Queen Alexandra Gateway

There are two plaques at this location.
Both can be seen on this page.

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted June, 2008

Photo by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted August, 2010

Just west of the Royal Ontario Museum on the south side of Bloor Street West one finds this gateway, the entrance to Philosopher's Walk. A plaque on one of the stone columns says this:

Plaque coordinates: 43.668216 -79.395779

This stone and wrought iron structure was a gift to the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire to commemorate the visit, on October 10 and 11, 1901 of their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York.

The gateway, designed by Chadwick and Beckett, Architects, originally stood on Bloor Street at the northern entrance to Queen's Park. It had to be moved twice to accommodate transportation improvements and was finally located here in 1962. The wrought iron lamps were restored in 1990 as a special project by the staff of the Faculties and Services department of the University of Toronto.

The University of Toronto fully restored the gateway and the southward extension of Philosopher's Walk extending southward in 1995. A rededication ceremony was held on October 14, 1995.

Photo by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted August, 2010

This other plaque, a little distance south on Philosopher's Walk, says:

Since 1962, the historic Queen Alexandra Gateway has served as a formal entrance to Philosopher's Walk, a meandering ravine which cuts through the northeastern grounds of the University of Toronto. Built to commemorate the 1901 visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later crowned King George V and Queen Mary), the gateway initially stood at the southeast corner of Bloor Street and Queen's Park. It was later removed to make way for the construction of the subway and the widening of Queen's Park.

The Queen Alexandra Gateway - with its elaborate stone pillars, serpent-headed lamps and elegant ironwork - was fully refurbished in 2009, thanks to the generous support of TD Bank Financial Group. The restoration was part of a broader initiative to reassert Philosopher's Walk as a vital green space for the enjoyment of the community and to complement revitalization efforts at the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Royal Ontario Museum.

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