« The Terrace on Mutual Street »

The Mutual Street Arena was built in downtown Toronto in 1912, and was a sports and entertainment destination for a long part of its history. It is where Frank Sinatra played in 1949, and where Glenn Miller and his orchestra made their only Toronto appearance in 1942. It is also where the Toronto St. Patricks, later renamed the Maple Leafs, played until Maple Leaf Gardens was built in 1931.

The facility was renamed The Terrace and renovated in 1962 (the year I was born) to include a curling club and a roller skating rink. I have very vivid memories of a filed trip with my grade 6 classmates to The Terrace in 1974, and can still remember the red skates I rented and the endless laps around the track to thumping rock tunes under soft lights. I can’t claim to ever have been more than barely competent, but I recall the thrill of holdings hands with a boy I liked as we went around and around the rather large surface. It was a fantastic venue for an afternoon of simple, fairly innocent fun, with a basic snack bar and a decor that was comfortable and familiar. This fond recollection is why I had to include The Terrace in my novel and send two of my characters on a romantic date there.

The Terrace was sold in 1988 to become a residential development, and closed its doors on April 30, 1989. One of the buildings has retained the name of The Terrace, but sadly, the roller skating rink that gave so many of us endless hours of pleasure is long gone.

These historical images are from http://www.tmlfever.com/mutualstreetarena.html .