Education – Seventh Street Public School

With Fifth Street Public School overflowing to the point of holding classes in a house on the corner of Sixth Street and Lakeshore, in 1927 plans were drawn up for a four-room school on Seventh Street, on the site of the old Campbell Hay Farm. It was soon deemed that four rooms were not sufficient, and the school became eight rooms. Four years later, six more rooms and a combined auditorium/gymnasium were added. To the left is a skethc from Susan Berry’s book: A History of education in the Lakeshore area: Mimico, New Toronto, Long Branch

Interestingly enough, when the school was originally built, it did in fact face Seventh Street. Today, the school faces Sixth Street, although many enter the school grounds from Seventh Street because of the park and play area behind the school.

To the above right is a postcard in circulation during the 1930’s.

In 1986, the Metro Board approved funding for the replacement of the 1922 building. A provincial election at the time brought promised that all “new” schools would receive funding for day care centres, and yet Seventh Street was denied since it was deemed a “replacement” school. Ruth Grier, MPP Lakeshore, at the time, intervened and she had the opportunity to express her disapproval of the Minister’s decision. The Minister finally did agree that Seventh Street did in fact qualify for the funding, and lo and behold, Seventh Street became the first “replacement” school to be funded for a day care facility. Mary Raymond, chair of the Etobicoke Board of Education, signed the contract in 1988 with Carosi Construction. Their website has several pictures of the construction. The new school was open to students in the fall of 1989, and the old school was demolished in the spring of 1990. Here is the school today (photo credit: Carosi Construction):