This is a list of the oldest buildings and structures in Toronto, that were constructed before 1920. The

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

dates back to Indigenous settlements in the region approximately 12,000 years ago. However, the oldest standing structures in Toronto were built by European settlers. Remains of a Seneca settlement exist at the federally protected

Bead Hill Bead Hill is an archaeological site comprising the only known remaining and intact 17th-century Seneca site in Canada. It is located on the banks of the Rouge River in Rouge Park, a city park in Toronto, Ontario. Because of its sensitive archaeo ...

archaeological site, in eastern Toronto. The first European structure built in Toronto was Magasin Royal, a French trading post established in 1720. In the 1750s, the French built several structures in the area (including

Fort Rouillé Fort Rouillé was a French trading post located in what is now Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Fort Rouillé was constructed by the French in 1751, building upon the success of a trading post they established in the area a year earlier, known as Fort T ...

), although the French would later destroy them in 1759, following their defeat at the

Battle of Fort Niagara The Battle of Fort Niagara was a siege late in the French and Indian War, the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. The British siege of Fort Niagara in July 1759 was part of a campaign to remove French control of the Great Lakes and Oh ...

. In 1793, the government of

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North Americ ...

arranged for the purchase of Toronto from the

Mississaugas The Mississauga are a subtribe of the Anishinaabe-speaking First Nations peoples located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are closely related to the Ojibwe. The name "Mississauga" comes from the Anishinaabe word ''Misi-zaagiing'', meaning " ho ...

in order to settle newly landed British American colonists

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

, who were exiled from the United States of America after the Revolutionary War. Many of Toronto's oldest structures dates back to this early period of British settlement, when it was known as

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. The town of York was formally incorporated as the City of Toronto in 1834, with the passage of the '' Incorporation of the City of Toronto Act''. This list is composed of buildings that are heritage-designated structures or are notable in some way. Toronto has many residential and business buildings from prior to 1920 that are not on this list. These are typically found in the then-inner suburbs built in the late 1800s to before 1920, such as Cabbagetown, North Toronto, Parkdale and Rosedale.

Surviving structures

The oldest intact structure of European settlement may be a piece of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...

's courtyard railing dating from 1714, designed by

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 church ...

, that is now part of

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...

's tomb in

High Park High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. High Park is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One-third of the park remains ...

. Howard had it shipped from London in 1875. The following list does not include structures where only the facade of the building has been preserved.

1794 to 1819

The surviving structures were often moved from the original site years after; they are mostly residential or military structures.

1820 to 1839

1840 to 1849

1850 to 1859

1860 to 1869

1870 to 1879

1880 to 1889

1890 to 1899

1900 to 1909

1910 to 1919

Notes

References

Sources

: W: Other pages within Wikipedia : 1: : 2
waynecook.com
: 3
Etobicoke Historical Society
: 4: : 6: : 7: : 8: Cruikshank 2003 : 9: McHugh 1989 : 10
Toronto District School Board
: 11: : 12: : 13

: 14

: 15: Toronto Heritage List of Properties (merged into #6) : 16
Estates of Sunnybrook
: 17
Toronto Fire Pics
: 18: : 19
St. George's on-the-Hill Website, History Page
: 20: : 21: ;Bibliography *
Architecture in Canada
''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...

'' * * Denby & Kilbourn, ''Toronto Observed: Its Architecture, Patrons, and History'', Oxford University Press, Toronto 1986 * * * * Maitland, Hucker & Ricketts, ''A Guide to Canadian Architectural Styles'', Broadview Press, Peterborough, Ontario 1992 * * *

External links

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
– biographies of Canadian architects and lists of their buildings from 1800 to 1950.

* ttp://www.tobuilt.ca/ TO Built
University of Toronto Capital Projects
{{Toronto * Oldest buildings and structures

National Historic Sites in Ontario Buildings and structures