Toronto preserves its past in forts, houses, churches, cemeteries, markets and whole districts. This page collects the history of History of Toronto’s main historic sites in one place: each entry below has its own verified article with sources and a note on what is disputed or unconfirmed. Visiting details such as hours and fees change often, so each article points to the operator’s own page.
Older listings of historic buildings and churches, with photographs and plaque wording, are in the historic buildings section and the historic churches section.
Historic sites and buildings
- Casa Loma: Pellatt's Castle and Its Path to City Ownership: Casa Loma, the house built for financier Sir Henry Pellatt, and how it came to be run by the City of Toronto. A dated timeline.
- Fort York and the Battle of York in 1813: Fort York dates from the British settlement of 1793. Its powder magazine was destroyed at the Battle of York on April 27, 1813, and the surviving buildings date from 1813 to 1815. Designation and disputed figures.
- Toronto Necropolis and Toronto's Historic Cemeteries: The Toronto Necropolis in Cabbagetown: its history, notable burials, chapel, and the other Victorian cemeteries nearby.
- Queen's Park and the Ontario Legislative Building: A History: Queen’s Park was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1860, and the Ontario Legislative Building opened on April 4, 1893. The 1909 fire and the rebuilt west wing.
- The Distillery District: Gooderham and Worts, 1832 to Today: The Gooderham and Worts distillery in Toronto, from an 1832 windmill to the 1990 closure and the conversion into a heritage district.
- Kensington Market: From Denison Estate to Historic Site: Kensington Market in Toronto, its early history, and the immigrant communities that shaped it. Dates and sources.
- Union Station, Toronto: History, Architecture, and Role: Union Station opened August 6, 1927. Who built it, the stations before it, its stone and marble design, heritage status, and its GO and subway links.
- Toronto's Heritage Register and Heritage Designation: How Toronto’s Heritage Register works: listed and designated properties, Ontario Heritage Act Part IV, and the 60-day notice for listed properties.
- CN Tower History: Why and When Toronto's Tower Was Built: The CN Tower was built by Canadian National in the 1970s. Dates, height records and how they changed over time.
- Rogers Centre, the PATH and the Toronto Music Garden: The SkyDome, renamed Rogers Centre, the PATH walkway network and the Toronto Music Garden. Dates and facts on each.
- The Eaton Centre and Toronto's Historic Shopping Streets: From Timothy Eaton’s Yonge Street store to the Eaton Centre: architects, the Simpson’s rivalry, and name changes. No store directory.
Neighborhoods
- How Toronto's Neighborhoods Grew, From Village to District: How Yorkville, The Annex, Kensington Market, Little Italy and other Toronto districts took shape, with annexation dates.
- Little Italy, Toronto: The Italian Community on College Street: History of Toronto’s Little Italy: three waves of Italian settlement, the wartime “enemy alien” label, the 1931 census share, and why families moved away.
- Yorkville, Toronto: From Village to Downtown District: Yorkville, from village to downtown district: its history, the 1960s music scene, and heritage district.
- Cabbagetown, Toronto: Victorian Streets and Irish Roots: Cabbagetown and its Victorian streets: how it got its name, what Regent Park changed, and heritage status.
- The Annex: How a Developer's Subdivision Became a District: How the Annex took its name from a developer’s subdivision. Boundaries, early houses and the Spadina Expressway fight.
- Dundas Street: History, Name Origin and the Renaming Debate: Dundas Street: the history of the road, the name origin, Little Portugal, and the renaming debate and Sankofa Square explained.
Related reading
- Overview of Toronto history
- Toronto history section
- Historic buildings of Toronto
- Historic churches of Toronto
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- City of Toronto, Fort York National Historic Site: toronto.ca
- City of Toronto, History of Union Station (opening on August 6, 1927; National Historic Site designation in 1975): toronto.ca
- Toronto Public Library, “Remembering the Ontario Legislative Building: April 4” (opening on April 4, 1893; fire of September 1, 1909): blogs.tpl.ca
- Ontario Heritage Trust, background paper on Queen’s Park (opened by the Prince of Wales on September 11, 1860): heritagetrust.on.ca
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, Distillery Historic District / Gooderham and Worts National Historic Site (windmill of 1832; closure in mid-1990): thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
- City of Toronto, Heritage Register (listed and designated properties; 60-day notice): toronto.ca
- Heritage Toronto, Little Italy on College Street (three waves of Italian immigration; 77 percent of Toronto’s Italians in the area at the 1931 census): heritagetoronto.org
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 25). Historic Sites of Toronto. http://localhost:8210/history/historic-sites
MLA: “Historic Sites of Toronto.” History of Toronto, 25 Oct. 2026, http://localhost:8210/history/historic-sites. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Historic Sites of Toronto.” Last modified October 25, 2026. http://localhost:8210/history/historic-sites.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.