Unbuilt Toronto: A History of the City That Might Have Been

by Mark Osbaldeston

Unbuilt Toronto explores never-realized building projects in and around Toronto, from the city’s founding to the twenty-first century. Delving into unfulfilled and largely forgotten visions for grand public buildings, landmark skyscrapers, highways, subways, and arts and recreation venues, it outlines such ambitious schemes as St. Alban's Cathedral, the Queen subway line and early city plans that would have resulted in a paris-by-the-Lake.

Readers may lament the loss of some projects (such as the Eaton’s College Street tower), be thankful for the disappearance of others (a highway through the Annex) and marvel at the downtown that could have been (with underground roads and walkways in the sky).

Featuring 147 photographs and illustrations, many never before published, Unbuilt Toronto casts a different light on a city you thought you knew.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Canada, Architecture

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Mark Osbaldeston has written and spoken extensively on Toronto's architectural and planning history. His first book, "UNBUILT TORONTO: A History of the City that Might Have Been," was the basis for an exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum, was a finalist for the Toronto Book Awards, and received a Heritage Toronto Award of Merit.

Reviews

[GJ R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book came out in 2008, but it’s 2024 now parts of the unbuilt/partially built station at Queen is finally being built as downtown portion of the Ontario Line connecting the century old Queen Street Subway and decades old Downtown Relief Line. Enjoyed the stories of why things got built differently, unfinished or not built at all.

[Scott Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in an excellent series that addresses the "should haves, could haves, and would haves" in relation to cities (in this edition's case Toronto). The modals of opportunities addressed by Osbaldeston's history series are fascinating and the decisions (mostly event-driven) that go into building cities are intriguing, thought provoking and suggest that we don't always learn the lessons from our past.

In some ways the series mirrors our own tendencies to indulge in reveries concerning how our lives might have been different if events shifted even if only by a little. We all ask these questions of ourselves. We almost can't help but ask.

Osbaldeston has taken a universal question and shifted his gaze towards cities. The result is a fascinating series of impeccably researched and insightful books.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've ever wondered what Toronto could have looked like had some of the projects gone through, then this is the book for you. Things like the waterfront would have looked so different. The ScotiaPlaza might never have been. Can you imagine a downtown with Old City Hall? How about a community that was built on water down by the Island Airport?

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really neat book! When I first started it, I thought it might be too architecture-heavy for me, but don't give up! It's actually really accessible even to the architecture-ignorant like me. There's lots of great visuals of the projects that never came to fruition. I like to think I'm decently familiar with Toronto history but almost all of the projects were brand new to me (Harbour City blew my mind, imagine if that had been built). I also liked how it gave context to the current city - how the earlier, rejected/failed plans shaped our current landscape. Overall a cool book for anyone looking to learn more about their city!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a different view of the city that I live in. and such a different take on some buildings I take for granted or have hardly notice. an interesting look at how politics and economics shape our physical city in ways we don't see and are lost to history

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive look of proposed projects for the city that didn't go through or were only partially built. Some I'm very glad didn't go through but others, especially the planned park along the Lake Ontario shoreline, are a crying shame. Well documented with photos of the proposals.

[Aras · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty decent look at some of the things around Toronto that were planned but never built, or built to a different design. I think my favourite is Harbour City, a proposal for a jumble of residential and commercial spaces on little islands in place of the current island airport.