Celene’s Diary 🌹
Hi! I’m Celene and I make videos about Toronto, History, Art, Classical music and everything in between.📚🎨🎶🌙
I love sharing about places I’ve been in the city which are mostly parks, historical sites and anywhere with a heritage plaque on it. 😁
P.S: There will also be lots of old & new videos of random stuff I spontaneously film like concerts, city/nature walks, and quirky things in and around Toronto. 💗
I hope you stick around!!❣️
Celene’s Diary 🌹
📍On this site stood the Labor Lyceum Association, established in 1913. It is located at the southwest corner of Spadina Avenue & St. Andrew Street in Toronto and was once a hub for Jewish-garment-workers’ union activity.
The plaque reads:
“Established in 1913 by Henry Dworkin and Sam Easser, the Labor Lyceum Association sought to advance the interests of the city's Jewish trade union movement. Through the sale of $5.00 stock certificates, the Association purchased the houses at 344 and 346 Spadina Avenue in 1924, adding meeting rooms in 1929.
The Labor Lyceum operated as the headquarters for the non-Communist trade unions of the primarily Jewish garment district. The seasonal nature of the textile industry meant that workers could socialize and strategize here during slow work periods.
The Labor Lyceum also served as an important cultural centre for various Jewish societies and fraternal organizations. It hosted a range of activities from lectures and rallies to dances, plays, and concerts. In the 1940s, the provincial Co-operative Commonwealth Federation held political conventions here.
Beginning in the 1950s, the Jewish community moved out of the Spadina Avenue area. The Labor Lyceum, however, remained significant to new immigrant groups and their labour activism. In 1971 the building was sold and the Labor Lyceum moved to Cecil Street.”
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
View 0 replies