Heritage Toronto Telling West Toronto Junction's Stories

Screenshot: Toronto Heritage This Weekend's Walks: West Toronto Junction, May 31, 2008
Credit: heritagetoronto.org: Toronto Heritage Walk This Saturday
Photo courtesy of the West Toronto Junction Historical Society

Join us tomorrow on Saturday, May 31st at 1:30 pm on a Heritage Toronto walk through the Historic West Toronto Junction. The free neighbourhood walking tour starts at the northwest corner of Runnymede Road and Dundas Street West and finishes at Keele Street, south of Dundas Street West. This exciting walk with a local guide, Madeleine McDowell is organized by the West Toronto Junction Historical Society. Discover the history, heritage and culture of the "Junction City" celebrating this year the Centennial of the City of West Toronto.

Heritage Toronto This Weekend's Walk:
West Toronto Junction

A centre of industry and commerce linked to the Dundas Highway and the junction of several railway lines, this prosperous little town voted to ban the sale of alcohol in 1904. Find out why - and hear other stories of The Junction, including the amalgamation of the cities of “West Toronto” and “Toronto” in 1909.

Time: 1:30 pm Saturday May 31, 2008
Start Point: NW corner of Runnymede Rd and Dundas St W
Finish Point: Keele St, S of Dundas St W
Leaders: Madeleine McDowell and West Toronto Junction Historical Society
Length: Approx. 2 hours / 1.4 km
Focus: Historical, Architectural
Difficulty: Walk on sidewalks, some rough ground
Public Transit Access: via Runnymede Subway Station (buses # 71 or 79), via High Park Subway Station (bus # 30), or via Dundas Street Subway Station (bus # 40) stop at the TTC loop at Runnymede and Dundas.

This is the 14th year that Heritage Toronto has been conducting free guided neighbourhood tours. The walks are being held on weekends until October 5 and West Toronto is the 10th in this series for 2008.
For more information, visit www.heritagetoronto.org or call 416-338-1338 or the info line at 416-338-3886.

This photo is certainly a part of history. The mayor and councillors joined local business owners, residents and West Toronto Junction team members to unveil the new light poles and streetscape in the area on September 2, 2004.

West Toronto Junction Streetscape Grand Opening
Mayor Miller, Councillors Sylvia Watson (far left with sunglasses) and Bill Saundercook (foreground right) and guests take a scenic bus tour through the West Toronto Junction community.
Credit: toronto.ca: Mayor's photo gallery: 2003 - 2005 Events

links:
Christopher Moore's Canadian History: Junction of past and future
"...local heritage activists, local artists, and local businesses around the Junction have been very clever and creative in promoting sensible preservation, adaptation, and development in the nabe."
Christopher Moore on April 16, 2008
The Arts Junction: Jane’s Walk in the Junction's "West Bend"
"...we made our way to Keele and Dundas, the still-bustling heart of the Junction. Those present shared tales of the Junction’s glory days as a railway town, its theatre district, its long "dry" years and its present resurgence as a tight-knit creative hub."
Hilary Bell on May 16, 2008
Legends of the Junction: The "Junction City" Researchers