The Globe and Mail

So, you've just bought your first house. If all goes according to plan, you'll create a lot of history there: It might be where your little one takes a first step, where you fall in love, or you may even hold a wedding in the backyard. If it's an older house, some of life's milestones may have already happened there . . . in other people's lives. If you're at all curious about such things, the City of Toronto Archives at 255 Spadina Rd is a great place to play house detective. A visit to the 1992 building designed by Zeidler Partnership Architects is fascinating any time, with free exhibits on the main floor (the current show, Signs of Urban Life, was profiled in this column on Oct. 1) and the Indiana Jones-esque peek at the warehouse's "miles of files."