FACTOID # 73: 62% of Bulgarians describe themselves as either 'not very' or 'not at all' happy.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

FACTS & STATISTICS    Simple view

  1. Select countries to view: (hold down Control key and click to select several)

     

     

    Compare:

     

     

  1. Select fact or statistic: (* = graphable)

     

     

     

  2. (OPTIONAL) Compare to statistic: (both need to be graphable)

     

     

     

  3. View result as:

     

       
(OR) SEARCH ALL encyclopedia, stats & forums:   

Encyclopedia > Spadina House

Spadina House (built 1866) is a historic manor on Spadina Road in Toronto, Canada that is now a museum; signs directing traffic and pedestrians to the house now call it Spadina Museum.


It was built by James Austin, founder of the Dominion Bank and Consumers Gas, on land that had previously been owned by Toronto's noted Baldwin family. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century the area was the wealthiest in Toronto, with a number of Toronto's leading families having large estates.


The house is at the southern end of the northern section of Spadina Road, on top of Devenport Hill, an escarpment which was the shore of prehistoric Lake Iroquois. Just around the corner on Austin Terrace, on the lot adjacent to Spadina House's, is Casa Loma, a stately pile built in 1911 by Sir Henry Mill Pellatt.


The last member of the family to live in the house was Anna Kathleen Thompson who lived there until 1982. The aged house had outdated wiring and needed a thorough overhaul, that would have been far more expensive than rebuilding it. While the house could have been sold to private interests such as the Keg Restaurant, the family decided instead to donate it to the city. In 1984 it opened as a museum, jointly operated by the city and the Ontario Heritage Foundation. The museum is especially known for its gardens. The family still keeps some links with the house and celebrations such as weddings are held there.


Many Torontonians follow a convention of pronouncing Spadina Road "Spad[aɪ]na" and Spadina House "Spadeena"; however, it is not uncommon to hear Spadina Road pronounced "Spadeena" as well. South of Bloor Street, however, Spadina Road becomes Spadina Avenue, which is always pronounced "Spad[aɪ]na". The distinction between "Spad[aɪ]na" and "Spadeena" was once an economic class marker in Toronto, with the upper classes favouring "Spadeena", but is less so today.


  Results from FactBites:
 
Spadina House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (385 words)
Spadina House (built 1866) is a historic manor on Spadina Road in Toronto, Canada that is now a museum; signs directing traffic and pedestrians to the house now call it Spadina Museum.
The house is at the southern end of the northern section of Spadina Road, on top of Davenport Hill, an escarpment which was the shore of prehistoric Lake Iroquois.
While the house could have been sold to private interests such as the Keg Restaurant, the family decided instead to donate it to the city.
Spadina House (486 words)
He called it Spadina (pronounced spadeena), after the native term espadinong, meaning "hill." In addition to being a lawyer and a doctor, William was an amateur architect, and he designed the house himself.
Anna presented Spadina and its six-acre property to the city to be used as a historic house and museum.
Spadina House opened in 1984, complete with much of the Austin furnishings, and it is maintained today by Heritage Toronto.
  More results at FactBites »


 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.