Looking west along Gerrard St from east of Yonge St in the Downtown Yonge area of Toronto.
The archive photo shows the street as it looked 70 years ago. While a few of the buildings (or their facades) still stand today, one standout structure is the Womans Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) building on the right with the pillars, which is today home to Covenant House.
This building was constructed in phases from 1911 to the early 1920s and originally served as the headquarters for the WCTU and Willard Hall, which provided safe shelter for women moving to the city. It was named after Frances E. Willard, who once served as the organization’s world president.
What was the WCTU? It was a women’s organization that advocated for temperance—total abstinence from alcohol—believing it to be a root cause of various societal issues. The Toronto branch of the WCTU was established in 1875. In addition to promoting temperance, the WCTU fought for women’s public roles and was a leading advocate for women’s voting rights. However, membership declined in the 1920s as Prohibition came to an end.
Since 1994, the building has served as Covenant House, an organization founded in 1986 that provides housing and opportunities for young people.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Oct 26, 1875, pg 4
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Dec 4, 1912, pg 5
- The Toronto Star Newspaper Archives: Jul 22, 1994, pg A24
- Parks Canada: Canadian Womans Christian Temperance Union
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory, courtesy of Toronto Public Library
