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Looking Back: Campbell House Move

On March 31, 1972, the building now sitting on the northwest corner of Queen & University, Campbell House, set off on a journey from its original home at the head of Frederick Street in what was once the small town of York.

This gallery follows the house on its ambling pace across Adelaide Street.

Click on any image to open the gallery in full screen mode.

[This article has been republished to correct a formatting problem in the photo gallery.]

Adelaide & Frederick looking north to original site with house on its trailer. The time is about 7 am.
Adelaide & Frederick looking north.
Attaching the cables for hauling.
Attaching cables.
Getting ready to move out onto Adelaide Street.
Getting ready to move.
Looking west on Adelaide to Frederick. Campbell House is on the move.
Campbell House eclipses St. James Cathedral. View looking southwest from Adelaide and Jarvis. Note that the clock on the cathedral is not showing the correct time.
Penumbra …
Total eclipse (almost).
Looking north through St. James park at Market Street to Adelaide. Lombard Street firehall in the background.
Looking northwest through St. James park. The building with the “Typewriters” sign has sported a number of different technologies over the years.
Looking west on Adelaide to Church Street.
TTC crews temporarily remove streetcar overhead wires allowing Campbell House to pass.
TTC crews let Campbell House pass Church Street.
Looking north on Toronto Street to Adelaide with the Seventh Post Office on the left.
Looking north on Yonge Street to Adelaide.
Campbell House on Adelaide just west of Yonge.
Looking west on Adelaide from Yonge toward Bay.
Campbell House crosses Bay Street. The time is 10:18 am according to the City Hall clock.
Looking northeast on Adelaide at the Concourse Building.
Looking southeast to York and Adelaide. Campbell House is just west of York Street.
Looking southeast to York and Adelaide.
On Adelaide between York and University. The time is 11:30 am (clock outside of TD bank on the corner).
Turning north of University from Adelaide.
Northbound on University at Adelaide.
At the south side of Richmond Street. (Overhead views taken from the roof of 200 University Ave.)
About to cross Queen Street northbound on University.
North of Queen at University beside the South African War Memorial.
TTC crews have reconnected the streetcar overhead wiring, and service resumes. Osgoode Hall renovations in progress.
Turning west into the permanent site from University Avenue. The time is 3:45 pm (City Hall clock).
Sitting astride the west sidewalk at the permanent site. The time is 4:57 pm. Campbell House stayed at this location overnight.
April 1, 1972: Lowering Campbell House into its new foundation (east view).
Not quite on the new foundation.

6 thoughts on “Looking Back: Campbell House Move”

  2. What an awesome event! Having enjoyed a number of small chamber music concerts at Campbell House, I’d have sworn it has been there on Queen St forever — especially when in the cellar! What an accomplishment!

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  3. A fabulous series – we need to do more of this, vs. urban removal. There’s a HUGE amount of embodied energy/materials/GHGs in the materials of our cities, too often trashed/tossed into Lake Ontario, and scale is such it rivals the Islands.

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  4. Great photo essay. It brings to mind The Crimson Permanent Assurance from Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life.

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  6. I was curious why the house was moved (I don’t recall if you, Steve, mentioned it in previous posts about the move), so I checked the museum’s website.

    This is what I found: “The last owners of the property (Coutts-Hallmark Greeting Cards) wanted to demolish the house to extend their parking lot.”

    FFS! A parking lot?

    Steve: There were a lot of parking lots in the old industrial areas downtown in those days.

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