Fifth Street Gallery

Another interesting building on Fifth Street that has some history is the Fifth Street Gallery.  Irene Hooey Leslie, former resident of Fifth Street, tells me that when it was an empty field you could see through to Fourth street and they used to go and pick wild strawberries in the field.  If you look in the section on Residents & their stories, you will see a picture that shows the empty field in the background.

I am told that the gallery itself started as a residential home, similar to several others on the street, built sometime around 1940. Later the building was expanded and housed the Assessment Department of Metro Toronto, pictured to the left.

Later, the building housed the Steelworker's Union Hall of the U.A.W. for the Anaconda plant. The hall contained a meeting area on the ground floor, and the upstairs was a pool hall for members.

In the 1990's, Ms. Lorna Livey, a local artist, purchased the building and turned it into an art gallery, where she exhibited the works of local artists.  Unfortunately, in 2003 the gallery closed. Today it has been renovated into a duplex residence.  Ms. Livey continues to remain active in the local art community.   Below is the building today: