A living tribute to Rick Williams · The Academy, 1991–2012
The Academy of Spherical Arts

One Snooker Street, remembered

A look inside.

The rooms, the details, the beautiful old things.
A little of the Academy, kept for the future.

Photographs of the Academy

Original website photographs & a visitor’s view, May 2012. Select a photograph to look closer.

A Liberty Village street sign reading Snooker St against a brick building and blue sky.
The corner of Snooker Street in Liberty Village.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
Two glasses on a wooden table bearing the Academy of Spherical Arts crest and name.
A drink at an Academy-branded table.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
Rows of whisky bottles on floor-to-ceiling wooden shelves.
The Academy’s whisky collection.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
A red billiard table under stained glass, beside the Academy’s wood-panelled whisky bar.
The Samuel May Room and its bar.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
A richly carved antique billiard table with gilt ornament and a netted pocket.
The carved base of a Samuel May billiard table.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
A green snooker table beneath a broad hanging lamp, with stained glass and brick walls beyond.
Green baize and stained glass in the Samuel May Room.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
Close detail of a wooden billiard table with carved faces and decorative panels.
Carved woodwork on an antique table.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
An ornate orange-clothed billiard table in front of a long wooden bar and exposed timber posts.
Billiards and the bar in the John Brunswick Room.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
A gold-coloured billiard table beneath a hanging lamp, with dining tables beyond.
A billiard table in the George Chenier Room.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
A quiet corner with red walls, timber posts, a carved wooden screen and a small billiard table.
An intimate corner of the George Chenier Room.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
Close detail of a leather-lined billiard-table pocket and gold-coloured baize.
A leather pocket and gold-coloured cloth.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
An angled view of a green billiard table with timber beams, lamps and art-filled walls.
Green baize beneath an antique lamp.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
Red and green billiard tables, stained-glass lamps and timber beams in the Academy.
Antique tables in the Samuel May Room.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
An ornate orange-clothed billiard table with dining tables, stained glass and tall windows behind it.
Billiards, dining and stained glass at the Academy.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
A green billiard table illuminated by a long lamp in a warmly lit room.
A game beneath the lamps.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
A steak dinner with asparagus and gnocchi on a white plate, with a drink and folded napkin.
Dinner at the Academy.Photograph by Billiard Traveler, published 31 May 2012. Original source ↗
An inviting billiards room with upholstered seating, timber columns and tall windows with blue curtains.
The John Brunswick Room, from the original website.The Academy of Spherical Arts website, preserved by the Internet Archive. Original source ↗
An orange-clothed billiard table with dining tables beside tall windows and blue curtains.
Billiards and dining in the John Brunswick Room.The Academy of Spherical Arts website, preserved by the Internet Archive. Original source ↗
Tables and patterned upholstered chairs in a bright room with exposed timber and industrial windows.
The George Chenier Room, from the original website.The Academy of Spherical Arts website, preserved by the Internet Archive. Original source ↗
A green billiard table beside tall industrial windows, plants and upholstered chairs.
Green baize in the George Chenier Room.The Academy of Spherical Arts website, preserved by the Internet Archive. Original source ↗
A dining room with white tablecloths, exposed timber beams, brick walls and an arched doorway.
La Belle Époque, from the original website.The Academy of Spherical Arts website, preserved by the Internet Archive. Original source ↗
White-clothed dining tables and a red billiard table beneath a stained-glass lamp.
The Samuel May Room set for dinner.The Academy of Spherical Arts website, preserved by the Internet Archive. Original source ↗
A red billiard table beside a wooden bar with tall shelves of bottles.
The Samuel May Room bar, from the original website.The Academy of Spherical Arts website, preserved by the Internet Archive. Original source ↗

The original website and documents

91 recovered items

Preserving the spirit

A restoration.
A remembrance.

Reconstructed Academy crest and wordmarkDownload the restored
vector logo ↗

This website was created by Rick Williams’s family as part of his memorial. The Academy of Spherical Arts operated in Toronto from 1991 to December 31, 2012. Its rooms, menus, and original words are presented here to bring the place back to life in memory.

Pages and documents have been recovered from sphericalarts.com through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. Each restored page links to its original capture. Prices, hours, contact details, and services belong to that time.

The photographs include images from the Academy’s original website and the Billiard Traveler’s May 2012 visit, credited throughout. Rick’s portrait comes from the family memorial. Photographs remain the work of their original photographers.

The crest and wordmark have been redrawn as scalable vectors using surviving historical references. They are faithful reconstructions, with re-created lettering, rather than recovered vector originals.

Some original media, including the Flash virtual tours, could not be recovered. Original pages occasionally disagree on dates; their wording has been preserved. The archive makes those gaps visible.

Share an Academy memory with the family
Rick WilliamsRichard Barry Williams
1945 — 2026
The Academy’s crest

In loving memory

A door left open.
For Rick.

Rick Williams created the Academy of Spherical Arts—a place for beautiful things, good company, and a life well lived.

The Academy closed in 2012. This is its world, brought back to life in his memory. Step inside and imagine another evening at One Snooker Street.

Visit Rick’s memorial A family tribute · Menus and information are historical