April 6, 2024

The oldest standing schoolhouse in Toronto was built in 1848 just five years after York changed its name to Toronto and became a city. The population of the city stood at about 25,000 and some of the poorest people lived in the St. Lawrence Ward which is seen in the map below. This image is taken from the 1884 Goads Fire Insurance Map of Toronto. Trinity School, as it was then known, is circled in green. Also featured in this story are the East Toronto Brewery (blue) and Little Trinity Church (orange).

Enoch Turner was born in Stafforshire, UK in 1792 and came to York early in the 19th century. He established a brewery in the area of Parliament and Front streets which is shown as the East Toronto Brewery in the map above. There were a lot of Irish immigrants in the area that came from County Cork in Ireland and this is the basis for the name Corktown as this neighbourhood became known. In 1846 Canada passed the “Act for the better establishment and maintenance of Common Schools in Upper Canada”. Toronto was unwilling to introduce a tax to support schools and so all schools that benefitted from public support were closed for a year following this. These were hard times for the poor in Toronto and Enoch Turner had a heart to educate the children in the area surrounding his brewery. He provided funding to build a school on land provided by Little Trinity Church.

It is thought that the school was designed in the Gothic Style at the same time as Little Trinity Church by local architect Henry Bowyer Lane. This architect also designed City Hall and St. Lawrence Market. When the school opened in 1849 there were 240 students and Enoch paid all expenses to operate it for 3 years. At the time it was known as Ward Street School. Thus it became the first free school in Toronto and spurred the development of a free school system in the province. When it was taken over by the Toronto Board of Education in 1851 it was renamed Trinity Street School.

The school only operated until 1859 when students were moved to the Palace Street School which we described in our post Canary Restaurant. The building was then turned over to Little Trinity Church who used it as a Sunday School and Parish Hall.

The side door features four highly ornate hinges, knocker and latch.

The addition on the west end of the building was completed in 1869. A second addition on the south side of the building was made in 1910. The building was used as a recruitment centre in 1899 for the Boer War. A soup kitchen was operated out of the structure during the Great Depression in the 1930s where meals were served to 1500 people each week. It was also used as a base for servicemen during both World Wars.

A fire broke out in Little Trinity Church in 1961 and the church was used as a meeting hall while repairs were made. Following this, the building fell into disrepair and was threatened with demolition.

On October 8, 1970 the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse Foundation was established to try and save the building. Extensive renovations were completed and in 1972 it was opened as a museum. In 2008 the building was turned over to the Ontario Heritage Trust. Part of the Little Trinity Church can be seen to the left in the picture below. The story of that building can be found in our post Gooderham Architecture.

The building has stood for over 175 years and can be rented for weddings and private events. More importantly it stands as a testament to one man’s vision for free education for the poor children in his community.

Related stories: Gooderham Architecture, One Room Schools, Canary Restaurant

Google Maps Link: Enoch Turner Schoolhouse

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