PCC streetcar at intersection of Queen and Yonge streets
August 1983
City of Toronto Archives
Fonds 1526, File 76, Item 1
Last week, Tuesday, March 22 , the City of Toronto Archives opened its most recent exhibit, The TTC - 100 Years of Moving Toronto. The exhibit is in partnership with the TTC and celebrates the transit agency’s 100th anniversary.
The Archives is reopening its atrium at 255 Spadina Road for the new exhibit for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The exhibit explores the history of the TTC including the consolidation of the transit system and its growth in the 1920s. Highlights include newly digitized images of female employees during the Second World War, early accessible vehicles and construction of the Yonge and Sheppard subway lines. The exhibit also features Irma James, the first Black female streetcar driver, and Lyn Morgan, the first female lead hand. The exhibit also showcases innovations from the 21st century such as low-floor streetcars, electric buses and green roofs at TTC facilities. Objects on display include historical tokens and tickets and the first Metropasses from the early 1980s.
TTC Guide Thelma Clark at Yonge and Carlton
1951
City of Toronto Archives
Series 2476, File 6, Item 1
Irma James, first Black female TTC streetcar driver
Photo: courtesy of the TTC
The Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) officially assumed responsibility for municipal transit services in the City of Toronto on September 1, 1921. This began an era of consolidation and expansion that accompanied and accelerated the astonishing growth of Toronto as a city.
Getting to the Archives by TTC:
- Line 1 Yonge - University subway to Dupont Station. Walk two blocks northward along the east side of Spadina Road.
- Buses along the 26 Dupont route to Spadina Road. Walk two blocks northward along the east side of Spadina.
- Eastbound buses along the 127 Davenport route to Macpherson Avenue at Spadina Road. Cross to the northeast corner of Spadina and Macpherson.
- Westbound buses along the 127 Davenport route to Spadina and Davenport Roads. Walk one block southward.
The City of Toronto Archives is open Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. The exhibit is on view until August 12. Admission is free.
Other ways to mark this historic milestone
- Watch the TTC 100th anniversary video.
- Visit the TTC’s 100th anniversary microsite.
- Travel to one of 12 subway stations to see the unique TTC: 100 Years of Moving Toronto photo exhibits.
| Station | Exhibit | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Don Mills Station | Sheppard Subway Construction | Concourse level |
| Kennedy Station | Scarborough Rapid Transit | Concourse level |
| Main Street Station | Streetcar Advertising Cards | Concourse level |
| Bay Station | Station Concepts by Artist Sigmund Serafin | Cumberland Terrace hallway outside fare line |
| Kipling Station | Women Guides on the TTC | Concourse level between West Passenger Pick-up Drop Off and collector booth |
| Finch Station | Moved by Electricity | Concourse level, transfer between TTC bus terminal and subway |
| Queen Station | Streetcar Trackage Construction in the 1920’s | Passageway connection between Northbound and Southbound platforms |
| Union Station | Harbourfront and Spadina Light Rail Transit | Streetcar entrance |
| Dupont Station | Yonge Subway Construction by Artist John DeRinzy | Subway platforms |
| Spadina Station | Transit System Maps | Concourse connection between Line 1 and Line 2 |
| St Clair West Station | Transit Expansion Means Development | Concourse level |
| Vaughan Metropolitan Station | Buses and Streetcars in the 1920’s | Concourse level |
See also: The Archives’ on-line version of the exhibit here.
By the way: What’s the best way to learn about the history of the TTC? By visiting this very website, Transit Toronto. We’ve got hundreds of resources depicting the history of transit in Toronto and area including photos, videos, reports, maps, route histories and many, many other on-line artifacts.
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