For more than a century, the Orange Order — a Protestant fraternal organization rooted in British loyalism and anti-Catholic politics — held enormous influence over Toronto’s political and social life.
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At one point, many of the city’s mayors and public officials were members, shaping everything from elections to Toronto’s restrictive alcohol laws.
One former Orange Lodge building reflected a major shift in the city’s identity. In 1969, as the organization’s influence declined, the building was purchased by the Islamic Foundation of Toronto and transformed into one of the city’s first mosques.
The site remains a powerful example of how Toronto’s communities — and the meanings attached to its spaces — continue to change over time.