INN HISTORY: AN EXEMPLAR OF TORONTO'S HISTORIC BUILDINGS

HERITAGE MOMENTS

BY: CONNOR KURTZ

Often as cities grow and change over time, they leave remnants of their past scattered about their urban landscape.  Unlike a museum, where exhibits often guide and shape a visitor's experience, within an urban landscape the location of these remnants sometimes may seem to stand out in stark relief against their surroundings.  Here in Toronto we possess more than our fair share of this type of history and it may be most clearly seen through the city's collection of historic buildings.  One in particular in Toronto that stands in testament to this type of heritage is Montgomery's Inn. 

The Inn was constructed around 1830 in Etobicoke by Thomas Montgomery.  It first served the community of Etobicoke as a local gathering place and as a place of rest for people travelling along Dundas Street to Toronto (Source).  Thomas Montgomery stopped running the Inn when his wife died in the 1850s.  In the 1940s the Inn became home of the local Presbyterian church who made several modifications to the houses interior structure (Source).   

Montgomery's Inn going west on Dundas Street. (Source)

It was only when the Inn was sold by the church and slated for demolition by it's new owner that a local historical group, the Etobicoke Historical Society, stepped forward to save the building.  They were able to convince the owner , Louis Mayzell, to sell them the building.  It was through their and Mayzell's efforts that the society was able to fully purchase the building in the late 1960s.  Later it was purchased by the town from the society and became the local museum in 1975 (Source). 

Part of what fascinates me about the Inn is not its excellently restored interior, or it’s particular history, but rather what it stands for.  While cities grow and change overtime, these remnants of their past and heritage have often been torn down to make way for progress and change.  This is an unfortunate and unalterable fact that happens in due course over time.

Montgomery’s Inn is different in that, unlike others, it has survived.  While in other places a plaque may mark a buildings location, it acts only as a memorial for the original structure that stood on the site.  Montgomery's Inn was able to survive because a group of local citizens rallied around it and were willing to invest their passion and dedication to preserve a piece of their local heritage. 

The City of Toronto and the museum's volunteers have done an admirable job in continuing their work and making the museum a place of active civic engagement and community activity, hosting events such as tea times, art exhibitions and farmers markets (Source).  In the end though these efforts at preservation were often begun by citizens that were part of groups like these.  They laboured to ensure a part of their local heritage remain part of their city's landscape and for that alone their efforts should always be remembered.

THE LANDSCAPE OF THE HEART

HERITAGE MOMENTS

BY: CONNOR KURTZ

While here in Toronto we have the beautiful Niagara Peninsula close by to admire and tour throughout the colourful fall, out beyond Kingston at the other end of Lake Ontario there are the Thousand Islands. It is wonderful to take a cruise among these in the autumn, especially on the way to Heart Island and Boldt Castle.

 View of the Boldt Castle from the water. Heart Island, NY. Photo: Connor Kurtz,2015

Last year I went on a sailing tour of the Thousand Islands, with a special stop at Heart Island. While there are many such grand houses among the Islands, there is special quality to the Boldt estate and the family that build it which makes it one of the iconic landmarks of the islands.

Boldt Castle was constructed by George Boldt during the early 20th century who, as it is stated, built the castle for his wife as a gesture of love. However, when she died, he abruptly ended the construction of the mansion and grounds and it was abandoned for decades. In 1977 the estate was purchased by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority and its restoration began. 

While I toured around all of the estate grounds and the Castle, the best view I had of the estate was on our vessel’s approach and departure. One of the iconic pieces of the estate grounds which may be best seen from the water is the castle’s Entry Arch. The Harts on top of the miniature triumphal arch are reminiscent of Heart Island’s original name as Hart Island.

The Entry Arch of Boldt Castle. Heart island, NY. Photo: Connor Kurtz, 2015

After disembarking, I began my exploration of the estate’s grounds and outbuildings. One of the most fascinating aspects of Boldt Castle is that, since it was never constructed and inhabited, the Castle and estate existed in a half-life until its restoration began. Even then, much of the estate’s restoration may be seen as the resumption of the Castles construction that was abandoned so long ago.

In my opinion, this leaves the estate grounds as one of the most interesting interpretative spaces on the island as it was one of the first spaces on the Island to be affected by Boldt when he refashioned the island’s shoreline to make it resemble a heart.

Through the interaction between island’s landscape and its buildings it is possible to see Boldt’s onetime plan for the island the most clearly. They are all connected by long rambling paths that encircle and enfold the island allowing a visitor to the estate to have free range over much of the grounds and receive an immersive experience in the islands heritage.

The interplay between the landscapes and buildings of heritage spaces is quite interesting and, when considering this, two outbuildings on Heart Island stand out in particular. One is the Castle’s Power House. While it no longer provides power to the estate, the power house stands at one end of the island as a miniature counterpart to the main castle.

The Boldt Castle Powerhouse. Heart Island, NY. Photo: Connor Kurtz, 2015

Across the island near the Entry Arch is another fascinating building, the Alster Tower. It was constructed by Boldt to be a place of entertainment for his family and guests. Standing at the other end of the island from the Powerhouse, it presents an interesting contrast to the Power House as each, in a sense, guarding the heart that Boldt was constructing.

The Alster Tower, Heart Island, NY. Photo: Connor Kurtz, 2015

While the interior of Boldt Castle is quite spectacular, the grounds and outbuildings present one of the most interesting features of the entire estate. Boldt Castle represents the vision of a person that was never completed, a home that was never lived in. In many ways, its landscape was the most complete part of that vision realized. The outbuildings especially show the depth of the vision Boldt put into it. Although its restoration is ongoing, Boldt Castle demonstrates how past unrealized dreams may be rebuilt and restored.