University of Toronto: Virtual Tour

Preview U of T. Explore a few U of T experiences,
or visit our campuses to get the full picture.

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6 Photographs

1 Spadina Crescent

U of T St. George

Built in 1874 as a theological college, this exemplar of Gothic Revival architecture was transformed into a military hospital during World War I. Among the nurses’ aides caring for influenza-stricken wounded veterans was a 21-year-old Amelia Earhart. In 1943 new owners took over, and the majestic building became one of Canada’s main centres for pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. U of T purchased the building in 1972, and today it houses an eclectic mix: studios and offices for the Department of Art coexist with pharmaceutical labs and the newspaper, one of 15 student newspapers.

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Athletic Centre

U of T St. George

Athletes and amateurs alike have full access to the Athletic Centre in the heart of the St. George campus. Swim in the Olympic-size (50m) pool, relax with a yoga class or aim for your personal best along the 200-metre indoor track. Whether you prefer weight training, cycle fit or dancing up a storm, the Athletic Centre has everything you need to keep your body as fit as your mind, and its seven gyms and ten squash courts provide ample opportunity for friendly competition. Many elite athletes, including 2008 Olympic swimmer Colin Russell, have called the Athletic Centre home. And with countless opportunities for beginners, including personal training and free drop-in classes, there really is a fit for everybody.

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Bahen Centre for Information Technology

U of T St. George

Canadian Architect calls the Bahen Centre “…a complex interweaving of urbanity, public space and sustainability”. Members of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Mathematics share the award-winning building with more than 50 laboratories on the leading edge of IT, including the Nortel Institute for Telecommunications, Bell University Labs and Advance Surface Coatings Lab. Whether you’re attending a lecture or visiting a professor, the Bahen is filled with brilliant minds in their fields.

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Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research (CCBR)

U of T St. George

Insulin. Polio vaccine. Open-heart surgery. Since 1827, U of T has transformed hypotheses into medical breakthroughs through research. The CCBR brings together the Faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy and Applied Science and Engineering, alongside 30 industry-leading principal researchers and 500 research staff. The most recent achievement to emerge from the CCBR is geneMANIA, a “Google of Biology” that will allow researchers faster, more streamlined access to the full registry of biomedical information discovered through the Human Genome Project.

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Communication, Culture and Information Technology Building

U of T Mississauga

Since 2007, the CCT building has been “…a place of transition, adjacency and inhabitation all at once”, according to Canadian Architect. CCT facilitates analysis of the dynamic relationship between technology and culture; its resources include the Multimedia Studio Theatre (MiST) and a 500-seat lecture theatre. In addition, students have 24/7 access to computer labs as well as the campus’s only underground parking. Hard-working students and researchers can ‘power down’ at the Circuit Break Café.

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Edward Johnson Building

U of T St. George

The Faculty of Music’s Edward Johnson Building offers a myriad of opportunities to immerse yourself in the language of music. Spend an afternoon poring through the Sniderman Recordings Archive, one of the most comprehensive of its kind in North America; join an impromptu jazz jam or rehearse for your recital in an acoustically optimized private room. Among the building’s other teaching and performance facilities are MacMillan Hall, which features one of Toronto’s largest music performance stages, and Walter Hall, one of the city’s most acclaimed small music venues.

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Hart House

U of T St. George

The centerpiece of U of T St. George, Hart House is also Canada’s finest example of Beaux-Arts Gothic revival architecture. Here, Atom Egoyan got help in directing his first film and Donald Sutherland made his stage debut. Today’s students come here for a breadth of social, artistic, cultural and recreational experiences. Get in a quick workout before heading to the meeting in one of the student clubs and committees offices. Whether you come here for a poetry reading, a Sunday evening concert in the Great Hall or to stroll through the art gallery, you’ll always find something to pique your interest.

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Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre (HMALC)

U of T Mississauga

As a staunch advocate of education, Mississauga’s charismatic mayor Hazel McCallion has worked tirelessly to integrate the campus into the greater community. It is apt, then, that this four-storey information complex built around cutting-edge technology is named in her honour. The HMALC is a fully digital environment, complete with a technology centre for people with disabilities. While some students know the building as a class location and others come for the Academic Skills Centre, many students choose it as a quiet place to study.

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Innis College

U of T St. George

The architectural icon of Innis College – a Victorian house within a contemporary structure – is an apt metaphor for this hub of creativity. Built in 1964 and named for political economist and communication studies pioneer Harold Innis, the College is home of the Cinema Studies, Writing & Rhetoric, Urban Studies and several independent studies programs. Innis is also a film lover’s dream, hosting film series, free screenings and the acclaimed Hot Docs festival, North America’s largest documentary film festival. Several alumni have gone on to make their cinematic mark, including Ron Mann.

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International Villages

Toronto

Toronto features a mosaic of international villages that celebrate divergent experiences. Savour a slice of authentic spanikopita in Greektown during the annual Taste of the Danforth celebration; browse through colourful, hand-printed saris along Gerrard Street’s India Bazaar, one of North America’s largest South Asian marketplaces; or gather some friends and head west to Korea Town for a night at a no-rae-bang (karaoke room). For an all-in-one experience, head into the labyrinthine streets of Kensington Market, where you’ll find everything from international foods to vintage clothing.

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King's College Circle

U of T St. George

King’s College Circle is always bustling with activity, including athletics, events and ceremonies steeped in University tradition. Enjoy live band performances during Frosh Week, join in a game of ultimate frisbee or watch the annual processions of graduates across the lawn to Convocation Hall. As one of the oldest and most storied locations at U of T, King’s College Circle is a landscape anchor for several key landmarks built around its perimeter, including University College, Knox College, the Gerstein Science and Information Centre and every student’s ultimate destination: Convocation Hall.

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Lakeshore & The Islands

Toronto

Toronto’s 40 km of Lake Ontario shoreline offer endless opportunities for recreation. To the east, you’ll find The Beaches, an upscale waterfront neighbourhood brimming with bistros and unique shops. Downtown, at the foot of Bay Street, hop on a ferry and five minutes later, you’ll be at the Toronto Islands, a small, peaceful archipelago. Bike through the car-free ‘streets’ of Ward’s Island’s artists’ community. Stretch out under the shady branches of a maple tree with a good book or enjoy the 34 km bike path hugging the shores of Lake Ontario.

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Multifaith Centre

U of T St. George

The award-winning Multifaith Centre is a nonsecular space designed to accommodate a variety of spiritual practices and to facilitate dialogue, increase understanding and engender respect among people of divergent faiths within and outside the Judeo-Christian spectrum. Anyone curious about or engaged in spiritual exploration may meditate, pray or seek one-on-one guidance. As part of U of T’s commitment to preparing global community leaders, the Multifaith Center acts as a catalyst for students to examine the role of religious practice and spiritual development around the world.

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New College

U of T St. George

A relatively recent (1962) addition to the U of T college system, New College is renowned for its innovative programs and research groups, including the Women and Gender Studies Institute, Equity Studies and Caribbean Studies. New has developed its own traditions and identity, focusing on personal attention to students, links with the professional faculties, career mentorship and community outreach initiatives. A friendly and informal community, New places a high priority on student support services and encourages diversity.

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Queen Street

Toronto

Toronto’s trendiest neighborhood, Queen St. West and the area surrounding it, offers numerous experiences for the cultural connoisseur. Explore the latest exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), then meet up with friends for some eats and people-watching on one of the street’s many patios. Try on the freshest looks from local designers then accessorize with handmade jewelry sold along the broad sidewalks. Later in the evening, check out the hottest new indie bands at the Drake. Remember to leave enough time to drop in on a few of the many contemporary art galleries – they’re often open late.

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Recreation, Athletics and Wellness Centre (RAWC)

U of T Mississauga

Discipline your mind and body through Judo, move to the beat of a hip hop dance class or challenge a friend to a table tennis match. Whatever your game, RAWC (“The Rock”) offers dozens of opportunities to adopt and stick with an active lifestyle. This comprehensive facility spans nearly 2.5 acres. All students have unlimited access to two multi-sport grass fields, three full-size gymnasiums, an Olympic-standard pool, dance studio, indoor running track and a sports medicine clinic. With so many options, your biggest challenge is deciding where to begin.

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St. Michael's College

U of T St. George

Founded in 1852, St. Michael’s maintains its Catholic identity while welcoming students of all backgrounds in its 20 buildings spanning 12 acres. Clover Hill Hall dates from 1856 and is the oldest continuously used building at U of T. The College hosts interdisciplinary programs in Book and Media Studies, Celtic Studies, Christianity and Culture, Concurrent Teacher Education and Mediaeval Studies. St. Mike’s has traditionally excelled in intercollegiate athletics, inspiring the nickname “The Fighting Irish of Bay Street” to evoke the U.S. Catholic football powerhouse, Notre Dame.

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The Annex

Toronto

One of the oldest and friendliest neighbourhoods in Toronto, the Annex is known not only for its intellectual and creative spark but also for its distinct eponymous architecture of tall, narrow houses. Many students and faculty live along the quiet, maple-lined streets, and those who don’t live here often head to the area for its exceptional restaurants, independent bookstores and funky boutiques. The neighbourhood’s cultural crown jewel is the Royal Ontario Museum, one of the world’s leading natural history and world culture museums.

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Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library

U of T St. George

The Rare Books Library hosts an impressive collection of more than 600,000 rare, eclectic and valuable texts, including a Babylonian cuneiform tablet circa 1789 B.C.E., original Shakespearean sonnets as penned by the Bard and etchings of the 17th-century Bohemian artist Wenceslaus Hollar. The Library is also a major centre for Canadian literary studies, holding original manuscripts from and rare information about 60 Canadian authors. Recent and contemporary authors’ works are added to the library on a regular basis, creating an ongoing history of Canadian literature.

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Trinity College

U of T St. George

Steeped in 160 years of tradition, Trinity is one of the smallest colleges and evocative of the architecture and environments of Oxford and Cambridge. Trinity is home to the world-renowned University of Toronto Munk Centre for International Studies and offers the popular first-year program, Trin One. It was the first post-secondary signatory in Ontario to the President’s Climate Change Statement of Action, a pledge to reduce greenhouse emissions. Trinity counts 35 Rhodes Scholars among its alumni – along with dozens of award-winning journalists, authors, poets and several national political leaders.

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U of T Scarborough Management Building

U of T Scarborough

The building contains learning and research facilities for one of the campus’ largest departments, Business Administration. Inspired by learning environments at Harvard Business School, architects designed case rooms, skill rooms and classrooms with tiered seating, front entrances and built-in screens for data projection and web-casting. Free-moving task chairs replace traditional lecture hall seating, allowing students more mobility for breakout groups and classroom discussion. The sleek modern structure also houses skills rooms and offices.

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U of T Scarborough Student Centre

U of T Scarborough

The Centre is a living testament to the campus’ commitment to its students and to sustainability. Designed with input from students and built to LEED™ Silver standard, the Centre comprises 18 tons of repurposed structural steel from the Royal Ontario Museum and features a ‘green roof.’ This versatile hub of student life includes a multifaith prayer space, bookstore, café and bar, student government offices and the Health and Wellness Centre. The building is operated by the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union, bringing to life the phrase “by the students, for the students.”

8 Photographs

University College

U of T St. George

Established in 1853 as “Provincial College”, UC is home to nearly 4,500 students. In 1890, UC nearly burned to the ground when a devastating fire swept through during preparations for the Conversazione ball. In remembrance of the fire, current UC students host the Fireball, a black-tie affair and one of the U of T’s grandest annual student/alumni traditions. The College’s architectural centrepiece, the UC heritage building, is one of the most photographed buildings in Toronto. The UC Literary and Athletic Society, colloquially known as the 'Lit', is the oldest student government in Canada.

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Victoria College

U of T St. George

Founded in 1836 and home to nearly 3,400 students, Vic has evolved continuously while maintaining its storied legacy. The College’s prize-winning architecture integrates 19th century Old Vic with the modernist design of the E.J. Pratt Library and the 21st century Isabel Bader Theatre. All first-year Vic students participate in small seminars, including Vic One, Pathways or 199s. Victoria College alumni have distinguished themselves in a variety of fields including art, literature and politics, including author Margaret Atwood, filmmaker Norman Jewison and former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson.

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Woodsworth College

U of T St. George

Woodsworth is both the most recent and the largest college. Founded in 1974 specifically for part-time students, Woodsworth now comprises a population of 6,000 full- and part-time students of all ages, as well as students from other North American universities participating in the Visiting Student Program. The College’s multigenerational community has access to a comprehensive Academic Writing Centre and a leading-edge computer lab. As well, more than 800 students participate in the Woodsworth College Summer Abroad Program, travelling to one of 12 destinations around the world

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Yonge Street

Toronto

The downtown stretch of what was once “the longest street in the world” features many of Toronto’s most popular attractions. Analogous to Times Square in Manhattan, Yonge Street’s Dundas Square brings residents and visitors alike to attend Broadway musicals in the Theatre District, shop at the Eaton Centre, attend concerts at historic Massey Hall or flaunt the colours of the Maple Leafs and Raptors en route to and from games at the Air Canada Centre. Each June, millions of visitors from far and near converge on Yonge and Church Streets for one of the world’s largest Gay Pride celebrations.

Experience the Legacy of U of T

What chapter will you write?

Hear it from a Doctoral Student

Leading important social change

"When I first came to Canada, I faced lots of barriers: language, citizenship. This resulted in me making a commitment to affect changes to social service programs; so I began working at community organizations. This inspired me to push further to help people. At U of T I’m completing my PhD working with immigrant woman to advance international migration policies. U of T brought the absolute best out of me. Now I provide leadership, giving voice to my frontline work through research."

Hear it from a Drama Student

Becoming part of a great community

"Hi, I’m Andrea. I majored in drama at U of T and I came here because I knew I would be part of a really great university. When I first came to U of T I was worried about a lot of things: classes, finding friends, fitting in. I can’t believe I was worried. I got involved in student groups, frosh week and plays. I loved my classes. Between professors and students, this really is the place where the best and the brightest come. My experience at U of T was incredible. // So yeah, everyone’s story is a little bit different. I’ve got mine, they’ve got theirs. What’s yours?"

Hear it from a Psychology Professor

Engaging and inspiring students at a world-leading facility

"Hi, I’m Marc Fournier, professor at the University of Toronto. I teach personality psychology. // I love doing my research here. Outstanding faculty and students, tremendous facilities, support, U of T is a world leading university. We publish more science research than any public university in North America and I’m proud to be part of it. And there’s a clear focus on quality teaching, which for me means that I get to engage and inspire students. // Okay, let’s get started…"

Hear it from an Arts Student

Arts, culture and the University of Toronto

"I came from a place where art wasn’t really championed. I was starving for it. U of T put me in the middle of an amazing scene. I was totally engrossed in the culture of both the city and the university. I gorged myself on indie cinema screenings, poetry readings, Hart House plays, theatre, all the good music I could find. // So now I’m an artist and writer. I get to challenge people to think and engage ideas. U of T was the right choice for me. Where are you going?"

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