The T.O. You Don’t Know uncovers hidden stories Toronto has long overlooked—through 50+ historic sites, forgotten events, and fascinating local narratives and unique objects. It surfaces the ignored, the hyperlocal, and the quietly radical, reinforcing that history is not fixed, but layered and still unfolding.
Where the Mayor Tried to Overthrow the Government
Video
• 1:33
Toronto’s Most Multicultural Neighbourhood
Video
• 1:22
Toronto’s Last Fatal Duel
Video
• 1:05
The Story of Castle Frank
Video
• 1:06
The Sexual Supermarket
Video
• 1:07
The NBA Started Here
Video
• 1:03
The Mosque That Was Once A W.A.S.P. Supremacist Lodge
Video
• 1:05
The Lost Subway Station
Video
• 1:10
The Crash n’ Burn Club
Video
• 1:15
The Continental Hotel
Video
• 1:23
The Circus Riots
Video
• 1:14
The Buried Bridge
Video
• 1:01
Site of Sin and Debauchery
Video
• 1:18
Site of Pioneering EDM Club
Video
• 1:04
Secret Brothel Owned By 19th Century Mayor
Video
• 1:21
Reformatory “For Women Unable to Be Improved or Fixed”
Video
• 1:04
Rally to Support Children’s Candy Bar Strike
Video
• 1:10
Operation Soap
Video
• 1:16
Keith Richards’ Drug Bust
Video
• 1:16
Jamaican Patty Wars
Video
• 1:41
Hub of 1960s Hippie Counterculture
Video
• 1:27
College in Good Will Hunting
Video
• 1:15
Coded Tiles of Little Portugal
Video
• 0:49
Birthplace of Pregnancy Racing
Video
• 1:32
13,000 Year Old Indigenous Road
Video
• 1:02
August 8, 2026
July 30, 2026
July 25, 2026
July 23, 2026
July 18, 2026
July 15, 2026
June 20, 2026
The T.O. You Don’t Know is part of the Museum of Toronto’s mission to connect the past to the present. By surfacing the overlooked, the hyperlocal, and the quietly radical, we’re reminding Torontonians that history is never fixed, it’s layered, and still unfolding.
The Exhibition was co-curated by Christina Bagatavicius and Museum of Toronto.
Exhibition design by elsonstudio and Interpretation by Laura Robb.
Build by Story Factory Studios, Huy Lam, and Timothy Manalo.
Special thanks to Tara Bissett, Adam Bunch, Michael Comeau, Maggie Helwig, Ken Maracle, Niki Ruebens, Wayne Ruebens, Archaeological Services Inc, Bomb Girls Legacy Foundation, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Canadian Fire Fighters Museum, Canadian Museum of Health Care, Canadian National Exhibition, City of Toronto, First Baptist Church, Hockey Hall of Fame & Museum, Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive Centre, Meddling with Nature, Redpath Sugar Ltd., Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto Metropolitan University Fashion Research Centre, Toronto Police Discovery Centre & Museum, The Second City, The Village at Black Creek, University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture.
Museum of Toronto is made possible with the generous support of Diane Blake and Stephen Smith.
Special thanks to our Presenting Sponsors RBC Foundation
With Support from XYZ Storage
Featuring objects, archival materials, photographs, oral histories, maps, and site-based details drawn from private collections, public institutions, and community archives — uncovering stories from the loud to the nearly lost.
As a non-profit cultural institution, Museum of Toronto would like to acknowledge the incredible work of those featured in the exhibition. This exhibition is designed for teaching, scholarship, education, and research purposes only. Our intent is to present an engaging experience that respects the rights of creators, and fosters a spirit of shared knowledge through the “fair dealing” under the Copyright Act of Canada.
