WEST END Y.M.C.A. 1890

WEST END Y.M.C.A. 1890

The Toronto Young Men’s Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.) commissioned architecture firm Gordon & Helliwell to design a new West End branch, which included a meeting hall, a library, and a gymnasium with a raised running track and a bowling alley. Constructed in the High Victorian style, the four-storey red-brick building featured sandstone accents and a rounded corner tower. In 1912, the Royal Templars of Temperance purchased and renovated the building. A dance hall was added in 1933 by the Independent Order of Foresters, a like-minded fraternal organization that had merged with the Templars. From 1939 until 1987, the Polish National Union managed the building, publishing a newspaper and offering a range of services to new arrivals in their community. Later known as The Great Hall, the building became a music and culture venue.

Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, 1985
HERITAGE TORONTO 2016

Sarah J. McCabe

August 11, 2018