Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date of Completion: 1932
Architect: N/A
Nominated by: Hon. Doug Ford, MPP (Etobicoke North)
A gift to the city by one of its most celebrated residents, Thistletown’s Franklin Carmichael Art Centre is the fulfilment of a life-long dream to bring the people of Toronto’s North Etobicoke neighbourhood together through community and the arts.
The Home of an Extraordinary Individual
Nestled away on a quiet residential street dotted with beautiful mature trees and detached family homes, the two-storey log-clad building that now houses the Franklin Carmichael Art Centre might at first seem like an odd location for an art centre. However, its location and form are telltale signs of the remarkable origin of the centre and the generous person who made it possible.
Dating back to 1932, the centre was originally built as the home and office of Dr. Agnes Ann Curtin, one of the first female graduates of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine following the admittance of women to the medical school in 1906. Specializing in the health of women and children, Dr. Curtin ran a successful practice in Bloor West Village and by the 1930s had purchased the two-and-half acre property on which the centre stands today.
Dr. Curtin’s vision for the property extended beyond the building. With the vision of a cabin in the woods certainly in mind, Dr. Curtin formed a boys club that would help her plant some 4,000 trees in the area. Today, the uniquely woodsy character of the neighbourhood is the direct result of those efforts almost a century ago.
Inside the second floor studio at the Franklin Carmichael Arts Centre. Photo: Kurtis Chen.
A Gift to Etobicoke
In addition to being a successful doctor, Dr. Curtin was also a gifted artist and an active community supporter. She had always dreamed of transforming her home into a centre for the arts and, after her retirement in 1952, established an art group in the upstairs room of her home.
The group’s mandate was to provide quality art courses to residents of North Etobicoke; they quickly became known for their high standard of teaching. By the early 1960s, the group was offering weekly art classes and programming to the public. The classes became so popular that they overflowed from Curtin’s home to nearby Thistletown Public School and St Andrew’s Anglican Church. The home itself was modified to accommodate the growing class sizes and varied arts programming. In 1971, Dr. Curtin built a second building on the property, just behind the main house, to house the garden gallery. She would then deed the property to the Township of Etobicoke, provided that it would always remain as the public park and art centre that we see today.
The second floor studio of the centre. Centre: one of the many paintings adorning the interior. Right: a plaque on the grounds dedicated to the memory of Dr. Agnes Anne Curtin. Photos: Kurtis Chen.
The name for the centre is also connected to Dr. Curtin’s extraordinary life. Ada Lillian Carmichael, widow of late Group of Seven artist Franklin Carmichael, was a patient and close friend. When Dr. Curtin asked for permission to name the group after her late husband, Ada did not only grant permission, but also donated some of his works as prizes to the group.
Today, the Franklin Carmichael Art Centre continues to honour Dr. Curtin’s vision—providing opportunities for the visual arts in North Etobicoke through classes, workshops, summer camps, and exhibits.
This post forms part of our World Architecture Day Queen’s Park Picks 2022 series in which the OAA asked Ontario’s Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to nominate a prominent building, past or present, in their riding for a chance to learn more about it. Check out the rest of the series to learn more about great buildings across the province!
Additional Resources
Interested in learning more about the Franklin Carmichael Centre? Check out these additional resources: