Toronto Archives

@torontoarchives.cityof.toronto.ca

We maintain & make accessible records of enduring value that give evidence of decisions, policies & activities of the City of Toronto. www.toronto.ca/archives

The Palace Pier once stood on the west side of the Humber River mouth. First opening as a roller rink in 1941, it was also known as the Queensway Ballroom and the Humber Pier Ballroom, hosting dances, orchestras, fundraisers, and rallies for two decades before it was destroyed by a fire in 1963.

Colour illustration on a postcard showing a long building on a pier extending over Toronto's waterfront, with a curved arched entrance and triangular roof. Text: "Palace Pier, Toronto, Canada". Fonds 534, File 65. Three woman wearing gowns and long evening gloves, pose together leaning on a round table. Fonds 1653, Series 975, File 519.Interior of a ballroom with people gathered at tables around the perimeter of a dance floor and groups of people standing in the centre of the room.  Fonds 200, Series 2791, File 374.Aerial photograph of a section of the Toronto waterfront in 1956. Details show the mouth of the Humber River, with two roads spanning the water, and a long building on a pier extending into the water. Fonds 220, Series 12, File 1956, Item 184.

Have you ever wondered what happens when you request records at the Archives? Here's a look behind the scenes in the Records Centre — when you request to view material in Research Hall, records are retrieved from a climate-controlled space storing over 130,000 boxes. Those shelves are 40ft tall!

On World Chess Day, we're spotlighting the former chess enclave at Yonge and Gould, by the Sam the Record Man. This busy outdoor spot, also known as Hacksel Place after local avid chess player Alfred Hacksel, was captured remarkably by photographer Avard Woolaver in the early 1980s.

Groups of people gathered on a sunny day around outdoor concrete chess tables on the sidewalk. Behind them are visible storefronts on Yonge, Charley's, Fran's restaurant, and Funland arcade. Photograph taken in the 1980s. Fonds 200, Series 1465, File 19, Item 67.Two tables of men sitting at outdoor concrete chess tables on the sidewalk, looking intensely at the boards. Photograph by Avard Woolaver, 1982, Fonds 620, Item 132.Toronto speed chess legend Joe Smolij holds court at an outdoor chess table on the sidewalk. He has a long grey beard and is wearing a wool hat. He holds a timer, as he famously challenged people to beat him at the game. Fonds 620, Item 843.View facing a crowd who are standing close together and looking down at people playing  chess at outdoor tables on the sidewalk. The storefront for Music World is in the background. Photograph by Avard Woolaver, 1982, Fonds 620, Item 714.

It's always interesting what people considered notable about a city in the past. This west-facing view of the interchange between Highway 401 and Dufferin Street was sold on postcards circa the late 1960s. From the Larry Becker Collection.

A broad expressway with express and collector lanes forms a complicated knot of ramps and bridges where it passes under another major road. At the top left, you can see the Yorkdale Shopping Centre surrounded by parking lots. Photo by George Hunter. Larry Becker Collection, Series 330, File 16, Item 1.