The R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is both a crucial piece of infrastructure and an architecturally acclaimed historic building named after the longtime commissioner of Toronto's public works Roland Caldwell Harris. The plant's architect was Thomas C. Pomphrey with engineers H.G. Acres and William Gore.[1] It is located in the east of the city at the eastern end of Queen Street and at the foot of Victoria Park Avenue along the shore of Lake Ontario in the Beaches neighbourhood in the former city of Scarborough.
Harris was born in Lansing on May 26, 1875 in what is now North York, Ontario, but grew up in Toronto.[2] Harris was Public Works Commissioner from 1912 to 1945 and involved in projects like:
The land was once owned by Peter Patterson and George Monro. Prior to the construction of a water treatment plant, the area was the site of Victoria Park, a waterfront amusement park that operated from 1878 until 1906. It closed the same year as rival Munro Park ceased operations. The amusement park was initially served by ferry from York Street (same docks serving Toronto Islands) until 1895 when streetcar service commenced.[5]
After the park closed in 1906, Victoria Park Forest School opened and used the site until 1932.[5]
Water treatment plant
RC Harris Water Treatment Plant - Filtration Building - South Elevation
R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant - Service Building - South Elevation
With an early 20th-century Toronto plagued with water shortages and unclean drinking water, public health advocates such as George Nasmith and Toronto's Medical Officer of Health, Charles Hastings, campaigned for a modern water purification system.
Construction for a water treatment plant began on the site in 1932 and the building became operational on November 1, 1941.[6] The building, unlike most modern engineering structures, was also created to make an architectural statement. Fashioned in the Art Deco style, the cathedral-like structure remains one of Toronto's most admired buildings. It is, however, little known to outsiders. The interiors are just as opulent with marble entryways and vast halls filled with pools of water and filtration equipment. The plant has thus earned the nickname The Palace of Purification.
In 1992, the R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant was named a national historic civil engineering site by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. It was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1998.[7] The plant appeared on a stamp issued by Canada Post in 2011, in a series showcasing five notable Art Deco buildings in Canada.[8][9]
Use
Water pumps at the treatment plant
Despite its age, the plant is still fully functional, providing approximately 30% of Toronto's water supply. The intakes are located over 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) from shore in 15 metres (49 ft) of water, running through two pipes under the bed of the lake. Water is also chlorinated in the plant and then pumped to various reservoirs throughout the City of Toronto and York Region.
Access
The facility grounds have been made available to the public. Despite some concerns of vulnerability to an attack on the water supply since the September 11 attacks, the grounds have remained open to the public, but security has been increased. In the summer of 2007, construction began on the installation of an underground Residual Management Facility allowing processed waste to be removed before discharging into the lake. This construction has since been completed.
In popular culture
The R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant has been used in dozens of films and television series as a prison, clinic, or headquarters.
^ ab"Closed Canadian Parks - Victoria Park (Scarborough)". Coaster Enthusiasts of Canada. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
^Mannell, Steven (January 1, 2002). "Water Works". Canadian Architect. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
^"2701 Queen St. E." City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
^Rochon, Lisa (June 8, 2011). . The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
^. Canada's Stamp Details. Canada Post. XX (2). June 2011. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant.
"Fast Facts about the City's Water Treatment Plants". City of Toronto. November 17, 2017.
December 27, 2022
harris, water, treatment, plant, toronto, ontario, canada, both, crucial, piece, infrastructure, architecturally, acclaimed, historic, building, named, after, longtime, commissioner, toronto, public, works, roland, caldwell, harris, plant, architect, thomas, p. The R C Harris Water Treatment Plant in Toronto Ontario Canada is both a crucial piece of infrastructure and an architecturally acclaimed historic building named after the longtime commissioner of Toronto s public works Roland Caldwell Harris The plant s architect was Thomas C Pomphrey with engineers H G Acres and William Gore 1 It is located in the east of the city at the eastern end of Queen Street and at the foot of Victoria Park Avenue along the shore of Lake Ontario in the Beaches neighbourhood in the former city of Scarborough R C Harris Water Treatment PlantExterior of the buildingGeneral informationStatusOperationalAddress2701 Queen Street East Toronto Ontario CanadaCoordinates43 40 24 N 79 16 44 W 43 673222 N 79 278819 W 43 673222 79 278819 Coordinates 43 40 24 N 79 16 44 W 43 673222 N 79 278819 W 43 673222 79 278819Named forR C HarrisConstruction started1932OpenedNovember 1 1941 81 years ago 1941 11 01 Contents 1 Roland Caldwell Harris 2 Site history 2 1 Pre 1932 history 2 2 Water treatment plant 3 Use 4 Access 5 In popular culture 6 References 7 External linksRoland Caldwell Harris EditHarris was born in Lansing on May 26 1875 in what is now North York Ontario but grew up in Toronto 2 Harris was Public Works Commissioner from 1912 to 1945 and involved in projects like Prince Edward Viaduct opened in 1918 and which included his idea to add a deck under the bridge allowed for the Bloor Danforth line to be built decades later Mount Pleasant bridge as part of the extension of Mount Pleasant Road north to Lawrence Avenue East in 1934 expansion of the streetcar network of the Toronto Civic Railways from 1912 to 1915 Waterfront Railway Viaduct built from 1925 to 1934 to bring rail lines into Union Station 3 extension of University Avenue south of Queen Street West to Front Street in 1931 Harris died on September 3 1945 His son Lieutenant Colonel Roland Allen Harris was a member of the Queen s Own Rifles Harris is buried in family plot at St John s Norway Cemetery 4 Site history EditPre 1932 history Edit The land was once owned by Peter Patterson and George Monro Prior to the construction of a water treatment plant the area was the site of Victoria Park a waterfront amusement park that operated from 1878 until 1906 It closed the same year as rival Munro Park ceased operations The amusement park was initially served by ferry from York Street same docks serving Toronto Islands until 1895 when streetcar service commenced 5 After the park closed in 1906 Victoria Park Forest School opened and used the site until 1932 5 Water treatment plant Edit RC Harris Water Treatment Plant Filtration Building South Elevation R C Harris Water Treatment Plant Service Building South Elevation With an early 20th century Toronto plagued with water shortages and unclean drinking water public health advocates such as George Nasmith and Toronto s Medical Officer of Health Charles Hastings campaigned for a modern water purification system Construction for a water treatment plant began on the site in 1932 and the building became operational on November 1 1941 6 The building unlike most modern engineering structures was also created to make an architectural statement Fashioned in the Art Deco style the cathedral like structure remains one of Toronto s most admired buildings It is however little known to outsiders The interiors are just as opulent with marble entryways and vast halls filled with pools of water and filtration equipment The plant has thus earned the nickname The Palace of Purification In 1992 the R C Harris Water Treatment Plant was named a national historic civil engineering site by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering It was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1998 7 The plant appeared on a stamp issued by Canada Post in 2011 in a series showcasing five notable Art Deco buildings in Canada 8 9 Use Edit Water pumps at the treatment plant Despite its age the plant is still fully functional providing approximately 30 of Toronto s water supply The intakes are located over 2 6 kilometres 1 6 mi from shore in 15 metres 49 ft of water running through two pipes under the bed of the lake Water is also chlorinated in the plant and then pumped to various reservoirs throughout the City of Toronto and York Region Access EditThe facility grounds have been made available to the public Despite some concerns of vulnerability to an attack on the water supply since the September 11 attacks the grounds have remained open to the public but security has been increased In the summer of 2007 construction began on the installation of an underground Residual Management Facility allowing processed waste to be removed before discharging into the lake This construction has since been completed In popular culture EditThe R C Harris Water Treatment Plant has been used in dozens of films and television series as a prison clinic or headquarters The building of the plant is vividly recounted in Michael Ondaatje s In the Skin of a Lion The headquarters of The Man in the 2002 comedy Undercover Brother A prison in the 1998 comedy Half Baked An asylum in the 1995 horror film In the Mouth of Madness The Centre a nefarious think tank in the television series The Pretender Base of operations for Genomex an antagonistic corporation in the television series Mutant X The Royal Canadian Institute for the Mentally Insane next door to Elsinore Brewery in the 1983 film Strange Brew The Henry Ford Centre for the Criminally Insane as seen in Robocop The Series The Langstaff Maximum Security Prison as seen in Flashpoint in the episode Just a Man The Mellonville Maximum Security Prison as seen in an SCTV episode 1982 A prison in the Psi Factor Chronicles of the Paranormal episode Solitary Confinement Lake District Federal Prison in Between in the episode School s Out A prison building in the Conviction episode A Different Kind of Death A prison in the closing scenes of The Big Heist when Donald Sutherland s character enters to serve a 20 year sentence Ekart County Jail in the 2015 movie Regression U N Penitentiary Chesapeake Conservancy Zone in the 2020 season of The Expanse A Children s Hospital in Guillermo Del Toro s 1997 film Mimic The office of Richard Jenkins character Ezra Grindle a factory executive with a dark past in Guillermo Del Toro s Nightmare Alley Womens Prison in Mayor of KingstownReferences Edit R C Harris Filtration Plant CSCE SCGC Lorinc John May 18 2012 Meet the man who shaped 20th century Toronto The Globe and Mail Distillery District Heritage Website Harris Roland Allen April 24 2021 a b Closed Canadian Parks Victoria Park Scarborough Coaster Enthusiasts of Canada Retrieved January 29 2020 Mannell Steven January 1 2002 Water Works Canadian Architect Retrieved July 19 2010 2701 Queen St E City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties Retrieved July 26 2011 Rochon Lisa June 8 2011 New stamps emphasize Art Deco design The Globe and Mail Archived from the original on June 11 2011 Retrieved July 26 2011 Architecture Art Deco Canada s Stamp Details Canada Post XX 2 June 2011 Archived from the original on August 10 2011 Retrieved July 26 2011 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to R C Harris Water Treatment Plant Fast Facts about the City s Water Treatment Plants City of Toronto November 17 2017 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title R C Harris Water Treatment Plant amp oldid 1106521212, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
