The Beach and East Toronto Historical Society
TBETHS

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Heritage Resources


Heritage Sites

  • History in the Everyday Landscape; Toronto Beaches Neighbourhood by Richard White
    Created by a local resident, historian, author, and part-time university professor, this site includes descriptions and illustrations of ten places that “reveal important but overlooked aspects of the neighbourhood’s history”: Adam Wilson Playground; East of Silver Birch; The Unfulfilled Vision of Balmy Beach; Hubbard Park Apartments; Outfoxed By A Builder; Kenilworth And Kippendavie: An Enclave Of No Certain Age; The Disappearance Of Norway Creek; The Designed District; Beech And Pine: Retaining Walls As History; and The Willow Avenue Barn.

  • Ron MacLean visits Balmy Beach Club (video)

  • Heritage Buildings (designated by Toronto City Council under the Ontario Heritage Act, Part IV)
  • Heritage Conservation Districts (designated under Ontario Heritage Act, Part V)
  • Heritage Toronto - Historical plaques APP

  • Historic Glenfern

  • Lost Sites
    Originally published in 2001 in a limited edition book, A Glimpse of Toronto’s History – Opportunities for the Commemoration of Lost Historic Sites (to which The Beach and East Toronto Historical Society contributed research), fourteen of the 250 sites are within or adjacent to TBETHS catchment area.
  • Research the History of Your House - a Guide by Barb Myrvold

  • Toronto Neighbourhoods "The Beach with John Sewell" - CBC TV - 1984 (video)

  • ToBuilt Database of images and information about buildings and structures In Toronto, sponsored by the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, Toronto Branch. The database includes many building within the TBETHS catchment area and provides several search options including neighbourhood, e.g. The Beaches

  • Toronto Heritage Register

    Local Planning Studies

  • Toronto Urban Design Guidelines; Queen Street East: Coxwell Avenue to Nursewood Road (2012)

  • Danforth Avenue Planning Study (Coxwell Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue) – City-Initiated Official Plan Amendment – Final Report. June 15, 2018.
    • Includes a map and addresses of potential heritage properties (Attachment 10) and the heritage context (Attachment 11)

  • Main Street Planning Study – City-Initiated Official Plan Amendment – Final Report. November 15, 2019.
    • Includes “Potential Built Heritage Resources” (Attachment 5) and “Main-Gerrard Historical Overview” (Attachment 6).

    Libraries and Archives

  • Toronto Public Library Local History and Genealogy
    One place to look for online and library resources for Toronto history and genealogy: pictures, books, city directories, fire insurance plans and maps, neighbourhoods, databases, local history collections, new books, upcoming programs, etc.

  • City of Toronto Archives

  • Malvern Red and Black Society

    • Tours

  • Ashbridge's Bay watershed walk

  • Historical walking tour of Kew Beach

    • Community newspapers

    Online local history books

    Local Stories

    NEW Emphasis on the Grover Exchange that opened on Main Street in 1924.

    War service

    Beach & East Toronto in World War 1
    By Jean Cochrane and Carole Stimmell

    Beach & East Toronto in World War 2
    By Jean Cochrane and Carole Stimmell

    Balmy Beach Club History Series
    Lest We Forget by Kevin McConnell

    Malvern Honour Roll

    For King and Country is a project to transcribe the war memorials inside Toronto schools, which also provides an excellent history of each school. Neighbourhood schools included in this project to date are:

    Local Residents

    Beach Citizen of the Year
    The annual award (first handed out in 2001) honours someone who has shown a long-standing commitment to improving our little corner of the city – “The Beach” area in Toronto, Ontario.” Past recipients include several members of The Beach and East Toronto Historical Society. Accomplishments of the most recent winners are not featured on separate pages on the website: Barbara Myrvold, 2022 [link to and David Brown, 2022

  • The Price Family
    Stories and images of the Price family headed by Joseph Price, best known locally as the builders of many houses at the Beach in the first quarter of the 20th century including the renown fourplexes (or “double duplexes) on the site of the old Scarboro Beach Amusement Park
  • Men who built the Beach: the Price Brothers Homes and other stories (PDF 28 MG) Move this link from the “Heritage Sites” section of the Resources section

    • Toronto Legacy Plaques: Be inspired by the people who have achieved greatness in our city
    Includes biographies, portraits and maps that pinpoint residences. Two local residents are included – Lister Sinclair and artist William William Kurelek. Also included is architect Frank Darling who designed several early local buildings.

    Updated Nov. 29, 2022

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