SPADINA HOUSE PART 1

I was given the opportunity to intern with the city's museum collections late last year. I especially enjoyed my time spent working on the Spadina Museum: Historic House & Gardens project. Built in 1866, it is one of 10 historic museums operated by the City of Toronto. Several additions were constructed during 1913 which influenced the recent 1920s-style restoration of the home.  One of the additions included a 3rd floor extension for the gentlemen of the Austin family.  I spent a lovely morning in one of the unfinished rooms sewing accession numbers onto linen artifacts. The images here show the raw lathe and plaster, the walls having never been painted or wallpapered.

The history of the family and the restoration process is fascinating.  I learned a lot about the investigation, research, and production that goes into keeping an estate museum historically accurate.  This is the first part of four posts featuring Spadina House.  We will focus on the restored interiors, the beautiful gardens, and the process of reproducing early 20th century wallpaper.