Ajax is a creative community with a rich history and lots to discover. Take in a show at the St. Francis Centre, visit one of our gallery spaces, or discover the many memorials and public art pieces across town.
St. Francis Centre for the Arts
The St. Francis Centre is the Town’s arts, culture and performance venue. It features a stage, retractable theatre seating for 150, glass atrium, bar, dressing rooms, and theatrical light, sound, and audio-visual capabilities. Visit us for concerts, live theatre, film screenings, variety shows, and family programming.
Public Art, Monuments, and Memorials
Public art, monuments and memorials inspire people to look at their environment in a new way. They celebrate our history and bring creativity to our Town. They offer residents and visitors an opportunity to appreciate art and help ensure a creative legacy.
Artists with public art or memorial proposals are encouraged to contact the Town at 365-282-6028.
Find Monuments and Memorials in Ajax
| Monument/Memorial | Location | Description | Photo |
| Ajax Legacy Obelisk | Veterans' Point (foot of Harwood Ave. by Lake Ontario) | Unveiled and dedicated on October 4, 2009, during the “Tribute to all Veterans” event as part of the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the River Plate, the Ajax Legacy Obelisk is a poignant monument honouring those who have served in past, present and future conflicts. The monument can be seen from some distance while driving south on Harwood Avenue and makes a strong statement on the Town's naval heritage and appreciation of the peacekeeping measures taken during times of conflict. |
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| Cairns | Ajax Waterfront | These stone memorials come from an ancient Scottish tradition honouring fallen soldiers after a battle. The Town has a program which allows members of the community to dedicate a tree, bench or picnic table within Town parks, as a way of remembering people. After the dedication is completed, The Town mounts another dedication marker on a cairn. There are seven cairns along the Ajax waterfront. |
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| 8th HMS Ajax Anchor | Royal Canadian Legion - Branch No. 322111 Hunt St. | On November 8, 1987, a memorial cairn with the port anchor of the 8th HMS Ajax as its centrepiece, was unveiled. This memorial is dedicated to Canadian who died while serving with the Canadian Armed Forced in overseas wars in this century and of those who served on ships named HMS Ajax. |
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| Kinsmen Memorial | Ajax Town Hall - 65 Harwood Ave. S. | The Ajax Kinsmen presented the Kinsmen Memorial, which incorporates the Eternal Flame, to the Town of Ajax on May 20, 1967. There are three steps leading up to the flame, with a year engraved on each step: 1939, 1955, 1967, and the three “pillars” around the flame note “Past”, “Present” and “Future”. The monument's inscription reads, “To those who by personal sacrifice in time of conflict and to those whose foresight was instrumental in the founding of this Town.” |
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| Veterans' Point Gardens | Veterans' Point (foot of Harwood Ave. by Lake Ontario) | Through a community-based waterfront master plan, completed in 1995, it was felt that the property at the foot of Harwood Avenue, the Town's ceremonial main street, should make a statement and create a distinctive cultural landmark to celebrate the past and present spirit of Ajax. Designed by Bruce Johnson, Landscape Architect for the Town of Ajax, this unique landscape is in the shape of a ship's prow, representing the HMS Ajax. The four paths and sculptures represent the manufacturing lines of Defence Industries Limited (DIL), the wartime munitions plant which began the community that has become the Town of Ajax. |
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Find Public Art in Ajax
| Title and Artist | Location | Description | Photo |
| “A Community Connected” by Corrin Smithson | St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts & Culture78 Church St. S. | Dance, music, drama and celebration merge together to illustrate a vibrant and unified community. Chosen from a number of submissions for the opening of the facility in 2011, this series of four paintings has been installed in the crush lobby of the St. Francis Centre, situated between two framed reclaimed stained glass windows. Featured in the paintings are the images of a violinist, a dancer, a married couple and a dramatic actress, mixed with recreations of some of the building's historical elements. |
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| Ajax Quilt by the Twisted Stitchers Quilt Guild | Ajax Town Hall65 Harwood Ave. S. | Designed by Margaret Hannigan, made by the members of the Twisted Stitchers Quilt Guild, and quilted by Tracey Russell of Whirls and Swirls Quilting, this piece of art was presented to the Town of Ajax in October, 2009 and showcases various characteristics of the Town. This quilt is mounted just outside of the River Plate Room at Ajax Town Hall. |
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| Arts Mural by Michael Jack and Ajax Creative Arts | Village Community Centre22 Sherwood Rd. W. | Designed and painted by Michael Jack and members of Ajax Creative Arts in 2011, this mural is located on the exterior wall of the entrance to the Village Community Centre. Representing 3 facets of arts and culture (music, theatre, and visual arts), this piece is a representation of the emerging arts and cultural scene in historic Pickering Village. |
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| Metal Sculpture by Ron Baird | Ajax Town Hall65 Harwood Ave. S. | In 1968, acclaimed artist, Ron Baird, was commissioned by Public Works Canada to create an abstract piece of art for the Ajax Post Office. Often referred to as an anchor, reflecting the Town's naval heritage, the sculpture is made of corten steel or weathering steel, that rusts but does not oxidate. For more information on the artist and his works, visit www.ronbairdartist.com |
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| “Birds in Flight” by Henry Kortekaas | 485 Fairall St. | Designed to represent a “flush” of birds (a flock of birds frightened from cover), this metalwork installation is situated across from the Ajax GO Station. |
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| Sculpture by Henry Kortekaas | 100 Achilles Rd. | This interesting piece protrudes out of the ground at the main entrance to the BMW Car Dealership. The metal “wings” were designed to whistle as the wind passes through them. Located at a busy intersection, it has become a focal point for the area while complimenting the architectural and landscape design of the site. |
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| “Communitree” by Geordie Lishman | 1991 Salem Rd. N. | Commissioned as part of the Shell Station site plan in 2012, this sculpture represents the progress of Ajax from its industrial roots and rich natural heritage, to a culturally diverse and healthy community. The tree represents growth and features faces of various cultural backgrounds. The windswept limbs symbolize our resilience while the blossoms signify the prosperity and beauty of our community. |
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| “Elation” by William (Bill) and Geordie Lishman | Ajax Town Hall65 Harwood Ave. S. | Commissioned by the Town of Ajax for the new Town Hall design, the fountain is designed to describe Ajax as it exploded into existence out of chaos. Straight linear tubes stretch towards the sky while water flows over their tops, making them shimmer. For more information, visit www.williamlishman.com or www.geordielishman.com |
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| Metalwork Gate by Bruce Watson | Ajax Town Hall65 Harwood Ave. S. | This piece once stood outside the entrance to Council Chambers at Town hall, dividing the courtyard and a smaller area belonging to the Ajax Public Library. During the Town hall retrofit, the artwork was moved and now rests on the north side of the wall of the River Plate Room. |
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| “Solar Sail” by Solera Sustainable Energies | Ajax Operations Centre800 Salem Rd. N. | A fantastic example of solar creativity, the giant “Solar Sail” is a unique, one-of-a-kind solar structure that combines outstanding engineering and design with Ajax's nautical heritage. This photovoltaic sail is a major focal point for the facility, generates energy for the building, and draws people's vision to the 100 kW solar installation project on the facility's roof. |
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| “The Sire” by Jules Roman | Casino Ajax50 Alexander's Crossing | With the inscription “Dedicated to a man and his vision”, this sculpture welcomes guests to Casino Ajax and Ajax Downs, a premiere entertainment destination in Ajax. |
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| “The Storm” by Amanda Berry and Henry Kortekaas & Associates Ltd. | Lion's PointAjax Waterfront | This interactive sculpture is a collage of materials including a spiral of flowing native grass, waves of concrete and a mounded landform that spirals up to a galvanized steel lightning strike, which also symbolizes sails of boats that move across the lake. |
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| Pole Carving by the 1st Pickering Village Venturers | Duffins Trail HeadElizabeth St. & Old Kingston Rd. | Through the Adopt-a-Trail program, hosted by Operations & Environmental Services, the 1st Pickering Village Venturers have adopted the trail from Elizabeth St. to Birchmount St., carving and placing a pole carving on the trail to mark their participation. |
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| Pole Carving by Georg Kollaard and the Parkside S.L.D. Class | Ajax Community Centre75 Centennial Rd. | IN 1973, Ruby Huber, the Principal of Parkside Public School, and Georg Kollaard, the teacher of the Special Learning Disabilities (S.L.D.) class, decided that the large foyer of the school needed to be filled. It was decided that a pole carving would fill the area nicely, and Mr. Kollaard felt his class was up to the challenge. With the donation of a hydro pole from Ajax Hydro, the Grades 5 – 8 students designed, carved and painted the pole, completing the project in 1975. In 2004, Parkside Public School was closed and the pole carving was donated to the Town Archives. The pole is now on display in the lobby of the Ajax Community Centre. |
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| “Vasika mhuri (Family Creation)” by Passmore Mashaya | McLean Community Centre95 Magill Dr. | Created in Zimbabwe, this sculpture showcases the images of several people carved into serpentine stone. The people are intertwined together, depicting themes such as family, community, celebration, play, diversity and union. |
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| “WoodHaven” by Mark Puigmarti | Carruthers Marsh Pavilion55 Ashbury Blvd. | The four forged metal panels use whimsical stick figures to depict themes of adult and youth interaction, community and family, compassion and caring, and playfulness in the outdoors. The panels are configured to mirror each other with the negative space in the centre depicting a tree |
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Ajax History, Heritage, and Archives
What is the History of Ajax?
The area now known as the Town of Ajax is situated within the traditional and treaty territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, signatories of the Gunshot Treaty of 1788 and the Williams Treaties of 1923.
European settlers established the region as Pickering Township, the name it was known by until 1941, when Defence Industries Limited (DIL) built the largest shell filling plant in the British Commonwealth to provide supplies for the Allies in World War 2.
Soon, the amount of mail that came in required the plant to open a post office, which would need a name. Employees at DIL submitted names and Frank Holroyd suggested Ajax as a tribute to one of three ships that had fought in the Battle of the River Plate in 1939. This was the first naval battle of World War 2 and took place off the coast of Uruguay between HMS Ajax, HMS Exeter, HMNZS Achilles and the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee.
The plant was closed when the war ended, but a number of former DIL employees decided that they’d like to stay. The employees were given the option to purchase the wartime houses and in 1950, the Improvement District of Ajax was incorporated. On January 1, 1955, the Improvement District of Ajax officially became the Town of Ajax.
The Ajax History Book – Snapshots of Ajax is available for purchase for $20 from Ajax Town Hall (65 Harwood Ave. S.).
For a relatively young municipality, the Town of Ajax has an incredibly rich history. Since the Town’s incorporation in 1955, Members of Council, Town staff and dedicated residents have worked together to collect and preserve the history of the Town.
The history of the Town – from its origins through to present days – has been chronicled in a series of books published over the past 40 years. The Town’s first history book was published by the Ajax Historical Board in 1972 and provided a pictorial account of the establishment and early years of a new municipality. The second book, titled “A Town Called Ajax” and also published by the Ajax Historical Board, looked at the growth of the Town to 1995.
Carrying on this tradition, a dedicated team of Town staff and an amazing group of community champions recently took on the enormous task of researching, writing, editing and publishing: “Snapshots of Ajax – A Pictorial History, 1791 – 2022”, a collection of 700 timeless and historically significant photographs, this book captures the origins, growth and diversity of the Town from its earliest settlement into the 21st century.
Town of Ajax Archives
In February 2010, Ajax Council formally established the Ajax Archives to collect and preserve archival materials which illustrate or document the growth and development of the Town of Ajax. The history of the community that has become the Town of Ajax is as unique as it is diverse. The photos, artifacts and records which document the inception, growth, and development of the municipality are a legacy to future generations. The preservation and conservation of the items in the Ajax Archives is an important step to ensuring this history is kept safe and is accessible to the community.
In 2022, the Town of Ajax transferred the management of Ajax Archives to Ajax Public Library.
Many of the photos, documents, and history books in the collection have been digitized and can be viewed by visiting the OurOntario website. The Ajax Archives maintains a display case in Town Hall, 65 Harwood Ave. S., and a display table in the Local History section of Ajax Public Library’s Main Branch, 55 Harwood Ave. S.
The Ajax Archives is located at Town Hall and cannot be accessed by the public. To view items in the collection or for research help, please use the contact information below or visit ajaxlibrary.ca. Requests for in person visits should be submitted at least one week in advance and the visits will take place at Main Branch. At this time, the Archives primarily holds materials related to the Town of Ajax as well as the HMS Ajax. If you are researching outside of these topics, the Archives may be limited in resources.
Ajax has a unique street naming policy, in that the majority of streets have been named after those that served on HMS Ajax, HMS Exeter and HMS Achilles during the Battle of the River Plate, the first naval victory of the Allied forces in WWII. Several streets have also been named after individuals who played an important role in the creation of our community.
Print Publications
Though Snapshots of Ajax is the only book still in print, the history of Ajax has been well documented. The following out-of-print publications are available through the Ajax Public Library:
- A Town Called Ajax, The Ajax Historical Board, 1995
- The Pictorial History of Ajax, 1941/1972, Ajax Historical Board, 1972
- Ajax the War Years 1939-1945, Ken Smith, Oshawa, 1989
- Past Years in Pickering, William R. Wood, Toronto, 1911
- The Village of Pickering 1800-1970, Corporation of the Village of Pickering, 1970
- The Pickering Story, William A. McKay, 1961
OurOntario Digital Archive Quick Links
- Defence Industries Limited (D.I.L., Bomb Girls)
- D.I.L. (Bomb Girls)
- HMS Ajax (7th and 8th)
- Street Names – Biographies (Veterans of HMS Ajax, HMS Exeter, HMS Achilles)
- University of Toronto – Ajax Campus
- The Commando Newspaper (published by D.I.L. staff)
- Ajax – Aerial Photos
- History Reference Books
- The People Behind Ajax Street Names