Toronto has an embarrassing track record of devaluing the city's history. Whether it's a lack of knowledge, or a belief that the city only became noteworthy in the later part of the 20th century, we tend to overlook upwards of 200 years worth of settlement on the shores of Lake Ontario. A renewed interest has arisen recently, partially attributed to the popularity in historic aesthetics within architectural and interior design, but also due to the continued efforts of organizations such as Heritage Toronto. In association with the York Pioneer and Historical Association, Heritage Toronto will be celebrating Toronto's history this Sunday with the unveiling of a long-overdue commemorative plaque recognizing Scadding Cabin, Toronto's oldest built structure.
Scadding Cabin during the 2005 CNE, image by Captmondo.
Scadding Cabin is the oldest surviving building in Toronto, and one of the oldest surviving structures in Canada. Built in 1794 for John Scadding, the quaint two-room house was an outpost on the shore of the Don River, originally located just south of modern-day Queen Street, across from the current River City development. Scadding was a government clerk, and had received a 250-acre land grant from John Graves Simcoe that stretched from the Danforth to Lake Ontario, Broadview to the Don River. In 1879 the York Pioneers Association bought the cabin and relocated it to its current location on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds.
Front Street looking towards King and Parliament in 1804, painting by Elizabeth Hale.
While the building itself is relatively lackluster, its preservation is essential in connecting the fast-paced metropolitan city we live in today with its roots. Before Toronto there was York, an outpost derided by those who visited it as backwards, dirty, mosquito-infested and full of dull administrative clerks. We as a city have an appalling history of demolishing structures such as Scadding Cabin, often motivated by momentary trends in architectural design and a lack of creative and critical thinking when it comes to development. The current aestheticization of heritage in the form of façadism does little to ensure the vitality of structures, often overlooking the building's history in favour of contemporary marketing ploys that re-appropriate the heritage structure in a manner that is completely incompatible and irrespective of its original use.
Queen Street and the Don in 1924
A cosmopolitan city such as Toronto requires constant development and the erection of cutting-edge buildings in order to remain globally competitive, but a strong argument for preservation is formulating and beginning to impact city building and urban design. If you're interesting in learning more about the history of Toronto, check out Heritage Toronto and attend one of their informative guided walks. For those who are interested in attending the ceremony, the unveiling of the Scadding Cabin commemorative plaque takes place this Sunday, April 22 at 1 Yukon Place down at Exhibition Place.
