but Natural Heritage is defined ecologically, rather than culturally:

2.1 Natural Heritage

2.1.1 Natural features and areas shall be protected for the long term.

2.1.2 The diversity and connectivity of natural features in an area, and the long-term ecological function and biodiversity of natural heritage systems, should be maintained, restored or, where possible, improved, recognizing linkages between and among natural heritage features and areas, surface water features and ground water features.

2.1.3 Development and site alteration shall not be permitted in:

1. significant habitat of endangered species and threatened species;
2. significant wetlands in Ecoregions 5E, 6E and 7E1; and
3. significant coastal wetlands.

Talking pictures settled permanently in Toronto in late 1928, but it was far from the first time Hogtown movie-goers were exposed to the concept that the flickers needn't be silent.

In November of 1924, four years before the Tivoli and Uptown Theatres were wired for all-talking pictures, those attending the premiere of Elinor Glyn's His Hour at Shea's Hippodrome were treated to short subjects from radio pioneer Lee de Forest's Phonofilm, a sound-on-film process.

D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation is one of the most racist films ever made -- a declaration not lost on Toronto audiences when it premiered at the  Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 20, 1915.

The film, a revisionist account of the American Civil War, the Reconstruction period that followed and the creation of the Ku Klux Klan -- all of which vilified the African-American population -- played at Bell Lightbox earlier this week as part of their Essential Cinema programme.

Since a recent post at my Silent Toronto blog showcased a burlesque act and a juvenile delinquent flick at the Casino Theatre on Queen St., I thought I'd share this marquee-blazing shot of So Young So Bad at the Bloor Cinema, then the Midtown, in late 1950.

Despite the alluring tagline, the film's a bit of a doozy, but it does feature an early appearance by fiery Rita Moreno,who would later star in West Side Story.

Climate change often sounds like it's something that happens somewhere else: the ice at the poles melts, island nations (and Manhattan) go under water, more Category 5 hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. But what about Toronto? OK, summer's hotter, winter's warmer, especially at night--does that sound so bad? (Though keep in mind that more heat means more smog, and smog kills about 1,700 people each year in Toronto.) A longer growing season? More shorts weather? We're going to complain?

Well, yes. For one thing, those catastrophic weather events will hit here too. But forget about that. Humans are actually not the only living things in the city. Let's take one example: birds.

A Chickadee

When I first heard that Heritage Toronto was looking for a blogger to cover natural heritage, I understood it right away. Of course, now that I'm sitting down to try to define it, it's not so simple. Natural Heritage is an idea more easily understood than described: natural or non-human features of the landscape or environment with special ecological or cultural significance, whether due to their history, their current ecological role, their rarity, their beauty, or some combination of the above or other factors.

It could be a species, a single plant, a plant or animal community, a landscape, an ecosystem, a geological formation, a type of landscape or ecosystem wherever found--but whatever it is, it's important enough to be protected for the use, study and enjoyment of future generations. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated 176 sites globally as natural World Heritage Sites, including nine in Canada, based on the following four criteria:

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by Eric Veillette

In the early days of the movie palace, it didn't take much to get people into the theatres. The seats were always filled with beaming eyes staring at the latest antics of Mary Pickford or Buster Keaton.

Despite jam-packed attendance, theatre managers liked to spruce things up a bit, and give patrons a little more than just a film and a newsreel. How about offering up a prize for grabs?

A colleague of mine, Stephen Cox Thomas, reminded me that there had been a very severe earthquake that occurred in February of 1663. So, if you are feeling at all nervous about the one we felt last week, take a look at this account, taken from the Jesuit Relations, and be grateful that this was not the earthquake that we encountered. There have been other historically recorded earthquakes in Eastern Canada, but this was one of the most severe.

The Jesuit Relations are the annual accounts of the Jesuit priests who lived among the Huron-Wendat and their Algonkian allies from 1634 until 1650 and among the Iroquois from 1654 to 1667. This account was by the famous Jesuit, Jerome Lalemant, who replaced Brebeuf in the summer of 1638 among the Huron. In 1644, he became the head of all Jesuits in New France and was stationed in Quebec for two periods including the one during which he wrote this account.

From the Historical Atlas of Canada: From the Beginning to 1800. Edited by R. Cole Harris

Imagine an 800-seat theatre in the Junction, with an elegant marbleized lobby and a state-of-the-art theatre organ that could simulate a full orchestra.

Consider, too, management's efforts to lure children to the cinema with the prize of a Shetland pony for best attendance.

The Beaver Theatre opened Nov. 24, 1913 on Dundas St. W., east of Pacific Ave. That was just four years after the community, a then prosperous manufacturing centre crossed by four rail lines, was annexed by the City of Toronto.

Theda Bara ads from the Toronto Daily Star, 1914-1921

With the inaugural Toronto Silent Film Festival currently underway, it’s safe to say that a healthy silent film renaissance is underway in Toronto the Good. The last year has been rife with various celebrations of silent celluloid: Nuit Blanche, Luminato, the Danforth Music Hall’s 90th anniversary, outdoor screenings during TIFF, the Cinematheque’s various offerings — not to mention the semi-monthly Silent Sundays retrospective I run at the Revue Cinema – have all contributed to an amazing revival of the genre.

Hard to believe, but there was a time when the only way to do any banking was to visit a bank and deal with a teller or other staff. It was critical for every bank to have numerous branches throughout the city. Some still exist, and others have been converted to non-bank uses. These often well-designed small buildings remain an important part of our streetscape.

Well-known architect John Lyle designed many banks across Canada. The former Dominion Bank at Bloor & Sherbourne (1911) is one of many still standing and is typical of designs for that bank: red brick with light-coloured limestone trim. An exception to that pattern was Lyle's 1929 branch at Yonge & Gerrard: it was designed in stone to complement Eaton's flagship store at College & Yonge. Here, Lyle indulged his penchant for Canadian iconography by using aboriginal patterns for the cornices, Canadian flora and fauna for decorative elements, and Queen Victoria and King Louis XIV representing our British and French heritage. The result is remarkable.

Former Dominion Bank, Yonge & Gerrard, capital

I was recently asked to participate in a conference in which I explored the concept of place as that might relate to the origin of the word Toronto and the carrying place trails. While acknowledging that there continues to be discussion about the origin and meaning of our city's name, it is essential to recognize that a sense of place is about "memory" and that memory tends to narrow through time, especially across centuries and cultures. If the original term used to describe a trail was actually exceedingly expansive in its original intent, what does that mean for how we think about and interpret the trail today?

The place near the foot of Bathurst Street that we call Fort York was known for most of its history simply as the Toronto garrison or the Old Fort (as distinct from the New Fort, which was built in 1841 -- the only structure of which survives being Stanley Barracks). The walled fort we see today within Fort York National Historic Site contains one of the largest collections of War of 1812 buildings in North America. It is this brief period of investment in military infrastructure that Fort York's seven original buildings, dating to 1813-16, recalls today (other buildings from this time of war and its aftermath, built to house hundreds of soldiers, are gone). Many other buildings, built inside and outside today's walls throughout the nineteenth century, also did not survive.

If you've ever admired a stone bank building with classical columns or a dignified University of Toronto building, then you may have been looking at the work of Scarborough-born architect Frank Darling (1850-1923).

Darling worked with several partners. After a brief association with Henry Macdougall, Darling formed a more lasting and productive partnership with Samuel Curry in 1880. Darling & Curry designed one of our city's best-known buildings: the Bank of Montreal - now the Hockey Hall of Fame - at the corner of Front and Yonge streets. When completed in 1886 its 16.8 metre (55 feet) square banking hall was the largest in Canada. Many of its features have been preserved, including the colourful stained glass dome. This ornate structure operated as a bank from 1886 until 1982.

Did you know that Toronto had the first children's hospital in North America? Darling & Curry designed the Victoria Hospital for Sick Children (1889) on College Street. The innovative E-shaped building maximized light and ventilation while looking solid and reassuring in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It's now the headquarters for Canadian Blood Services.

Long before luxurious condos and penthouses, Toronto architects and developers tried to make apartment living appealing through beautiful architecture. Some of the most opulent buildings were erected beginning in the late 1920s along Avenue Road, halfway between Davenport and St. Clair. This article will focus on four of my favourite examples.

A few years back, Archaeological Services Inc. was retained to undertake an archaeological assessment of the Toronto International Film Festival Tower redevelopment site on the northwest corner of King and John Streets in downtown Toronto. Detailed archival research undertaken by Brian Narhi and David Robertson revealed that a portion of Toronto's first general hospital was preserved under the parking lot at that location. While the majority of the Festival property encompassed the formal front grounds of the hospital, the south wall of the hospital appears to extend across the north boundary of the property. Its alignment oriented to magnetic north stood out in contrast to the present-day street grid which is not on true north.

Michael Redhill's novel Consolation, a tale of Toronto told in two centuries, was the starting point for a group of presentations by local archaeologists at the Society for Historical Archaeology annual meeting in Toronto earlier this month. David Robertson of Archaeological Services, Inc., was inspired by this book to herd these cats into a morning's exploration of Toronto's past through their presentations.

The pace and scope of archaeological investigation of this city has increased since the Archaeological Master Plan was introduced in 2005 and digs have been going on all over the city. The presenters gave us some insight into the following places: