1871
The name Jarvis Collegiate at last!
Can the National Gallery of Canada be wrong? It identifies the above photo to be that of "Jarvis Street Collegiates." But it does not appear to be the same building shown in our other photos.
In 1871 a new building was constructed at 361 Jarvis Street, just south of College Street, directly in front of the Allan Gardens greenhouse, which is still a local landmark and an oranment to the city.
The land was bought from Sheriff Jarvis, a relative of William and Samuel Peters Jarvis, about whom much information has been given on this Web site. It was located at 361 Jarvis Street, at the corner of College Street, in front of the pretty Victorian greenhouse which still stands in Allan Gardens.
When it opened the school was still known as the Toronto High School. However, two years later, in 1873, a few years later the city's second high school was built (Parkdale), making the name 'Toronto High School' no longer appropriate. Thus a new name came into being --- Jarvis Street High School.
At this time a new provincial School Act was passed. One of its provisions obliged all Grammar Schools to accept girls as well as boys. The authorities at Jarvis Street High School were strict the morals of their students. Males and females were rigorously segregated. Women were confined to a single classroom in the basement--for their safety, of course. Their room was guarded by thick double doors. Outside, in the schoolyard, a high fence protected students from their horrid interest in each other.