St. Michael's Cathedral Rectory
Formerly known as St. Michael's Palace, the Cathedral Rectory is the official residence of the Catholic Bishops and Archbishops of Toronto. In April 1845 work began on both the Cathedral and Rectory, which were designed in a Gothic vein by the distinguished architect, William Thomas (1799-1860). Consisting originally of a single two-storey structure facing Church Street, the Rectory was blessed by Michael Power, the first bishop of Toronto, on December 7, 1846.
In 1852 Bishop de Charbonnel added the three-storey north wing to accommodate his fledgling St. Michael's College which in 1856 moved to its present site, "Clover Hill", adjacent to the University of Toronto. New rooms and a cloister were added at the south end of the Rectory to link it with St. John's Chapel, which Archbishop Walsh dedicated on June 7, 1891. Around the turn of the century a third storey was added to the original structure.
In 1981 the Rectory, one of Toronto's oldest residences, was renovated and restored to enhance its original Victorian Gothic design. To mark the event this plaque was blessed and dedicated by His Eminence, G. Emmett Cardinal Carter, Archbishop of Toronto, on Sunday, March 28, 1982.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Toronto Plaques. Full page here.