Type: Heritage Board
Heritage Toronto is a charitable agency of the City of Toronto with a mandate to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Toronto’s past and present among residents and visitors through education, commemoration and celebration of the city’s diverse people, places and events.
Our core annual programs are: Tours from April to October, the Heritage Toronto Awards held in the fall, and a year-round Historical Plaques program.
Programming:
Public Programming:
Exhibitions
The organization curates an annual photography exhibition. This years theme is Building Stories 2012: A Photo Exhibit of Transportation in Toronto. Past exhibits include Building Stories 2011: A Photo of Toronto’s Industrial Past and Building Stories 2010: A Photo Exhibit of Toronto’s Aging Spaces.
Historical Plaques
For nearly half a century, the Historical Plaques program has commemorated key people, places, and events in Toronto’s past. The program encourages Torontonians to apply for plaques and find funding support within their communities to make them happen. Heritage Toronto provides expertise in historical research and writing, plaque design and fabrication, and installation of plaques on buildings and in public spaces.
Plaques fall into three broad categories:
- Century House enamel plaques with street address numbers. These celebrate any house that has been part of the architectural landscape of Toronto for over a century.
- Official bronze recognition plaques for structures listed or designated on the City of Toronto’s Heritage Register.
- Commemorative and interpretive enamel panels, complete with maps and images that highlight people, places and events significant to the history of Toronto.
Tours
The Tours program was introduced in 1994 to provide residents and visitors with an opportunity to learn about the heritage and architecture of the city. All tours are researched, designed, and led by local historians, community groups, and professionals who volunteer their time and energy. The Tours season runs from April to October each year.
Digital
- Heritage Map of Toronto: a google map highlighting archaeological sites, museums, plaques and heritage walks: http://www.heritagetoronto.org/discover-toronto/map
- iTours: audio downloadable self-directed tours: http://www.heritagetoronto.org/discover-toronto/itours
Heritage Toronto Awards
An important event on the city’s cultural calendar, the Heritage Toronto Awards celebrate outstanding city builders and their contributions to the promotion and preservation of Toronto’s heritage in five main categories:
- Community Heritage
- Media
- Book
- Short Publication
- William Greer Architectural Conservation & Craftsmanship
The nominees for the Community Heritage Award are also considered for the Members Choice Award. A Special Achievement Award is also announced, with the recipient named by the Heritage Toronto Board of Directors.
Other
- Annual Heritage Toronto Awards,
- William Kilbourn Memorial Lecture.
- Comprehensive list of history-related organisations and locations in the city.
- A program of heritage plaques and markers ,
Volunteer/Internship/Placement Opportunities:
Volunteers
Heritage Toronto’s actively seeks programming, research, administration, and marketing and communication volunteers. Check for open calls for volunteers on the website available here: heritagetoronto.org/get-involved/volunteers-2016.
Address & Contact Information:
Historic St. Lawrence Hall
157 King Street East, 3rd Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M5C 1G9
Phone: 416-338-0684
Email: email@heritagetoronto.org
Website: http://www.heritagetoronto.org/
Hours of Operation:
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Key Words: house, neighbourhood