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Spadina Museum: Historic House & Gardens will begin a new era on
October 24 with an extensive interior restoration and thematic
programs that explore how Toronto’s Austin family lived in the
1920s and 1930s.
Spadina Museum was home to four generations of the influential
Austin family over more than a century. Opened in 1984 by the
City of Toronto, the museum has since become a celebrated public
landmark.
The museum is marking another milestone in its nearly 150-year
history by becoming Toronto’s only museum to represent the
transformative era of the 1920s and 1930s through authentic
decor and multifaceted public programming.
Spadina Museum will have a free opening for the public on
Sunday, October 24 (1 to 4 p.m.), and media are invited to
preview the restoration and new programming on Friday, October
22 (by appointment only).
The decision to restore the museum to reflect this time period
(1920s and ‘30s) was determined by the wealth of artifacts,
family records and documentation left by the Austins. As well,
the family’s many renovations and additions to the house and
grounds were completed by that time. The inter-war era is one of
great interest and relevance, as it introduced dramatic changes
for Toronto.
“The restoration of Spadina Museum creatively reveals and
explores how the 1920s and ‘30s changed the home and lives of
the Austin family,” said Rita Davies, Executive Director of the
City of Toronto’s Cultural Services. “Through detailed research,
the use of original artifacts, authentic reproductions and newly
curated themed tours, the restoration innovatively showcases how
the Austins lived during this exciting time while revealing how
Toronto’s changes in this era continue to resonate with
Torontonians today.”
The interior of the museum, from draperies and wallpapers to
furniture and lighting, represents this era with reproduced
materials and original family artifacts. Visitors will see
authentically reproduced wallpapers, paint schemes, draperies
and original furnishings. All of the restoration elements have
been painstakingly researched so that they are as true to the
documented originals as possible. Thousands of hours of
historical analysis, combined with numerous expert
consultations, were undertaken over the last six years to ensure
the city’s cultural inheritance was renewed and restored with
the utmost care and respect.
For example, ingrain woodblock-printed wallpaper that was
installed in the drawing room in 1905, which existed in the home
until 1940, was reproduced using an original sample salvaged
from the museum’s interiors. Additional research on its history
was provided by the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (a
Smithsonian Institution). That museum’s archives allowed Spadina
Museum to reproduce this unique wallpaper using the traditional
technique and with paper that was custom-made specifically to
match the original wallpaper’s specifications.
Additional restoration elements include refreshed wood floors
and the installation of new reproduction linoleum. Kitchen
cupboards are full of cans and other food packaging that
represent the brands the typical family would have purchased at
that time. The public will see new artworks from the family
collection, French terracotta sculptures and a lamp with a
reproduction hand-painted silk shade. Combined, these
restoration elements recreate the Austin family home with
authentic 1920s and ‘30s interiors.
Making use of the historical sources and the Austin’s documented
history, visitors will experience and learn about how
Torontonians lived during that tumultuous time in the early 20th
century - when the city grappled with increased immigration, the
issue of the vote for women, the stock market crash,
prohibition, public health issues and the introduction of
welfare.
During that period, Toronto also experienced the Charleston
craze, tabloid journalism and new technology.
Visitors will be able to choose from tours (scheduled at set
times each day) that investigate the social, economic and
political themes of the 1920s and 1930s, or a tour highlighting
the museum’s restoration process. “Meet the Austins: A Toronto
Family in the 1920s and 1930s” uses artifacts in the house to
depict an era when innovations like radio, domestic technology
and advertising connected the individual to an emerging mass
consciousness.
“It’s a Kid’s Life” interprets what it would be like to grow up
in Toronto in the 20s and 30s for children of the Austin family
and staff. The invention of plastic toys and the influence of
films and movie star celebrity on all ages will be explored.
“The Restoration Tour” gets down to the nuts and bolts (or at
least the wallpaper and carpeting) of executing an authentic
restoration involving intensely researched design decisions.
Upcoming tours will include Welcome to the Party: Entertaining
in the ‘20s and ‘30s; Upstairs Downstairs: Servants in the
House; Plastic Fantastic:
Inventions of the 1920s; and Behaving Badly: The New Morality.
School groups will be able to enjoy interactive programs
designed to fit their curriculum.
Spadina Museum: Historic House & Gardens is one of 10 historic
museums operated by the City of Toronto. Spadina Museum is
located at 285 Spadina Road in Toronto. For museum hours,
admission charges and to book tours, the public can call
416-392-6910 or visit
http://www.toronto.ca/spadina.
Toronto is Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government,
and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It
is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and
most creative cities in North America.
Toronto has won numerous awards for quality, innovation and
efficiency in delivering public services. Toronto’s government
is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and liveability for all
its residents. For information about non-emergency City services
and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can
dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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