City of Toronto Archives — Local services in Toronto

I needed two trips to look at a two or three photographs I know are in the archives. I came away without seeing anything but some dry city documents. I was heartily discouraged, as I know my family had donated the historic estate photos to the archives some time ago and I have one such photo with an archive footnote as proof.

I was also incensed at being treated like a grade school boy instead of an adult citizen. They were more concerned that I had signed the books correctly and where I put my coat than serve me. And the man who got my box, it was beneath him to deliver it; I had to go and get it and haul it back to my seat. When it proved useless, I had to sweat it back to a special trolley that was in another room. Do the job or don't. Don't go halfway because to serve is some form of humiliation.

There are some letters that have been assembled by one of my illustrious relatives I would very much like to read. I am going to forgo the experience because I have determined never to set foot in that ridiculous place again. Why should I want to go where you have enforced rules that tightly and inappropriately control your customers' behaviour instead of establishing rules that force employees to provide proper service? All that silly treatment and I probably wouldn't get to see them...

Located several steps north of Dupont Station, it is a lovely walk away to The City of Toronto Archives to explore the history of Toronto!

As part of the Doors Open Toronto 2022, we visited The City of Toronto Archives to learn about the building and explore the 100th anniversary of the TTC exhibit. The City of Toronto Archives moved to this location when it was merged with the Metropolitan Toronto Archives in 1998. The TTC exhibit was very well displayed with the information chronologically arranged. The Spadina Room was used for showing videos and hosting events. Also, the building has a lovely window area for the Viewing Gallery (Floor 2 has a better view, but you can see Floor 1's as well behind the elevator). It was very insightful to learn about the maintenance and preservation system within the storage facility themselves.

There are washrooms on the first and second floor as well. Staff are all extremely helpful to what you need to retrieve and research. There is guest WIFI at reception as well. We had a great...

I discovered the Archives through a tour held by one of my university’s centres. I am so happy to have gotten the opportunity to visit for these reasons:

Education: there are literally “miles of files” here! There are tons of documents you can resource for free. Getting access is pretty simple as well and during my visit, people who were researching were getting their items with ease.

Staff: the two presenters for our group were incredible! Super enthusiastic and extremely helpful with all of our questions. They were the highlight of our trip.

Space: this building is clean and well-kept, making our visit pleasant.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Toronto’s history or just want to explore, I highly recommend...