The Ward (PDF)

The story of the growth and destruction of Toronto's first 'priority neighbourhood.'From the 1840s until the Second World War, waves of newcomers who migrated to Toronto – Irish, Jewish, Italian, African American and Chinese, among others – landed in 'The Ward.' Crammed with rundown housing and immigrant-owned businesses, this area, bordered by College and Queen, University and Yonge streets, was home to bootleggers, Chinese bachelors, workers from the nearby Eaton's garment factories and hard-working peddlers. But the City considered it a slum, and bulldozed the area in the late 1950s to make way for a new civic square.The Ward finally tells the diverse stories of this extraordinary and resilientneighbourhood through archival photos and contributions from a wide array of voices, including historians, politicians, architects, story­­tellers,journalists and descendants of Ward residents. Their perspectives on playgrounds, tuberculosis, sex workers, newsies and even bathing bring The Ward to life and, in the process, raise important questions about how contemporary cities handle immigration, poverty and the geography of difference.Contents & ContributorsIntroduction–John LorincSearching for the Old Ward–Shawn MicallefNo Place Like Home–Howard AklerBefore the Ward: Macauleytown-Stephen A. OttoMy Grandmother the Bootlegger-Howard MoscoeAgainst All Odds: The Chinese Laundry– Arlene ChanVJ Day– Arlene ChanMerle Foster's Studio: 'A Spot Of Enchantment'-Terry MurrayMissionary Work: The Fight for Jewish Souls– Ellen ScheinbergKing of the Ward–Myer SiemiatyckiWhere the Rich Went for Vice–Michael RedhillA Fresh Start: Black Toronto in the 19th Century–Karolyn Smardz FrostPolicing the Lord's Day–Mariana Valverde'The Maniac Chinaman'-Edward KeenanElsie's Story–Patte RosebanLawren Harris's Ward Period-Jim Burant'Fool's Paradise': Hastings' Anti-Slum Crusade–John LorincStrange Brew: The Underground Economy of Blind Pigs–Ellen ScheinbergThe Consulate, the Padroni and the Labourers–Andrea AddarioExcerpt: The Italians in Toronto–Emily P. WeaverArthur Goss: Documenting Hardship–Stephen BulgerFresh Air: The Fight Against TB–Cathy CroweThe Stone Yard–Gaetan HerouxWilliam James: Toronto's First Photojournalist–Vincenzo PietropaoloThe Avenue Not Taken–Michael McClellandTimothy Eaton's Stern Fortifications–Michael ValpySettling In: Central Neighbourhood House–Ratna Omidvar and Ranjit BhaskarToronto's Girl with the Curls–Ellen ScheinbergChinese Cafés: Survival and Danger–Ellen Scheinberg and Paul YeeDefiance and Divisions: The Great Eaton's Strike– Ruth A. FragerElizabeth Street: What the City Directories Reveal–Denise BalkissoonGrowing Up on Walton Street–Cynthia MacDougallRevitalizing George Street: The Ward's Lessons– Alina Chatterjee and Derek BallantyneTaking Care of Business in the Ward–Ellen Scheinberg'A Magnificent Dome': The Great University Avenue Synagogue–Jack LipinskyReading the Ward: The Inevitability of Loss–Kim Storey and James BrownToronto's First Little Italy–...