Beach Memories: Historic walking tour of Kew Beach area planned for Saturday, April 18

By GENE DOMAGALA

I will be leading an historic walk on Saturday, April 18, in the Kew Beach area.

We will meet at the Beaches Branch Library, 2161 Queen St. E., just west of Lee Avenue at 1 p.m.

On the walk we will visit many sites, buildings and homes, highlighting their connections to local people and happenings that make Kew Beach special. The walk will be approximately 90 minutes to two hours, so bring your walking shoes.

I also have to ask you dear Beach Metro Community News readers, a question. What parts of the Beach would you like me to cover in future historic walks?

I have been doing these walks for years, but I would like to get your opinions and feelings on what you want to hear and see about places in the community.

You can contact me through Beach Metro Community News by sending an email to editor@beachmetro.com, and your suggestions will be passed on to me.

Now, I have been asked about why I have such an interest in the history of the Beach and area. I’ve also been asked many times why I haven’t written a history book about it. Well, dear readers, I have been doing historic walks and talks in the Beach area for close to 50 years. And there have been several times when I have attempted to write a book, but for one reason or another I have not done so.

There is one book, however, that I would have loved to have done. Its title was to be From the Bluffs to the Beach. This was nearly done three or four decades ago, and it would have been a really good book on the area.

There was a distinguished architect who was one of the best, if not the best, architect Toronto or Ontario has ever had the honour of living in our city and province and writing about the history of Toronto. He wrote a book called Toronto, No Mean City about the architecture in the city. He was involved in the judging to decide the design of our “new” City Hall back in the 1950s, and numerous other civic projects. His name was Eric Arthur, and he was also a professor at the University of Toronto teaching architecture.

One time I received a call from the professor. He wanted to speak to me about the Beach area. So for the next few weeks, Professor Arthur and I proceeded to meet and discuss and look over the different parts of the East End.

His idea was to write a book about the area and he suggested the title From the Bluffs to the Beach. It would be about the area from the Scarborough Bluffs going all the way to Cherry Beach.

So I took Professor Arthur on many a journey through not only the East End, but different parts of Toronto as well. He taught me quite a few points about the different types of architecture and what to look for in the buildings, homes and streets.

At the end of one of our meetings, he said: “Gene, you are going to be the historian and I will be the architect and the book will be From the Bluffs to the Beach.”

However, the book never happened. After a time, Professor Eric Arthur passed away in 1982 at the age of 84.

So there I was involved with the person who was so well known, but for one reason or another the book never took root.

However, there have been many very good books about the Beach and the Beach area by good authors, and maybe one day I will have my chance to do some kind of book publication.

Again, please let me know what type of walk or area you are interested in, or any other historical questions or information that you would like to share with me.

Historically Yours!