**Course registration sold-out. A limited number of single course tickets will be available at the box office the same day as the lecture.**
If every picture tells a story, so does every building. Intentional or not, everything we construct says something about who we are and the world we hope to create. In this series of six illustrated lectures, veteran Toronto Star architecture critic Christopher Hume explores post-war Toronto architecture decade by decade to see what it reveals about this city—and the people who inhabit it. Starting with the good intentions of the 1950s and the exuberance of the ‘60s, we end with the 21st century, when the city we know took shape. Relive the stories behind our city’s skyline and encounter hidden gems that cry out for discovery. See the streets and buildings of Toronto as you’ve never experienced them before.
Led by Christopher Hume, who was the architecture critic and urban issues columnist for the Toronto Star from the early 1980s until his retirement in 2016. He is the recipient of many of Canada’s country’s top awards in the field, including the National Newspaper Award and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada President’s Award. He remains a freelance columnist for The Star.
January 8: The 1950s: The Era of Cock-Eyed Optimism
From the largest social housing project in Canada, Regent Park, to Canada’s first fully planned community, Don Mills, this was a time of optimism, however misguided.
January 15: The 1960s: A Time for Celebration
Canada sheds its colonial shell to join the modern age and celebrate itself. Toronto misses out on Expo but builds its new City Hall as well as the Toronto-Dominion Centre and O’Keefe Centre.
January 22: The 1970s: A City in Love With Landmarks
The city settles down but without losing its love of landmarks. Toronto’s new-found extroversion reaches a peak with the CN Tower—and let’s not forget the Eaton Centre!
January 29: 1980s/'90s: The City That Fell to Earth
Despite the advent of the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre), the city falls back to earth with a thud. Anyone remember the “stub” left when the Bay/Adelaide Centre was cancelled shortly after construction began?
February 5: The 2000s: An Architectural Renaissance
Economic recovery breathes life back into Toronto. The “cultural renaissance” changes the face of the city and architectural renewal introduces transparency to institutions long cut off and isolated from the community. We'll discuss bold new designs like Will Alsops OCAD building – aka the "Flying Table Top" – and the dramatic, much-debated ROM Crystal.
February 12: The 2010s: Bold New Visions for the Future
A decade of small infill projects that address sustainability and quality of life through design excellence and programmatic sensitivity. The desire for monumentality produces stunning new landmarks like the Aga Khan Museum, while a more urban preoccupation with the details of city life is epitomized by innovative projects like the housing co-op at 60 Richmond Street East and the Kensington Brewery.