Hi friend,
I’ve been researching the story of a place you probably know by name, but not by its full history: Sunnyside.
Back in the mid-1800s, John George Howard (official surveyor and civil engineer for the government of Toronto, and the first professional architect in the city) bought a big piece of land just west of what was then Toronto.
To the east of his High Park property, he owned what he called Sunnyside Farm.
There, he built a villa overlooking Lake Ontario: Sunnyside Villa.
He sold the villa years later, and eventually the land became what is now St. Joseph’s Health Centre.
The villa is gone, but the name Sunnyside stuck.
Over the years, the land changed a great deal: farmland, villa, orphanage, amusement park, and eventually the beach, park, hospital, and neighbourhood we know today.
Even though buildings came and went, the name and the idea of Sunnyside stayed alive.
Here’s a simple lesson: what we start today (an idea, a project, a space) can live on in ways we may not fully see.
Change is normal, but that doesn’t mean the meaning disappears.
Sometimes, all it takes is a name, a memory, or a story to keep something alive.
Three suggested action items:
- Take a walk through history
Join the #ExperienceTO: Sunnyside Historical Tour and see the land, the beach, and imagine the community’s past.
- Think about your own Sunnyside
Write down one project, initiative, or idea you started. Ask yourself: how might it grow or change? How could its “name” or identity carry forward?
- Give meaning to a name
Pick one part of your work or life and make sure its name reflects why it matters. Share that story with someone; it helps anchor it beyond today.
Sunnyside shows us that even when the old buildings disappear, the heart of the place can live on.
We can do the same with what we build, whether it’s a project, a relationship, or a little corner of our world.
I wish you the very best!
Alex Răşcanu
P.S. If you would like to read all the past life lessons-focused e-newsletters, you can find them here.
P.P.S. If you are interested in attending one of the upcoming free historical tours, you can find them here.
Leave a Reply