A public school, a nursery school, a community centre, an art centre, an alumni office … this beloved landmark has served many functions over the past 100 years. The former S.S. #4 Erindale Public School on Mississauga Road, just north of Dundas Street, first opened its doors 1922 – 100 years ago.

The building was the third school to have served the children of historic Erindale Village and the surrounding area. The building was built adjacent to an earlier 1872 schoolhouse. The building we see today houses the bell from the earlier schoolhouse. In 1957 a new public school was built in the nearby Erindale Woodlands, and this building served as the Springbank Community Centre and a nursery school for a time, and from 1981 until 2007 it was home to Visual Arts Mississauga. In 2007 the building became part of the University of Toronto Mississauga campus.

But back to the school years. Many students first learned the "3R's" in this building. A former student, who attended school here in the late 1940s, recalled snowy days as the schoolhouse:

“Going to school was not a chore but rather an absolute delight. The generosity of a local farmer, Grafton Belford, meant that we didn’t have to trudge through the snow along the ‘pretend’ sidewalks, dangerously slipping and sliding our way along Dundas Highway and the Streetsville (now Mississauga) Road. No indeed, we travelled in style! Mr. Belford would come along on his tractor, pulling a long, flat wagon or sleigh covered with a deep layer of straw. He would pick up all of the school children from the village and beyond, and chauffer us to school. How pleasant it was to sit on the straw singing our favourite songs, chatting, joking, and teasing. Once at school we had lots of extra time to play “Fox and Geese” in the pristine field on the hill behind the school, build snow forts and snowmen, make snow angels, play ‘frozen tag’, and have snowball fights! I don’t recall any teachers being “on duty” in the schoolyard, any injuries from snowballs, or being told that we must not release our pent-up energy with snowball fights. Childhood was Childhood in those days, virtually free from adult interference and artificial rules. We were encouraged to work out our own problems and have fun! The school was small, and represented the whole community in those days. We played and worked together in harmony, accepted responsibility for our own actions, and were good neighbours, a credit to our teachers and our parents. Our childhood days were in many ways idyllic, innocent, carefree and happy.”

The building we know today saw its first students in October of 1922. The formal opening of the school for the community took place on June 4, 1923. The architect for the building was D.R. Franklin of Toronto, while the contractor was Arthur Berrill of Streetsville. Plumbing, heating and wiring was undertaken by James McMahon of Port Credit, the plastering by F.G. Haddon of Streetsville, and the painting by George McClintock of Streetsville. The bricks for the building came from the Milton Pressed Brick Company in Streetsville. The building is a particularly fine example of early 20th century Neo-classical and Colonial Revival architecture. In 1952 two “wings” were added to create two additional classrooms, enlarging the original building from two classrooms to four. In 1996 the old school was Designated under the terms of the Ontario Heritage Act and it remains a beloved and familiar community landmark today – 100 years after it was built

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A beloved Mississauga landmark turns 100

Modern Mississauga Media

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