Accession Number
1979-9-16
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1979-9-16
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1975
Scope and Content
Accession consists of textual records relating to a "Teach-In on Israel" held at the university on 22 January 1975. There is also an announcement of a meeting of the Revolutionary Marxist Group at York.
MG_RG
MG2 P1d
Subjects
Education
Children
Politics and government
Name Access
Jewish Student Federation (York University)
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Sadie Stren fonds
Photographs file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 78; File 3; Item 40
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sadie Stren fonds
Photographs file
Level
Item
Fonds
78
File
3
Item
40
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1914]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 21 x 26 cm and 12 x 10 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy print and corresponding negative of Michael and Zelda Sborovsky (Sky) homestead on St. George's Road in Brantford, Ontario. Their son Harry is also pictured (standing).
Subjects
Dwellings
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
Brantford (Ont.)
Accession Number
78-11-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 2314
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
2314
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1922
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 7 x 18 cm and 12 x 10 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy print and corresponding negative of the Siegel house in Cochrane, Ontario. The house is one of several pictured on the edge of a lake, and is indicated by an arrow drawn on the print.
Name Access
Siegel family
Subjects
Dwellings
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
Cochrane (Ont.)
Accession Number
1980-3-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1125
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1125
Material Format
graphic material
Date
July 1946
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 13 x 18 cm and 10 x 12 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy print and corresponding negative of the house at 63 Water Street in Galt, Ontario (now Cambridge), which was purchased from the Canadian Bank of Commerce for use by the community synagogue.
Subjects
Dwellings
Synagogues
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
Galt (Cambridge, Ont.)
Accession Number
1976-6-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[193-]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 13 x 18 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy print of the exterior of Isaac Cohen's house, located at 165 University Avenue in Kingston, Ontario. Two women in white dresses are standing on the front lawn.
Name Access
Cohen, Isaac
Subjects
Architecture
Dwellings
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
Kingston (Ont.)
Accession Number
1986-3-5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3363
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3363
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1940]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w ; 13 x 11 cm and 10 x 12 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy print and corresponding negative of Joey Magder in cadet uniform, standing in front of the Moses house at 175 Spruce Street in Sudbury, Ontario.
Subjects
Dwellings
Military cadets
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
Sudbury (Ont.)
Accession Number
1982-10-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3369
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3369
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1943]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 13 x 11 cm and 10 x 12 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy print and corresponding negative of the Moses family home at 175 Spruce Street in Sudbury, Ontario.
Subjects
Dwellings
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
Sudbury (Ont.)
Accession Number
1982-10-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 2338
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
2338
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1946
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 12 cm
Admin History/Bio
The Hechalutz Hachshara (farm) was created to prepare people for agricultural work in Israel.
Scope and Content
This item is an original print of the residence at Hechalutz farm in Grimsby, Ontario.
Name Access
Hechalutz Hachshara
Subjects
Dwellings
Farms
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
Grimsby (Ont.)
Accession Number
1980-9-2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 876
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
876
Material Format
graphic material
Responsibility
Duke Studio
Date
1976
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 14 cm
Scope and Content
This item is an original print of the Strand Theatre in Kirkland Lake, which was built in the 1920s by the Kaplan brothers with the help of Harry Oakes.
Name Access
Kaplan
Oakes, Harry
Strand Theatre (Kirkland Lake, Ont.)
Subjects
Theaters
Repro Restriction
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Kirkland Lake (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 882
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
882
Material Format
graphic material
Responsibility
Duke Studios
Date
1976
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
This item is an original print of the former home of Seymour Sukerman in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.
Name Access
Sukerman, Seymour
Subjects
Dwellings
Repro Restriction
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Kirkland Lake (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 883
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
883
Material Format
graphic material
Responsibility
Duke Studios
Date
1976
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
This item is an original print of the former home of Jack Kussner and his family in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. The home was built in the early 1930s by Ben Bookman, a professional gambler.
Name Access
Kussner, Jack
Bookman, Ben
Subjects
Dwellings
Repro Restriction
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Kirkland Lake (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 887
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
887
Material Format
graphic material
Responsibility
Duke Studios
Date
1976
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
This item is an original print of the former home of the Berjansky family on Prospect Street in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. The Berjansky family were Mr. and Mrs. Max Berjansky and daughters Pearl, Faye, Jean and Lillian.
Name Access
Berjansky family
Subjects
Dwellings
Repro Restriction
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Kirkland Lake (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 893
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
893
Material Format
graphic material
Responsibility
Duke Studios
Date
1976
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
This item is an original print of the former Uptown Theatre, built by the Kaplan brothers in the 1930s and then converted to use as Children's Aid offices and apartments.
Name Access
Kaplan
Uptown Theatre (Kirkland Lake, Ont.)
Subjects
Architecture
Theaters
Repro Restriction
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Kirkland Lake (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 901
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
901
Material Format
graphic material
Responsibility
Duke Studios
Date
1976
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
This item is an original print of the former home of Alter and Fanny Scott and their four children: Sonia, Louis, Ruby and Joe. The home was located on Tower Street in Kirkland Lake, Ontario and was built in the early 1930s.
Name Access
Scott family
Subjects
Dwellings
Repro Restriction
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Kirkland Lake (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3256
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3256
Material Format
graphic material
Date
15 May 1947
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 7 x 12 cm and 10 x 12 cm
Scope and Content
This item is an original print and copy negative of Louis and Jenny Fingold standing with their daughter in front of their Elmwood Theatre in London, Ontario.
Name Access
Elmwood Theatre (London, Ont.)
Fingold, Jenny
Fingold, Louis
Subjects
Families
Theaters
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
London (Ont.)
Accession Number
1982-6-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3257
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3257
Material Format
graphic material
Date
15 May 1947
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 8 x 7 cm and 10 x 12 cm
Scope and Content
This item is an original print and copy negative of Louis and Jenny Fingold, and their daughter, standing in front of their Elmwood Theatre in London, Ontario.
Name Access
Elwood Theatre (London, Ont.)
Fingold, Jenny
Fingold, Louis
Subjects
Families
Theaters
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
London (Ont.)
Accession Number
1982-6-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3260
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3260
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[1948?]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 9 x 7 cm and 12 x 10 cm
Scope and Content
This item is an original print and copy negative of Esther Fingold holding her son, Douglas, in front of the Capitol Theatre in Meaford, Ontario.
Name Access
Capitol Theatre (Meaford, Ont.)
Fingold, Douglas
Fingold, Esther
Subjects
Mothers and sons
Theaters
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
Meaford (Ont.)
Accession Number
1982-6-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3261
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3261
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[1950?]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 8 x 5 cm and 12 x 10 cm
Scope and Content
This item is an original print and copy negative of Philip Fingold holding with his son, Douglas, in front of the Capitol Theatre in Meaford, Ontario.
Name Access
Capitol Theatre (Meaford, Ont.)
Fingold, Douglas
Fingold, Philip
Subjects
Fathers and sons
Theaters
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
Meaford (Ont.)
Accession Number
1982-6-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Brown fonds
Residential building plans and drawings series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 49; Series 2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Brown fonds
Residential building plans and drawings series
Level
Series
Fonds
49
Series
2
Material Format
architectural drawing
Date
1919-[1935]
Physical Description
327 architectural and technical drawings
Scope and Content
Series consists of Benjamin Brown’s architectural drawings of personal residences that were either designed or renovated for real estate developers, landlords or the occupants themselves. The majority of the buildings were designed for a Jewish clientele, many of whom were prominent citizens, including Louis Gelber and Mendel Granatstein. Brown also created designs for his own personal residence on Castle Frank Crescent, however the home was never completed. Most of the houses he designed or renovated were located in the Annex, Forest Hill, Casa Loma or Hillcrest neighborhoods. Many were designed with elements of Georgian, Craftman, Colonial Revival and/or Tudor architectural styles. They ranged from three storey mansions to small duplexes and single story homes. The vast majority of his commissions were standard three or four bedroom two storey homes.
The majority of these drawings are on tracing or drafting paper, several of which are in colour and the remainder are either blueprints or drawn on cardboard. Plans, sketches, elevations, sections, detailing and technical drawings of the residences are included.
Subjects
Dwellings
Physical Condition
Several drawings are in poor condition. See file level descriptions for further details.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Brown fonds
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 49; Series 4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Brown fonds
Level
Item
Fonds
49
Series
4
Material Format
architectural drawing
Date
[ca.1920]
Physical Description
1 architectural drawing : pencil and hand col. watercolour with a cardboard backing ; 44 x 49 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a high quality watercolour sketch of the interior of a house.
Subjects
Dwellings
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2015-9-23
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-9-23
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
[194-]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of a bound document entitled 'This Is Our Faith'. The subtitle is 'The Religion of the Jews' and it appears to have been presented at a seminar of religions, under the auspices of Community Programs Branch, Department of Education, Province of Ontario.
Custodial History
There is no information on the acquisition of this material.
Subjects
Religion
Politics and government
Name Access
Cohen, Julius
Places
Toronto, Ont.
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2016-6-12
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2016-6-12
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
ca. 60 cm of textual records
11 photographs (3 negatives) : b&w ; 20 x 25 cm or smaller
Date
1976-[ca. 1990]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of textual and graphic records that trace Natan Sharansky's history as a prisoner of political conscience; the broader Refusenik issue; and the community advocacy efforts of Debby and Stan Solomon from 1976 and into the late 1980s at the local, national and international scales. Included are memos and newsletters from the Committee for Soviet Jewry (Ontario Region and national-level); background information as well as petition templates, speeches and planning documentation produced by the Committee to Release Anatoly Sharansky and the Beth Tikvah Synagogue in conjunction with community organizations, including the CJC and its Soviet Jewry social action committees, to support on-going advocacy efforts; correspondence with Canadian and American political representatives at the provincial/state and national levels; white papers/grey literature from non-governmental organizations about the persecution of the Soviet Jewry; planning documentation from the First Annual Sharansky Lectureship on Human Rights in 1980; correspondence, articles and ephemera associated with the granting of Sharansky's honourary law doctorate from York University in 1982; 1985 Freedom Rally/Weekend in Ottawa planning documentation and correspondence; 1987 National Conference on the Soviet Jewry and Mobilization for Freedom planning documentation; 1987 Community Rally at Massey Hall promotional materials; and promotional materials from Sharansky's autobiographical "Fear No Evil" 1988 book launch. Graphic material includes photographs of Sharansky's release during the February 11, 1986 American-Soviet prisoner exchange on the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin.
Identified in the photographs are: Debby Solomon; Stan Solomon; Natan Sharansky; Avital Sharansky; U.S. Ambassador Richard Burt;
Custodial History
Material was collected and/or created by Debby Solomon, Natan Sharansky's cousin. Debby donated it to the OJA.
Administrative History
Debby Solomon is the cousin of Anatoly (Natan) Sharansky, the Soviet born Israeli politician, human activist and author who spent nine years in Soviet prisons. Debby's father Boris Landis (born 1900) and Sharansky's father were first cousins.Their grandfathers were brothers. Debby's father immigrated 1929 to Toronto from Russia as his older brothers were already in Toronto. Debby and her husband Stan Solomon got involved in the community's activism efforts to free Sharansky and other Refuseniks.They were worked for many years on these efforts by planning programs through their synagogue Beth Tikvah and with Sam Filer, a lawyer and volunteer at the CJC who was also a member of Beth Tikvah.
Subjects
Antisemitism
Politics and government
Human rights
Demonstrations
Synagogues
Committees
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-2-12
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-2-12
Material Format
multiple media
Physical Description
45 cm of textual records and other material
230 photographs : sepia and b&w ; 23 x 30 cm and smaller
8 sound recordings (50 wav files; 1 microcassette)
1 artifact
Date
1937-2004
Scope and Content
Accession consists of textual records, photographs and audio recordings documenting the lives of Dick Steele, his wife Esther, and friend Bill Walsh. The materials are mostly correspondences between Dick and Esther during his internment at the Don Jail and Ontario Reformatory in Guelph, and from Dick and Bill's military service overseas during the Second World War. They also include correspondences between Esther and Bill, Bill and Anne Walsh, "Jack" and Esther, and other family and friends. Some of the letters show evidence of being censored. There are news clippings in English and Yiddish about the family from various newspapers including the Canadian Tribune (a Communist Party paper). There is a letter Esther wrote to campaign for Dick's release from internment, part of women's activism in this period. There is also a photocopy of a memoir written by Moses Kosowatsky and Moses Wolofsky "From the Land of Despair to the Land of Promise" ca. 1930s.
The photographs include Dick and Bill in the army during the Second World War, a signed picture of Tim Buck addressed to Esther and the twins and a photo of Dick delivering a speech related to the Steel Workers. Also included is a recording of edited sound clips of Bill and Esther talking about Dick, Esther speaking about the letters, (how she received letters and flowers from Dick after he had already been killed), Bill reading a letter Dick wrote to Esther that he left with friends in England to send her in the case that he was killed (which he was), recordings of "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2 compiled by Leib Wolofsky's (Bill's nephew), and 5 audio recordings by Adrianna Steele-Card with her grandparents Bill and Esther. There is also a microcassette labelled "Joe Levitt."
The accession also includes the stripe of a German corporal that Bill captured as a prisoner, peace stamps and an early copy of Cy Gonick's A Very Red Life: The Story of Bill Walsh, edited by Bill.
Administrative History
Richard "Dick" Kennilworth Steele is the name adopted by Moses Kosowatsky. He was born in 1909 in Montreal to Samuel Kosowatsky and Fanny Held. He lived in a laneway off Clark Street, below Sherbrooke, where his father collected and recycled bottles. He grew up with his siblings, Joseph, Mortimer, Matthew, Gertrude, and Edward.
Bill Walsh (birth name Moishe Wolofsky) was born in 1910, to Sarah and Herschel Wolofsky, the editor of the Keneder Adler (Montreal's prominent Yiddish newspaper). He attended Baron Byng and then Commercial High School, where he met Dick Steele. Bill recalled that Dick denounced militarism in the school when a teacher tried to recruit students to be cadets.
Bill moved to New York City in 1927. His brother, who was living there, helped him get a job as a messenger on Wall Street. He also worked in the drug department at Macy's while attending courses at Columbia University in the evening. Dick worked on a ship for a year and then joined Bill in New York City in 1928. Dick worked at a chemical plant called Linde Air Products while also studying in the evenings at Columbia University.
In 1931, Dick and Bill boarded a ship together in New York bound for Copenhagen. Together, they travelled across Europe, witnessed a Nazi demonstration in Breslau, Germany, and found work in Minsk and Moscow, Russia. This trip inspired them to become Communists. In 1933, Bill's father was on a Canadian trade mission to Poland, which he left to "rescue" his son from the Bolsheviks. Bill agreed to return to Canada after being advised to do so by the Comintern. He then changed his name to Bill Walsh to protect his family.
In 1934, Bill moved to Toronto. He worked as the educational director for the Industrial Union of Needle Trade Workers and the Communist Party, where he met Esther Slominsky/Silver, the organization's office manager. Dick joined Bill in Toronto soon after. Bill introduced Dick and Esther, who then married. In 1940, Esther gave birth to twin sons, Michael and John Steele. Esther was born in Toronto in 1914 to Joseph Slominsky and Fanny (Blackersany?). Her siblings were Bella, Eileen, Morris, and step-sister Eva. Her father, Joseph, was a cloak maker and Esther also worked in the garment industry. Her mother Fanny passed away in 1920 at the age of twenty-six from tuberculosis.
Dick was a metal worker and became a union organizer in the east end of Toronto. He was the head organizer of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee of Canada (SWOC) until 1940, when he was dismissed for being a Communist. Bill helped organize Kitchener's rubber workers into an industrial union and was also an organizer for the United Auto Workers of Windsor, Ontario.
Jack Steele, an alias for Dick's brother Mortimer, fought with the Mackenzie-Papineau Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Jack Steele was recalled to Canada in October 1937 to rally support for the efforts in Spain, returned to the front in June 1938, and was killed in action in August. Some of Dick's letters to his wife, Esther, are signed "Salud, Jack" and were likely written in 1940 when the Communist Party (CP) was banned by the Canadian government under the War Measures Act.
In November 1941, after Mackenzie King's call for enlistment, Dick wrote to the Department of Justice to ask permission to join the army. He never received a reply. On 1 April 1942, Dick's home was raided and he was interned at the Don Jail until September 1942, when he was moved to the Ontario Reformatory in Guelph. Esther wrote a letter to the minister of justice, Louis St. Laurent, to appeal on his behalf.
Major public campaigning by Communists and the wartime alliance with the USSR after 1941 shifted public opinion toward the CP, and the Canadian government slowly began releasing internees in January 1942. Dick was released in October 1942 and enlisted at the end of the month. Dick died on 17 August 1944 in Normandy, France. He was a tank driver in the Canadian Army.
Bill was similarly arrested in 1941, spending time in jail and then an internment camp with other members of the CP. He joined the Canadian Army in 1943 and fought in Holland and Belgium. Bill was first married to Anne Weir who died of a brain hemorrhage in 1943, just before he enlisted. The family believes this may have been due to drinking unpasteurized milk. Encouraged by Dick Steele to take care of his family should he pass in the war, Bill married Esther Steele in 1946. They had a daughter named Sheri and were members of the United Jewish People's Order. For twenty years, Walsh worked for the Hamilton region of the United Electrical Workers (UE). Bill remained a member of the CP until 1967, when we was expelled for criticizing another union leader. He died in 2004. Esther passed away in 2010 at age ninety-six.
Use Conditions
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
Descriptive Notes
RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: Library and Archives Canada has the William Walsh fonds and MG 28, ser. I 268, USWA, vol.4, SWOC Correspondence, has various letters from Dick Steele ca. 1938. Museum of Jewish Montreal has an oral history with Leila Mustachi (daughter of Max Wolofsky, Bill's brother) where she speaks about Bill, Dick and Esther. USE CONDITION NOTES: For "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2, some contributors stipulate that recordings are restricted to personal use only and must not be used for any commercial purpose.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Politics and government
Labour and unions
Name Access
Steele, Michael
Steele, Dick
Walsh, Bill
Walsh, Esther Steele
Places
England
Fort William (Ont.)
Germany
Guelph (Ont.)
Hamilton (Ont.)
Montréal (Québec)
Netherlands
Oshawa (Ont.)
Ottawa (Ont.)
Thunder Bay (Ont.)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Address
42 St George Street
Source
Landmarks

In 1919, Mr. Mendel Granatstein commissioned Benjamin Brown and Robert McConnell to design a three storey Classical Georgian style house located at 42 St. George Street. The house contained a unique feature -- a retractable roof used on Sukkoth. In 1947, the house was acquired by the University of Toronto and was used for a variety of purposes until it was demolished in 1999. The Bahen Centre for Information Technology now stands in its place.
Address
42 St George Street
Time Period
1919-1999
Scope Note
In 1919, Mr. Mendel Granatstein commissioned Benjamin Brown and Robert McConnell to design a three storey Classical Georgian style house located at 42 St. George Street. The house contained a unique feature -- a retractable roof used on Sukkoth. In 1947, the house was acquired by the University of Toronto and was used for a variety of purposes until it was demolished in 1999. The Bahen Centre for Information Technology now stands in its place.
History
Mr. Mendel Granatstein was a member of one of the early Jewish families of Toronto. In 1895, he founded M. Granatstein and Sons, Ltd., a junk dealing company, and by the early 20th century, he had become one of the most prosperous Jews in Toronto. Mr. Granatstein was also a community leader, having a hand in the foundation of Beth Jacob Synagogue.
Category
Architecture
Residences
Source
Landmarks
Level
Item
ID
Item 603
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
603
Material Format
graphic material
Date
Nov. 1975
Physical Description
2 photographs : (1 negative)
Scope and Content
The "New Strand Building".
Notes
Negative: 8:5:13.
Acquired November 1975.
Name Access
Victory Theatre (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Architecture
Theaters
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 605
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
605
Material Format
graphic material
Date
Nov. 1975
Physical Description
2 photographs : (1 negative)
Scope and Content
The "New Strand Building".
Notes
Acquired November 1975.
Negative: 8:6:15.
Name Access
Victory Theatre
Subjects
Architecture
Theaters
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 604
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
604
Material Format
graphic material
Date
Nov. 1975
Physical Description
2 photographs : (1 negative)
Scope and Content
The "New Strand Building".
Notes
Acquired November 1975.
Negative: 8:5:14.
Name Access
Victory Theatre (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Architecture
Theaters
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 606
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
606
Material Format
graphic material
Date
Nov. 1975
Physical Description
2 photographs : (1 negative)
Scope and Content
The "New Strand Building".
Notes
Acquired November 1975.
Negative: 8:6:16.
Name Access
Victory Theatre (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Architecture
Theaters
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 43; Item 3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds
Level
Item
Fonds
43
Item
3
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1910]
Physical Description
3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller
Scope and Content
Photograph of a small house in the Ward surrounded by other buildings and residences. The house appears to have a tar paper roof and many of its windows are broken. It is surrounded by pieces of old wood, barrels and a carriage. There is a for sale sign on attached to the wall on the left.
Notes
Original photo is a glass slide.
Title taken from a label on the slide.
Subjects
Dwellings
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.
Accession Number
2005-5-6
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 6060
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
6060
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1911
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 18 x 13 cm and 12 x 10 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy photograph and corresponding negative of Mayer Lerner on the shoulders of his grandfather, Samuel Rosenthal. They are pictured on the front porch of the Lerner home at 502 Hill Street, London, Ontario.
Subjects
Dwellings
Grandparent and child
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
London (Ont.)
Accession Number
1993-6-2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 950
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
950
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[1955 or 1956]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 13 x 18 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a copy photograph of Stan Lofsky standing on the bannister of 86 Vaughn Road.
Name Access
Lofsky, Stan
Subjects
Dwellings
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Vaughan Road (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1975-12-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 951
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
951
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1953]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 13 x 18 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a copy photograph of Stan Lofsky holding a sign that reads "B'nei Akiva 57421" in front of 86 Vaughan Road.
Name Access
Lofsky, Stan
Subjects
Dwellings
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Vaughan Road (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1975-12-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 556
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
556
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1911
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative); 18 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a copy photograph and corresponding negative of Albert Fine and family, duplex at 57 Augusta Avenue, Toronto.
Name Access
Fine, Albert
Fine family
Subjects
Dwellings
Families
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
Augusta Avenue (Toronto. Ont.)
Kensington Market (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1977-2-2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1635
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1635
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[1918 or 1919]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 10 x 15 cm and 10 x 12 cm
Scope and Content
This item is an original photographic card and copy negative of "Bobby's house" located at the corner of Elias Street and King Street in Peterborough, Ontario. The house was built by L. Florence.
Notes
Title taken from writing on photograph.
Name Access
Florence, L.
Subjects
Dwellings
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
Peterborough (Ont.)
Accession Number
1978-7-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4035
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4035
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1950
Physical Description
2 photographs : (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Features: M. rotstein; Max Seifert; Chayale Luxenburg; Jennie Eisenstat; Maurice Turk; Eva Fishman.
Subjects
Concerts
Posters
Theaters
Places
Dundas Street West (Toronto, Ont.)
Spadina Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1986-3-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4294
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4294
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[1925 or 1926]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Identified third from left: William Shankman.
Notes
Photo by Midland Press Agency, 520 Suffolk St., Birmingham.
Subjects
Orchestra
Theaters
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
Birmingham (England)
Accession Number
1987-9-5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1168
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1168
Material Format
graphic material
Date
July 23, 1918
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of the backyards and laneway behind Menachem Mendel Hyman's residence on Baldwin Street. A man seated on a horse-drawn wagon is in the laneway. The photo appears to have been taken from a second floor window.
Name Access
Hyman, Menachem Mendel
Subjects
Dwellings
Streets
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
Baldwin Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Kensington Market (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1977-1-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1305
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1305
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1904]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Identified in this photograph, pictured left to right: Mrs. Minnie Levi; Abba; Mattie; Paul Levi; Sarah; Rivka; Mrs. Fleishman. Seated on step: Henrietta Israelson; Margaret Fleishman (later a social worker in St. Louis).
Name Access
Levi family
Subjects
Dwellings
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
Regent Park (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1977-5-7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1304
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1304
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1904]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Identified in this photograph, pictured left to right: Mrs. Minnie Levi; Rivka (Mrs. Morris Brown); Mattie (Mrs. Meyer Rotenberg); Sarah (Mrs. Samuel Godfrey); Mrs. J. Fleishman (mother of Mrs. Levi).
Name Access
Levi family
Subjects
Dwellings
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
Richmond Hill (Ont.)
Accession Number
1977-5-7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 2320
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
2320
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[between 1930 and 1935]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Photo is of two children standing in front of the Dashkin Home at 34 Ulster St. in Toronto. Pictured left to right: [unknown]; Dorothy Dashkin (m. Machtinger).
Name Access
Dashkin, Dorothy
Machtinger, Dorothy
Subjects
Children
Dwellings
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
Ulster Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1980-9-2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 676
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
676
Material Format
graphic material
Date
Feb. 1965
Physical Description
2 photographs : (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of a Broadway Theatre and another building on the south side of Queen Street West, Toronto.
Name Access
Broadway Theatre
Subjects
Architecture
Theaters
Repro Restriction
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Queen Street West (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Loew's Theatre (189 Yonge St., Toronto) sub-series
Level
Sub-series
ID
Fonds 27; Series 1-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Loew's Theatre (189 Yonge St., Toronto) sub-series
Level
Sub-series
Fonds
27
Series
1-1
Material Format
architectural drawing
textual record
Date
1913-1959
Physical Description
57 drawings : pencil on tracing paper, blueprints and other reproductions ; 72 x 114 cm or smaller
1 cm of textual records
Admin History/Bio
Built in 1913, Loew's Yonge Street Theatre and Winter Garden Theatre complex was the flagship of Marcus Loew's Canadian theatre chain. The theatres were designed by Thomas Lamb as a "double-decker" theatre, with the Winter Garden located seven-stories above the street-level Yonge Street Theatre. This was the only double-decker theatre built in Canada and one of less than a dozen built internationally. The design was considered economical in that it provided a greater amount of seating on a given piece of real estate while allowing the theatre operator to present the same daily show in two theatres. The shows included both vaudeville acts and silent movies.
In 1928, there was a major fire on the site and the Winter Garden Theatre was closed due to the decline in popularity of vaudeville. By 1930, the Yonge Street Theatre was solely a movie theatre, equipped for sound movies. Over the years it gradually fell into disrepair, but continued as a movie theatre until 1981. It was renamed the Elgin Theatre in 1978.
In 1981, the Elgin and Winter Garden were purchased by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, and in 1987 the foundation began a two and half year, $30 million restoration of the theatres. The theatres re-opened in Dec. 1989 exclusively for theatrical productions.
Scope and Content
Sub-series consists of seating plans, blueprints of structural details, and floor plans, sections and elevations for successive alterations (to the entrance, lobby, basement, etc.) of the theatre. The sub-series includes a copy of a city building permit dating from 1934 for renovations carried out by Loew's Theatres Engineering Division. Some of the blueprints date from the original construction of the theatre in 1913.
The sub-series is organized into 9 sub-sub-series, corresponding to project dates of 1913, 1919, 1934, 1939, 1949 (two projects), 1952, 1957 and 1959. The earliest materials, such as those from 1913 and 1919, were not created by Kaplan & Sprachman, but were no doubt used as reference materials for their work at the theatre.
Please note that the blueprints of structural details such as columns and roof reinforcing beams may apply to the theatre complex as a whole, including the Winter Garden Theatre.
Notes
Title is derived from the formal titles of the drawings.
Name Access
Lamb, Thomas
Elgin Theatre (Toronto)
Winter Garden Theatre (Toronto)
Subjects
Theaters
Physical Condition
Some drawings are torn & damaged.
Some are discoloured or damaged by deteriorating pressure-sensitive tape.
Places
Yonge Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
2003-6-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Loew's Uptown Theatre (Toronto) sub-series
Level
Sub-series
ID
Fonds 27; Series 1-2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Loew's Uptown Theatre (Toronto) sub-series
Level
Sub-series
Fonds
27
Series
1-2
Material Format
architectural drawing
graphic material
Date
1919-1968
Physical Description
132 architectural drawings : pencil (some on tracing paper, some hand col. using pencil crayon), blueprints and other reproductions ; 76 x 106 cm or smaller
5 photographs : b&w ; 44 x 55 cm or smaller
Admin History/Bio
One of sixteen theatres in Canada designed by the well-known architect Thomas W. Lamb, the Uptown Theatre opened in 1920 as a movie and vaudeville theatre of almost 3000 seats, and was later the first theatre in Toronto equipped for sound movies. In 1960 the Uptown's main auditorium was destroyed by a major fire. Kaplan & Sprachman participated in the theatre's subsequent renovation.
In 1969 the Uptown was split into a five screen theatre through conversion of the theatre's balcony, backstage and basement areas. The Uptown was closed and demolished in late 2003 following the 28th Annual Toronto International Film Festival after the cinema operator, Famous Players, decided to close it and other theatres rather than comply with an Ontario Human Rights Commission order to make the theatres fully wheelchair-accessible.
Scope and Content
Sub-series consists of seating plans, blueprints of structural details, floor plans, sections and elevations for successive alterations (to the entrance, lobby, escalator, etc.) of the theatre, as well as several photographs of the Uptown's entrance and auditorium. The sub-series includes a number of hand-coloured drawings of the main auditorium dating from 1962, with paint and fabric samples attached, apparently associated with the re-building of the auditorium following the fire of 1960. The sub-series also includes a set of photo-reproductions of Thomas Lamb's original 1919 plans for the theatre, acquired by Kaplan & Sprachman in 1960.
The sub-series is arranged in 9 sub-sub-series corresponding to project dates of 1919, 1936, 1945, 1949, 1960, 1962, and 1968. The final sub-sub-series relates to work done by Kaplan after the dissolution of Kaplan & Sprachman.
In several cases, a sub-sub-series includes drawings and plans from earlier projects, used as reference materials for the current project.
Name Access
Lamb, Thos. W. (Thomas White), 1871-1942
Uptown Theatre (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Theaters
Physical Condition
Some drawings torn or water-damaged. Some are discoloured or damaged by deteriorating pressure-sensitive tape.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
2003-6-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 27; Series 1; File 2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
Fonds
27
Series
1
File
2
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[1934?]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Scope and Content
Exterior shot of theatre marquee.
Notes
Title and creation date based on the content of the photograph, inscriptions on the photograph and Mandel Sprachman's published Inventory of Kaplan & Sprachman theatre projects (Historic Theatres' Trust Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1996).
Photographers: Pringle & Booth.
Name Access
Pringle & Booth
Subjects
Theaters
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
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
2003-6-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 27; Series 1; File 3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
Fonds
27
Series
1
File
3
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1931]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 15 x 9 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of the theatre in early stages of construction.
Notes
Title based on inscription on the photograph and information found in series 2 newspaper clippings.
Subjects
Theaters
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
Queen Street West (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
2003-6-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 27; Series 1; File 4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
Fonds
27
Series
1
File
4
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1932]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Scope and Content
Exterior shot of theatre marquee.
Notes
Title and creation date based on content of the photograph and Mandel Sprachman's published Inventory of Kaplan & Sprachman theatre projects (Historic Theatres' Trust Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1996).
Photographers: Pringle & Booth.
Name Access
Pringle & Booth
Subjects
Theaters
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
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
2003-6-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 27; Series 1; File 5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
Fonds
27
Series
1
File
5
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1935
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Scope and Content
Exterior shot of theatre marquee.
Notes
Title and creation date based on content of the photograph and Mandel Sprachman's published Inventory of Kaplan & Sprachman theatre projects (Historic Theatres' Trust Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1996).
Subjects
Theaters
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
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
2003-6-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 27; Series 1; File 6
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
Fonds
27
Series
1
File
6
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[1936?]
Physical Description
4 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Scope and Content
File contains 3 exterior shots of the theatre and 1 of the auditorium.
Notes
Title and creation date based on content of the photographs and Mandel Sprachman's published Inventory of Kaplan & Sprachman theatre projects (Historic Theatres' Trust Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1996).
Three of the photographs were taken by the photographers Pringle & Booth. The fourth print is of a later date, and is from an exposure made ca. 1938, based on the release dates of the films showing at the theatre.
Subjects
Theaters
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
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
2003-6-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 27; Series 1; File 7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
Fonds
27
Series
1
File
7
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[1935?]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Scope and Content
Exterior shot of theatre marquee.
Notes
Title and creation date based on content of the photograph, Mandel Sprachman's published Inventory of Kaplan & Sprachman theatre projects (Historic Theatres' Trust Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1996), and information accompanying a reproduction of the photograph in John Sebert's book, The "nabes" (p. 81).
Photographers: Pringle & Booth.
Name Access
Pringle & Booth
Subjects
Theaters
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
Danforth Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
2003-6-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 27; Series 1; File 8
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harold S. Kaplan fonds
Architectural projects series
Level
File
Fonds
27
Series
1
File
8
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[1937?]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Scope and Content
One exterior shot of the theatre and one of the theatre lobby. Additional businesses featured in College Street view photograph include Altman's, Sugar Bros., Custom Tailoring, and York Furniture.
Notes
Title and creation date based on content of the photographs, Mandel Sprachman's published Inventory of Kaplan & Sprachman theatre projects (Historic Theatres' Trust Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1996), and information accompanying a reproduction of the photograph in John Sebert's book, The "nabes" (p. 104).
Photographers: Pringle & Booth.
Name Access
Pringle & Booth
Subjects
Theaters
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
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
2003-6-1
Source
Archival Descriptions