The Columbus Centre Heritage Property plaque, 2019
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Resource ID
7512
Access
Open
Address
901 Lawrence Ave W, North York, ON M6A 1C3
Date of Creation
2019
Historical Themes
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Caption
The Columbus Centre Heritage Property plaque, 2019
Description
The Columbus Centre is part of the Villa Charities campus, a hub of Italian Canadian culture and heritage in Toronto. Since 1980, the Columbus Centre has provided the surrounding neighbourhood with important recreational, athletic, social, and cultural services.
The campus originated in 1974 with construction of the Villa Colombo seniors’ home by the Italian Canadian Benevolent
Corporation (ICBC). Business leaders gave millions of dollars to the project, and the Italian community, which at the time was mainly working class, came together to provide thousands of additional small donations. Villa Colombo provided culturally sensitive care and an alternative to being looked after at home by family.
In 1980, the ICBC (renamed Villa Charities in 1995) opened the Columbus Centre on the former site of St. Mary’s Training School, a reformatory for young women. The community centre, with its large rotunda, was designed by architecture firm Kelton Lacka Ruddock, which retained portions of the school. In 2018, the City of Toronto designated the Columbus Centre property at 901 Lawrence Avenue West as a heritage site, in part for its role in fostering Canadian multiculturalism.
Marker lat / long: 43.713465, -79.457018 (WGS84)