Ongoing preparatory works for the new Ontario Line subway station at Toronto's Queen and Sherbourne intersection have unearthed long-lost remnants of buildings erased in the mid-20th century.

It may look like a scene from Ancient Rome, but it's actually a section of Moss Park that has been fenced off since mid-2021 to make way for the station and surrounding infrastructure — an undertaking that will only come after the completion of an archaeological excavation of the site.

Metrolinx has been sharing occasional glimpses behind the fence at this ongoing excavation since last year, posting photos and videos of foundations, basements, cisterns, and other infrastructure from lost commercial buildings demolished in the 1960s.

In the latest update posted to X (formerly Twitter) this week, the transit agency shared detailed views of the excavation, revealing how the modern urban park was simply atop the buried remnants of demolished structures.

We've taken you behind the scenes to see archaeologists in action at Moss Park, now let's take a closer look at what they found! From walls to stairs, to the less aesthetic (but nevertheless critical) cisterns and privies, pieces of Toronto's history have been uncovered. pic.twitter.com/kEyevRZDa1

— Ontario Line (@OntarioLine) January 8, 2024

The area of Moss Park now being unearthed offers a fascinating, if not somewhat bleak, look back into the destructive urban renewal policies of the last century.

A very different-looking urban fabric can be seen in archival aerial photographs and fire insurance maps from the first half of the 20th century, where much of the current park's footprint was formerly occupied by a bustling block of businesses fronting onto Queen Street East.

Similar in scale and design to the remaining commercial buildings on the south side of Queen, this block was evidently considered expendable by the planners of the day.

Hemmed in on all sides, limiting public access and obscuring the public space from major streets, demolitions expanded the park to its current configuration in the 1960s, erasing an entire block of Queen Street.

Historical photos shared by Metrolinx in 2023 highlight the eclectic mix of fine-grained businesses and main street architecture lost to the wrecking ball, only to have their underground remnants unceremoniously exhumed generations later.

While Metrolinx has made a point of showing off the ruins in social media posts since this summer, the underground structures' future remains uncertain as the transit agency has not yet shared its plans for the newly-uncovered relics.

Uncovering Toronto’s history at Moss Park. Ontario Line teams recently completed archaeological investigations at the site of the future Moss Park station. Once the Ontario Line opens, about 7,300 people are expected to use this station during the busiest travel hour. pic.twitter.com/ZuJwyTQOvA

— Ontario Line (@OntarioLine) December 6, 2023

The current location of the structures sits on the path of the future cut-and-cover trench that will be excavated for the 15.6-km Ontario Line, and will thusly be removed and possibly even relocated as the project progresses.

Moss Park lost a row of trees that were planted atop these foundations, though the park is set to gain some key improvements in the coming years.

Wood salvaged from those very trees will be incorporated into a brand-new replacement for the current John Innes Community Recreation Centre, while new trees will be planted in their place above the sealed-off subway trench.

Redevelopment of the park and community centre is scheduled to be completed alongside the Ontario Line project in 2031.