Looking northeast towards Harbord Collegiate Institute at 286 Harbord St, between Euclid Ave and Manning Ave, in the Palmerston-Little Italy neighbourhood of Toronto.
The original school, shown in the archive photo, was completed in 1892 and designed by the architectural firm Knox & Elliot. The total cost for the site, construction, and equipment was $35,000. At that time, the school had an enrollment of 120 students and a capacity to accommodate up to 500. The centre tower of the previous building stood 44 metres (146 feet) tall and was topped with a cupola.
The present-day school opened in the early 1930s, featuring a swimming pool, separate gyms for girls and boys, a library, an assembly hall, a lecture room, a music room, laboratories, administrative offices, and classrooms. The construction of the school cost around $420,000, and it was designed by architect C.E. Dyson.
Notable graduates of Harbord C.I. include Phil Givens (former mayor of Toronto), Sam Sniderman (owner of Sam the Record Man), architect Frank Gehry, and comedians Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. The building was added to the city’s heritage register in 1974. Today, Harbord Collegiate Institute has an enrollment of over 900 students.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- Ontario Heritage Trust: 286 Harbord St
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Jan 9, 1892, pg 1
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: May 21, 1892, pg 17
- The Toronto Daily Star Newspaper Archives: May 7, 1930, pg 3
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Apr 8, 2017, pg M2
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory, courtesy of Toronto Public Library
