Accession Number
2009-6-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2009-6-1
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
1 photograph: b&w ; 25 x 20 cm
Date
1923, 1932, 1960
Scope and Content
Accession consists of the naturalization certificate of Harold Kaplan, a souvenir program from his stag party, and an original photograph of New Year's Eve 1959–1960 at the Primrose Club.
Administrative History
Harold Solomon Kaplan (1895–1973) was a Toronto-based architect who, in partnership with Abraham Sprachman in the firm Kaplan & Sprachman, was well-known for the design of art deco and art moderne movie theatres in the 1930s and 1940s and for designing buildings for Jewish communities across Canada from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Descriptive Notes
Photograph #6561 is a copy of this original.
Related records may be found in the Harold S. Kaplan fonds 27.
Name Access
Kaplan, Harold, 1895-1973
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Events and organizations series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 18; Series 3; File 9
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Events and organizations series
Level
File
Fonds
18
Series
3
File
9
Material Format
graphic material
Date
20 June 1963
Physical Description
3 negatives : b&w ; 10 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
File consists of images taken at a meeting of the Canada Israel Development Corporation at the Primrose Club. The images depict several men seated at a table, speaking into a microphone, including Mark Levy.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Meetings
Speeches, addresses, etc
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Events and organizations series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 18; Series 3; File 48
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Events and organizations series
Level
File
Fonds
18
Series
3
File
48
Material Format
graphic material
Date
21 May 1963
Physical Description
2 negatives : b&w ; 10 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
File consists of two images taken at a State of Israel Bonds meeting at the Primrose Club. The images depict several people seated at a meeting table, as well as a group photograph of three individuals holding State of Israel Bonds certificates.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
State of Israel Bonds Organization
Subjects
Meetings
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Events and organizations series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 18; Series 3; File 50
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Events and organizations series
Level
File
Fonds
18
Series
3
File
50
Material Format
graphic material
Date
21 Jun. 1966
Physical Description
3 negatives : b&w ; 10 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
File consists of images taken at a State of Israel Bonds meeting held at the Primrose Club. The images depict speakers at the podium, and an image of the head table. The banner behind the head table reads: celebrate the year of Chai - buy Israel bonds.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Events and organizations series
Zionist Organization of Canada sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 18; Series 3-5; File 16
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Events and organizations series
Zionist Organization of Canada sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
18
Series
3-5
File
16
Material Format
graphic material
Date
8 Dec. 1965
Physical Description
3 negatives : b&w ; 10 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
File consists of images taken at a Zionist Organization of Canada, Central Region meeting held at the Primrose Club. The guest speaker was Leon Dultzin, executive member of the World Zionist Organization. The images depict members of ZOC sitting and standing with Leon Dultzin.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Jewish communal series
State of Israel Bonds sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 51; Series 9-6; File 1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Jewish communal series
State of Israel Bonds sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
51
Series
9-6
File
1
Material Format
graphic material
Date
13 Sept. 1964
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w : 20 x 25 cm
Admin History/Bio
The Primrose Club was founded in Toronto in 1907 as the Cosmopolitan Club, an elite Jewish men's social club. In 1959, the club's building at 41 Willcocks Street was expropriated by the University of Toronto (and currently houses the university's Faculty Club), and the club subsequently moved to a new building at Russell Road & St. Clair, designed by Kaplan & Sprachman. It has since been demolished and a condominium has been put up in its place by Ken Rotenberg, a Toronto developer.
Scope and Content
File consists of one photograph of Phil Givens attending a luncheon at the Primrose Club. Identified in the photograph are (left to right): John Bassett, Phil Givens, and George Hees.
Notes
Photograph is by Willy Lobel
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Jewish communal series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 51; Series 9; File 4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Jewish communal series
Level
File
Fonds
51
Series
9
File
4
Material Format
graphic material
Date
27 Nov. 1965
Physical Description
1 photograph : col. ; 9 x 12 cm
Admin History/Bio
The Primrose Club was founded in Toronto in 1907 as the Cosmopolitan Club, an elite Jewish men's social club. In 1959, the club's building at 41 Willcocks Street was expropriated by the University of Toronto (and currently houses the university's Faculty Club), and the club subsequently moved to a new building at Russell Road & St. Clair, designed by Kaplan & Sprachman. It has since been demolished and a condominium has been put up in its place by Ken Rotenberg, a Toronto developer.
Scope and Content
File consists of one photograph of Phil and Min Givens attending an event at the Primrose Club.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Physical Condition
Photograph has many stress and crease marks
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 27
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
27
Material Format
multiple media
Date
[ca.1910]-1968
Physical Description
345 architectural drawings and other material
Admin History/Bio
Harold Solomon Kaplan (1895-1973) was a Toronto-based architect who, in partnership with Abraham Sprachman in the firm Kaplan & Sprachman, was well-known for the design of Art deco and Art moderne movie theatres in the 1930s and 1940s and for designing buildings for Jewish communities across Canada from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Kaplan was born 10 Sept. 1895, in Bucharest, Romania. At the age of three, he and his widowed mother, Tillie Hohan, moved to London, England, and in 1902 they moved to Toronto where his mother subsequently married Frank Kaplan. While in his teens, Kaplan spent time in Philadelphia living with an uncle and studying draftsmanship. Upon returning to Toronto, Kaplan attended Toronto Technical School where he took courses in architecture and building construction. He also served an apprenticeship with the architect Henry Simpson. In 1919-1920, Kaplan worked for the firm of Page & Warrington, before establishing Kaplan & Sprachman with Abraham Sprachman in 1922. In 1923, he married Dorothy Spain. They had two daughters, Phyllis (Pepper) and Ruthetta (Reiss).
Kaplan & Sprachman were best known for their more than 300 movie theatre projects completed from the 1920s to the 1960s, designing and renovating theatres across Canada in progressive "modern" styles and using innovative building materials. In 1937, they were awarded the bronze medal in the Sixth Biennial Toronto Exhibition for their interiors to the Eglinton Theatre (400 Eglinton Ave. W.) in Toronto, considered to be the finest example of their Art deco design work.
Over the course of their careers, they designed many synagogues for the Jewish community, such as the Anshei Minsk and Shaarei Shomayim synagogues in Toronto, Beth Israel Synagogue, Edmonton, and Beth Israel Synagogue in Vancouver. They also designed the new Mount Sinai Hospital, the Oakdale Golf & Country Club, the Jewish Home for the Aged (Baycrest), and the Jewish Community Centres of Toronto and Hamilton. Their design for the Oakdale Golf & Country Club was chosen as a Canadian entrant in the Arts Competition of the 14th Olympic Games in London, 1948.
In addition to the projects already mentioned, Kaplan & Sprachman worked on retail stores, warehouses and factories, apartment buildings, and single family residences. Their partnership continued until 1965, when the firm of Kaplan & Sprachman was dissolved as of 30 October 1965. Kaplan continued to work as an architectural consultant for several years after this date. Harold Kaplan died 1 April 1973 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Kaplan was a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Ontario Association of Architects, and the Province of Quebec Association of Architects. Kaplan & Sprachman's contribution to the architecture profession was recognized by the Ontario Association of Architects when both Kaplan's and Abraham Sprachman's names were entered on the Honor Roll for prominent members of the profession, established by the association in 1989.
Scope and Content
The fonds documents Kaplan's work as an architect from the 1930s to the 1960s with Kaplan & Sprachman and some of the consulting work he undertook after the dissolution of the partnership in 1965, primarily through architectural drawings and photographs. The preponderance of the materials relates to a series of renovations of Loew's Yonge Street Theatre (189 Yonge St., Toronto, now the Elgin Theatre) and the Uptown Theatre (764 Yonge St., Toronto, just South of Bloor St.) between the 1930s and 1960s, and Kaplan & Sprachman's design of the Primrose Club (Russell Hill Rd at St. Clair Ave., Toronto) in 1958-1959. There is also a large number of photographs by commercial photographers of movie theatres designed or renovated by Kaplan & Sprachman.
Project records are arranged chronologically, with sub-sub-series defined for successive projects at the same site. Some of the materials document project proposals which were not carried out (e.g., proposed renovations of the Winter Garden Theatre).
Other series in the fonds contain business correspondence and newspaper clippings concerning Kaplan & Sprachman projects, and a small amount of personal material such as family photographs, awards Kaplan received over the years for his design work and a colour photocopy of the invitation to Kaplan's stag party in 1923.
Notes
Includes: 132 photographs (131 b&w, including 8 negatives; 1 col.), 8 cm of textual records, and 1 bronze medal.
Name Access
Kaplan, Harold S., 1895-1973
Kaplan & Sprachman (Firm)
Loew's Yonge Street Theatre (Toronto, Ont.)
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Uptown Theatre (Toronto, Ont.)
Winter Garden Theatre (Toronto, Ont.)
Physical Condition
Some of the blueprints and drawings are torn or water-damaged. All of the architectural drawings are currently stored in rolls.
Related Material
Accession 2003-7-1 contains additional photographs of buildings designed or renovated by Kaplan & Sprachman, as well as a copy of a published inventory of Kaplan & Sprachman movie theatre projects, compiled by Mandel Sprachman from Kaplan & Sprachman records
Mina Sprachman, widow of Abraham Sprachman, discusses Kaplan & Sprachman in oral history recording AC-142
Kaplan & Sprachman records can also be found in the Mandel Sprachman fonds, at the City of Toronto Archives
Creator
Kaplan, Harold S., 1895-1973
Accession Number
2003-6-1
2004-3-4
Source
Archival Descriptions