Toronto's Historical Plaques

Learn a little of Toronto's history as told through its plaques.

Early Meteorology in Canada

In the many times I had walked past this building, on the south-west corner of Bloor Street West. and Devonshire Place, I had occasionally wondered about that round thingie on the roof. After reading this Historic Sites and Monuments Board plaque attached to the outside fence, I now know the answer. Here's the text of that plaque:

The British Army began regular meteorological and magnetic observations on this campus in 1840, stimulating colonial society's fascination with science. After the Province of Canada took over the program in 1853, it built a new observatory, which became the headquarters of the Meteorological Service of Canada. Superintendent G.T. Kingston set up a system of stations, many telegraphically linked, which enabled the Service to issue both storm warnings and daily forecasts by 1876. Opened in 1909, this building was the Service's headquarters until its centenary in 1971.

Location Co-ordinates: 43.667631 -79.398617

Photo by Alan L Brown - September 2006

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