Mackenzie House

One of the City of Toronto’s historic museums

My teens love the mall. I love museums. I recently tagged along on a trip to the Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto. As we made our way home along Bond St. we stumbled upon Mackenzie House, one of the 10 City of Toronto’s 10 History Museums. My turn to tug my teen in TOw inside.

It didn’t take much coaxing to persuade him to have a peek inside the historic building. The 19th century row house is tucked in along St. Michael’s Choir School and the skyscrapers that make up one of Toronto’s busiest intersections at Yonge and Dundas St. East. The restored 1858 townhouse was the final home of the historic politician and publisher William Lyon Mackenzie, Toronto’s first mayor – not to be confused with his grandson, the former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.

The entrance is along the back of the house, where we were quickly greeted by the City of Toronto staff and offered a tour. You can opt to wander and explore on your own, but we really enjoyed tagging along as staff guided us through the main rooms, pointing out historical artifacts and sharing stories about the family and life in Toronto in the 19th century. At the moment, it’s not a perfect replica – Mackenzie House was flooded in 2021 but remains open to the public as it’s being refurbished. 

One of our favourite spots was the 1845 printing press with a replica of a printing press. We got to set up a plate, use the press to print it and learn all about the tedious and important work of a typesetter. As a word nerd and former journalist, I was all over the history of idioms that come from that era: being out of sorts, minding your p’s and q’s, making a good impression. Kid in TOw was also impressed.

Trip Tips:

Low-down: Mackenzie House is one of 10 History Museums in Toronto. Admission is free. As of time of writing, open Wednesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Getting there: Driving, there is some paid street parking and parking lots in the area. On TTC, it’s two blocks east of Dundas subway station or a short walk from the Queen St streetcar. 

In the hood: Eaton Centre, City Hall (Toronto Sign), College Park (small playground and there is a skate path in the winter) and Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre (they have tours.)