In a city of drab subway stations, the Museum station on Line 1 is currently a welcome exception.
Museum station opened to the public on February 28, 1963 as a stop on the University subway line. Located south of the intersection of Queen’s Park and Charles Street West it served, as its name implies, the Royal Ontario Museum.
Photo: City of Toronto Archives
Fast Forward…
In April 2008, a major renovation by Diamond and Schmitt Architects and Jeviso Construction Corporation transformed the platform level to mirror exhibits in the Royal Ontario Museum.
This renovation replaced the original tile scheme. Supporting columns were redesigned to evoke various historical and cultural figures, including the Egyptian deity Osiris, Toltec warriors, Doric columns, Forbidden City columns, and Indigenous Northwest Coast house posts.
The walls were re-clad with mauve aluminum panels by Ontario Panelization. This incorporated painted 1/4″ fire-rated Lexan into the panels composing the large MUSEUM lettering on the walls with a historical hieroglyphic inscription from the ROM. The walls and ceiling colours were also updated to complement the new look, making the space feel more like a museum exhibit than a transit stop:
On an interesting footnote, the Museum subway station has been named among the ten most beautiful metro stations in the world by The Guardian newspaper.
What is interesting to me about Museum is that it’s been well maintained. Apparently, that can be possible!
I totally agree. I marvel at how unscathed the station is to vandalism and urban decay, and continues to be… Usually the tagers are the first ones to deface something nice.
One of the nicest subway platforms out there