Where Lake Ontario Once Met the Land
Walk down Church Street just south of Front Street East, and you’ll find a quiet niche in the side of The Berczy condominium. Tucked inside is Shoreline Commemorative, a public artwork by Toronto artist and architect Paul Raff. It marks Toronto’s original shoreline, where the waves of Lake Ontario once met the land. Everything you see to the south, all the way to the water, was once open lake.
How Did Toronto Build Its Way Into the Lake?
A Sculpture That Follows the Old Shore
Raff’s piece sits right on the arc of the former shoreline. A sculpted limestone landform traces the contours of the original lakeside, and at its centre a glowing glass orb rests on a bronze tripod, a nod to both the horizon line and the survey instruments that mapped the modern city. Text on the brick wall tells passersby that this was the meeting point of land and water. Concert Properties commissioned the work, and it was unveiled in 2014.
Front Street Was the Waterfront
Front Street got its name honestly. Waterfront Toronto notes that the original edge of the lake roughly followed today’s Front Street. Starting in the 1850s, the city began filling in the harbour to make room for wharves, railways and roads, and that work carried on for about a century. In all, the shoreline moved almost 1 kilometre south.
The Harbour Commissioners’ Big Plan
The Toronto Harbour Commissioners were created in 1911 and released their Waterfront Plan in 1912. It shaped much of the waterfront work over the following decades, with new dock walls, a raised rail corridor and huge amounts of dredged fill. Much of the newer land came straight from the bottom of the lake and the harbour.
Familiar Landmarks on Former Lake
Plenty of downtown favourites stand south of the old shoreline. Union Station, Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre, the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre all sit on land that was created over the decades. Spots like St. Lawrence Market and the Fairmont Royal York are much closer to the original shore.
Your Turn: Have You Spotted the Shoreline?
Have you walked past Shoreline Commemorative on Church Street? Next time you’re heading to the market or Berczy Park, stop by and picture the lake lapping at your feet. Tell us in the comments which Toronto history story you’d like us to explore next. Watch to the end of the reel for our giveaway, too.
Watch the reel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DebmSQ9OomE/