Scarborough’s Civic Centre opened with a Royal visit and considerable fanfare on June 29, 1973. This modern facility was built to house the municipal offices of the Borough of Scarborough and the offices of the Scarborough Board of Education. This exhibit celebrates the 50th anniversary of the opening of one of Scarborough’s, and Toronto’s, most iconic structures.
The civic centre was the centrepiece of an integrated complex that also featured an outdoor public square, a shopping centre, and surrounding greenspace. Over the next decade, other office buildings, a rapid transit station, and housing were also added.
When this new heart of Scarborough began to beat it was widely hailed as an urban planning success, providing a geographically dispersed and culturally diverse municipality with a convenient place to gather, celebrate, receive services, and shop.