The Little Beacon With a Big Secret
Imagine a small wooden lighthouse that once guided hundreds of thousands of ships into a bustling harbour — a beacon standing guard over a busy port. Now imagine that same beacon, standing alone and quiet, miles inland from the water, its light long extinguished.
This is the story of the “little tower with a big secret.” Once buried in the chaos of industry and urban development, this lighthouse survives as one of the last physical links to a vanished waterfront — a reminder of the shifting shoreline, the rise and fall of shipping, and a neighbourhood long erased from the map.
What makes this modest wooden tower so special isn’t just its age — it’s the story of the harbour it protected, the lives it touched, and the transformation it witnessed. Discover how one overlooked structure reveals the lost pulse of a harbour city.
Photo Courtesy - Toronto Public Libraries
Early Days & Rise of the Wharf
More than a century ago, what is now busy city streets and concrete stood as the edge of a working harbour. Back then, ships approached through a narrow, often treacherous passage from the lake. To guide these vessels safely in, the locals built a pier — originally known as the “New Pier” — in 1833, at the foot of what was then Bathurst Street.
A few years later, this pier was renamed Queen's Wharf after the ascent of Queen Victoria in 1837. As Toronto’s waterfront grew busier, Queen’s Wharf became the principal western entrance to the harbour. But the channel into the harbour was shallow and full of sandbars — a dangerous combination for incoming ships.
To protect approaching vessels and stabilize the harbour entrance, officials commissioned a proper lighthouse. The first simple navigational light on the wharf appeared in 1838, when a small 16-foot wooden tower was erected. However, as ship traffic increased and maritime navigation became more demanding, a more robust solution was needed.
Thus, in 1861, a new lighthouse was built — a square wooden tower designed by the notable architect Kivas Tully. Alongside the lighthouse, a keeper’s dwelling and harbour-master’s residence were established to support the growing demands of a busy port.
This lighthouse — the one we now know as the “little beacon” — served as a guiding light for ships approaching Toronto’s western harbour entrance, helping steer a growing city’s trade and immigration traffic safely to shore.
Photo Courtesy - Toronto Public Libraries
From Bustling Wharf to Landlocked Landmark
The Lighthouse’s Role in a Working Harbour
The original wharf — then called “New Pier,” later renamed Queen’s Wharf — was built in 1833 at the foot of Bathurst Street to serve as a docking and harbour entrance on Toronto’s west side.
To guide ships safely into harbour through its narrow and often treacherous channel, a first, small 16-foot wooden light stood there by 1838.
As shipping increased and harbour traffic intensified, a more robust solution was needed. So in 1861, the city erected a proper lighthouse — the octagonal wooden tower designed by architect Kivas Tully, known today as “Little Red.”
This lighthouse (paired with a second, “white,” range light) helped navigate up to 300,000 vessels into Toronto’s western harbour entrance at its peak.
Harbor Changes: Filling In & Relocation
As Toronto’s economy and urban footprint expanded, harbour usage and trade demands changed. By the early 20th century, engineers and city planners determined a new western entrance was needed to accommodate larger ships — the old wharf entrance (marked by Queen’s Wharf Lighthouse) was too shallow and difficult to maintain.
Consequently, in 1911, the main shipping channel was relocated further south, and the old range lights (including Queen’s Wharf Lighthouse) were decommissioned.
Meanwhile, industrial growth and railway expansion in Toronto led to extensive landfill and infill around the waterfront. Over decades, what was once open water gradually became reclaimed land. By the mid-1920s, the site of the original wharf had been filled in — leaving the wooden lighthouse stranded far from the water.
Photo Courtesy - Wikipedia
Saving “Little Red”: The 1929 Move
Rather than letting the historic lighthouse be demolished, authorities chose to relocate it. In 1929, the lighthouse was placed on wooden rollers and moved roughly 450–500 metres west/north-west to its current position at Fleet Street / Lakeshore Boulevard West (near what’s now a streetcar loop).
Its new inland location stands as a stark testament to how Toronto’s shoreline has radically changed — what once guided ships now sits amidst traffic and urban infrastructure. Heritage signage notes that the lighthouse was “once on the water’s edge,” but is now landlocked.
Legacy & Heritage Preservation
In recognition of its historical significance, the Queen’s Wharf Lighthouse was added to the Toronto Heritage Register on June 20, 1973.
The lighthouse has survived more than a century of urban transformation. Despite being decommissioned more than a hundred years ago, it remains — one of only two 19th-century lighthouses left in Toronto (the other being Gibraltar Point Lighthouse).
As of 2023, a comprehensive restoration project restored its exterior woodwork, lantern, shingles, and structural elements — preserving it for future generations while respecting the guidelines for heritage conservation.
Section 4 — What You’ll See at the Lighthouse Today
If you visit the mysterious “little beacon with a big secret,” here’s what you’ll find — and what makes a stop worth your time.
🧭 What Remains — The Building, Not the Sea
Queen's Wharf Lighthouse (aka “Little Red / Fleet Street Lighthouse”) still stands at 651 Fleet Street, in Toronto’s Liberty Village / Fort York area.
The tower was carefully restored in 2023: cedar shingles replaced, lantern glass polished, structural repairs made — preserving the 1861 wood-framed, octagonal-tower design originally by Kivas Tully.
There’s a heritage plaque on site explaining the lighthouse’s story — from wharf beacon to landlocked relic.
📷 Photo-Ready Contrast: Past & Present
Visiting today, you’ll likely be struck by how the lighthouse now sits among modern urban surroundings — streetcar tracks, traffic, and city buildings — a stark contrast to the lakefront port it used to guide. That contrast itself tells a story of transformation and is a striking visual for photos.
🚶 What You Can Do On-Site
Walk around the grounds — the lighthouse is accessible to the public and lies within a grassy, heritage-zoned stretch at Fleet Street / Lakeshore Boulevard.
Observe from the TTC streetcar loop — the circular track of the 509/511 streetcar lines loops right around the lighthouse, making it very easy to visit if you’re using public transit.
Read the history — the onsite sign connects the structure to its original waterfront role, the shifting shoreline, and the city’s changing geography.
