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Welcome to Blackhurst Street at Markham House

by ERA Architects

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Celebrating the History and Entrepreneurial Excellence of the Black Community
at Bathurst and Bloor

Curated by Chinedu Ukabam
October 15-November 27, 2016
Now extended until December 11th!

Markham House: City Building Lab
610 Markham St, Toronto, ON
Thursday/Friday | 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Saturday/Sunday | 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM

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Once considered the “Grand Central Station” of Toronto’s black community, Bathurst Station is overlooked as a focal point of the city’s black heritage. Since the late 1960s, Bathurst and Bloor has been a thriving hub of black entrepreneurship, activism, and creativity. The cornerstone of Beverly Mascoll’s multi-million dollar beauty supplies empire was located at 870 Bathurst, also occupied by Third World Books and Crafts and 2 Black Guys, one of Toronto’s earliest “streetwear” labels which started in the basement. Just down the road, Al Hamilton founded the pivotal black newspaper Contrast in 28 Lennox, a building later occupied by the Ashanti Room, an Afrocentric arts hub.  Today, Lloyd’s Barbershop and A Different Booklist remain important and vibrant multigenerational gathering spaces that reflect the legacy and contributions of Black Torontonians to the development of the City.

“Welcome to Blackhurst Street” is an exhibition that commemorates and celebrates the Black history of Bathurst and Bloor using archival material and original artwork. The exhibition also examines the current state of the community and its future role in shaping our City. Conceptualized as an immersive exploration of black artistry, activism, and entrepreneurship the installation weaves together elements of visual art, photography, archival documents, video, sound, and found objects from the Contrast Archives, Honest Ed’s, the Mirvish Family Collection, and other sources.

Welcome to Blackhurst Street is made possible by Chinedu Ukabam, A Different Booklist, ERA Architects Inc, Monograph Design, the Ontario Black History Society and Westbank.

The public is invited to share their knowledge of this history and these places by contributing stories, ephemera, and suggestions either via email ([email protected]) or comment boxes located at:

Markham House: City Building Lab
610 Markham St, Toronto, ON M6G 2L8

Lloyd’s Barber Shop
858 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5R 3G3

A Different Booklist
746 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5S 1Z5

Star Treatments Natural & Organic
606 Markham St, Toronto, ON M6G 2L8

Media Links
Welcome to Blackhurst Street Exhibition
Hashtag             #WelcomeToBlackhurst

Westbank
Websites            westbankcorp.com
Social Media     @westbankcorp
Hashtag              #buildingartistry

Markham House: City Building Lab
Websites             markhamhousecbl.com / mirvish-village.com
Social Media     @villagemirvish

Chinedu Ukabam
Website               supafrik.com
Twitter                @Chinedesign
Social Media     @SUPAFRIK

ERA Architects
Website              www.eraarch.ca
Social Media    @eraarch

Media contact
Westbank
Felicia Morrison, coordinator
Main 416 583 5888 ext. 2001
[email protected]

Related Projects

Mirvish Village Westbank
Toronto
Bloor Gladstone Library City of Toronto
Toronto