09.07.26 - The past lives of St. George campus buildings
As the University of Toronto looks ahead to its bicentennial in 2027, U of T's Facilities & Services is exploring some of the lesser-known histories of campus buildings, including the Daniels Building.
The Daniels Building: From veteran’s hospital to penicillin lab
One Spadina, which now houses the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, has strong ties to Canada's healthcare and military history. First built in 1875 as a home for Knox College, the Gothic Revival building was transformed into Spadina Military Hospital in 1916, serving First World War veterans returning from Europe. Amelia Earhart worked at the hospital as a nurse's aide in 1918, a decade before becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
During the Second World War, One Spadina played a different role in Canada's military efforts. In 1943, the University of Toronto's Connaught Medical Research Laboratories acquired the building and used it to mass-produce penicillin, which was in critical demand. One Spadina was converted into an academic building in 1972.
Image: University of Toronto Archives (albumen print mounted on card, 1882).
Borden Buildings: Toronto’s most popular dairy factory
Image: The present day South Borden building (photo by Polina Teif).
Designed by George Martell Miller, this pair of buildings at 487 and 563 Spadina Crescent used to serve as dairy processing plants. The north building opened in 1901 as a plant for the new City Dairy Company, followed by the south building in 1909. Run by Walter Massey, City Dairy gained recognition for producing high-quality pasteurized milk, years before the City of Toronto made pasteurization mandatory.
By 1915, City Dairy had captured more than 40 per cent of Toronto's milk market, producing milk, butter and even ice cream. In 1930, the American milk company Borden’s acquired City Dairy, and the two dairy plants became known as Borden Building North and Borden Building South.
The Borden Buildings became part of U of T in 1962. Today, the Centre for Indigenous Studies, First Nations House and the Daniels Visual Studies program are located in Borden Building North, while Borden Building South is home to the Free Store, Campus Mail Services, Campus Moving, among others.