SMCE4023 F26 Why Architecture Matters: An Introduction to Toronto’s Architectural History

• Delivery: In-person
• Duration: 4 weeks
• Day of the week: Tuesdays
• Dates: September 15th to October 6th, 2026
• Time: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• Location: Various on/near campus at the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto
• Cost: $345 (includes HST)

Course Overview

 Historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner in his Outline of European Architecture (1943) distinguished “building” (a bicycle shed for instance) from “architecture”: his example was Lincoln Cathedral. Hence architecture as consciously aesthetic design has vast  range and variety. So-called “Western” architecture’s history began millennia before the Greek temples were built and eventually evolved into the thin, light abstraction of Modernism and Neo-modernism—this last sometimes quite eccentric: think of the additions to the ROM.) Toronto, with a history of not much over two centuries, has had to develop with speed and eclecticism from sources derived from several traditions, chiefly in Britain, France, and elsewhere in North America.

This course will introduce three main “families” of design—Classical, Neo-Medieval, and Modern (including Post- and Neo-modern)—through illustrations and, especially, walking tours on and close to the campus. The guiding aim is to support participants, who often enjoy but are mystified by architecture, in learning to speak and (if they wish) draw and write about it in an informed manner, using examples around us ranging from the humble (the chapel of St. Basil’s College and Marshall McLuhan’s carriage house) to the monumental, elaborate, and towering. (Believe it or not Toronto is now considered North America’s third skyscraper city, after only New York and Chicago!)

Method of Teaching

This course is delivered through a series of guided walking tours across the University of Toronto campus and surrounding areas. Each session introduces key architectural styles, historical developments, and cultural contexts through direct observation and discussion.

Week 1: St. Michael’s College and Victoria University
Explore one of the oldest areas of campus, featuring a rich variety of buildings spanning multiple periods and styles. Introduction to key concepts in architectural history and how to “read” buildings.

Week 2: Central Campus and Civic Architecture
Walk through the historic core of campus, including Hart House, Soldiers’ Tower, Knox College, Convocation Hall, and the Medical Sciences complex. Concludes near Queen’s Park, considering architecture and public identity.

Week 3: Campus Growth and Modern Architecture
Examine the evolution of campus through the 20th century, including institutional expansion and modernist design. Sites include the Newman Centre, Massey College, and Woodsworth College.

Week 4: Museums, Culture, and the City Edge
Explore the campus perimeter, including major cultural institutions, museums, and nearby commercial architecture along Bloor Street and Yonge Street. Consider architecture in relation to urban development and cultural life.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Evaluate and interpret architectural works by considering the intentions of designers and patrons, moving beyond personal preference toward informed and critical appreciation

Identify and distinguish major architectural design families and their subtypes, including classical orders, Gothic and Romanesque Revival, and modern versus historical styles

Recognize and describe key architects and associate them with landmark works, including figures such as J.G. Howard, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Le Corbusier

Analyze the layout and defining characteristics of contemporary cities, including the historical, social, and cultural factors that have shaped them

About the Instructor

Dr. Christopher (Chris) Thomas

Dr. Christopher (Chris) Thomas has studied, written about, worked to preserve, and taught the history of North American and European (mainly British) architecture for almost 50 years. His writing has concerned Canadian federal-government architecture since Confederation (MA thesis, U of T); Catholic church design, emphasizing the Toronto archdiocese; the work of American architect Henry Bacon (1866-1924), including the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC (book and Yale PhD); the design of the National Gallery of Art, also in Washington, and other subjects in Victorian, modernist, and postmodern design in both countries, especially questions of collective and national identity. Catholic theology and especially its relationship to church-design in Europe and North America also interests him.

Questions?