INTRODUCTION
The collection of historic Architecture at the Guild is unique and its extent surprising. Over 40 years of effort Spencer Clark has resulted in saving the important parts of some 60 buildings, many of Toronto’s finest landmarks and the work of her greatest architects.
END OF AN ERA
Stonemasons have not been trained for many years. The work yards, with their specialized equipment, have all but gone. Toronto at one time had over twenty, but only one remains. Quarries, from coast to coast , are abandoned, flooded and overgrown. This type of work will not be done again. As well, styles were already changing under the influence of the Bauhaus, Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe and others
The text above is an excerpt from a pamphlet published by the Guild Inn in July 1980 with the research and sketches by Hugh Walker. The text by Mr. Walker and Peter Hall.
The map below is from the same pamphlet; it shows the location of all the sculpture and architectural fragments in 1980. Since that time, many of the artifacts have been moved to more secure locations and some are in disrepair. Please visit the Guild and experience what is still an amazing part of our heritage.
Andrew Macklin (GVCA Webmaster)
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