Introduction

Dear Reader,

Queerness & Architecture are often interconnected—politically, socially, and even psychologically (i.e. “coming out of the closet”). Queer architecture has historically taken place within fault lines. Creating space was often the same as reclaiming, redefining, and liberating. Creating home and community in the face of societal oppression and alienation, queer people have become innovative wielders of space.

I came to work at The ArQuives during a period when I was navigating my identities, finishing up my sophomore year of architectural education, and coming home to reconnect with the city I grew up in. I came in with one question: 

What is the queer home?

Working at The ArQuives, I hoped that I’d find myself learning from generations of people who had fought hard to answer such a question for themselves.

The following is a collection of research, analysis, and representations of the history of queer space, domesticity, and home in Toronto from the 1970s to 1990s. This is a chronological exploration through the perspective of an architecture student—learning, experimenting, growing, and failing.

All were conducted with the support, advice, and resources of The ArQuives.

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Henry, 2023