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
Name
Harvey Brownstone and Howard Levine
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
18 Oct. 2019
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Harvey Brownstone and Howard Levine
Number
OH 451
Subject
AIDS (Disease)
Homophobia
Judaism--Relations--Christianity
Same-sex marriage
Sexual minorities
Social movements
Synagogues
Interview Date
18 Oct. 2019
Interviewer
Michael Friesen
Total Running Time
1 hr. 18 min.
Notes
Associated material: Records of Chutzpah are located in the ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives.
General note: The OJA has a copy of Harvey Brownstone's article "I Now Pronounce You Wife and Wife," which was originally published in the fall 2014 edition of Reform Judaism Magazine. The article mentions Chutzpah and may be of interest to researchers.
Use Restrictions
See administrative notes.
Biography
Harvey Brownstone was born on 24 July 1956 in Paris, France and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. His father was a social worker who worked at the Hamilton Jewish Community Centre for thirty-five years and was director for twenty-one years (from 1967–1988). Brownstone obtained his LLB degree from Queen's University and was appointed a provincial judge with the Ontario Court of Justice in 1995. He was the first openly gay judge appointed in Canada. He resides in Toronto.
Howard Levine was born in Toronto on 29 June 1947. He earned his bachelor of arts (political science with urban planning) from the University of Waterloo and his master in environmental studies (urban planning and public transportation) from York University. From 1973 to 1975, he worked as a consultant with Peat, Marwick and Partners. From 1976 to 1982, he worked as an area and general planner with the City of Toronto's Planning and Development Department. From 1982 to 1988, he was sole proprietor of HJL Consulting. From 1988 to 1994, he served as councillor for Ward 14. After serving his second term as city councillor, Levine returned to HJL Consulting.
Material Format
moving images
Language
English
Name Access
Bolton, Elizabeth
Brownstone, Harvey, 1956-
Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish News
Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
Casey House (Toronto, Ont.)
Cecil Community Centre (Toronto, Ont.)
Church of the Holy Trinity (Toronto, Ont.)
Chutzpah (Toronto, Ont.)
Congregation B'nai Kehillah of Toronto
Eggleton, Art, 1943-
Farber, Bernie
Hamilton JCC
Hawkes, Brent, 1950-
Hudson, Rock, 1925-1985
Holy Blossom Temple (Toronto, Ont.)
Keshet Shalom (Toronto, Ont.)
Levine, Howard, 1947-
Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto
Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)
Robinson, Svend, 1952-
Royal Ontario Museum
Slater, Ruth
Temple Emanu-El (Toronto, Ont.)
World Congress of Gay & Lesbian Jewish Organizations
York University (Toronto, Ont.)
Geographic Access
Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Hamilton (Ont.)
Kingston (Ont.)
Toronto (Ont.)
Waterloo (Ont.)
Original Format
Digital file
Transcript
0:00.20 Harvey Brownstone and Howard Levine introduce themselves.
0:00:27 Harvey discusses what it was like coming of age as a gay Jewish man in Ontario. Harvey grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, where his father was the director of the Hamilton JCC. His mother had a French-imported ladies' wear store. After coming out to his parents in the 1970s, he moved to Kingston, Ontario, where he attended Queen's University.
0:03:13 Howard discusses how his experience was different. He was born and raised in downtown Toronto. His father died when he was a teenager; his mother got sick soon after. As a result, Harvey was largely on his own. He went off to Waterloo for university and then York for graduate school. It's around that time he came to terms with who he was.
0:05:05 Howard discusses a gay Jewish group, B'nai Kehillah, that existed before Chutzpah. It met at the Church of the Holy Trinity, an Anglican church in Toronto.
0:06:19 Harvey and Howard discuss what Chutzpah was, when it started, and how they became involved.
0:09:40 Harvey discusses a trip Chutzpah took to the Royal Ontario Museum, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were being exhibited. It was on this trip that Harvey "really met" Howard.
0:10:10 Harvey discusses how he and Howard came to the conclusion that Chutzpah could be more than "just a place to meet."
0:11:11 Harvey discusses the impact the AIDS epidemic had on Chutzpah's focus. Harvey explains that after American Actor Rock Hudson's death, AIDS was front page news in big cities like Toronto.
0:12:03 Harvey discusses the decision to have Friday night Oneg Shabbats in the late 1980s. Initially, these were held at the Cecil Community Centre on Cecil Street in Toronto. Howard used his position as city councillor to make this happen.
0:13:14 Harvey discusses why the Cecil Community Centre was not an ideal location for the group's services. Howard, therefore, approached the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre and got the group a room for Friday nights.
0:14:52 Harvey discusses Chutzpah’s decision to join the World Congress of Gay & Lesbian Jewish Organization (today, World Congress of GLBT Jews).
0:15:40 Harvey discusses the group's decision to attend a World Congress of Gay & Lesbian Jewish Organizations conference in Amsterdam.
0:17:40 Harvey relates an event hosted by the then mayor of Amsterdam, in which the mayor laid a wreath with a pink triangle to honour gay victims of the Holocaust. Harvey and Howard discuss being moved by this.
0:18:50 Harvey mentions some of the things that came out of the Amsterdam conference.
0:20:05 Harvey and Howard discuss Chutzpah's decision to host a conference in Toronto. The conference, which took place in 1990, was held at the Primrose Hotel.
0:23:16 Harvey and Howard discuss the decision to invite Svend Robinson, Canada's first openly-gay member of parliament, to speak at the conference.
0:23:38 Howard interjects to explain that he was never "out" while on city council. Despite this, he "did a number of things," including getting benefits for same-sex couples and proclaiming Pride Day in Toronto. Howard notes that Art Eggleton, Toronto's mayor at the time, was opposed to proclaiming Pride Day.
0:24:37 Harvey and Howard discuss the Toronto conference some more. Harvey discusses a group of five women cantors who performed at the banquet. The group included Elizabeth Bolton, a cantor at Temple Emanu-El, and Ruth Slater, a cantor at Temple Anshe Sholom.
0:26:50 Harvey and Howard discuss the lack of press coverage for the conference. An exception was the Canadian Jewish News.
0:28:30 Harvey and Howard discuss some of Chutzpah's other initiatives: having a booth at Pride, selling corned beef sandwiches to raise money, and selling rainbow yarmulkes. The group also marched in Pride with a banner.
0:28:56 Harvey discusses Chutzpah's support for Pflag (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). He notes that many gay Jews found the most traumatic part of coming out to be the issue of the parents.
0:29:48 Harvey and Howard discuss the mainstream Jewish community's response to the AIDS crisis. Howard says it was in denial. He also discusses his involvement with the Canadian Jewish Congress' Community Relations Committee and Bernie Farber inviting him to join the committee.
0:31:15 Howard discusses how things have changed. He says Chutzpah dissolved because it wasn't needed anymore.
0:32:55 Harvey expands on Howard's point that there was no more need for Chutzpah.
0:33:30 Harvey and Howard clarify Chutzpah's timeline: Harvey joined the group in the mid-1980s. It lasted until the mid-1990s. At that point, it transformed into Keshet Shalom. That group became defunct in the early 2000s. That's when Howard donated his records to the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (now the ArQuives).
0:34:14 Harvey and Howard discuss how they never agreed that Chutzpah should have become Keshet Shalom (a congregation). They discuss their reasons for not wanting to be a congregation.
0:35:43 Harvey and Howard discuss how many members Chutzpah had at its peak.
0:36:11 Harvey and Howard discuss Chutzpah's relationship with the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto and Brent Hawkes, one of the church's pastors. They also discuss an unnamed member of the church, a reverend, who identified as both Jewish and Christian and who attended several of Chutzpah's Friday night services.
0:39:28 Harvey and Howard discuss the lack of antisemitism they encountered in non-Jewish gay and lesbian communities.
0:40:28 Harvey and Howard discuss the presence (or lack thereof) of Chutzpah ads in the Jewish press. They note that the Canadian Jewish News did cover the Toronto conference.
0:41:59 Harvey and Howard discuss issues facing the Jewish LGBT community in 2019. Harvey mentions the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) community as one area of concern. He also discusses elevated rates of suicide among gay youth.
0:45:56 Howard discusses the isolation of gay and lesbian Hasids.
0:46:22 Howard discusses the viewpoint of Toronto's established Jewish community today.
0:47:34 Harvey and Howard share their final thoughts.
Source
Oral Histories
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
Morris Norman collection
Level
File
ID
Fonds 22; File 15
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Morris Norman collection
Level
File
Fonds
22
File
15
Material Format
textual record
Date
1932
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Brown fonds
Jewish community building plans and drawings series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 49; Series 1; File 9
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Brown fonds
Jewish community building plans and drawings series
Level
File
Fonds
49
Series
1
File
9
Material Format
architectural drawing
Date
[ca.1921]
Physical Description
1 architectural drawing : pencil and hand col. pencil crayon on cardboard ; 42 x 54 cm
Admin History/Bio
Originally named the Cosmopolitan Club, the Primrose Club was as an elite Jewish men's club (women were allowed to join in later years) that was founded in 1909 by prominent members of the Jewish Community. The building housing the club was located at 41 Willcocks Street, and was originally built in the 1880s as the residence of the Campbell family. In 1921, the home was redesigned by Benjamin Brown and Robert McConnell as the new home of the Primrose Club. In 1959, it was appropriated by the University of Toronto and is currently the home of the University of Toronto Faculty Club. It was designated as a heritage building in 1980.
Scope and Content
File consists of an elevation drawing of the Primrose Club at 41 Willcocks Street.
Notes
See - http://magazine.utoronto.ca/feature/history-of-faculty-club-u-of-t/ - for a more detailed history of the building.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Clubs
Places
Willcocks Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Dora Till fonds
Other organizations series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 52; Series 7; Item 1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Dora Till fonds
Other organizations series
Level
Item
Fonds
52
Series
7
Item
1
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[194-]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 12 x 18 cm on matte 21 x 26 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of the exterior of the Primrose Club on Willcocks Street in Toronto.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Clubs
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Places
Willcocks Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Dora Till fonds
Personal series
Personal awards and tributes sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 52; Series 8-1; File 9
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Dora Till fonds
Personal series
Personal awards and tributes sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
52
Series
8-1
File
9
Material Format
textual record
Date
1980-1981
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 67; Series 27; File 459
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
Fonds
67
Series
27
File
459
Material Format
graphic material
Date
20 Nov. 1979
Physical Description
6 photographs : b&w (5 negatives) ; 21 x 26 cm and 28 x 28 mm
Scope and Content
File consists of one photograph and five negatives of a UJA meeting at the Primrose Club. In some of the negatives, men may be holding pledge cards.
Notes
Photos by Graphic Artists Photographers, Toronto.
Availability of other formats: Also available as digital images.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 67; Series 27; File 555
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
Fonds
67
Series
27
File
555
Material Format
graphic material
Date
22 Sept. 1981
Physical Description
5 photographs : b&w (4 negatives) ; 21 x 26 cm and 28 x 28 mm
Scope and Content
File consists of four negatives and one photograph of the Food and Services Division at the Primrose Club. Identified on the back of the photo are Aaron Bitman, Don Rich, Hersh Taylor, and Larry Crystal.
Notes
Photos by Graphic Artists Photographers, Toronto.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Clubs
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 67; Series 27; File 576
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
Fonds
67
Series
27
File
576
Material Format
graphic material
Date
7 Dec. 1981
Physical Description
4 photographs : b&w (4 negatives) ; 28 x 28 mm
Scope and Content
File consists of four negatives of men at the Primrose Club. Identified in the negatives are Issy Sharp and Mark Gryfe, and (possibly) Allan Offman.
Notes
Photos by Graphic Artists Photographers, Toronto.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Clubs
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4200
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4200
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1930
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 25 x 55 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a panoramic photograph of children at the Primrose Club in Toronto at 41 Willcocks Street. Identified individuals include: Herbert Epstein, Bert Rosenberg, Boris Adelberg, Ruthetta Kaplan Reiss, Joseph Kronick, Cliff Solway, Gil Shully, Joel Freisman, Sheldon Kert, Selma Vise Lichtman, Martin Factor, Sid Schipper, Ken Rotenberg, Earl Rotenberg, Mandel Sprachman, Ira Pollock.
Notes
Please see accession record for locations of cited individuals.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Children
Parties
Portraits, Group
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Creator
The Panoramic Camera Company
Places
Willcocks Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1987-9-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1646
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1646
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1921]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
This print is a reproduction of an architectural drawing of the Primrose Club in Toronto.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Architecture
Clubs
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Related Material
See fonds 49, series 1, file 9 for the original drawing.
Places
Willcocks Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 67; Series 27; File 65
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
Fonds
67
Series
27
File
65
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1973
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Scope and Content
File consists of two photographs from a Women's Division campaign meeting at the Primrose Club. The first photo depicts the Division listening to a speaker; the second photo depicts the speaker, Murray Koffler, at the podium addressing the group.
Notes
Photos by Graphic Artists Photographers, Toronto.
Availability of other formats: Also available as digital images.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission series
Official engagements sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 51; Series 5-3; File 14
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission series
Official engagements sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
51
Series
5-3
File
14
Material Format
graphic material
Date
May 1984
Physical Description
1 photograph : col. ; 13 x 10 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 meeting with a group of Police Chiefs. Identified in the photograph are (left to right): James Mackie, Harold Adamson, Jack Ackroyd, Jack Marks, Phil Givens.
Name Access
Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Police
Places
Russell Hill Road (Toronto, Ont.)
Saint Clair Avenue West (Toronto, Ont.)
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