Heritage Toronto

Crowd assembled around a toppled Stalin Monument, Budapest, October 28, 1956. Image courtesy of Gabor Szilasi/Gabor Szilasi fonds/Library and Archives Canada/e011313448.

A young Hungarian refugee, Winnipeg, 1960. Image courtesy of Canada. Dept. of Manpower and Immigration / Library and Archives Canada.

Tamas Mihalik and his son Tom Jr., Toronto, 2006. Courtesy of V. Tony Hauser, Transfer from the National Arts Centre, Library and Archives Canada.

A Community of Immigrants

The 56ers

Throughout its history, the Annex has been home to immigrants coming to Canada and settling in Toronto. According to the 2016 census, 46% of the Annex’s residents are not native English speakers and almost a third speak another language other than English at home. The neighbourhood has been home for immigrants from a variety of countries including Italy, Poland, and Portugal.

One of the biggest immigration waves came from Hungary in the late 1950s. Between 1956 and 1957, about 37,000 Hungarians immigrated to Canada, 7,000 of whom settled in Toronto, fleeing the Hungarian Revolution and the Soviet takeover under the Stalin government. The initial wave of refugees who came in 1956 became known as the “56ers.” By 1960, 8,700 Hungarians would call Toronto home. When these refugees arrived in Toronto, many were temporarily provided housing by organisations like the YMCA and Salvation Army. However, the Annex would soon become a cultural hub for the growing Hungarian community in Toronto.

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A Community of Immigrants

The Goulash Archipelago

In the 1960s and 1970s, Hungarian-run businesses, such as barber shops, delis, and books stores, opened to serve the community. For the Hungarian immigrants, and many other immigrant communities, the key to preserving their culture was having access to foods from back home. Restaurants opened that served traditional Hungarian food like cabbage rolls, schnitzel, sausages, and roast pork.

Bloor West was described as a “veritable Budapest of eateries” with dozens of Hungarian restaurants along the row. The stretch of Bloor Street running west from Spadina Avenue became known as Goulash Archipelago. The community was also served by the Hungarian Canadian Cultural Centre’s Hungarian House. It was originally at College and Spadina until the 1970s, when it moved to a larger location uptown.

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A Community of Immigrants

A changing landscape

Immigrants often rely on their community or social networks to cope with language barriers and advice on how to settle in their new home, allowing them to become more comfortable in their new environment. It can connect people with jobs, recreational activities, and communal support. But, once those communities become well established, and second and third generations are born and live in their new city, often these neighbourhoods do not retain their cultural importance.

By 1973, only 14% of first-generation Hungarians identified themselves as solely “Hungarian.” Just like the original Annex families before them, the Hungarian population of the Annex began to move to Toronto’s suburbs throughout the 1970s and 1980s. By the 1990s, many local Hungarian businesses had closed. Country Style, located at 450 Bloor St. W., is one of the last remaining Hungarian restaurants in the Annex.

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A Community of Immigrants

The 56ers

A Community of Immigrants

The Goulash Archipelago

A Community of Immigrants

A changing landscape

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