Mechanics' Hall (Toronto)

The Toronto Mechanics' Institute, originally named the York Mechanics' Institute, was an educational institution in 19th century Toronto that became the city's first public library. It was one of a series of mechanics' institutes that were set up around the world after becoming popular in Britain. Established in 1830, it was designed to provide technical and adult education.Paying members had access to lectures, courses, and a library. In 1853 the Institute erected a new permanent home at the corner of Church and Adelaide Streets, but it struggled to attract new paying members. In 1883 the Institute was thus transformed into a municipally-supported public reference library. The idea was promoted by alderman John Hallam, but it met considerable resistance in city council. No other city in Canada at this time had a completely free public library. Hallam brought the initiative to a public referendum, and the citizens of Toronto voted in its favour on January 1, 1883. The 5,000 book collection of the Mechanics' Institute became the first books of the Toronto Public Library and James Bain was selected as the first chief librarian. As chief librarian, he focused on building the library's special collection documenting Canadian history. He also applied to Andrew Carnegie for a grant to build more branches and to replace the Mechanics' Institute as the central reference library. The building remained the main branch of the Toronto Public Library until 1909 when the Carnegie grant allowed the library to open its new location at College and St. George (today the Koffler Centre). It remained a library branch until 1927, and was torn down in 1949. Today a condominium complex (84 Adelaide Street East) stands on the site, although it is marked with a heritage plaque.

SP!RE is a high-rise condominium building located at 70 Adelaide Street East at Church Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada by Context Developments. Construction was completed in 2007. The structure was designed by Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance and is 145 metres tall with 322 suites (from 42m² to 228m²) in 45 floors.

The Adelaide Street Court House, or York County Court House, is a historic former courthouse located at 57 Adelaide Street East in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It served as a court house from 1852 until 1900. It currently houses Terroni restaurant.

The Cathedral Church of St. James is an Anglican cathedral in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the location of the oldest congregation in the city, with the parish being established in 1797. The cathedral, with construction beginning in 1850 and opening for services on June 19, 1853, was one of the largest buildings in the city at that time. It was designed by Frederick William Cumberland and is a prime example of Gothic Revival architecture.The church building is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, and it is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Toronto. Royal St. George's College, on Howland Avenue, is the church's choir school and is open to boys in grades 3 through 12.

The Italianate/neo-Renaissance style Consumers' Gas Building at 19 Toronto Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was first built in 1852, as the Consumers Gas company's head office. The company remained in this location for 125 years. The 19 Toronto Street façade, designed by David B. Dick, was added to the north in 1876, and the unified façade treating the two structures as one was built by Dick, 1899. The last renovations were completed in 1983 by Stone & Kohn architects for new owners, Counsel Trust Company. The building currently houses Don Alfonso 1890 Italian Restaurant; and Rosewater Room the award-winning event venue by Liberty Entertainment Group.

The Great Fire of Toronto of 1849, April 7, 1849, also known as the Cathedral Fire, was the first major fire in the history of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Much of the Market Block, the business core of the city, was wiped out, including the predecessor of the current St. James Cathedral. The 1831 building of the Toronto City Hall and St. Lawrence Market south of King was damaged and was torn down.

The Albany Club in Toronto, Ontario, was founded in 1882 and is one of Canada's oldest private social clubs. Named after Queen Victoria's youngest son, the Duke of Albany, the club has been situated at its present location of 91 King Street East since 1898.

The second King Street Gaol (also known as the Toronto Jail) was built in 1824 to replace the first King Street Gaol in York, Upper Canada (now Toronto). At that time, the town needed a larger, better constructed jail to replace the original, which was little more than a plain log building with a stockade. The new two-storey brick building was built two blocks east on the north-east corner of King Street and Toronto Street with a wooden stockade enclosing its gallows.After the jail closed, the building was used as an insane asylum, then incorporated into the York Chambers Building. The facade of old jail could still be seen from the side and was eventually demolished in 1957. At one point the jail and old courthouse was part of a proposed Guild Hall complex, but the project was later abandoned. The current site is now Courthouse Park and old Court House (or Adelaide Street Courthouse) to the north still stands.

The Toronto Street Post Office, also known as Toronto's Seventh Post Office, is a heritage building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was completed in 1853 and is located at 10 Toronto Street in downtown Toronto. The building was designed by Frederick William Cumberland and Thomas Ridout in the Greek Revival style.

St. James Park is an urban public park that is owned by both the neighbouring Cathedral Church of St. James and the City of Toronto government. The park has a central fountain and a gazebo.

The Toronto Sculpture Garden is located at 115 King Street East in a small 80 by 100 foot (25 by 30 m) park directly across the street from Cathedral Church of St. James (Toronto), in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It operated as an independent entity from 1981 to 2014 and is administered by the city's parks department.

The Old Fire Hall is the name given to the original home of The Second City company in Toronto and is located at 110 Lombard Street. The Old Fire Hall was built in 1896 and was partially destroyed in the Great Fire of 1904. Second City performed there from 1977 until 1997, when it moved to 56 Blue Jays Way (in 2005, the company moved to 51 Mercer Street). Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Mike Myers, Catherine O'Hara, Gilda Radner, Martin Short and Dave Thomas, among others, all got their starts there. From 2001 until 2011, the Old Fire Hall was the home of Gilda's Club Toronto. Named after Gilda Radner, who had performed with Second City at the Old Fire Hall prior to joining Saturday Night Live, Gilda's Club is a support group and meeting place for people living with cancer. In 2012, the Old Fire Hall became the new home of the Complections College of Makeup Art and Design.