The “What’s in a Name” Project shares fun facts, and not so fun facts, about the past, present and future of the buildings that make up the Toronto Metropolitan University campus.

The TMU Campus Map lists 47 buildings that the University owns or leases. How much do you know about these buildings and how they got their names?

Out of the 14 buildings named after people:

10 are for white men

2 are named after white women 

1 after a white man and woman

1 for a racialized man

0 with Indigenous names

The “What’s in a Name” Project provides a resource guide to encourage critical reflection on the making of the University campus as a space of education, employment, recreation, residence and resistance. 

This archival research project was developed by Dr. Anne-Marie Singh (Department of Criminology) in collaboration with Dr. Reena Tandon (CELT Faculty of Arts) and supported by Rosalynn MacKenzie (Library Archives & Special Collections) and Olivia Wong (Library Archives & Special Collections) at Toronto Metropolitan University.