R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant

Started in 1932 and operational on November 1st, 1941, the Art Deco water treatment plant, also known as The Palace of Purification, continues to supply water to Toronto. Located at 2701 Queen St. E. at the foot of Victoria Park Ave, the area was a waterfront amusement park, called Victoria Park, from 1878 to 1906. Then in 1906 to 1932 the site was used as the Victoria Park Forest School (there are some photos from 1913 of the school on the Fallingbrook neighbourhood page.

But as Toronto continued to grow in the 1920's and 1930's it was clear a new, modern water filtration plant was required. The focus on architectural design led to a public works building that has captured the imagination of Toronto. For a fictional account of the people who built the plant, see Michael Ondaatje's book In the Skin of a Lion . The buildings have also appeared as various fictional jails in movies over the years.

 
 

List of all subjects. You can also see all the historic photos for a given neighbourhood. We also have a list of all the photos arranged by date.

And you can also go up a level to see the other photos we've put under the category of Other_Historic_Toronto_Buildings photos.

1930		Service Building - south elevation - blueprints - R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant 94 years ago - Fallingbrook - 1930 Link to archive record - Map location
1930		Filtration Building - south elevation - blueprints - R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant 94 years ago - Fallingbrook - 1930 Link to archive record - Map location
1933		Building the foundations for the west wing retaining wall of the R.C. Harris Plant 91 years ago - Fallingbrook - Monday, May 15, 1933 Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1935		R.C. Harris Water Filtration Plant from the south-west 89 years ago - Fallingbrook - Monday, April 1, 1935 Max temp: 3.9°C - Min temp: 0.6°C - 0.8cm of snowfall (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1935		Guniting complete, curve Suction Header No. 1 (a big pipe) in the R.C. Harris Plant along Lake Ontario 89 years ago - Fallingbrook - Thursday, November 28, 1935 Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1935		Looking west across the excavation by the Lake in front of the R.C. Harris Plant 89 years ago - Fallingbrook - Monday, April 1, 1935 Max temp: 3.9°C - Min temp: 0.6°C - 0.8cm of snowfall (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1936		Twenty ton crane and steel roof frame during construction of the R.C. Harris Plant 88 years ago - Fallingbrook - Thursday, March 26, 1936 Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1952		R.C. Harris Purification Plant, east side - lawn, steps, towers 72 years ago - Fallingbrook - Friday, September 26, 1952 Max temp: 16.7°C - Min temp: 10.6°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1952		Tower at east side of the R.C. Harris Purification Plant 72 years ago - Fallingbrook - Friday, September 26, 1952 Max temp: 16.7°C - Min temp: 10.6°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1985		Art Deco entrance to the R.C. Harris Plant along Lake Ontario 39 years ago - Fallingbrook - 1985 Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1986		Aerial view of the R.C. Harris Plant along Lake Ontario 38 years ago - Fallingbrook - 1986 Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
2011		Filtration room, R.C. Harris water treatment plant at 2701 Queen St. E. at the foot of Victoria Park Ave 13 years ago - Fallingbrook - Wednesday, May 11, 2011 Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
2015		Complete north facade of the Filter Building at the R.C. Harris Plant 9 years ago - Fallingbrook - Monday, July 6, 2015 Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
2016		Interior - filter operating galleries in the Filter Building R.C. Harris Plant along Lake Ontario 8 years ago - Fallingbrook - Sunday, May 29, 2016 Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)