The Grange (Toronto)

The Grange (Toronto)

The Grange is a historic Georgian manor in downtown Toronto, Canada. It was the first home of the Art Museum of Toronto. Today, it is part of the Art Gallery of Ontario. The structure was built in 1817, making it the 12th oldest surviving building in Toronto and the oldest remaining brick house. It was built for D'Arcy Boulton (1785–1846), one of the town's leading citizens and part of the powerful Boulton family that played an important role in the Family Compact. Originally it was considerably west of the city, but over time the city grew and Boulton sold his considerable land holdings surrounding the manor at great profit.

The house was inherited by D'Arcy's son and Toronto mayor William Henry Boulton. When he died in 1874 the house passed to his widow, Hariette Boulton. She remarried the prominent scholar Goldwin Smith, and the couple lived in the Grange for the rest of their lives. Upon Goldwin's Smith's death in 1910, the couple bequeathed the building to the Art Museum of Toronto (now known as the Art Gallery of Ontario) and the Grange became the new home of the gallery. The building also served as the first home of the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). Since the early 20th century, the Art Gallery of Ontario has been expanded a number of times and the original manor makes up only a small part of the structure.

The expanse of lawn to the south of the building, what is left of the grounds, is operated by the city as Grange Park. Also on the old grounds is St. George Church, which was founded by the Boultons and which burned down in 1956. Only the tower and original Sunday school building remain.

In 1970, the Grange was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in recognition of the house's significance to the history of Toronto.