May 2025

EVENTS

Doors Open Toronto

FREE

Location: Toronto-Dominion Centre (66 Wellington Street West)

Saturday, May 24 | 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Sunday, May 25 | 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Explore the 54th floor at the Toronto-Dominion Centre, the city's first high-rise Modern office tower, on these 30 minute tours offered during the Doors Open weekend. Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the building set a standard for urban development in the city, and today is home to some of Canada's best preserved 1960s corporate interiors.

North York Recipes for Healing: Leftover Ingredients

FREE - Registration encouraged

Location: North York Central Library (5120 Yonge Street)

Tuesday, May 6 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Celebrate Asian Heritage Month with a workshop inspired by the meaning of leftover food in Chinese culture—where surplus (余, Yu) symbolizes abundance and good fortune. 

Use discarded materials from everyday life—from old newspapers, magazines, and gift wrappers to fabrics, plastics, dried leaves, and flowers—to create a collage that tells your own story about leftovers.

EXPLORE

Oral History in the Digital Age

How can we document a community's heritage and the lived experiences of community members? For the answer, this new online article examines some of our recent digital projects, funded under the Equity Heritage Initiative, and the role of oral history as a valuable tool to share personal stories and cultural knowledge.

Play the City: Free the Wheel

Rethink what you know of Toronto’s roller sports history. Roller sports are more than just pastimes; they are acts of resilience against racial inequality, gender norms, and homophobia throughout the city’s history, highlighting persistence, joy, and community spirit.

Roll through this digital experience and immerse yourself in community stories and audio interviews with prominent figures and groups on the Toronto roller sports scene.

HERITAGE TORONTO AWARDS

Nominations now open

DEADLINE: Sunday, July 13 | 11:59 PM

In 2025, we'll celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Heritage Toronto Awards. Join us in highlighting the remarkable contributions of individuals and organizations to our city's heritage by submitting outstanding projects in one of three categories: Book, Built Heritage, and Public History.

STATE OF HERITAGE

Vibrant Neighbourhoods

The new report, State of Heritage 2025: From Community Voices to Action, calls on the heritage sector, local groups, and community organizations to prioritize work that builds the cultural identity of Toronto's neighbourhoods.

An example highlighted is that of Blackhurst—the area around Bloor and Bathurst—a hub for Black Torontonians for over 70 years. Many crucial Black businesses have disappeared from the neighbourhood over time. The Blackhurst Cultural Centre (BCC) is determined to safeguard the community’s character.

Its current expansion recognizes the importance of maintaining cultural vitality amidst a changing city landscape. Focused on gathering spaces for community programming, the centre will move into a larger space in 2025, which includes a drumming studio and a workspace for artists-in-residence. The BCC has also partnered with a housing developer to guarantee affordable units for low-income Black tenants in the soon-to-be-finished Mirvish Village residential tower.

For more on its five key themes, six case studies, and 15 recommendations, read the full report and watch the complementary video Community Voices on Toronto’s Heritage.

JOIN

We're hiring!

Join our team as the new Manager, Development and help grow our programs by building relationships with donors, sponsors, and foundations. The deadline to apply for this full-time permanent position is May 15.

If you have experience entering and validating databases or Collections Management Systems, we're looking for a Plaque Data Coordinator. Your work will be a first step towards creating an online searchable map of all our plaques across the city. Apply by May 23 for this a one-month remote contract position.

Build your career with us as our Programs Assistant. You'll grow your skills and gain experience in event and program coordination and delivery. The deadline to apply for this summer contract position is May 7.

Image Credits

Thompson Room, 54th Floor, TD Bank Tower, Doors Open tour, May 25, 2023

Participants at the Full Moon Festival, October 1, 2023. Image by Oscar Akamine.

Oral history session at the Likkle Heritage Treasure Hunt, June 3, 2023. Image by Oscar Akamine.

A flat roller skate and a high-heel roller skate, circa 1939. Courtesy of City of Toronto Archives.

Heritage Toronto Awards Ceremony, The Carlu, October 28, 2024. Image by Herman Custodio.

Rendering of Blackhurst, Cultural Centre, 756 Bathurst Street. Source: Ten-2-Four Architecture Inc. Rendering by Norm Li.

Liza Chalaidopolous, Chair of the Board of Directors (second from the right), with staff (L-R) Roshni Nayar, Selma Elkhazin, and Skye Sommerhalder, St. James Park, October 3, 2024.