1859 University of Toronto Campus / Queen’s Park [Plan of the University Park]

The University of Toronto / King’s College / University College
‘The university land had been little developed since its purchase in 1829 [by Bishop Strachan]. King’s College ['The Asylum', lower right] had been built in 1842, but was later used as a lunatic asylum. In 1854 the eastern part of the site (now Queen’s Park) was proposed as the location for new provincial parliament buildings [but nothing was built until 1886; see 2nd map below. -N.].

University College was opened in 1859 and some of the curving drives were added in that year. Taddle Creek, prominently shown in the middle, was polluted with sewage from Yorkville by the 1870s and remained a bone of contention between city and university until it was covered over in the 1880s.’

- Isobel Ganton & Joan Winearls, MAPPING TORONTO'S FIRST CENTURY 1787-1884

Click the image to view a full-size version. 

Campus Map of area bounded by College, St. George, Bloor and Surrey Place [Plan of the University Park], c. 1859
Map courtesy of: University of Toronto Archives, 2003-42-3f [A1965-0001(20)]
Winearls, MUC no. 2103 (2)

Queen’s Park
In 1854 the eastern portion of the university lands was the proposed location for the new legislature buildings, as reflected in this earlier map by John Stoughton Dennis (see next) showing nearby lots for sale from the Denison estate. It was then hoped that Toronto would be chosen by Queen Victoria as the permanent capital of the Province of Canada. Due to a lack of funds (and Toronto being passed over in favour of Ottawa), the depicted plan by Cumberland and Ridout for the Parliament Buildings “about to be erected” was never built.

Click the image to view a full-size version. 

Plan of Part of the City of Toronto Shewing the Town Lots on Bellevue For Sale by the Trustees for the Denison Estate March 1854
John Stoughton Dennis P.L.S. Maclear & Co. Lith. Toronto
Map courtesy of Toronto Public Library: T1854/4Msm
Winearls, MUC no. 2105

In 1859 the University leased 49 acres—an area encompassing the present day Ontario Legislature, parts of the modern day university campus, and portions of College Street and University Avenue—to the City of Toronto for a period of 999 years, to create a public park. Queen’s Park was officially opened by the Prince of Wales on September 11, 1860.

It would take decades to revive the notion of erecting legislature buildings on the site [see next map]. In 1880, the southern portion of the Park was turned over to the Province of Ontario for construction. Observe how the former King's College building, used as the 'University Lunatic Asylum' until 1869, is now merely labelled 'Old Building to be Removed'.

Click the image to view a full-size version. 

Site of the proposed parliament buildings, Ontario. Queen's Park.
Department of Public Works, Ontario. Toronto, April 7, 1880
Map courtesy of Toronto Public Library: T1880/4Mlrg

Supplementary Photos — View from University College
I came across this set of four remarkable photos taken in 1859 by William Notman, from the top of University College. The views they depict correspond to a large section of the 1859 map of the campus.

Looking east from University College to King’s College/
the University Lunatic Asylum

Looking south east to the Moss Hall (the Medical Building).
The closer structure is the residence of George Kingston,
the Director of the Observatory.

Looking south to the Magnetic Observatory (in its original location)

Looking north towards Yorkville

Reference: see E 9-277 and E 9-278. Note: I only confirmed the provenance for these two photos, but am inclined to believe that the other two are also Notman’s. Please let me know if there is evidence to the contrary!

Bonus Map — 1852 Exhibition Grounds
The following map shows the Exhibition Grounds in 1852,  located that year a little south of Queen’s Park along the west side of College Avenue (a.k.a. University).

Sketch of the Exhibition Grounds, Toronto
Lithograph by S.A.F. in Canadian Journal v.1, no.3 (October 1852) facing p. 49.
Map courtesy of Toronto Public Library: JRR 3539

Further reading on Queen’s Park:
Queen’s Park - Via Ontario Heritage Trust.

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1817 Smith: Plan of York, U.C. & 1818 Plan of the Town of York

This map was surveyed and drawn by Lieut. E.A. Smith of the 70th Infantry, and provided to Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, the Governor General of British North America at the time (via the Quartermaster General’s Office, Upper Canada).

Numerous key structures are noted, including the Garrison, Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, the Government House, and the ravine Blockhouse (roughly where Trinity Bellwoods Park is). As well, the estates of several leading citizens are indicated. The Smith map was part of a historically significant collection of Sherbrooke’s papers purchased at auction in June 2013 by Library and Archives Canada.

Click the image to view a full-size version. 

Plan of York, U.C. / Surveyed and Drawn August 1817, by Lieut. E.A. Smith, 70th Inf'y
Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada
[Note: Winearls, MUC no. 2041 is a later, but smaller and less detailed version of this plan, prepared for Sherbrooke's successor, Lord Dalhousie. It is held by the William Inglis Morse Collection at Acadia University: 1931.004-WIM/58]

The next plan from the following year is provided as a supplement. It shows the names of lot owners for the town including park lots.

Click the image to view a full size version.

Plan of the Town of York W.C. [9 June 1818]
Image courtesy Toronto Public Library: T1816-3/4Mlrg. Winearls, MUC no. 2044

It’s worth taking the time to compare the above maps with the two Williams plans, and the 1818 Phillpotts Plan of York.


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1886 Wesbroom: City of Toronto [Bird’s Eye View]

“This bird’s eye view [...] shows more clearly than either maps or streetscape photographs the congestion of the downtown core and the unrelenting zeal with which the grid pattern of streets—first laid out for Simcoe in 1793—had been stretched across the landscape on either side of the arrow-straight line of Yonge. Standing out against this pattern are the few attempts to mitigate the worst aspects of the grid plan: natural changes like King Street / Kingston Road, which turns northeast on the right side of the view; the carefully planned avenues like Spadina (with its crescent at the north end) and University; and the park-like green spaces scattered throughout the city [...]

If proof were needed that the Victorians, just as much as the Georgians, were proud and capable city builders, this bird’s eye view provides it amply. A celebration of their creation, it is a lasting testimony of what had been created in Toronto.”

- William Dendy, Lost Toronto

Click the image to view a full-size version. 

City of Toronto
Lithograph by W. Wesbroom, 1886 (? see note below)
Toronto Lithographing Company

Image courtesy Toronto Public Library: CHPC accession number 975-29 Cab III. Another copy is held by the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library at U of T: G3524 .T61 1886. The image above is a photograph I took in person; if and when the TPL digitizes the map I’ll use their scan.

The Toronto Lithographing Company seems to have done especially fine work, wouldn’t you say?

Advertisement: The Globe, May 22, 1886 

Note: Dendy’s Lost Toronto — which uses this bird’s eye view as its cover — gives an approximate date of 1878. Derek Hayes’ Historical Atlas of Toronto indicates 1884. These may be slightly different prints, or they may be the same and there just isn’t agreement on the actual date...

The Osborne Collection at the Toronto Public Library (Lillian H. Smith branch) features this cropped jigsaw puzzle of the map in their Canadiana holdings:

Lovely.

See Also [Bird’s Eye Views]
1870 Canadian Railway News Bird’s Eye View of Toronto
1876 PA Gross Bird's Eye View of Toronto
1876 Gascard City of Toronto Bird’s Eye View from the Northern Railway elevator
1892 Toronto Railway Company Map Shewing Toronto Street Railway Lines
1893 Barclay, Clark & Co. Bird’s Eye View Chromolithograph

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1791 Jones: An accurate Plan of a Survey [...] of the River Trent (head) [North shore] of Lake Ontario to Toronto

“This important survey by Augustus Jones established the eastern sideline (now Victoria Park Avenue) and the baseline (now Queen Street) for Dublin (York) Township. The township lines formed the basic framework for all later development and thus determined the eventual northwest-southeast orientation of Toronto. The survey recorded here began 90 miles east of Toronto at the Bay of Quinte and laid out the fronts of 11 townships between there and York. Wherever possible, the baselines of townships were laid out parallel to the lake shore.”

- Isobel Ganton & Joan Winearls, MAPPING TORONTO'S FIRST CENTURY 1787-1884

Note that York township was briefly named Dublin (and Scarborough, Glasgow), prior to Simcoe’s arrival in 1793. It is likely Surveyor General Andrew Russell who wrote in the revised name in 1856.

Click the image to view a full-size version. 

An accurate Plan of a Survey [words missing] of the River Trent (Head) [words missing - North shore?] of Lake Ontario to Toronto [words missing] by Augustus Jones, 1791.
Source: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Office of the Surveyor General, Plan Ref: SR5803 O6-4
Copyright:  2013 Queens Printer Ontario
Winearls, MUC no. 316

The above detail shows only the westerly York portion. View the entire map here (note: it’s quite long horizontally!).

The following, slightly more detailed survey of Dublin by Jones, was a copy made by John Frederick Holland. The horizontal 'front line' line is what later became Lot (then Queen) Street. ‘Toronto Fort’ indicates the location of Fort Rouillé.

I’m curious what that peninsula south of lot 23 is supposed to be.

Click the image to view a full-size version (PDF).

Plan of Eleven Townships fronting on Lake Ontario beginning at the River Trent and extending westerly to Toronto as laid out and surveyed by Augustus Jones Dy PL Survr, A true copy by Jn Fk Holland [Sgd] Samuel Holland Surveyr Genl, 1791.

Image courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Office of the Surveyor General, Plan Ref: 2391 K25
Winearls, MUC no. 316 (2)

“Augustus Jones (circa 1763-1836) was a Loyalist. He was appointed a Deputy Surveyor in 1791 and was responsible for the survey of most of York Township, Yonge Street, part of Dundas Street, the new part of the town of York, and many townships east of Toronto and in the Hamilton area. He did little surveying after 1799, but retired to his land, marrying the daughter of a chief of the Mohawks.”

- Ganton/Winearls, ibid.

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1834 Bonnycastle/Tazewell: City of Toronto: The Capital of Upper Canada

Act to Incorporate Toronto
Courtesy TPL: 352.07135 T5916 BR

“The Town of York was incorporated as the City of Toronto on March 6, 1834, and this map was produced to record the event. It was the first separately published map of the city. The boundaries of the city and its liberties -- areas appended to the city to provide room for expansion -- are shown in the small inset map. The northern boundary of the city proper was 400 yards north of Queen Street [aka Lot Street -N.], an indication that the southern part of the park lots had been developed by the early 1830s.

Note the clusters of public buildings: those of municipal significance east of Yonge at the edge of the Old Town and the provincial buildings in the New Town. The "Lands Reserved for a Public Pleasure Ground" and a "Proposed Esplanade" on the waterfront indicate an early interest in keeping the area for recreational uses.”

- Isobel Ganton & Joan Winearls, MAPPING TORONTO'S FIRST CENTURY 1787-1884

City of Toronto: The Capital of Upper Canada 1834
Respectfully dedicated to His Excellency Sir John Colborne K.C.B. &c // by H.W.J. Bonnycastle and lithographed by S.O. Tazewell.
Winearls, MUC no. 2066

Re-drawn 1919 by Wm. R. Gregg.

Click the image to view a full-size version. 

Image courtesy of Toronto Public Library (though it’s not in the Catalogue as of Feb 2013, ahem. It’s from the Special Collections Dept. I had to do a bit of extraction work...): An Act of Incorporation.

“Samuel Oliver Tazewell, formerly a Kingston watchmaker and jeweller, introduced the new art of lithography to Canada and produced his first lithographed map in 1831.

Lithography is a method of printing from an image on the surface of a stone. Requiring less skill than copper-plate engraving, it was ideal for maps because the draftsman could draw directly on the stone or transfer a map from paper to the stone.

Tazewell built his own press and used local stone, both of which may have contributed to the roughness of his printing (note the map to the left). However, the newspapers of the day (see the Patriot, 11 Apr. 1834) hailed the new printing method for its speedy production of multiple copies and noted its particular usefulness. for advertising lots for sale.”

“Henry William John Bonnycastle (1814-1888) was the son of R.H. Bonnycastle, and the 1834 map of Toronto that he drew is closely related to the 1833 plan prepared by his father. Educated at Upper Canada College and Sandhurst, he served as a Brigade Major during the 1837 Rebellion.”

- Ganton/Winearls, ibid.

This following map drafted by  J. G. Chewett was drawn up 3 years later, and similarly runs from the Military Reserve to the Don River, north to Lot St.

Click the image to view a full-size version.

Toronto. [Sgd] J.G. Chewett S.G. Office 12th June 1837; Surveyor General’s Office Toronto 12th June 1837 J.W. Macaulay Survr Genl
Image courtesy Toronto Public Library: MsX.1921.2. Winearls, MUC no. 2072

See Also
1834 Chewett Plan of the City of Toronto and Liberties

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1802 Chewett: Plan of 916 1/4 acres, in the Township of York in Upper Canada -- The property of the Honble. D.W. Smith Esqre. Surveyr. Genl.

This 1802 map, drawn by William Chewett (the father of James Grant Chewett), depicts some of the extensive property owned by David W. Smith, the Surveyor General of Upper Canada who came to York as part of Simcoe’s entourage. The first parliament buildings are indicated by the notation, Govern: Houses, protected by a Blockhouse.

Of specific note is the Maryville estate, on which Smith established one of the town’s first major houses in 1796. The land, at King and Ontario to the east of the town, was purchased from John Kendrick. Smith was a master carpenter, and built the impressive structure according to his own tastes [Kendrick’s original house was subsumed and became the drawing room].

Click the image to view a full-size version. 

Plan of 916 1/4 acres, in the Township of York in Upper Canada. The property of the Honble. D.W. Smith Esqre. Surveyr. Genl. - including Park Five, which contains about 100 acres, & 16 1/4 acres, at the east end of the city of York on which is the lodge lately called Maryville. [Sgd W. Chewett Senr Surveyr & Dftsmn

Image courtesy of Toronto Public Library: Ms1889.1.6
Winearls, MUC no. 2028

Maryville (also occasionally spelled 'Maryvale') Lodge was a large wooden Georgian-style house painted bright yellow (instead of the conventional white). Surrounding it were formal gardens and a circular driveway, and numerous support buildings.

Smith’s residency at Maryville did not last long: Smith departed Upper Canada for health reasons in 1802. One of the factors behind the existence of many records relating to Maryville was that Smith had them created as documentation for the attempted sale of the property, to CB Wyatt -- his successor in the Surveyor General post.

Chewett’s next map shows the layout of Maryville in some detail:

Plan of Maryville, at the east end of the City of York in Upper Canada, containing about 16 1/4 acres - the property of the Honble. D.W. Smith Esqre. Surveyor General. [Sgd] W Chewett Senr Surveyr & Dftsmn

Image courtesy of Toronto Public Library: Ms1889.1.7
Winearls, MUC no. 2027

Thomas Stoyell was the next occupant of Maryville Lodge, which later became a small private school. The house was demolished in 1854.

Following are two depictions of Maryville Lodge. The Poole painting gives an idea as to the yellow coloration of the structure.

Maryville Lodge circa 1805 by Charles W. Jefferys, “after drawing in Library's ms. collection, D. W. Smith Papers, vol.B15, p.90 (ca 1805). Reproduced (with clouds in a different hand added on a separate sheet mounted above drawing) in Evening Telegram series 'Landmarks of Toronto' 11 January 1889, and in Landmarks of Toronto v.1, p.287.”

Maryville Lodge painting by Frederic Poole, 1912 based on Jeffery’s drawing.

Images courtesy of Toronto Public Library: B 1-54b and JRR 521

Here’s a purported aerial sketch of the property:

See Also
1797 Smith Plan for the enlargement of York

More on Maryville Lodge:
See p21 onwards in Toronto: No Mean City by Eric Ross Arthur & Stephen A. Otto [there is a very detailed plan of the house itself and a front elevation by Chewett]

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1860 Tremaine's Map of the County of York, Canada West

George Tremaine compiled large wall maps of most of the counties of southern Ontario in the 1850s and 1860s. The maps identify names of owners or tenants, houses of subscribers, and names of estates. This map is for York County.

Small black squares indicate buildings such as residences, inns, schools, churches, and factories. Illustrations of major buildings border the right-side of the map. There is also a list of the names, professions and residences of subscribers to the map (Yes, the names are legible!).

An inset map of Toronto appears in section 1 below.

My genealogist friends seem to reference this map a lot, so I thought I had better include it [Can anyone point me to an online index of the names on the map? That would be a useful accompaniment I think].

Click on the image to view a full-size version of the [approximately] corresponding numbered area. 



Tremaine’s Map of the County of York Canada West, Compiled and Drawn by Geo. R. Tremaine from Actual Surveys Toronto Published by Geo. C. Tremaine 1860

Images courtesy University of Toronto Map and Data Library: G3523 .Y6 1860 a. (See also: LAC). Winearls, MUC no. 404
[Thanks to Robannz for attempting to stitch it all together -- we tried making a monster file of all 12 sections, but it was too unwieldy to deal with.]

An advertisement for the Tremaines, appearing in the 1862 edition of The Canadian Almanac, W.C. Chewett & Co. I’m kind of curious to see what Tackabury’s map looked like, aren’t you?

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