"Mooredale - a place to gather, to meet new friends, to learn new skills,
and to discover a sense of neighbourhood that seems all too rare today."
Marjorie Booth, General Manager
Did you know:
Mooredale - Celebrating 50 years: A Brief History 1949 - 1999 (compiled by Gayle McGraw) can be obtained from the main office at Mooredale.
OUR BEGINNINGS
The Rosedale - Moore Park Association (RMPA)
As early as 1933, the records show that the Moore Park neighbourhoods, thinking toward the future, had adopted a constitution to support a community association, including a community centre to serve the residents. This was a far-seeing concept because community centres did not become an integral part of the North American society until the post-war years. Moore Park, North Rosedale and South Rosedale were distinctly separate residents' groups prior to 1939, but all were thinking along the same lines. It made sense, when the residents agreed to work together, to form the Rosedale - Moore Park Community Council in 1946.
The chief force behind the community centre idea was a desire to provide social, recreational and extra-curricular activities for the children in Rosedale and Moore Park and to provide them close to home. The solid beginning of community mindedness might be said to have been made when a group of teenagers and younger personnel, 18 to 30 years of age, returned from their war services and formed the T.N.T., or The Teen and Twenty Club. They realized there were no groups or organized activities for young people and proceeded to do something about it. The T.N.T. Club was a roaring success!!
In 1948 a drive for funds was launched by the Council with the help of the T.N.T Club for the purpose of building a community centre, as the young people desperately needed a place to meet on a regular basis. Meetings were held with the City of Toronto, community organizations and the three ratepayers groups in the area to search for a site. One of the earliest suggestions was to convert Chorley Park, the Lieutenant-Governor's official residence, which has been doomed for destruction as early as the 1930's but during the war and, until 1953, was used as a military hospital. The very size of Chorley Park would have doomed the RMPA to early extinction
At this same time there was growing awareness from both the T.N.T. Club and the Council of the need for a counselor, an overseer of all activities. A fundraising effort was launched to raise funds for a new community centre and to pay for a counselor to oversee all activities. As generous as the donations were, total contributions fell short of the sum required to institute the building program.
About this same time, construction was proceeding on the Mount Pleasant extension (earlier known as the Clifton Road extension) and the City acquired property at 146 Crescent Road, a portion of which was required for the new road and its approaches. The house remained intact, with the exception of a porte-cochere that had been on the west side. Though "a project", the building known to generations as MOOREDALE HOUSE, had much to recommend it as the future home of the T.N.T. Club and the Community Council for their activities.
Today the RMPA and Mooredale House is home to Mayfair (1946), a fully licensed preschool (1952), Summer and March Break Camps (1968), Mooredale Concerts (1986), Mooredale Swim Club (1972), Mooredale Soccer Club (1976), Mooredale Sailing Club (1971) and a host of house programs for preschoolers all the way up to adults. Mooredale is also proud to be strongly affiliated with the Rosedale Tennis Club (1982).
Mooredale House - A History
The Rosedale - Moore Park Association (RMPA)
146 Crescent Road, now known as Mooredale House, was the family home of Frank W. Baillie, built in 1902. Baillie commissioned two of the best architects in the city to build a house for him in Rosedale in the style of an Elizabethan country manor. Architects Sproatt and Rolph later became famous in Toronto for buildings like Hart House and others in Medieval styles.
At the age of 27, Baillie had become the youngest bank manager in the history of the chartered banks in Canada. He was also able to afford the enormous sum of $30,000 for his palatial home. Four years later he died and the house was sold to the W.G. Jennings family and in the 1930s was expropriated by the city and slated to be demolished, since it stood in the way of the proposed new Mt. Pleasant extension. Most of the land was torn up but the house was beyond the reach of the steam rollers.
During World War II the house was taken over by the government and used as navel barracks. After the war it stood deserted and would probably have been destroyed if the Rosedale-Moore Park Association had not approached the city and requested that the house become a community centre for the area.
The decision, made by the Rosedale-Moore Park Association, to take over the house and two acres of land meant considerable changes in the scale of the Association's financial budget; which went from $3,000 to $15,000. Despite the fact there was only $1,000 in the treasury, the decision was made to acquire the property because it was believed that the residents would come up with necessary funds. A door to door canvas to took place that sold the much needed 400 memberships. The Association was entirely independent, free to make its own decisions for the residents in the area. Soon after the doors of Mooredale opened the City closed down its community project at Whitney School and those groups found a new home at Mooredale.
Today Mooredale is home to Mayfair (1946), a fully licensed preschool (1952), Summer and March Break Camps (1968), Mooredale Concerts (1986), Mooredale Swim Club (1972), Mooredale Soccer Club (1976), Mooredale Sailing Club (1971) and a host of house programs for preschoolers all the way up to adults. Mooredale is also proud to be strongly affiliated with the Rosedale Tennis Club (1982).