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Community peeling back cover from long-hidden murals
By John Keating

There’s an important bit of Toronto history hidden under layers of house paint at a library near the corner of St. Clair Ave. W. and Dufferin. Now a campaign by a local residents’ group is about to bring part of that history back into public view.

The Dufferin /St. Clair Branch of the Toronto Public Library is home to large murals by two of Canada’s most famous mural artists. In 1926, George Reid, the Principal of the Ontario College of Art, painted his vision of idealized family and community life on the walls of what was then Earlscourt Library. Six years later, Doris McCarthy Ò one of Reid’s former students and now one of Canada’s most celebrate artists Ò painted a fantasy mural in the adjoining children’s room.

Both works were painted over during renovations in the late 1960s. Then in 1998, John McAuley and David Self, two members of the Regal Heights Residents Association, began a campaign to bring the paintings back. After a year of planning, they invited prominent art restorer Laszlo Cser to determine whether the works could be saved.

Tests on a section of wall above a library fireplace revealed a small glimpse of Reid’s panel called The Family. Further tests uncovered a small portion of a McCarthy panel called Cinderella.

The Toronto Public Library Foundation threw its support behind the project and the restoration is slated to begin this year. Laszlo Cser will carry out the work in two phases, beginning with the The Family.

The whole project is expected to cost about $50,000 and fund-raising efforts are underway. The involvement of the library foundation means donors will receive tax receipts.

For more information or to make a donation, contact McAuley or Self at 416-652-5556 or email mcauley.self@sympatico.ca

The Original Murals (interior of library)