The Dental Faculty Building

Photo of the exterior of the 124 Edward Street building. A brick building with many windows and a sign in front that says "Faculty of Dentistry, Dentistry Building". Photo courtesy of Faculty of Dentistry, from UofT News site.

Throughout its 150 years of existence, the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry – once the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (R.C.D.S.O.) dental school – has called many places home. From its beginnings in just two rooms on Church Street to its present-day building surrounded by many of Toronto’s major hospitals, the buildings that have housed the faculty have gone through many changes. The below timeline highlights some key dates in the building history of the Faculty of Dentistry.

Timeline

1875: The R.C.D.S.O. began its dental school in two rooms at 46 Church Street, Toronto (1).

1878: The school moved to the south-west corner of Victoria and Richmond streets (2).

1886: The school moved to 13 Louisa Street, initially occupying just the upper two floors. In 1893, it expanded to occupy the entire building (2).

1896: The school moved to 93 College Street. In 1902, an extension was added to the building (2).

Photo of 93 College Street when it was the R.C.D.S.O. buidling, before the 1902 renovation. A stone building with arched windows. Photo from the R.C.D.S. Announcement 1901-1902.
Photo of 93 College Street when it was the R.C.D.S.O. buidling, after the 1902 renovation. A stone building with arched windows that is twice as wide as it previously was. Photo from the R.C.D.S. Announcement 1903-1904.

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1909: The first permanent home of the R.C.D.S.O dental school was built at 240 College Street (2). In 1915 an annex was added, and in 1919, an extension was made to the building. In 1925, when the dental school became a part of the University of Toronto, ownership of the building was transferred from the R.C.D.S.O. to U of T, with the dental school remaining based in the building (3). In 1932, 240 College Street was renumbered to 230 College Street (4).

Photo of the exterior of 230 College Street when it was the R.C.D.S.O./UofT Dental Faculty building. A squarish brick building with many windows and an arched doorway. Photo from the Journal of the O.D.A. v. 27 (1950).

1959: In fall 1959, the Dental Faculty moved into its current building, located at 124 Edward Street. The new building was officially opened on November 25, 1959 (5).

The exterior of the 124 Edward Street building in 1959. A brick building with many windows. Photo credit: University of Toronto Archives and Eric Trussler, photographer.
The clinic at 124 Edward Street in 1959. A large tiled room filled with dental chairs. Photo credit: University of Toronto Archives and Eric Trussler, photographer.
The lunch room at 124 Edward Street in 1959. A tiled room with people sitting at benches and tables. Photo credit: University of Toronto Archives and Eric Trussler, photographer.
The patient clinic waiting room at 124 Edward Street in 1959. People sitting on long benches in a room. Photo credit: University of Toronto Archives and Eric Trussler, photographer.
The exterior of 124 Edward Street, likely from the early 1980s. A brick building with many windows. Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.

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1963: By February 1962, work had begun on a mural in the faculty’s dental museum on the second floor of 124 Edward Street. The mural, created by William Lytle, depicts the history of dentistry from cavemen to medieval monks to the modern dental practice (6). The mural was funded by Mrs. Mendel Nevin and her son Dr. Marshall Nevin in memory of the late Dr. Mendel Nevin and the late Dr. Hillard Nevin (3T8) (6, 7). The mural was finished in 1963 (7).

The western wall of the Dental Museum, with its mural depicting the history of dentistry. Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.

1978: The mural in the lobby of 124 Edward Street was formally unveiled April 14th, 1978 (8). The mural was created by Carmen Cereceda, and depicts different dental traditions on either side of a central Mother Nature or Earth Goddess figure (9). It was funded in part by the graduating class of 1962 in memory of the late Alan Black (6T2) (10, 11). By 1990 the mural had been damaged and was restored by April of that year by Cereceda (12, 13).

The mural int he lobby of 124 Edward Street, created by Carmen Cereceda. A nude woman is depicted in the center of the mural and is surrounded by depictions of different dental traditions and elements of nature. Text at the top reads "Penetrating mysteries of pain / Since first we emerged from darkness / They restore us to that balance / Born within the world's boundless womb". Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.

1980s: In the mid-1980s, major renovations took place on the 124 Edward Street building. Construction began as early as 1983 and ended after 1985 (14, 15).

The architectural model of the renovations to 124 Edward Street as seen from the south (the front entrance), with a plaque reading: "University of Toronto - Faculty of Dentistry - Additions & Alterations - Allward + Gouinlock Architects." Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.
The architectural model of the renovations to 124 Edward Street as seen from the west. Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.
The architectural model of the renovations to 124 Edward Street as seen from the north (the patient entrance). Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.

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An architectural drawing of the proposed renovations to 124 Edward Street. A coloured pencil sketch of a brick building with many windows and a largely glass addition visible overtop the building.
Construction during the 1980s renovation of 124 Edward Street. A brick building with metal framing visible on top and a crane in the middle. Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.
Construction during the 1980s renovation of 124 Edward Street. Metal framing, a crane, and partly constructed areas are shown. Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.
The completed 1980s renovation of 124 Edward Street. A new addition that is almost entirely windows sits on top of the older brick building. Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.

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2018: A major revitalization of the lab and research space on the 4th and 5th floors of 124 Edward Street took place as part of the University of Toronto’s LIFT Project (Lab Innovation for Toronto). The project was announced in 2016 and came to fruition over the next two years (16). The faculty was awarded over $30 M for this project which modernized the research spaces and labs. On May 25th, 2018, the Faculty of Dentistry held a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by President Gertler, senior administrators from U of T, and Government of Canada officials to celebrate the revitalized space (17).

The pre-revitalization lab space at 124 Edward Street. A room with wooden work benches. Photo by Laura Pedersen, from UofT News.
The revitalized lab space at 124 Edward Street. A bright room with metal workstations. Photo by Laura Pedersen, from UofT News.
Revitalized workspaces at 124 Edward Street. A large, open space with desks and office chairs, separated by frosted glass panes. Photo by Laura Pedersen, from UofT News.

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