Explore

Discover Toronto’s heritage anywhere, and at your fingertips—whether you’re standing in front of a prominent building or curled up on your couch at home.

Explore the city around you through our online articles, digital tours, and exhibits.

Discover our Heritage Stories

Working with our partners, emerging historians, and volunteers, Heritage Toronto curates a series of stories and self-guided map experiences about the people, places, and events that have shaped the city.

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Diners, Drinks, and Delis

Follow the stories of food establishments as they parallel the development of the Yonge and St. Clair community.
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From the Ground Up

Understanding the history of the Yonge and St. Clair neighbourhood through its lived stratification.
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Reflections of Beauty

From ravines to murals, explore how beauty and wellness shape the spirit of the Yonge & St. Clair neighbourhood.
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Canary District in Motion

Trace the footpaths of Indigenous peoples, labourers, and truck drivers through a community’s transformation.
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Making Change at Honest Ed’s

Trace the evolution of Bathurst Street from Honest Ed’s bustling bargain store to a thriving centre of Black culture, activism, and entrepreneurship.
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Big Stories in Little India

From Bollywood to Bazaar — Discover the community and Toronto BIA that originated from a Bollywood theatre.
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Taking Flight

A look at how Toronto’s waterfront became the city’s earliest aviation infrastructure that paved the way for modern air travel between 1909 and 1939.
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A League of Her Own

Discover the under-celebrated history of women’s sports at Exhibition Place, from key figures to societal shifts.
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Oral History in the Digital Age

What is an effective way to document a community’s heritage? Let’s explore how oral history can highlight the lived experiences of individuals.
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Play the City: Free the Wheel

Rethink what you know of Toronto’s roller sports history! The story of roller sports in Toronto is one of persistence, joy, and unyielding community spirit.
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Lost Lavatories: The Decline and Fall of Toronto’s Public Restrooms

Uncover the history of civic debates, architectural ambition, and changing attitudes toward public space told by Toronto’s lost network of public lavatories.
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Vacancy at Old City Hall

Discover the history of Toronto’s Old City Hall, and the civic building’s mid-century moment of peril.
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A Sweet History of Toronto

Learn about the confections of Toronto’s past and present through this digital experience of the city’s history of sweets.
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Being Black on King

Discover the history of slavery, abolition, emancipation, and education through stories of resilience along King Street East.
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Powerhouses in Disguise

Explore the substations that power the city and discover the history of Toronto Hydro buildings that often go unnoticed.
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Facades and Facelifts at Exhibition Place

Dive into the architectural history of Exhibition Place and why the CNE’s most historic buildings endured false facades!
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Treasure Island

Discover Toronto’s “accidental wilderness”: how the Leslie Spit has become a refuge for wildlife and a vital urban greenspace.
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The 80-Year Tunnel at Billy Bishop Airport

Explore the long process to build the tunnel from Toronto’s mainland to the island airport, which took 80 years!
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Settling In: Women, Immigration, and Domestic Work in Early 20th Century Toronto

From the 1800s onward, Canada encouraged the immigration of single women willing to work as domestic servants.
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Rethinking Monuments: Black Histories and Black Futures

In Toronto, many counter-monuments connect to a long history of Black-led activism and advocacy.
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Bollywood Dreams and Bazaar Scenes

The Gerrard India Bazaar, Toronto’s ‘Little India’ was born by the founding of the Naaz theatre in the 1970s.
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City Kids to Farm Hands: The Home Children

Barnardo’s, the largest sender of Canada’s juvenile emigration program from Britain, had their headquarters in Toronto.
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Japanese Internment: Growing Community in Postwar Toronto

Discover how Japanese-Canadians, the target of race-based internment policies, built a postwar community in Toronto.
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The Toronto Caravan: A Festival for Everyone

Discover the history of the Metro Toronto International Caravan Festival, which celebrated Toronto’s rich cultural diversity for over 35 years.