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Heritage Building |
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The Institute's building is an historic Toronto landmark. Except for Osgoode Hall (the Supreme Court of Ontario), it is the oldest building on University Avenue – Toronto's grand avenue – and one of only three or four that are over fifty years old.
This was not the first building to house the Institute. First located in rented rooms on King Street West and, five years later, in a rented three-story house on Queen Street Avenue (now called University Avenue), it moved to its present location in 1906 when a house on Simcoe Street – on a lot that ran all the way back to University Avenue – was purchased. The City of Toronto made a significant grant in support of the library and the museum, and there were contributions to the costs from numbers of businessmen, banks and commercial organizations. |
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After an adjoining property was acquired, a second cornerstone, on the south side of the building, was laid in a large public ceremony on May 18, 1912, by the Governor-General, Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught. His Royal Highness was received by a guard of honour composed of an officer and a squad of men from every corps in the city, with the band of the Governor General's Body Guard and the bugle band of the Queen's Own Rifles. The new building was completed and occupied in 1913. |
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While the rear of the building would be extended and remodelled, the façade on University Avenue is substantially unchanged. During this period, University Avenue has changed from a dirt road with broad treed boulevards controlled by the Trustees of the University of Toronto into the City of Toronto’s grand avenue. |
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Our building serves as both a home for collections and as a venue for conferences, speaker events and seminars. At the same time, it also provides member services ranging from overnight accommodation to dinner, meeting and recreational events. |
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The décor and ambience of the building attracts and delights many people. The Library is not just a functional place for students it is also a place for quiet and reflection. Our meeting rooms carry a sense of history, of dynamism and purpose. |
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All content © 2006. The Royal Canadian Military Institute.
426 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1S9. Tel: 416-597-0286. Fax: 416-597-6919. |
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