The Grange (Toronto) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Grange |
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The Grange in 2005
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| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
| Built | 1817 |
| Original use | Manor house |
| Current use | A wing of the Art Gallery of Ontario |
| Governing body | Art Gallery of Ontario |
| Designated | 1970 |
The Grange is a very old and important house in downtown Toronto, Ontario. It was built in 1817, making it one of the oldest buildings still standing in Toronto. It's also the oldest brick house left in the city!
This grand house was once the home of a powerful family. Later, it became the first home of the Art Museum of Toronto. Today, The Grange is a special part of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).
The Grange was built for D'Arcy Boulton, who was a very important person in early Toronto. His family, the Boultons, were part of a group called the "Family Compact." This group was made up of powerful families who had a lot of influence in the government of Upper Canada (now Ontario) a long time ago.
The house was passed down through the Boulton family. Eventually, it belonged to D'Arcy's son, William Henry Boulton, who was even mayor of Toronto several times! After William died, his wife, Harriette Boulton, inherited the house. She later married a famous writer named Goldwin Smith.
In 1910, Goldwin Smith and Harriette decided to give The Grange to the Art Museum of Toronto. This was a huge gift! The house then became the main building for the new art gallery. It was also the first home for the Ontario College of Art and Design, which is now OCAD University. Over the years, the Art Gallery of Ontario has grown much larger, and The Grange is now just one part of the big AGO building.
The big grassy area in front of The Grange is now a public park called Grange Park. Near the park, you can also find St. George Church. This church was started by the Boulton family. In 1970, The Grange was named a National Historic Site of Canada. This means it's recognized as a very important place in Canadian history.
Contents
The Grange's Story
Early Days (1817–1910)
The Grange was built in 1817 for D'Arcy Boulton, his wife Sarah Anne, and their eight children. It sat on a huge piece of land, about 100 acres! This land stretched from what is now Queen Street all the way to Bloor Street.
Sarah Anne Robinson came from a family who moved to Canada after the American Revolution. D'Arcy Boulton came to Canada from England when he was 12. They met and settled at The Grange. They named it after a Boulton family estate in England.
Sarah Anne was a great hostess. The Grange quickly became a popular spot for social events and important political meetings in early Toronto. D'Arcy Boulton worked in a store and held three government jobs. He passed away in 1846.
After D'Arcy died, his wife Sarah Anne owned the house. She put the house in a special trust for her daughter-in-law, Harriette. This meant Harriette had control over The Grange. It was Harriette who later gave the house to the Art Museum of Toronto.
D'Arcy's oldest son, William Henry Boulton, became the head of the household. William was mayor of Toronto three times (in 1845, 1846, and 1847). He was also a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. In 1846, William married Harriette Mann Dixon. They never had children. William loved to gamble, and Harriette and her mother-in-law, Sarah Anne, worked hard to keep The Grange in the family. William died in 1874, and Harriette became the only owner of The Grange.
In 1875, Harriette married Goldwin Smith. He was a famous British scholar and writer. Goldwin Smith had been a professor at Oxford University and even a tutor to the Prince of Wales! He moved to Toronto in 1871. Smith was a big supporter of the arts in Toronto. He started magazines and encouraged young Canadian artists. The couple lived happily at The Grange until they passed away, Harriette in 1909 and Goldwin in 1910.
Becoming an Art Gallery (1911–Present)
Around the year 1900, people in Toronto decided the city needed an art gallery. Many other big cities had them. A local artist named George Reid and a banker named Edmund Walker led a campaign to raise money for a gallery.
In 1902, the Smiths joined the effort. They decided to give The Grange to be the first home of the Art Museum of Toronto. The museum held its first art show in 1913, using Goldwin Smith's own art collection. In 1966, the Art Museum of Toronto changed its name to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). The Grange is now on the south side of the larger AGO building.
From the early days of the art museum until the 1960s, The Grange changed a lot. Electricity was added, and an apartment was made for a caretaker. In 1918 and 1926, new parts were added to the AGO. Some rooms in The Grange were used as offices for staff. There was even a tea room where visitors could relax.
In the 1960s, the AGO was expanding again. At this time, people in Ontario were very interested in saving old buildings. A group called the Junior Women's Committee raised a lot of money, $650,000, to restore The Grange. This money was used to make The Grange look like it did in 1835. In 1970, The Grange was officially named a National Historic Site of Canada.
Today, The Grange has special spaces for AGO members and art exhibits. While it doesn't look exactly like a historic home from the 1830s anymore, it still keeps its old charm and design. Visitors to the AGO can explore The Grange, see exhibits, take a tour, and learn about its history from volunteers.
The Grange's Design
The original house was designed by someone whose name we don't know. It was two stories tall, about 60 feet long and 40 feet wide. It had a low, sloped roof with a round window. The bricks for the house were probably made right on the property from the clay in the soil.
The windows have special wooden shutters. The front door has a curved window above it and windows on the sides. The Grange was built in the middle of a large park-like area. It got its name, "The Grange," from a family estate in England.
The house was built in a balanced Georgian style. The front door opened into a central hallway. The dining room was on the left, and the drawing room was on the right. Bedrooms for the family were at the back of the house and on the second floor. There were also four big rooms in the attic, probably for servants. The kitchen and food storage areas were in the basement.
The Grange was expanded twice. The first changes happened in the 1840s. Some parts were added to the house, possibly after a fire. The drawing room was made bigger. Three bedrooms were removed to create a large meeting room on the second floor. An office was added on the west side. William Boulton, who was mayor of Toronto, might have needed this office space. The front hall was also made larger, and a new central staircase was put in.
A special painted glass window was added. It showed the Boulton family crest. This crest was a clever picture playing on the name Boulton. It showed a barrel (a "tun") with an arrow (a "bolt") going through it. The family motto, "Dux vitae ratio" ("The guide to life is reason"), was below the crest. It reminded the Boultons of their British roots.
After Harriette Boulton married Goldwin Smith, the house was expanded again in 1885. Smith was a scholar, so a large library was added to the west side of the house. The old Georgian staircase was replaced with a new Victorian-style oak staircase. The wooden front porch was also replaced with a stone one.
Gardens and Grounds
Originally, a path led up to the front steps of The Grange, with a circular driveway around the front lawn. The house sat on slightly raised ground with terraces, just like it does today. Around the house were open spaces, groups of trees, and flower gardens. Behind the house were vegetable and fruit gardens, and further north, an orchard.
The front lawn of The Grange, now called Grange Park, was a very busy place. Many garden parties, church school picnics, and even a royal visit happened there! The Grange itself was designed to be a beautiful view at the end of John Street, looking towards the lake. The gardens were planned to look good from that view.
Old pictures of The Grange show a glass conservatory (a type of greenhouse) with a dome on the east side of the house. It would have been full of plants. In 1827, a plant catalog advertised 79 types of apples, other fruit trees, and many kinds of shrubs, flowers, and greenhouse plants. We know there was an orchard house on the property that grew peaches, nectarines, and grapes. William Boulton won awards for his geraniums, roses, and pansies at a flower show in 1844. The gardener, John Gray, even named a new type of geranium Pelargonium boultonianum after the Boultons!
When the southern part of the property was sold in the mid-1800s, a new entrance to The Grange was made. This new entrance included a small house called a lodge, where the butler, William Chin, and his family lived. Other buildings on the property included a stable, a root house (for storing vegetables), a tool house, and a shed for carriages. Later, small cottages were built for married servants.
