A stroll through the works of Canada’s Edwardian architect, Frank Darling

If he hasn’t already, Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro – his love of Toronto and shooting creepy movies here has been well documented – should scout the grounds of the University of Toronto’s St. George campus, and specifically the work of Scarborough-born architect Frank Darling (1850-1923).

The buildings were designed during the Edwardian era (1901-1910), a brief and distinctive architectural period that followed the excesses of the Victorian age (1837-1901) and preceded the First World War. It was also a time that Canada did some critical nation-building, says architect and author David Winterton.