1978: The Start of Operations for a Colorful Subway Station in Toronto

January 28, 1978

Operations began for St. Clair West station on the Yonge-University-Spadina Line (now called Line 1 Yonge-University) of the Toronto subway system. This station, which spans the block north of St. Clair Avenue West, was built as part of the 6.2-mile (9.9-kilometer) line extension between St. George and Wilson stations. St. Clair West station serves the Toronto neighborhoods of Bracondale Hill; Casa Loma; Forest Hill South; and Humewood.

In the time since its opening, St. Clair West station has become known for its colorful designs. This station’s wide range of interior finishes include ceramic tiles as well as brick and sculptural concrete surfaces. St. Clair West station is further distinguished from other Toronto subway stations by its backlit orange panels and — at platform level — an abstract tile pattern that resembles a barcode.

St. Clair West station’s artwork includes Tempo, an abstract enamel mural created by Gordon Rayner. This mural, which is depicted in the accompanying photo, is located on the station’s mezzanine-level bridge that crosses the tracks.

The Commuters, sculptural artwork jointly created by Rhonda Weppler and Trevor Mahovsky, consists of several bronze snails (each measuring about 19.7 inches [50 centimeters] in size) affixed on the walls of one of the station’s staircases. The shells of these snails are made up of various items lost by subway commuters. The source of inspiration for The Commuters was The Secret World of Og, a children’s novel written by Pierre Berton and first published in 1961. Another mural at St. Clair West station is The Spirits of the Ancestral Trees. This work, which was created by Paula Gonzalez-Ossa, can be found at the station’s emergency exit.

With a length of 23.9 miles (38.4 kilometers), Line 1 Yonge-University is the longest of the Toronto subway’s lines. Line 1 Yonge-University has 38 stations altogether.

Photo Credit: Canmenwalker (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

For more information on public art installed at Toronto subway stations, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_subway_public_art