In recognition of this year’s 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution, the Toronto-based Hellenic Heritage Foundation unveiled a plaque dedicated to the community’s more than century-old history in front of its most important building.

In 1912, Greek immigrants in Ontario raised funds so that the community could purchase the building, which would later serve as the first Greek Orthodox church, Greek school and community center.

“We at the Hellenic Heritage Foundation felt it was important to honor this part of our heritage and so we successfully applied to have an historical plaque erected there through Heritage Toronto,” HHF Managing Director George Keroglidis told The Pappas Post.

The foundation unveiled the historic plaque at 170 Jarvis Street on October 30. Event attendees included Toronto Mayor John Tory and other dignitaries and special guests such as Victor Maligoudis, Consul General of Greece; Effie Triantafilopoulos, Member of Provincial Parliament; Nick Mantas, City Councillor; Andonis Artemakis, President of the Greek Community of Toronto and numerous others.

The newly unveiled historic plaque at 170 Jarvis Street includes the following text:

EARLY GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY

Between 1912 and 1938, this building was home to Toronto’s first Greek Orthodox church and Greek language school. It was also an early centre of Greek identity and community.

In the beginning of the 20th century, Greek immigrants settled in Toronto seeking economic and political prosperity. Over 50 years, a strong Greek community of around 3,000 people began to take shape in the area bounded by Yonge, Carlton and Church Streets, as well as Dundas Street East.

In 1909, approximately 200 of Toronto’s Greek immigrants formed the St. George’s Greek Orthodox Community of Ontario. The organization bought this building in 1912 with a down payment collected from Greeks across Ontario.

The first floor was converted into a church. In 1921, the upper level of the building housed a day school called Athena, which taught English and Greek. It eventually grew into an afternoon language school for more than 100 students. The building was a place where Greeks worshipped, socialized, married and learned within their language.

In 1938, the church moved to a converted synagogue on Bond Street, where it remains active more than 100 years after its creation.

Photographs courtesy of photagonist.ca