The first meeting toward the formation of Kensington Market Historical Society took place on June 24th, 2012, at 80 Bellevue Avenue, Toronto.
The objectives and interests of Kensington Market Historical Society are to collect and disseminate knowledge pertaining to the cultural, historical, and art-historical context of the Kensington Market area. The Society will initiate primary research toward the documentary record of the Kensington Market area, as well as collecting oral histories of neighbourhood experience over the span of the Market’s lengthy and exceptional past. We will also seek out opportunities for collaborative projects around, for example, streetscape inventories and urban archaeology. The Society has a preservationist and archival orientation, and will take particular interest in artifacts, records, and built structures that might otherwise be lost.
Kensington Market Historical Society acknowledges and takes seriously the difficulties and nuances of recording community memory and the potential biases of historical narrative. At the same time, we recognize the need for educational and research resources on the Kensington Market area, and for improving upon the quality, breadth and content of those materials. We are committed to making our work accessible by means of public events, printed publications and an online presence.
Kensington Market, as far as we are able to determine, has never had an historical society to speak on behalf of occupants past and present, and to develop a documentary resource devoted to circumstances and perspectives especially linked to the Kensington Market area. We hope to develop a strong presence in the residential and commercial community of Kensington, and a trusted reputation within the broader academic and archival community. The support of the Ontario Historical Society has enabled us to take our first steps toward these goals. We were incorporated as a not-for-profit Ontario corporation on November 29th, 2012.
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