10 facts we bet you didn't know about this unique Toronto museum turning 30 this year

Toronto is a city of many things, one of them being that it’s the home of nearly 60 galleries and museums covering a diverse range of subjects. Now, one of the city’s most iconic museums is celebrating a new milestone!

Proudly celebrating 30 years of bringing Toronto unique perspectives on historical footwear, the Bata Shoe Museum is fondly reflecting on its past while looking ahead to its bright future.

But a 30-year milestone doesn’t come without its history-making moments. To celebrate 30 years, take a look at some of the most important celebrations in Bata Shoe Museum’s historic run.

Bata Shoe Museum

1946: Her-story is made

Before we get to the Bata Shoe Museum, we have to go all the way back to 1946, when architect Sonja Bata began collecting footwear while travelling the world on business.

Sonja and her husband Thomas Bata, head of the global Bata Shoe Company, often took inspiration from these global shoes, but as the collection grew, they ultimately created a showcase of human history.

1979: Bata Shoe Foundation forms

After nearly 35 years of collecting, the Bata Shoe Foundation was created as an international centre for footwear.

Focusing on the complex role of shoes within history, some of the museum’s collection came from early civilizations, including Egyptian, Greek and Roman shoes. North American artifacts include a significant collection of Indigenous footwear, plus objects from other polar regions of Canada, Russia, the U.S., Finland, and more.

1988: Celebrity kicks

Bata Shoe Museum

The BSM’s footwear goes to the stage with the acquisition of numerous shoes from celebrities, including a pair of iconic platform boots from Elton John.

These towering gold and red kicks with a signature ‘E’ on both sides have become a fan favourite for museum-goers.

1993: Concrete plans in Toronto

After 15 years of searching the city high and low for the perfect location, Sonja Bata and renowned Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama start conceptualizing designs for a permanent museum in Toronto located at 327 Bloor St. W.

It was an important project for Moriyama, who at the time remarked, “A museum housing the world’s most outstanding collection of shoes, helping it reveal human history and secrets hidden within the psyche, deserves to have a sense of permanence and be celebrated with passion and architectural clarity.”

1995: Doors open

Bata Shoe Museum

Time for our history-making moment on Bloor Street!

On May 6, 1995, the Bata Shoe Museum opened to the public with over 10,000 artifacts, platforming 4,500 years of footwear from around the globe.

2005: Icons of Elegance

Bata Shoe Museum

Fast-forwarding through 10 years of fascinating BSM exhibits, shows, and galas, 2005 saw the museum become award-winning, celebrate a decade in operation, and welcome some true fashion icons through its doors.

The Icons of Elegance: Influential Shoe Designers of the 20th Century exhibition opened with iconic guest stars Christian Louboutin and Beth Levine, collaborating with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Musée Salvatore Ferragamo, among others; plus designers like Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik and Andrea Pfister.

2008: Commemorating 1,000,000

A couple decades after opening to the public, the Bata Shoe Museum reaches one million visitors!

2011: A new tradition

To honour Sonja Bata’s birthday, the museum hosts its first annual Founder’s Lecture, with esteemed scholar Harold Koda in attendance. Koda brought his wealth of knowledge from being the former curator-in-charge of the Costume Institute at The Met in New York.

2015: Gender bender

Bata Shoe Museum

The Bata Shoe Museum dives deep into the world of men’s footwear with the Standing Tall: The Curious History of Men in Heels, which explores the unique history of men’s footwear with a kick.

2025: A new horizon

So what’s going on now, as the BSM notches another decade into its heels?

Thirty years after its opening, The Bata Shoe Museum presents Rough & Ready: A History of the Cowboy Boot. Inspiring new POVs and confronting historical assumptions, this exhibition brings forward a new way of thinking about the iconic, functional and fashionable shoe known the world over.

30 years of Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum

Bata Shoe Museum

With such a rich and unique history, the Bata Shoe Museum has truly created a legacy in the world of shoes, right here in Toronto. More than just a collection of cool footwear, the Bata Shoe Museum explores the intricate relationship between humans and their feet.

Visit the Bata Shoe Museum to learn more and purchase tickets to the new Rough & Ready: A History of the Cowboy Boot exhibition, on now until October 2026.