Attack of the City Hall Gargoyles
Plus a scandalous new course, artifacts uncovered at Union Station, and more...
It came from the heavens, a strange missile plummeting through the air. It raced toward the earth on a deadly trajectory, a big hunk of sandstone raining straight down from the sky. It was a piece of a monster: the jaw of a gargoyle that was falling from a spot more than twenty storeys above Queen Street, from high atop the clock tower of Old City Hall. It was a solid, heavy chunk of the beast — likely weighing something close to a hundred pounds — more than enough to kill a person. And in its sudden plunge, it threatened to do just that.
The jaw rushed toward the building below with enough force to smash through the copper roof and into the attic, where a team of draftsmen worked at their desks. The falling stone was headed straight for one of them, a man from Riverdale named James Marshall, when it struck a crossbeam. That saved his life. The hefty projectile was deflected just enough to miss the man, landing next to him with a crash. He walked away, lucky to be alive, but he must have been deeply shaken by the sudden disaster.
And that wasn't the first time a City Hall gargoyle nearly took a life.
It was the spring of 1921 when the hail of stone began. The silent monsters had been keeping watch over the corner of Queen & Bay for more than twenty years, ever since Old City Hall was built. It was still our new City Hall back then, having opened in 1899. It was designed by Toronto's most celebrated architect: E.J. Lennox. He created many of our most beloved buildings — including Casa Loma and the King Edward Hotel — but the construction of Old City Hall had been wildly contentious. Plagued by missed deadlines and cost overruns, it became a political battleground for clashes between Lennox and Toronto City Council.
Even today, you can still find traces of that conflict embedded into the building itself. When council refused to give Lennox the traditional honour of a plaque bearing his name, he had it written into the decorative stonework instead. The words "EJ LENNOX ARCHITECT AD 1898" are wrapped all around the building, one letter at a time. And by the entrance, you'll find a series of little stone faces: one is the handsomely moustachioed visage of the architect himself; the rest of the grotesques are said to be satirically unflattering representations of the politicians who opposed him.
Though Lennox, of course, denied any such thing.
The gargoyles were one of the building's most romantic touches. A dozen of the winged beasts adorned the building — including a set of four creatures installed near the top of the iconic clock tower. The monsters were absolutely enormous: each one weighed three tons; a single head was said to weigh five hundred pounds. They were spectacular additions to the Toronto skyline. But they were also spectacularly dangerous.
The gargoyles were made of sandstone brought in by train from New Brunswick. But that material didn't hold up well in Toronto weather. The monsters soon began to crumble. By 1921, their jaws had started to fall off. It happened at least three times, with James Marshall's near miss making frontpage news and sparking a debate about the future of the disintegrating goliaths.
Lennox insisted they could be saved by reinforcing them with concrete. But the stonecutters refused to risk their lives by venturing out onto the gargoyles' backs to do the work, afraid the creatures would give way beneath them. Even Lennox's own former trainee, George Price, came out against the idea. He was now working as the City's official architect. "In the interests of safety," he argued, "I think they should be removed… There seems to be no adhesive quality in the stone. It crumbles away easily. You can pick off pieces with your hand."
The gargoyles did survive that first round of the debate. But a decade later, they were back in the news again. Bits of them were still falling off. In 1938, a fifty-pound chunk crashed through the roof. Others made the full 23-storey drop, smashing into pieces in the street. The City sent workers up the tower to erect scaffolding and try to repair the beasts. But in the end, they gave up. Forty years after the gargoyles began their vigil, they were quietly removed from their impressive perch at the head of Bay Street.
For the next 64 years, the clock tower stood unguarded. But when Old City Hall was refurbished in the opening years of the twenty-first century, the City decided it was about time the old monsters were replaced. Four new beasts were born, their design meant to echo the originals. And this time, rather than using sandstone, the creatures were cast in bronze. So today, as you walk along Queen Street, a new generation of gargoyles keeps watch above you — without the risk that one of them might send a big hunk of stone on a three-hundred-foot plunge that brings your life to a grisly, absurd and untimely end.
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This Sunday! Dramatic Tales from the Banks of the Don
I’m leading a new walking tour this weekend! The histories of Corktown & Riverside — neighbourhoods found on either side of the Don River from each other — are filled with stories of drama, heroism and tragedy: from the Victorian gangs that once terrorized the area to heartbreaking disasters and harrowing escapes. In this walk, we'll explore those pulse-quickening tales and what they have to teach us about the evolution of our city.
When: Sunday, August 18 at 3pm.
Where: Meet in the Distillery District — at the little clock tower outside 7 Trinity Street. The tour will last about 1.5 to 2 hours and end on Queen Street east of Broadview.
Price: Pay what you like.
Announcing A Downright Scandalous History of Toronto!
I’m offering another brand new online course! Toronto has a lot of skeletons in its closet. The city's history is filled with stories of infamous love affairs, disgraced politicians and outrageous movie stars. Tales of vice, sin and impropriety have made headlines, shocked the public, and deeply shaped the place we call home. In this online course, we'll explore what those spicy stories can teach us about our city and its past by illuminating the boundaries of Torontonian morality — and we'll meet those who have challenged its limits, for better and for worse.
Format: The course will include four weekly lectures on Zoom with a chance to interact and ask questions, as well as a list of recommended readings. Each week's lecture will last approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.
Dates: September 16 to October 7, 2024.
Time: 8pm every Monday night.
Recordings: Every lecture will be available to stream online later for anyone who can't make that week's class. All the recordings will remain available for the foreseeable future.
Cost: $75 + tax.
QUICK LINKS
The best of everything else that’s new in Toronto’s past…
HARRIET TUBMAN NEWS — Cheryl Thompson recently wrote about the history of the Harriet Tubman Youth Centre, a Black cultural hub which used to stand near St. Clair & Oakwood. The fact it attracted famous visitors like Bob Marley, Isaac Hayes and B.B. King is just one testament to the vital work they did. Read more.
RAINBOW PLAQUE NEWS — CityNews was at the unveiling of the new plaque dedicated to the queer history of Hanlan’s Point. Watch the report.
DOLLHOUSE NEWS — You can preserve a bizarre piece of Toronto history for the low cost of $999,000. The Leslieville Dollhouse has been delighting/terrifying people on Bertmount Avenue for decades. It’s now up for sale. Read more or buy it yourself.
BOOZE NEWS — Jamie Bradburn wrote about the earth-shaking moment when the LCBO began to allow people in Toronto The Good to actually see the bottles of booze they were about to buy. “It’ll never work,” one clerk told The Toronto Telegram. Read more.
UNDER THE RAILROAD NEWS — As construction work on Union Station continues (and continues), some neat artifacts have been uncovered. They’ve included ceramics, eyeglasses and even a series of Victorian rifles. Becky Robertson wrote about it. Read more.
MOSAIC NEWS — If you’ve spent much time at the Royal Ontario Museum (which I suspect, if you subscribe to this newsletter, there’s a good chance you have) then you might have noticed the spectacular ceiling of the Rotunda, created in 1933. A recent talk by Olga Zorzi Pugliese, “shines a light on the Italian artisans who created the dazzling mosaic canopy.” Watch it.
TORONTO HISTORY EVENTS
FORT YORK POP UP TALKS: EXPLORING 19th CENTURY SCHOOL DAYS
August 16, 17, 23, 24 & 30 — 12:30 & 2:30pm — Fort York
“While education is considered to be an essential part of a happy and successful life today, few people saw it that way in the 1800s. Who could get an education in Upper Canada in the early 1800s? When and how did schools become free? Find out about one-room schoolhouses and the skills that were taught at school. During this special ‘pop-up talk’, you will have a chance to feel how it was to be a student back then. Try to print your letters in a metal tray with sand, and if you are good at it, progress onto writing on slates. Suitable for kids, teens and adults and fun for the whole family.”
Free!
TORONTO’S ASTRONOMICAL HERITAGE
August 17 — 11am — Mount Pleasant Library
“Join Professor John R. Percy of the University of Toronto Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics for a lecture on Toronto's Astronomical Heritage and how Toronto became a ‘centre of the universe’ for astronomical research, education, and public outreach.”
Free!
PAINTED OUT OF THE PICTURE: WIVES OF THE GROUP OF SEVEN
August 20 — 2pm — The Heliconian Club
“While the husbands received acclaim for their contributions to Canadian art, the wives of the Group of Seven were largely overlooked. This fascinating audio-visual presentation, led by author/curator Angie Littlefield sheds light on the significant roles these women played in shaping their husbands' careers while also emphasizing their agency in carving out meaning in their own lives.”
$15
DEATH, VIOLENCE & SCANDAL IN YORK — WALKING TOUR
August 24 — 10:30am — Meet at St. James Cathedral — Town of York Historical Society
“In this walking tour, explore the scandalous side of Little Muddy York as we walk through the surviving built environment of the original 10 blocks of Toronto and learn about the intriguing stories that would have been the gossip of the day. Invasions, epidemics, and hangings, oh my!”
$17.31 for members; $22.63 for non-members.
UPRISINGS & UPSETS — WALKING TOUR
August 24 — 2pm — Meet at St. James Cathedral — Town of York Historical Society
“In this walking tour, join us as we explore some of the major riots, uprisings, and upsets that occurred in the Town of York and the early City of Toronto throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and the outcomes that led to lasting societal and political changes.”
$17.31 for members; $22.63 for non-members.
BLACK CULINARY CULTURE IN 19th CENTURY TORONTO WALKING TOUR
August 24 & 25 — 10:30am & 12:30pm — Meet at King & Church — Mackenzie House
“‘Black Culinary Culture in 19th Century Toronto’ Walking Tour considers the influence of the Black community on food culture in Toronto from the 1830s to the 1860s. From grocers, to caterers, to purveyors of fine dining, each of the individuals included represents a different aspect of foodways. Tour begins at the Northeast corner of King & Church Streets and ends at Mackenzie House, with a food tasting of Trinidadian snacks by Pelau Catering!”
Free with registration!
YONGE STREET’S INCREDIBLE MUSIC & POP CULTURE HISTORY
September 19 — 7:30pm — Online & Montgomery’s Inn
“Did you know... That Gordon Lightfoot once sang for $25 a day at a Yonge Street dinner theatre? That a chance meeting in Toronto determined the direction of The Beatles greatest album? That the most decisive event in Rock N Roll history occurred at Yonge and Dundas? (In what is now a drugstore.) Yonge Street's connection to music, theatre and pop culture is literally second to none. Having been described as a musical/theatre mecca equal or better than Times Square or Hollywood Blvd. From Jazz and Motown to Hip Hop. Rock N Roll and Metal to Alternative. This 40 minute talk will show you a side of ‘The Strip’ you never knew existed.”
Free for members of the Etobicoke Historical Society; annual memberships are $25.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SUN… LET THERE BE LIGHT!
September 25 — 7pm — Northern District Library — North Toronto Historical Society
“Discover the history of the stained glass windows of the Church of St. Clement (50 St. Clements Ave. at Duplex). In this illustrated presentation, St. Clement's archivist, Donald E. Holmes, will describe the history and religious significance of the 27 windows made by six Canadian manufacturing companies.”
Free, I believe!
HERITAGE TORONTO WALKING TOURS
Until October
“Through our events, including tours, community discussions, the Heritage Toronto Awards, and more, Heritage Toronto engages the public to reflect on the city’s heritage.”
Usually $9.85
TORONTO GONE WILD
Until November 2 — Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm to 4pm — Museum of Toronto
“Toronto Gone Wild explores the city as a multi-layered habitat — starring the animals, plants, and insects that call Toronto home. Venture through different Torontonian terrains from city streets to burrows, hives, and nests, all seamlessly woven together in our downtown exhibition space. You’ll emerge with a renewed appreciation for the interconnectedness of life in the city.”
Free!