Historic photos from around Trinity Bellwoods, Toronto

Garrison Creek ran south through what is now Trinity Bellwoods park all the way to Fort York and Lake Ontario. In the early 1800's British Army Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Smith bought the land along the ravine and called it Gore Vale. In 1851 Bishop John Stachan bought some of the land to build a private school with strong Anglican ties - Trinity College. The cornerstone for the Gothic Revival building, designed by Kivas Tully, was laid on April 30th, 1851 (the building was torn down in the 1950's after the college joined U of T). All that remains of the college are the gates on Queen Street at the top of Strachan Avenue, and St. Hilda's College building (now the John Gibson House seniors residence) in the northwest corner of the park.

The neighbourhood around the park has long been home to various immigrant groups - Polish and Ukranian, then Portuguese, then Chinese. The stores along Ossington have also changed over time as Queen Street West became more and more popular.

Trinity Bellwoods is just north of Stanley Park , between Beaconsfield Village to the west and Alexandra Park to the east.

List of all areas in Toronto or take a look at the historic photos by date. New! You can now access the photos by street address A subset of the photos have also been arranged by subject.

1852		Francis Gore 1769-1852 173 years ago - 1852 - Trinity Bellwoods Link to archive record - Map location
1856		Trinity College : Queen Street West, north-side (Categorized under: Oldest known Toronto photos ) 169 years ago - 1856 - Trinity Bellwoods Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1867		Trinity College, Toronto, erected 1851 158 years ago - 1867 - Trinity Bellwoods Link to archive record - Map location (From Archives of Ontario)
1867		Lunatic Asylum - Photograph by Octavius Thompson; plate 29 in his Toronto in the camera - 1868 158 years ago - 1867 - Trinity Bellwoods Link to archive record - Map location (From the Toronto Public Library)
1884		Lunatic Asylum, initially designed by John George Howard - Queen Street West., s. side, opposite Ossington Ave. 141 years ago - 1884 - Trinity Bellwoods Link to archive record - Map location (From the Toronto Public Library)
1894		Laying the cornerstone for the east wing of Trinity College in Trinity Bellwoods park 131 years ago - Sunday, June 3, 1894 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: 20.0°C - Min temp: 7.2°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the Toronto Public Library)
1900		Duncan Cameron house - Gore Vale (now in Trinity Park) 125 years ago - 1900 - Trinity Bellwoods Link to archive record - Map location (From the Toronto Public Library)
1900		Bicycle shop and Empire Laundry on Queen St. West looking south on Manning Avenue 125 years ago - Wednesday, September 19, 1900 - Trinity Bellwoods at 791 Queen Street West Max temp: 17.2°C - Min temp: 6.7°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1900		Looking north up Manning Avenue from Queen Street West 125 years ago - Wednesday, September 19, 1900 - Trinity Bellwoods at 708 Queen Street West Max temp: 17.2°C - Min temp: 6.7°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1903		Trinity College general plan - Queen Street West 122 years ago - 1903 - Trinity Bellwoods at 790 Queen Street West Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1903		Trinity College general plan - Queen Street West 122 years ago - 1903 - Trinity Bellwoods at 790 Queen Street West Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1909		Trinity College (1852-1925), Queen St. W., n. side, between Gore Vale Ave. & Crawford St. 116 years ago - 1909 - Trinity Bellwoods Link to archive record - Map location (From the Toronto Public Library)
1912		Furniture store - northwest corner Queen Street West and Euclid Avenue - old house 113 years ago - Monday, February 26, 1912 - Trinity Bellwoods at 686 Queen Street West Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1912		A wooden Crawford Street Bridge 113 years ago - Thursday, August 1, 1912 - Trinity Bellwoods at 243 Crawford Street Max temp: 21.1°C - Min temp: 10.0°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1913		Map of Trinity College grounds 112 years ago - Wednesday, June 25, 1913 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: 28.3°C - Min temp: 15.6°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1914		Trinity Park showing Gore Vale in right background 111 years ago - Saturday, February 14, 1914 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: -10.0°C - Min temp: -15.0°C - 1.0cm of snowfall (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1916		Snow on Trinity College gates and trees (Categorized under: Ornamental gate ) 109 years ago - 1916 - Trinity Bellwoods Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1916		Crawford Street Bridge built 1915 - from west side 109 years ago - Saturday, May 27, 1916 - Trinity Bellwoods at 243 Crawford Street Link to archive record - Map location (From the Library and Archives Canada)
1916		Crawford Street Bridge road with a wagon 109 years ago - Saturday, May 27, 1916 - Trinity Bellwoods at 243 Crawford Street Link to archive record - Map location (From the Library and Archives Canada)
1917		Last Crawford Street bridge 108 years ago - Thursday, August 30, 1917 - Trinity Bellwoods at 243 Crawford Street Max temp: 20.6°C - Min temp: 11.1°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1919		Columbia Hotel and tavern with two billboards north up Ossington for Ogdens Guinea Gold Cigarettes and Tilleys Shoe Polish (Categorized under: Hotels ) 106 years ago - 1919 - Trinity Bellwoods at 2 Ossington Ave n.w. corner at Queen Street West Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1920		Looking south on Ossington down to Queen St 105 years ago - Tuesday, June 8, 1920 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: 21.7°C - Min temp: 13.9°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1920		Looking south down Ossington at Foxley St 105 years ago - Tuesday, June 8, 1920 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: 21.7°C - Min temp: 13.9°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1920		Ossington Ave. south of Dundas St 105 years ago - Tuesday, June 8, 1920 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: 21.7°C - Min temp: 13.9°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1920		Ossington Ave. Queen to Dundas 105 years ago - Monday, July 26, 1920 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: 21.7°C - Min temp: 9.4°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1920		Ossington Ave. - track reconstruction Queen to Dundas 105 years ago - Monday, July 26, 1920 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: 21.7°C - Min temp: 9.4°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1920		Ossington Ave. south from Dundas 105 years ago - Wednesday, August 11, 1920 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: 28.3°C - Min temp: 18.3°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1922		Ossington north of Dundas - track construction 103 years ago - Wednesday, July 19, 1922 - Trinity Bellwoods at Ossington Ave Link to archive record - Map location (From the Library and Archives Canada)
1923		Looking west on Dundas, from Bellwoods with boy (Categorized under: Portraits ) 102 years ago - Wednesday, June 13, 1923 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: 23.3°C - Min temp: 6.7°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1931		Sewer construction leading to sunken streetcar tracks - Dundas Street, west of Ossington Avenue 94 years ago - Thursday, March 5, 1931 - Trinity Bellwoods at 1161 Dundas Street West west of Ossington Ave Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1935		Bathurst St, north, from Queen, before re-arrangement of poles 90 years ago - Tuesday, April 9, 1935 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: 10.0°C - Min temp: 2.2°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1940		128 Ossington Avenue - cigarette ads for Vogue Fine Cut tobacco, Buckingham, Black Cat 85 years ago - Friday, December 20, 1940 - Trinity Bellwoods at 128 Ossington Ave Max temp: 5.6°C - Min temp: 2.2°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1941		Construction at 258-64 Bathurst Street 84 years ago - Friday, June 6, 1941 - Trinity Bellwoods at 258 Bathurst Street Max temp: 27.8°C - Min temp: 12.8°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1941		Construction at 258-64 Bathurst Street - still standing today 84 years ago - Friday, June 6, 1941 - Trinity Bellwoods at 264 Bathurst Street Max temp: 27.8°C - Min temp: 12.8°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1941		216-18-20 Bathurst Street - Oak Leaf Steam Baths 84 years ago - Wednesday, September 3, 1941 - Trinity Bellwoods at 216 Bathurst Street Max temp: 22.8°C - Min temp: 12.2°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1947		Falling-down house at 67 Ossington Avenue - building on left still there 78 years ago - Saturday, July 26, 1947 - Trinity Bellwoods at 67 Ossington Ave Max temp: 27.8°C - Min temp: 15.0°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1947		Lots of Cigarettes Ads at 67 Ossington Avenue 78 years ago - Saturday, July 26, 1947 - Trinity Bellwoods Max temp: 27.8°C - Min temp: 15.0°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1955		Columbia Hotel and tavern (Jo-Jo's Tilton Hilton Room) - demolished 2009 - Robert Vogan Block with rounded roof in distance at 1032 Queen Street West (Categorized under: Hotels ) 70 years ago - Sunday, January 2, 1955 - Trinity Bellwoods at 2 Ossington Ave n.w. corner at Ossington Max temp: 6.1°C - Min temp: 0.0°C - 1.0cm of snow on the ground (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the Toronto Public Library)
1955		Fire Hall Number 9 on Ossington Avenue, west side, north of Queen St - built 1878 70 years ago - Sunday, January 2, 1955 - Trinity Bellwoods at 16 Ossington Ave north of Queen Street West Max temp: 6.1°C - Min temp: 0.0°C - 1.0cm of snow on the ground (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the Toronto Public Library)
1958		Columbia Hotel on left, looking north up Ossington Avenue from Queen Street West (Categorized under: Hotels ) 67 years ago - Thursday, October 23, 1958 - Trinity Bellwoods at 2 Ossington Ave at Queen Street West Max temp: 15.0°C - Min temp: 11.7°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
2007		Trinity Bellwoods gates from the south - unveiling of the 1903 restored gates (Categorized under: Ornamental gate ) 18 years ago - Monday, January 8, 2007 - Trinity Bellwoods at 790 Queen Street West top of Strachan Ave Max temp: °C - Min temp: °C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)