There was no shortage of community spirit on Sunday as close to 100 residents of Birch Cliff, as well as visitors, took part in our neighbourhood’s first ever Jane’s Walk.
The theme of the two-hour conversational walking tour was “Birch Cliff: Scarborough Old and New” and participants visited community landmarks and shared stories about their history.
Jane’s Walk was established in 2007 to carry on the legacy of world-famous urbanist Jane Jacobs.
Birch Cliff was among 85 cities in 17 countries taking part this year.
The walk began at Taylor Memorial Library, which was the home of Fred Taylor and donated to the community in 1962 in honour of his late wife Florence MacMillan Taylor.
Marie Belanger (using the microphone) organized the tour, along with Karin Eaton of Mural Routes.
The tour then moved to 100-year old St. Nicholas Anglican Church. Originally located in a stable at the bottom of Haig Avenue, the church burned down in 1916 and was rebuilt more centrally on Kingston Road.
St. Nicholas Anglican Church
Participants were encouraged to join in and share their memories and Elizabeth Fergusson Brown took the opportunity to do just that, sharing wonderful memories going back to 1939 when her parents bought a two-bedroom bungalow on Dunnington Drive for $2,500 with $250 down. Brown moved away in 1984 but said her “heart is still in Birch Cliff” and nothing could have stopped her from attending the local Jane’s Walk.
The tour included stops to view the three historical murals that were painted in Birch Cliff in the summer of 2012, including “Birch Tudor Grove“, which is the mural on the wall of Wimpy’s. Artist Sarah Collard was on hand to explain her inspiration for a nostalgic work representing the days when the neighbourhood was mostly farmers fields and birch trees.
It was great to see MP Dan Harris (ball cap) joining in, as well as Ward 36 Councillor Gary Crawford (to his right).
The next stop on the tour was Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 13, which celebrated its 90th anniversary last year. The mural on the Legion wall by John Hood depicts the Scarborough Rifle Company marching to the Niagara Frontier to defend Canada against the Fenians on June 1, 1866.
At Birch Cliff Public School, established in 1916, Tamara Hermann did a wonderful job of retelling the school’s history using a journal started by its first principal E.E. Reece. Fond memories were shared of another former principal, Lorne Wideman, a towering figure who played baseball with the children and had them march into class to the music of John Phillips Sousa.
From the lawn of Birch Cliff Public School, the tour looked over to what is arguably one of the neighbourhood’s finest buildings. What we now enjoy as House & Garden Co. used to be a Bank of Montreal with the Scarborough Township Council Chamber located upstairs. Scarborough’s official business was conducted here for 25 years, starting in 1921.
Birch Cliff’s first Jane’s Walk ended with a meander down to Harrison Estates Park, behind the Scarborough Arts building, where refreshments were provided by MP Dan Harris.
