Ontario Heritage Trust to operate Enoch Turner Schoolhouse

Enoch Turner schoolhouse

The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust, and Lynne Kurylo, chair of the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse Foundation, announced the transfer of the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse to the Ontario Heritage Trust.

“The Ontario Heritage Trust and the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse Foundation are dedicated to the continued conservation, interpretation and public use of the Schoolhouse,” said Mr. Alexander. “By working together to transfer the site, we have secured long-term protection for this Toronto landmark.”

“The Foundation is pleased to have successfully arranged the transfer of the Schoolhouse to the Ontario Heritage Trust,” said Ms. Kurylo. “This important move will ensure the schoolhouse is sustained for years to come as a viable heritage site museum and community resource.”

Located in Toronto’s historic Corktown neighbourhood, the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse is a provincially significant heritage property. The Schoolhouse is representative of the development of Ontario’s educational system, particularly free schools in the province. Established in 1848, it has associations with its founder Enoch Turner, a wealthy brewer and architect Henry Langley,­ both provincially significant Ontarians. The Schoolhouse is an authentic demonstration of the 19th-century classroom experience.

“As the first free school in Toronto, Enoch Turner Schoolhouse provided an education to thousands of new Canadians in the second half of the 19th century,” said Aileen Carroll, minister of culture. “The Schoolhouse is a provincially significant historical landmark and I am pleased that its transfer to the trust will preserve it so that many generations to come will be able to learn about its unique history.”

Building on the important work of the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse Foundation, the Ontario Heritage Trust will maintain and operate the Schoolhouse as a provincially significant heritage site, a public museum and a conference and special events venue. The Foundation will continue as an independent charitable organization, working with the Trust to support the programming and operation of the schoolhouse through fundraising and special events.

The Ontario Heritage Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario, dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario¹s heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.