Apple Time in the East End

If it was an apple in the Garden of Eden, would you need a snake to tell you to eat it? No! Canadians love apples! But did you know that commercial apple growing in Ontario got its start in Toronto’s East End?

1906 Woodfield Rd USED — Looking north on Woodfield Road, through the Ashbridge’s orchard, the “Applegrove” for which Applegrove Avenue was named — now part of Dundas Street east by remembered by the name “The Applegrove Community Centre”.

As we look around it might be hard to believe that apple orchards once flourished between the Danforth and Queen Street and from the Don River to Victoria Park. But there are clues and I’ve looked hard to find them. Why? Well, I love living here and I love apples!

pictures-r-1385 Pape looking n to Danforth 1907 - Copy — Looking north on Pape towards Danforth, 1907

None of us can remember those orchards. By the end of the 1920s, older people looked back upon the days of Leslieville and Riverside’s apples.

1860 Tremaine's Map of the County of York, Canada West — From Tremaine’s Map of the County of York, 1860

The area between Ashbridges Bay and Danforth Avenue was ideal for apple orchards. The sunshine, maximized on the south-facing slopes, and the rich soil created ideal conditions for apples.

Lazeby 1921 TTC close up topo map Leslieville - Copy — Lazeby 1921 Topographical map showing the gullies cut by the streams that are now buried underground as part of the sewage system.

Gullies, cut by streams, ran south the heights near the Danforth, draining away frigid air away, preventing frost damage to spring blossoms.

The farmers diverted the streams to feed water by gravity into ditches among the rows of apple trees, irrigating them with clean, cool, spring-fed water. The steep slope sheltered the orchards that produced some of Canada’s best apples.

Greenwood Avenue Railway crossing looking northeast towards an apple orchard, 1901. The chimney of Logan ‘s brickyard is in the distance. Another orchard is on the west side of Greenwood north of the tracks. Orchards lined Greenwood south of the tracks as well.

Early Days

The first settlers planted apple trees in Leslieville not long after they arrived here in the 1790s. Many orchards here started as mixed farms like the Ashbridges. But farms dedicated only to orchards did not develop until later. One man, above all others, nurtured the apple industry.

In 1825 trained Scottish gardener George Leslie sailed to Canada. In 1826 he moved to Toronto to open a seed store downtown. In 1832 he organized a fruit exhibition:

Then came the time when a few men saw the possibilities of the future if fruit-culture was undertaken in a systematic way. George Leslie, one of the earliest nurserymen in Toronto, organized a fruit exhibition in 1832, but a few specimens of apples, some wild plums, and some small fruit [berries] were all he could procure. He brought trees from New York, organized a nursery, and succeeded in interesting others in the subject.[1]

Most farmers bought their trees from English suppliers, but often the saplings couldn’t prosper under different growing conditions here. Leslie secured and tested varieties to find ones good for Canadian farms.

In 1842, he opened an eight-hectare (20 acres) nursery near Leslie and Queen. Here he tested new varieties and compared their performance against older apple cultivars. He sold the successful trees to farmers across the country although delivery was slow because mud and deep ruts often made roads impassable in spring. He built his downtown store near the wharves and his nursery on Ashbridges Bay so that he could ship trees by boat whenever possible.

L. would also invite public attention to his Nursery Establishment, for the cultivation of FRUIT and ORNAMENTAL TREES, on a more extended scale that has been hitherto attempted in Canada. Trees and Flowering Plants will be carefully packed, so as to bear transportation to any part of the Province, should their passage take two weeks.[2]

An ad from a little later in the spring of 1845, assured buyers that the trees would grow in local conditions:

The collection of Fruit Trees comprises the most valuable and approved varieties, adapted to our latitude… Orders by Mail (post-paid) from any part of the country if accompanied with a remittance, or a satisfactory reference in the City of Toronto, will receive prompt attention. Priced Catalogues will be furnished gratis in all post-paid applications. [3]

18810926GL Ad USEd — Globe, September 26, 1881

In the spring of 1848 George Leslie sold his business downtown in order to focus on growing trees. His nursery had now grown and he offered 40,000 apple trees for sale. He had planted them in 1843 and took pride in his “well grown healthy Trees.” Each year he put out a new catalogue.[4]

In November 1848, The Farmer and Mechanic pointed out that Leslie was a valuable resource for Canadians:

…Mr. Leslie having procured all the best varieties cultivated, and perfected arrangements for procuring new ones as they from time to time are ushered into notice, a full and complete assortment of the choicest fruit trees may be had at the Toronto Nursery, each warranted to be true to their sorts, at as low a price as can be had in any part of the United States.[5]

19070928 CDNCOUR Apple pickers — Canadian Courier, September 28, 1907

In 1849, he began writing articles for journals such as The Farmer and Mechanic, promoting Canadian apple growing and exports abroad:

I have been engaged in the business of tree culture for twenty years in this neighbourhood. In recommending varieties of fruit, I shall mention only such kinds as personal observation has convinced me are quite suitable for this neighbourhood. …Canada has a right to share, with other parts of North America, the profit and honour of having her fruit shipped to all parts of the world.[6]

Before 1850, most Canadians didn’t value orchards or appreciate the potential for exporting this cash crop to Britain and the rest of Europe. George Leslie set out to change this by writing articles in farm journals and speaking at fall fairs and exhibitions (the trade shows of the day), educating farmers on every aspect of apple growing.

By the early 1850s, a wider audience was beginning to recognize that commercial orchards could be not only possible, but even lucrative. William Henry Smith, in his Statistical Account of Canada West, 1851, commented on the new interest in fruit growing, “We heard, two or three years since, of a Toronto merchant, having a residence a short distance from the city, who sent some apples from his orchard to Scotland, and made a profit of £40 on the small quantity sent.”[7]

In 1856 the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) line opened, connecting Montreal and Toronto through Leslieville and commercial fruit farming became viable. Trains delivered nursery stock faster and more efficiently. The train stopped at Queen Street and DeGrassi where apples and trees were loaded to be be shipped by rail to east coast ports. Barrels and boxes of apples sailed to Britain and continental Europe. Once they could get apples to an overseas market, many Leslieville farmers divided their larger properties into small orchards.

The Canadian Courier, Vol. IV, No. 19 (Oct 10, 1908) Orchard — The Canadian Courier, Vol. IV, No. 19 (Oct 10, 1908)

The average size of a Leslieville orchard was about ten to 20 acres, but some, such as the Ashbridges, covered as much as 100 acres. A large orchard employed a dozen or more farm workers from spring to fall. While the major crop was apples, Leslieville growers planted a range of fruit from cherries to pears. However, the more tender fruits (e.g., peach, cherry, grape, plum, pear) were limited to only a few particularly sheltered locations such as that of Vincenzo Casci’s vineyard at Coxwell and Upper Gerrard.

18601109 Ottawa Citizen The Ottawa Nursery USED (2) - Copy — Ottawa Citizen, November 9, 1860

After 1856 Leslie’s Toronto Nurseries specialized in mail order. Travelling salesmen visited farmers across Canada. In spring, farmers went to a train station and telegraphed orders for apple trees in bulk at wholesale prices directly to the Toronto Nurseries. Leslie delivered trees in several days by rail for immediate transplanting. These trees were mature enough to began producing apples that fall for a quick return on the farmer’s investment.

Leslie also commissioned other nurserymen to act on his behalf. For example, Charles Chapman distributed the George Leslie’s catalogue at his own Ottawa nursery. Auctioneers also sold consignments of his trees and shrubs in batches across Canada as they were in PEI in 1881.

1868.Gehle.Sketch.EofTorontobtwnDonandScarboron0020711ksm-1 — Gehle, Sketch, 1868

18750507GL Ad for apple trees Geo Leslie — Globe, May 7, 1875

Seek No Further - Copy — “The Seek No Further”

Need for Training and Education

With all the new growers, trained orchardists were needed. George Leslie Sr. offered apprenticehsips and taught them everything they needed to know to have a successful orchard or nursery – from choosing the right varieties, planting, grafting and tending trees, grading apples for size and colour, and how to pack the fruit into boxes or barrels so that it wouldn’t not bruise during transport. He also taught them about prices, keeping books, marketing, etc. They spread out to create their own businesses across Canada.

One valuable marketing tool was the “Ex”. The Exhibition moved each year from city to city, however, many successfully lobbied for a permanent Toronto Exhibition and the first opened in Toronto in 1879. Later it was re-christened the Canadian National Exhibition.

One Leslie apprentice was Alexander McDonald Allan who married George’s daughter Esther. Allan became editor and owner of the Huron Signal and President of the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association. Allan pioneered the export of fruit.

Alexander McDonald Allan (2) - Copy — Alexander McDonald Allan, “The Apple King of Canada”

In 1886 the Canadian government appointed him Commissioner on Fruits at the Independent and Colonial Exhibition in London. In 1886 he shipped over 100,000 barrels of apples to Britain. He also helped developed markets for Canadian fruit in continental Europe, including shipments to Norway and Sweden, Germany and even far off India. He organized the Imperial Produce Company of Toronto, which became one of Canada’s largest fruit exporters. He also founded the London Fruit Co. to sell Canadian fruit there. The Pall Mall Gazette called Allan “The Fruit King of Canada.”[8]

apples_tbt_1 — In this photo, published in the September 1938 issue of the *Canadian Geographical Journal,* Canadian apples find their way to a street hawker’s barrow in England. (Photo: Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau/Canadian Geographic Archives)

Sorting and packing apples, probably Leslieville

Varieties of Apples

In 1876, the Province of Ontario asked the Fruit Growers’ Association to undertake a display at the International Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, a major World Fair. The early growers did not know a lot about the different varieties of apples, but many of the first varieties were not suitable for Ontario. Often the farmer chose a particular variety simply because he or she had “via the grape vine” that a particular apple grew well somewhere else. At first only the Snow apple or Fameuse was the only variety of commercial importance. Despite a drought, George Leslie & Son, of Leslie exhibited 35 varieties of apples. Even in those days some were concerned about the decline in the number of varieties of apples, a trend that is reflected in the lack of diversity on grocery shelves today.

The Vanished Orchards

Steele Briggs - Copy — Looking over the Steele Briggs nursery at Kent and Queen in the background, just behind the red brick buildings, is the Ashbridge’s nursery.

Under John A. Macdonald’s National Policy, tariff walls went up to protect Canadian agriculture and the CPR carried people – and apple trees from coast to coast. Leslieville’s trees and fruit could now go almost anywhere in Canada, but the days of orchards in the East End were numbered.

In 1884 Leslieville and Riverside became part of Toronto and property taxes went up as the area became urbanized. While the cost of growing apples increased, the growers’ incomes did not keep step. Many cut down their trees and subdivided their property for housing. In 1888 84-year-old George Leslie told a reporter:

Value of land, for instance, has wonderfully advanced…although these grounds are so far east of the Don, they are already too valuable to hold for orchard or nursery purposes, and must be sold soon for building lots.[9]

One Torontonian took the streetcar through Leslieville:

After crossing the Don, we passed through the little villages of Riverside and Leslieville, so close together that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Then the houses began to scatter. There were nursery gardens, with their rows of tiny young trees; one or two orchards, very pretty in spring when the blossoms are out, and prosperous-looking now, with the fruit showing through the foliage.[10]

George Leslie died on June 14, 1893. Gradually the nursery lands were sold off. Now apples come from all over the world, but the species available are few compared to the many in George Leslie’s catalogues. Yet every spring I walk the streets in my neighbourhood looking for the few survivors of those early orchards. And I still snuggle up with an apple and a book and maybe a piece of good Ontario cheddar and think of Astracan Reds, Sweet Boughs, Early Harvests, Early Strawberrys, Early Joes, Golden Sweetings, Keswick Codin, William’s Favorites, Primates, Alexanders, Black Detroits, Duchesses of Oldenberg, Pommes Royal, Fall Pippins, Hawleys, jersey Sweets, Saint Lawrences, Indian Raventips, Baldwins, Bourrassas, Blue Pearmates, Holland Pippins, Mothers, Northern Spys, Peck’s Pleasants, Rambos, Red Canadas, Russets, Greenings, Seek-no-furthers, Talman’s Sweets, Waggoners, Kings of Tomkins County, and more, as I dream.

1919 Devils H - Copy — 1919, Looking east on Gerrard. Riverdale Collegiate in the background right. Just east of it the remains of an orchard and an apple barn, a structure designed to store apples.

SOURCES FOR PHOTOS

https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/canadas-long-history-apple-growing

[1] Canadian History, No. 10, June, 1900, 263

[2] Globe, February 18, 1845; Globe, March 25, 1845; The British American Cultivator, New series, Vol. 1, No. 9, September 1845

[3] Globe, April 1, 1845

[4] Globe, September 16, 1848

[5] The Farmer and Mechanic, Vol. 1, no. 2, November 1848, 42

[6] The Farmer and Mechanic, Vol. 1, no 7, April 1849, 188 –193

[7] William Henry Smith, Canada Past, Present and Future, London: T. Maclear, 1851, 419

[8] Henry J. Morgan, The Canadian men and women of the time, Toronto: W. Briggs, 1898, 11-14

[9] Globe, June 8, 1883

[10] The Dominion Illustrated, Vol. 3, no. 71, November 9, 1889, 299

Greenwood Avenue

Looking west from Greenwood Avenue over the abandoned brickyard where Greenwood Park will be created later. Note the horses grazing in the distance.

Looking north east Greenwood Avenue Orchard and Logan's Brickyard Chimney — Looking north east Greenwood Avenue Orchard and Logan’s Brickyard Chimney, 1901. This was before Greenwood’s Lane was widened to become Greenwood Avenue.

east-from-greenwood — Greenwood Avenue was widened in 1909. Gerrard and Greenwood was a major streetcar junction with Greenwood cars going north-south to Danforth and Queen and Gerrard cars going east-west.

Price House 100 Greenwood Avenue — John Price built this handsome house at 100 Greenwood Avenue. It is a showcase for his “John Price Red”, considered by many to be the best brick ever made in Canada.

The tavern sign shown simply illustrates one possible rendition of a hanging sign for a Puritan tavern. The original sign has long been lost. The house of Frederick Greenwood, son of John and Catherine on Queen at Vancouver Avenue.

Greenwood Park2 — Mayor Church and Parks Commissioner Chambers tossing the coin to decide which team will go to bat first at the first ball game in Greenwood Park. This was on the opening day.

Greenwood Avenue looking south from the GTR Tracks 1901 — Greenwood Avenue looking south from the GTR Tracks, 1901. Courtesy of the Toronto Public Archives.

216-greenwood — 216 Greenwood Avenue. Isaac Price, brother to John Price, and also a brickmaker, built and lived in this house.

18990622GL Fire Hutchisons brickyard 99 Greenwood Ave — Globe, June 6, 18999 I will cover Greenwood’s many brickyards in a separate blog.

19301224TS Caulfields Dairy 381 Greenwood Ave — Toronto Star, December 24, 1930

19281207GL Arnolds Market Greenwood CORRECT — Globe, December 7, 1928

19250505GL Ruggles Trucks 298 Greenwood — Globe, May 5, 1925

19220918GL H P Wilson Lumber 370 Greenwood — Globe, September 18, 1922

18980326GL Clydesdale Mare for sale 101 Greenwood - Copy — Globe, March 26, 1898

John Greenwood Grave — Greenwood memorials, St. John the Baptist Cemetery, Norway (Kingston Road and Woodbine Ave)

Globe, Nov. 7, 1865 Greenwood's shooting match — Globe, November 7, 1865

Charles Greenwood wins regatta Globe June 14 1880

19370112GM Greenwood Wise obit — Globe and Mail, January 12, 1937

19320507TS Estate of Joseph Greenwood builder — Toronto Star, May 7, 1932

19280502TS Frederick Greenwood injured Rhodes Ave — Toronto Star, May 2, 1928

19150813GM George Greenwood obit — Globe, August 13, 1915

18950903DailyMailandEmpire John Greenwood — Daily Mail and Empire, September 3, 1895

18820420GL Greenwood Tavern Leslieville — Globe, April 20, 1882

18800614GL Charles Greenwood wins regatta — Globe, June 14, 1880

18680411GL Mary L Johnson Greenwood — Globe, April 11, 1968

pictures-r-1649 — A 19th century Carriage works.

19280202TS Sale of brick pit to Wagstaff — Toronto Star, February 2, 1928

260 – 326 Carlaw: Brick dust into silver

43-a-canadian-furniture-world-and-the-undertaker-july-1917

260 – 326 Carlaw: Brick dust into silver

1-pic-island-by-lawren-harris — Pic Island, c.1924 oil on canvas 123.3 x 153.9 cm McMichael Canadian Art Collection Gift of Col. R. S. McLaughlin

What do Lauren Harris (the Group of Seven), William Gooderham of Gooderham Worts (the Distillery district), Col. R. S. McLaughlin (General Motors, Oshawa) and Rumpelstiltskin have in common? And what does that have to do with Carlaw Avenue? And how does E P. Taylor (Argus Corporation and the famous race horse Northern Dancer) fit in?

2-gooderham-worts-matthew-ingram-2006-creative-commons-licence-wikipedia — Gooderham & Worts Distillery. Photo by Matthew Ingram, 2006, Creative Commons Licence Wikipedia

If we could see relationships visually – as silver threads and cords and ropes we would see a multitude of glittering lines tie these people and their families to the long low red brick complex of buildings on the west side of Carlaw from 260 to 290 Carlaw. Many of those silver cords run to the Phillips family who built the Phillips Manufacturing Company on the west side of Carlaw. Others net together to reach over the globe.

3-e-p-taylor-jockey-bill-hartack-and-northern-dancer-in-the-winners-circle-at-the-1964-kentucky-derby-heritage-toronto-jpg — E. P. Taylor, jockey Bill Hartack, and Northern Dancer in the winner’s circle at the 1964 Kentucky Derby. (Photo from Heritage Toronto)

To find out more you will have to read on!

rumpelstiltskin — Rumpelstiltskin from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Charles Folkard, illustrator. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1911.

Brownfields

In the mid 1970s the City of Toronto decided not to expand the office core. Instead it encouraged residential and mixed office/housing projects downtown. The Kings are two big former industrial districts covering about 500 acres in the Parliament/King and King/Bathurst areas. City Policy was to protect working class jobs here so The Kings were kept for industry. The policy didn’t work, but it did stop Corktown and the Niagara Neighbourhood, as well as other downtown industrial areas, from being re-made in a 1970s-style development.

The building and real estate boom crashed in 1989. In the 1990s the subsequent recession hit Carlaw hard — at the same time as a housing shortage. A number of factors were behind the housing shortage of the 1990s and vacancy rates of less than one percent:

high house prices,
rental increases twice the rate of inflation,
an almost complete lack of rental unit construction,
the relaxation of rental controls.

At the same time as high unemployment, government cut income distribution programs like Employment Insurance and welfare. Younger people began to use warehouses as residential lofts. It was illegal but there was a need for cheap housing and buildings were unused as industries were leaving Carlaw and other downtown industrial areas.

It took changes in City of Toronto policies and by-laws as well as creativity to take these old factories and remake them as highly-valued “hard lofts”.

The Kings

kings1

In the mid 1990s, the City’s planning department had a new approach for the Kings. The demand for office space was non-existent. Industry was. The City designated Corktown and Spadina/Niagara as “reinvestment areas.” Building and land owners were allowed to use their existing buildings for any use, or mixture of uses, they wanted (except for certain toxic industries). Owners could adjust use in response to the market. The Kings was the first big scale effort in North America to let a new type of neighbourhood emerge mostly through market forces. It has created much new housing, a lot of it condos, but some co-op. More than 50 housing projects were started. For more info about “The Kings” go to:

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=03f50621f3161410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

kings2 — “Regeneration in the Kings: Directions and Emerging Trends”, Urban Development Services City Planning Division November, 2002, p.3

and also

https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/inpr/su/sucopl/upload/The-Kings-Regeneration-Initiative-Toronto-Ont.pdf

The artists and other illegal loft dwellers had seen the beauty of the high ceilings, exposed brick and wood beams, polished concrete floors and big warehouse windows. Now it took entrepreneurs with vision could to take other areas, including the Old East End, “up market”.

Entrepreneurs

Gyan Chand Jain arrived in Canada in 1964 from New Delhi, India with a degree in engineering and German work experience. However, as with many immigrants, he found he needed North American credentials to get ahead. In 1966 he obtained a Masters Degree in Industrial Engineering from Ohio State University. In 1969 he began buying up rundown properties at auction and renovating them for re-sale. He founded Atria Developments. His sons, Hans Jain and Vipin Jain, now run Atria Developments. Atria Developments bought up old rundown factories on Carlaw and renovated them from brownfield to highly desirable properties (Toronto Star, June 10, 2006). As well as being pioneers in renovating old buildings, Gyan Chand Jain and his family are very involved in charitable works and supporting vegetarianism, as well as with the Jain religion in the GTA.

Today we know the red brick complex Atria Developments redeveloped on Carlaw’s west side as home to a number of interesting and creative small enterprises and boutique shops such as:

20170111_094706 — 260 Carlaw Avenue Photo by Joanne Doucette, 2017

260 Carlaw Avenue

SML Graphics

Flaunt Boutique, hairdressers

That Toronto Studio Photography Rental Space

20170111_094602 — 270 Carlaw Avenue Photo by Joanne Doucette, 2017

270 Carlaw Avenue

[Mend] (Physio)

RAW Space

Reliable Carpet and Upholstery Care

Awaken Studio

20170111_094544 — 276 Carlaw Avenue Photo by Joanne Doucette, 2017

276 Carlaw Avenue

Dwell Gym

Donnelly Law

The Canadian School of Lutherie

284 Carlaw Avenue

Shirley’s First Break

290 Carlaw Avenue

I-Zone Live Work Lofts

Undercover Kids Amazing Spy Parties

Spirit Loft Movement Centre

Woodbecker

Enfield Athletics

326 Carlaw formerly Crown Cork and Seal is now also I-Zone Live Work Lofts. I will be posting separately in the future about Crown Cork and Seal, as well as two other companies that occupied this block: Reliable Toy and Pratt Food Co.

Phillips Manufacturing Company Limited

52-plant-1930s — Phillips Toronto Company, ca. 1953

One of the first of those silver threads ran from Carlaw avenue to Ireland and the Phillips family.

Francis Phillips [1847-1910], was born in Cork, Ireland. He immigrated to Canada in 1856 and settled at Kingston. He moved to Toronto in 1864 where he worked for John McGee, Iron Founder, later that company became E. and C Gurney.

10-frank-phillips — Francis Phillips From Paul Turner’s history of the Phillips family at http://www.paulturner.ca/Phillips/Phillips/phillips-dossiers.htm

In 1872 Frank Phillips married Annie Bacon, daughter of John Bacon and Harriet Roberts. He went into business with his father-in-law, John Bacon and Frank Phillips, buying out Hurd and Leigh, a crockery and china importer near Yonge and King. They changed the company’s name to Bacon and Phillips. John Bacon retired in 1876 and Phillips formed a new partnership formed with C. E. Thorne, forming “Phillips Thorne and Co., importers of fine china”. In 1878 Phillips Thorne and Co. dissolved.

5-phillips-thorne-co — From Paul Turner’s history of the Phillips family at http://www.paulturner.ca/Phillips/Phillips/phillips-dossiers.htm

Frank Phillips became manager of C. G. Cobban Co. In 1874 Cobban had founded this company which made mouldings, mirrors, and frames, as well as cabinet work. In 1880 the name was changed to Cobban Manufacturing Company, glass manufacturer.

The Cobban Manufacturing Company, 47-61 Hayter Street. This business was established by C. G. Cobban in 1874, and came into possession of the present firm in June, 1881, being composed of the following: John Bacon and Frank J. Phillips. About one hundred and twenty-five hands are employed in the manufacture of mouldings, looking-glasses, frames and all kinds of cabinet work. The firm also imports plate, German and sheet-glass, making a specialty of plate-glass and silvering. In 1882, they received a silver medal for mirrors at the Industrial Exhibition. Toronto. The building has a frontage of 200 x 50 feet, and contains three storeys, besides which there is a large yard for the storage of lumber, etc. This firm ranks as one of the largest in the Dominion, having a trade which extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean.

Graeme Mercer Adam, Charles Pelham Mulvany, Christopher Blackett, Robinson, authors. History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario. Volume 1. Toronto: C.B. Robinson, 1885

In 1893 Frank Phillips became president.

9-the-canada-gazette-1890 The Canada Gazette, 1890

The company now made mostly picture frames and plate glass. It began operating under the name “Phillips Manufacturing Co. Ltd., late Cobban”. In 1905 the Cobban Manufacturing Company formally changed its name to the Phillips Manufacturing Company. (Globe, Dec. 9, 1905)

6-cobban-mfg-plate-glass-delivery — From Paul Turner’s history of the Phillips family at http://www.paulturner.ca/Phillips/Phillips/phillips-dossiers.htm

7-cobban-mfg-co-litho-by-rolph-smith-company-toronto-ca-1890-toronto-public-library — Cobban Mfg. Co. Litho by Rolph, Smith & Company., Toronto, ca 1890. Toronto Public Library.

The Cobban Mfg. Co.’s factory on Lake Street (see picture above) was designed by architect E. J. Lennox, famous for Toronto’s old City Hall, the King Edward Hotel, and many other landmark buildings. Lake Street lay south of the Esplanade and was eliminated in the rebuilding of the waterfront. (Marilyn M. Litvak, Edward James Lennox: Builder of Toronto, Dundurn, Sep 1, 1996, p. 39)

13-globe-jan-2-1906 — Globe, January 2, 1906

14-globe-jan-2-1906 — Globe, January 2, 1906

260-326 Carlaw Avenue Phillips Manufacturing Co. (1909-1939)

Instead of building “a large addition to their already immense concern”, Phillips Manufacturing Co. Ltd. decided to move. In 1906 the Phillips paid $16,733.00 for property on Carlaw Avenue to build a new factory. This property had a frontage of 600 feet on the west side of Carlaw by 300 feet deep. (Toronto Star, Nov. 26, 1906) Phillips again contracted Edward J. Lennox (1855-1933), fas architect for their factory on Carlaw Avenue. (http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/1445) (Canadian Engineer, xiv, Feb. 8, 1907).

17-1910-and-now

Phillips Company logo on the back of their picture frames. From Paul Turner’s history of the Phillips family at http://www.paulturner.ca/Phillips/Phillips/phillips-dossiers.htm

The call for tenders to build the plant was advertised on January 26, 1907. (Globe, Jan. 26, 1907). There were issues with the site as a branch of Holly/Heward Creek ran through the site of and across Carlaw to the Russell property on the east side of the street. This stream had to be diverted in order to build the Phillips factory. The cost at the time was projected to be over a thousand dollars, an expensive fix at that time. (Toronto Star, April 11, 1907)

On May 20, 1907 the City of Toronto issued the building permit for the project. The new plant was expected to cost $83,000. The new plant was one of the biggest on Carlaw Avenue and shipped its products to retailers across Canada via rail.

20-toronto-star-may-20-1907 — Toronto Star, May 20, 1907

Phillips Manufacturing would be one of the largest employers in the old East End of Toronto.

21-globe-may-27-1907 — Globe, May 27, 1907

At the end of December, 1907, Phillips Manufacturing moved to their new plant on Coxwell Avenue. (Globe, Dec. 31, 1907). Ward One (included Riverdale, Leslieville and the Beach) welcomed three large new plants: Dunlop Tire, the Toronto Plate Glass Company, and Phillips. (Toronto Star, May 9, 1908). These were modern facilities using electrical power and up-to-date machinery and methods, including transportation. A railway spur line ran down Thackeray Street to serve the factory. This was not an unmixed blessing as in 1908 a runaway freight car thundered down the spur line and right through the wall of the new factory.

24-toronto-star-october-23-1908 — Toronto Star, October 23, 1908

25-www-iguide-net — A sign for the “Ellis” Patent Bumping Post which was supposed to stop runaway trains. From http://www.iguide.net/price-guide/browse/Default.aspx?category=594

This bumper post is similar to the “Ellis” patent post which failed in the Phillips accident. From Unterman McPhail Associates, Heritage Analysis Report: Carlaw and Dundas District Landscape and Public Realm Improvements, City of Toronto, Ontario, March, 2016

27-toronto-star-october-24-1908 — Toronto Star, October 24, 1908

The Phillips Manufacturing Company was active in the local community and particularly in promoting sports including hockey and baseball.

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Other “sporting” activities were not so welcome. “Making book” or taking illegal bets on the shop floor was a firing offense — if the “bookie” got caught.

35-globe-november-7-1913 — Globe, November 7, 1913

In 1910 Frank Phillips died, but the Phillips family continued to own the company. His sons and daughters ran the company. Heber Phillips was President and William Phillips was Vice-President. The family business was now known as Phillips Toronto Ltd.

36-canadian-furniture-world-and-the-undertaker-january-1915 — *Canadian Furniture World and The Undertake*r, January, 1915

37-canadian-furniture-world-and-the-undertaker-january-1915 — Canadian Furniture World and The Undertaker, January, 1915

38-canadian-furniture-world-and-the-undertaker-april-1915 — Canadian Furniture World and The Undertaker, April, 1915

39-canadian-furniture-world-and-the-undertaker-may-1915 — Canadian Furniture World and The Undertaker, May, 1915

40-canadian-furniture-world-and-the-undertaker-september-1915 — Canadian Furniture World and The Undertaker, September, 1915

41-canadian-furniture-world-and-the-undertaker-september-1915 — Close-up of the Dingbats curling, Canadian Furniture World and The Undertaker, September, 1915

dingbats

Phillips published not only picture frames, but pictures.

One of the most popular advertising art in Canadian history were the Dingbats. Charles E. Frosst & Co., Montreal, begin publishing calendars with these tiny elf-like creatures in 1915. Usually they were performing surgery or some other medical procedure (as above), but in the Phillips ad they are curling.

42-canadian-furniture-world-and-the-undertaker-november-1915 — Canadian Furniture World and The Undertaker, November, 1915

43-canadian-furniture-world-and-the-undertaker-july-1917

Max Parrish prints were also extremely popular, as in this Cleopatra print from Canadian Furniture World and The Undertaker, Feb., 1921, and the same print in a period frame (photo from http://picclick.ca/Maxfield-Parrish-Cleopatra-Vintage-Print-112014360063.html#&gid=1&pid=1).

46-canadian-furniture-world-and-the-undertaker-feb-1921 47-maxfield-parrish-cleopatra

In 1932 Heber Phillips died and the Phillips family sold the company in the late 1930s.

58-tarch-looking-south 59-looking-south-tarch

In 1950 S. F. Samuels and A. Samuels, owners of Reliable Toys, took over the “Phillips Toronto Limited” name and the company surrendered its charter. The firm now operated as “Phillips Toronto Company”.

60-globe-and-mail-march-10-1950 — Globe and Mail, March 10, 1950

The plant moved to Strathroy in 1953 while keeping the head office and showroom on Carlaw, next to Reliable Toys which now occupied much of the block.

65-my-photo

The Phillips plant and chimney as it is today. Photo by Joanne Doucette.

The company moved again to Richmond Hill in 1962 – and was later known as Oxford Picture Frame Co.

Oxford Picture Frame has been designing and manufacturing quality wood mouldings for over 80 years in our world-class production facility. Our successful moulding designs are truly unique and innovative in the framing marketplace. Custom run orders, International distributor and OEM enquiries are always welcomed. http://forums.creativeshake.com/Showcase.asp?ID=38

The Oxford Picture Frame Company is now the biggest Canadian maker of picture frame moulding and accessories.

Heritage Value

The Heritage Analysis Report: Carlaw and Dundas District Landscape and Public Realm Improvements, City of Toronto, Ontario, by Unterman McPhail Associates, of March, 2016, details the heritage value of buildings in the area, including the Phillips Manufacturing factory.

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258 Carlaw Avenue, the 1907 Phillips plant, was renumbered to 260 Carlaw Avenue. The plant at 260-290 Carlaw Avenue is described as:

2 storey building with dark brown brick and a smooth stone base
large loft-style openings between brick pilasters with sloped buttress-like tops just below roofline
entrance bay parapet rises above the rest of the roofline
multiple entrances and a loading bay
2nd storey windows appear to have metal sills 1st storey windows have stone sills. (Heritage Analysis Report Carlaw and Dundas District Landscape and Public Realm Improvements City of Toronto Ontario, March 2016, Prepared for: City of Toronto. Prepared by: Unterman McPhail Associates.)

Family Connections

The family married into some of the most influential names in Canadian society.

William Phillips [1893-1964], son of William Charles Phillips and Eleanor McMillan, was born at Toronto and attended Upper Canada College. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1914 and served with the British Army during World War One. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel at the age of 23. He won the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross. In 1918 William Eric Phillips married Mary Eileen McLaughlin [1898-1959], daughter of Robert Samuel McLaughlin and Adelaide Louise Mowbray. Later he re-married to Doris Gibson. After the First World War William Phillips worked with his father in Phillips Company Ltd. Later he moved to Oshawa and ran a company making glass. After the Second World War he was, with E. P. Taylor, one of the founders of the Argus Corporation.

Lillian Annie Phillips [1873-1947] married 1899 William Hargraft Gooderham [1875-1929] Lillian, daughter of Francis J. Phillips and Annie Bacon.

In 1915 Heber Bacon Phillips [1877-1932] married Kathleen Jessie Nesbitt [1885-1965], well known golfer and journalist.

In 1910 Beatrice Helen Phillips [1885-1962] married Lawren Harris [1885-1970] painter and member of the Group of Seven. She later divorced from Lawren Harris and he re-married to Bess Housser. (http://www.paulturner.ca/Phillips/Phillips/phillips-dossiers.htm)

Artists, Entrepreneurs: Brick Dust to Gold

It should be no surprise that artists like Lauren Harris and entrepreneurs and business leaders, like the Gooderhams, Colonel Sam McLaughlin and E. P. Taylor, should have connections to Carlaw Avenue. Toronto’s Old East End was a powerhouse of industry in the first half of the Twentieth Century. The Phillips lived and moved in a world of privately-owned Muskoka Islands, debutante balls, world travelling and luxury, far away from the factories and workers who made the money for them. Like marries like — at least in most cases. Cinderella is an endangered species. But while talking of fairy tales, consider artists, 1990s loft-dwellers, and small business entrepreneurs, as modern-day Rumpelstiltskins, doing their own spinning not foisting it off on the poorest of the poor.

While suburban companies are doing well, now there are alternatives to industrial parks and strip malls along expressways and giant box homes and stores spreading across the green fields. The inner city brownfields are key to preserving the Green Belts greenfields. The Phillips Manufacturing Company site is at the heart of the re-making of Leslieville with new housing, new enterprises, and new galleries and theatres. Links from Carlaw Avenue thread out all around the globe, bringing creativity, wealth and growth here and sending it out again. This is spinning the proverbial straw, in this case, old brick factories and their gritty brick dust, into silver and gold.

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The West Side Story: Carlaw

Carlaw Avenue is becoming the major north-south artery in Leslieville. It has evolved from impassable country lane to an industrial hub to a brownfield of abandoned factories and rusting equipment to a vibrant neighbourhood. Leslieville has few “high rises” and they are found only on Carlaw Avenue. These condos include new builds and adaptive re-uses of old industrial buildings like The Printing House Lofts and The Wrigley Building. Other old factories now host a wide variety of boutique shops, gyms, studios, art galleries, and even one of the best bakers of birthday cakes in Toronto. In January we will explore the West Side.

A Carlaw Avenue Slideshow

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To give a sense of just how industrial Leslieville, look at this list.

WHO WERE THE FACTORIES IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD?

JANUARY 1926

76 Canadian John Wood Mfg. Ltd., 81-123 Hanson St. (boiler, tanks etc.)

78 Bastian Morely Ltd. (heating apparatus), 81-125 Hanson St.

80 Canadian Line Materials Ltd. (forgings), 8 Hillingdon Ave.

82 W. H. Farrell Lumber & Fuel Ltd.

86 Harris Coal Co. Ltd., 514 Coxwell Ave.

90 City of Toronto Rhodes

92 David Atkin Co.

94 Peerless Artificial Stone Ltd., 514 Coxwell Ave.

96 Toronto Transportation Commission (material supply), Hanson St. Yard

100 J. Lucas & Co. (brick), 359 Greenwood Ave.

102 Frank A. Bowden & Sons Ltd. (lumber), 377-387 Carlaw Ave.

104 John Price Ltd. (brick), 395 Greenwood Ave.

104 Toronto Brick Co Ltd. (brick), Greenwood Ave.

106 Standard Fuel Co. Ltd., 334 Greenwood Ave.

108 Albert H. Wagstaff (brick) 348 Greenwood Ave.

112 Charcoal Supply Co., 465 Leslie St.

114 Canadian Wirebound Boxes Ltd., 1000 Gerrard St. E.

116 Conger Lehigh Coal Co. Ltd., 930 Gerrard St. E.

118 Elias Rogers Co. Ltd., 369 Pape Ave.

120 Grasselli Chemical Co., 347-351 Pape Ave.

122 Thompson & Norris Co. of Canada Ltd., 353 Pape Ave. (paper box manufacturer)

124 Hillman Coal & Coke Co. Ltd., 359 Pape Ave.

126 Milnes Coal Co. Ltd., 354-358 Pape Ave.

128 Wm. H. Banfield & Sons Ltd., 370 Pape Ave. (electrical fixtures, phonograph motors)

128 Way Sagless Spring Co. Ltd.

128 Easy Washing Machine Co.

132 Brandram-Henderson Ltd. (paint & varnish), 377 Carlaw Ave.

134 International Varnish Co. Ltd., 371-375 Carlaw Ave.

134 Martin-Senour Co. Ltd. (paints), 371-375 Carlaw Ave.

136 Connell Anthracite Mining Co. Ltd. yd #5, 325 Carlaw Ave.

Wrigley Building, 245 Carlaw Ave.

138 Delco-Light Co. of Canada Ltd., 245 Carlaw Ave.

140 Dyment Ltd. (window displays), 245 Carlaw Ave.

142 Diamond State Fibre Co. of Canada Ltd., 245 Carlaw Ave. (fibreboard)

144 De Forest Radio Corp. Ltd.

146 General Fireproofing Co., 235 Carlaw Ave.

146 A. D. Shoup Co. Ltd. (paper boxes), 245 Carlaw Ave.

148 Blachford Shoe Mfg. Co. Ltd.

148 Geo. LaMonte & Son Ltd. (paper mfgs.), 319 Carlaw Ave.

148 Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Ltd. (gum) 235-245, Carlaw Ave.

150 Rolph-Clarke-Stone Ltd. (litho.), 201-213 Carlaw Ave.

152 Kent-McClain Ltd. (showcase mfg.), 181-199 Carlaw Ave.

156 The Palmolive Co. of Canada Ltd. (soap), 58-64 Natalie St.

158 Phillips Mfg. Co. Ltd. (mouldings), 258-326 Carlaw Ave.

160 Pratt Food Co. of Canada Ltd., 328 Carlaw Ave. (poultry remedies)

162 Sturgeons Ltd. (painters’ supplies), 330 Carlaw Ave.

164 Frederick G. Harrold’s Coal Co., 346 Carlaw Ave.

166 Dominion Glass Co. Ltd., 388 Carlaw Ave.

168 John E. Russell (builders’ supplies)

170 Adams Furniture Co. Ltd., 309-353 Logan Ave.

172 Woods Mfg. Co. Ltd. (bags), 401 Logan Ave.

174 Canada Waxed Papers Ltd.

174 Canadian Chewing Gum Co. Ltd. (Chiclets), 405 Logan Ave.

176 Canada Starch Co. Ltd., 401 Logan Ave.

178 Reliable Mfg. Co. Ltd., 405 Logan Ave.

180 P. Burns & Co. Ltd. (coal & wood), 449 Logan Ave.

182 T. Grinnell & Son (coal & wood), 843 Gerrard St. E.

184 Geo. Oakley & Son Ltd. (cut stone), 355-367 Logan Ave.

186 Dunlop Tire & Rubber Goods Co. Ltd., 870 Queen St. E.

188 Consumers Gas Co. “B” Works, Eastern Ave.

190 Scott Bros. (stone contractors), 38-42 McGee St.

I have adapted this list from R. L. Kennedy’s research at:

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/industrial/history/train_sidings.html

The 1921 Directory also gives a good picture.

These 1947 Aerial Photographs from the City of Toronto also give a good idea of just what a manufacturing powerhouse Carlaw Avenue was.

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We will proceed up Carlaw from Queen in our imaginary time machine. We visited Palmolive yesterday. There are more old Carlaw factories to come! Stay tuned!

Carlaw: Palmolive Building

palmolive_soap_1922_advertisement_ladies_home_journal

A Visual Tour of the now-demolished Palmolive Plant on Carlaw Avenue, Toronto

no-date-narch4 — Credit: Library and Archives Canada

factory-no-date-narch2 — Credit: Library and Archives Canada

aug-20-1918-narch — Credit: Library and Archives Canada

no-date-narch5 — Credit: Library and Archives Canada

palmolive-co-of-canada-limited-no-date — Credit: Library and Archives Canada

no-date-narch3 — Credit: Library and Archives, Canada

palmolive-no-date-narch — Credit: Library and Archives Canada

no-date-narch2 — Credit: Library and Archives Canada

factory-no-date-narch — Credit: Library and Archives Canada

construction-vol-10-no-10-oct-1917 — Announcing the construction of the new building on Carlaw, Construction, Vol. 10, No. 10, Oct. 1917

colgate-factory — Construction, Vol. 11, No. 5, May, 1918

construction-vol-11-no-5-may-1918-palmolive-158 — Construction, Vol. 11, No. 5, May, 1918

colgate — Women packing soap, Palmolive Canada. Photo by Pringle & Booth, January 9, 1919. Credit: Toronto Public Library

An addition, 1936.

Credit: The Canadian Courier, Vol. XXII, No. 24, Nov. 10, 1917

19180914-cdncour-vol-xxiii-no-25-palmolive-ad — Credit: The Canadian Courier, Vol. XXIII, No. 25

everywomans-world-april-1917 — Everywoman’s World, April, 1917

For my favourite Palmolive ad, meet Madge on Youtube:

colgate-1986-tpl-photographer-unknown — Colgate Palmolive Plant, Carlaw Avenue, 1986. Credit: Toronto Public Library. The plant was torn down in the summer of 1999 by Greenspoon Brothers. A subsurface investigation was conducted in 1992 by Dames & Moore Canada (DMC) and Greenspoon Brothers also did water sampling. Some material to a depth of 3 metres was removed to Keele Valley Landfill site. Below about a metre below the surface the contractors and environmental consultants hit the water table — which makes sense since Holly (also known as Heward) Creek flowed through the area crossing Carlaw Avenue about where the condo was built.

palmolive-plant-today — The Showcase Loft condominium project, 88 Carlaw Avenue, on the site of the Palmolive Building. Aragon Properties Ltd. built this condo in 2014. The neighbouring townhouses and a small park were also built on the Colgate-Palmolive site. Photograph by Joanne Doucette, 2016.

Some Faces from the Old East End

Broadview Boys' [Fall] Fair, group of boys with rabbits : Stan Hollywood, 90 Chatham, Kingston Beamish, 128 Chatham, Joe Edwards, 400 Pape. — Broadview Boys’ [Fall] Fair, group of boys with rabbits Stan Hollywood, 90 Chatham, Kingston Beamish, 128 Chatham, Joe Edwards, 400 Pape Oct 2, 1930

Broadview Boys' [Fall] Fair, Nelson McDole, 165 First Avenue, goat "Kiddo". — Broadview Boys’ [Fall] Fair, Nelson McDole, 165 First Avenue, goat Kiddo Oct. 2, 1930

Danforth Baby Show, Gladys Long, 52 Carlaw Avenue, 1st, 12 months. — Danforth Baby Show, Gladys Long, 52 Carlaw Avenue, 1st, 12 months Aug 20 1930

Eastern [School of] Commerce [commencement portraits], Lawrence Newnham. — Eastern [School of] Commerce [commencement portraits], Lawrence Newnham Nov 13, 1930

Eastern [School of] Commerce [commencement portraits], Norman McDermott. — Eastern [School of] Commerce [commencement portraits], Norman McDermott Nov. 13, 1930

Eastern [School of] Commerce [commencement portraits], Roma Bowman. — Eastern [School of] Commerce [commencement portraits], Roma Bowman Nov. 13, 1930

Eastern [School of] Commerce [commencement portraits], Thelma Bowe. — Eastern [School of] Commerce [commencement portraits], Thelma Bowe Nov. 13, 1930

Josephine McGuire, 346 Rhodes Avenue, Elsie Rayner, 342 Rhodes Avenue, portraits. — Josephine McGuire, 346 Rhodes Avenue, Elsie Rayner, 342 Rhodes Avenue July 25, 1930 b

Josephine McGuire, 346 Rhodes Avenue, Elsie Rayner, 342 Rhodes Avenue, full figure. — Josephine McGuire, 346 Rhodes Avenue, Elsie Rayner, 342 Rhodes Avenue July 25, 1930

Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], David Trembetsky, 1002 Queen East. — Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], David Trembetsky, 1002 Queen East Nov 12 1930

Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Flora Christie, Elsie Cochrane. — Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Flora Christie, Elsie Cochrane Nov. 12, 1930

Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Gillies Hunter, James Lavery. — Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Gillies Hunter, James Lavery Nov. 12, 1930

Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Harold and Carl Medcof, 85 Earl Grey Road. — Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Harold and Carl Medcof, 85 Earl Grey Road Nov 12 1930

Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Helen Davidson, 171 Munro Street. — Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Helen Davidson, 171 Munro Street Nov 12 1930

Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Hubert Dighton, 43 Kent Road. — Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Hubert Dighton, 43 Kent Road Nov. 12, 1930

Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Margaret Snow. — Riverdale Collegiate [commencement portraits], Margaret Snow Nov. 12, 1930

345 Carlaw Avenue: Then and Now

345 Carlaw Avenue sits on a site by a lost creek, probably fished by the Mississauga and other First Nations for millennia. In the nineteenth century it was farmland and then market gardens, and then brick yard. Then in the early 20^th Century Carlaw Avenue became the industrial heartland of Toronto’s East End and the quiet country lane changed forever.

The marks of Roden Bros. Ltd., 345 Carlaw Avenue: a) cut glass b) electro or silver plate c) sterling silver.

One of the firms that made its name on Carlaw was the Roden Bros. Ltd. Thomas and Frank came to Canada in 1879 and established a silversmith business in Montreal. They branched out into cutting glass as well. At the time, Roden had a sterling reputation (pun intended) and became:

a household name with prestigious esteem amongst the affluent of Ontario.[1]

Thomas and Frank Roden came to Toronto and founded Roden Brothers in 1891. Their first factory was at 99 ½ King Street West near York Street.[2] They turned out a wide range of silver hollowware and flatware in traditional English styles such as Stratford, Queens, and Louis XV. Roden Bros. Ltd. was incorporated in 1912. That year they purchased the 165 by 400 foot lot of land on Carlaw from A. Barthelmes for $25,000.[i] Goldsmiths Stock Company were their exclusive selling agents from 1900 to 1922.

1352992769_1_345-carlaw-avenue-toronto — 345 Carlaw Avenue from Dundas Street looking west towards Carlaw Avenue. Photo from TorontoOfficeSpace..com

Their factory was at 345 Carlaw Avenue at the north east corner of Dundas Street and Carlaw Avenue, the site of “The Carlaw” condominium. Dundas Street was not completed through the East End until 1957. Before Dundas Street existed a short laneway ran east off Carlaw just south of the Roden Brothers factory. Their plant sat between the Wrigley Building on the south and the Barthelmes Building on the north. Just to the east of their factory was a buried watercourse known as Holly or Heward Creek. A rail spur allowed them to ship their products across Canada and cheap access to electricity from Niagara Falls powered their machinery and the industrial boom along Carlaw Avenue in the early Twentieth Century. The much-loathed power lines we see on photos were symbols of progress and economic growth at the time. Like others in the Canadian Manufacturing Association (CMA), Thomas and Frank Roden were strong supporters of the by-law that created Toronto Hydro.[1] Carlaw was a dark, dirty industrial street with smoking chimneys, but, in its heyday its plants produced some of those beautiful and desirable products ever made in Canada.

roden-bros-345-carlaw-ave-aerial-photo-1947-city-of-toronto

[1] Globe, Dec. 20, 1907

Series 372, Subseries 58 - Road and street condition photographs — 345 Carlaw Avenue is on the right, just beyond the broken picket fence. You can just read some of their sign. It says from top to bottom: “Roden Bros. Ltd.; Sterling Silver, Silver Plate; Cut Glass.”

This photo from 1948 shows the Roden factory, a red brick and concrete three-storey structure on the right. Across the street sets Harrold’s coal yard. The street on the left is is Dickens. The white building on the right is the Barthelmes Building where pianos were made.

This photo from Condo.ca shows the same scene today. The street has changed radically. However, some things, including the position of fire hydrants do not change much, if at all. Find the fire hydrant in both pictures and you will be looking at exactly the same view.

Who were the Rodens and how did they leave their mark on Toronto?

The family was from Birmingham, England. Thomas and Frank’s father, George (1822-1887), was a grocer and provision dealer who became a very successful “commercial traveller” or sales person for one of Birmingham’s chemical factories. Their mother, Susannah Ryland, came from a prominent family that was listed in Burke’s Peerage. Their grandfather William Roden was a currier, a specialist in the tanning of leather.

Like others in the Canadian Manufacturing Association (CMA), Thomas Roden (1859-1929) and Frank Roden (1863-1928) were strong supporters of the by-law that created Toronto Hydro.[3] Carlaw was a dark, dirty industrial street with smoking chimneys, but, in its heyday its plants produced some of those beautiful and desirable products ever made in Canada.

from http://www.justinteeantiques.com

The Roden brothers and their family left more than silver marks in Toronto. They, like many others who had climbed out of Birmingham through their skills, they were committed to the welfare of others, leaving a mark on Toronto’s social fabric that may outlast their silverware. They were Methodists and conservative in their politics, but progressive in many ways.

birmingham-england-1871-from-pinterest — Scene from Birmingham, England, 1871, the year Thomas and Frank Roden came to Canada. Photo from Pinterest.

Throughout their lives both Thomas Roden and his son Alfred were deeply involved in both the CMA and a housing company, the Toronto Housing Company, formed to provide affordable decent housing for working families. The Toronto CMA chapter worked with organized labour, the Toronto of Trade and the Great War Veterans Association (the forerunner of the Canadian Legion) to set up the Ontario Housing Committee. Out of this grew the Toronto Housing Company. Their motives were not entirely altruistic.

“The formation of the Ontario Housing committee and the Winnipeg housing survey were in themselves indications of growing public demand for government-assisted housing construction. Thomas Roden had warned his colleagues in the Canadian Manufacturers’ Association that “the indifference of the guiding classes” in Canada to housing problems was encouraging “that condition that brought about the downfall of Russia” [in the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution]. Following Roden’s advice, the Toronto chapter of the CMA resolved that Canadian housing problems posed a “menace” to the “industrial, social and political welfare of the whole country.”[4]

The Rodens were also very involved in the Associated Charities, a forerunner of the United Way[5]. Frank Roden was particularly interested in good cars and roads, both of which he, apparently loved. He was one of the founders of the Good Roads Association in Ontario, as well as the Ontario Motor League and the Canadian Motor League.[6] Frank Roden died in 1928; brother Thomas followed him a year later. Thomas’ son, Alfred J. Roden (1884-1947) led the company after the brothers died.

roden-enhanced — Alfred J. Roden, from The Toronto Star, February 10, 1930

What exactly did the factory at 234 Carlaw Avenue make?

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“Roden Brothers, Ltd., Toronto, 1891-1956: Roden Bothers manufactured superior sterling silver teaware, flatware, toiletware, baby items, trophies, shields and novelties, as well as jewellery; they also manufactured silverplate, Sheffield reproductions, and “Pompeian Glass.”[7]

During both World Wars they produced military badges.

Royal Flying Corps Cap Badges were made in two types. Officer’s cap badges were made either in bronze or of a deeply “pickled” brass which made them deep bronze in colour. The enlisted cap badges, while essentially identical in form, were made from brass or other light golden metallic variations. Examples have been found made in UK and marked “Gaunt” while there have also been examples made in Canada and marked either “Roden Bros” and “Roden Toronto”. There are also many unmarked examples. There is considerable variety in the finish and material colour of these badges. Identical to the cap badge are a smaller version in both bronze and brass for officers and enlisted men which were worn on the raised collars of the “Maternity” smock and later on the lapel of the field uniform. In approximately 1915, an “economy badge” was produced for enlisted men and this differed from the regular badge by not being voided between the letters RFC.
http://www.worldofmilitarywings.com/wingpage/uk/rfccaps.html

The Civilian, Vol. X, no. 7 (July 20, 1917)

“Cap badge made by Roden Bros. The vast majority of cap badges do not have a maker mark on them. In addition to Scully Ltd, it is known that Roden Bros also manufactured badges for the unit. Badges made by Roden Bros can be distinguished by a small “R” found on the back of the badges.” From http://www.perthregiment.org

Their glass is from that style known as “Canadian Brilliant Period Cut Glass”. Today their cut glass is hard to identify as many of their pieces of cut glass were not signed. They competed with such Cut Glass Companies as Gundy-Clapperton, Gowans-Kent and Birks who was also their main competitor for the silver consumer market.

A few unique items that Roden Bros. Ltd. produced were a gold rose bowl with the royal route across Canada engraved on it for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939 and, a tea service for Princess Elizabeth’s wedding in 1947.

They put out a special sport trophies catalogue which marketed their medals, trophy cups and other similar items, such as plaques and shields, belt buckles, charms, silver trowels for special events, etc. They advertised in their 1929 catalogue that they had produced “some iconic Canadian trophies” such as the Brier Tankard, the coveted curling trophy. They also produced trophies for hockey, baseball, football, motorcycle racing, curling, track and field, etc.[8]

Medal of the Vonda Fair

aeea78d9e472ababb1c04eff9c06359a — c1942 Sterling Silver Granite Association Curling trophy from Pinterest

“A large and spectacular Antique Sterling Silver Sporting Trophy with 3 boar tusk handles standing on a black lacquered base. Gilded interior. Champagne bucket size. Engraved as follows: “The A.E. Kemp Trophy for Competition among The Quoiting Clubs of Toronto”. The trophy was made by Roden Brothers of Toronto, Canada. It stands 13.75″ high overall, 9.75″ high and 10″ across from handle to handle. It is in excellent condition, the only blemish being some wear to the interior gilding.” rubylane.com

tim_hortons_brier — The Tim Horton Brier Tankard By Resolute – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6251107

1909_grey_cup_champions — The Grey Cup, Dec. 1909. The Grey Cup was made by produced by Birks Jewellers Canadian Encyclopedia http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/grey-cup/

“On Dec. 4, 1909, at Toronto’s Rosedale Field, a crowd of 3,807 mostly exuberant fans — the average ticket price was 70 cents — watched the University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club by a score of 26-6. Unfortunately, Earl Grey and his staff had been tardy ordering the cup from Birks Jewelers (at a cost of $48), and it took another three months for the inaugural awarding of the Grey Cup to the victorious Blues.” Allan Levine, “History of the Grey Cup” in the National Post. See http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/allan-levine-history-of-the-grey-cup

800px-montreal_jojuan_armour — The Grey Cup. Roden Bros. Ltd. is believed to have worked on the Grey Cup. By Cmm3 – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9651737

What about the Stanley Cup?

The original Stanley Cup is on the right of the terrier in this picture. The Canadian Courier, Vol. XIII. No. 17 (March 29th, 1913)

Many attribute the Roden Brothers with helping to produce both the Stanley Cup and the Grey Cup.[9] Although I have found no evidence that they actually made either, it is quite probable that they were involved in the alterations over the years, including the adding of the many rings on both cups, various repairs and replacements. The original Stanley Cup consisted of just the bowl and cost $48.67 in 1892. It was made of silver and was 7.28 inches in high and 11.42 inches in diameter. Today’s Stanley Cup has a copy of the fragile, aged original bowl. It is made of a silver and nickel alloy; it is 35.25 inches tall and weighs 34.5 pounds.

stanley_cup_2015 — Today’s Stanley Cup. Photo by Alex Goykhman – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44669468

On Saturday, February 8, 1947 the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins 5-2. One of the rising new stars that night was a rookie just recently called up from the minors. His name was Bill Barilko.

Bill Barilko bought up from the minors Joe Perlove, Toronto Star, Feb. 10, 1947

Alfred Roden, a die-hard hockey fan, watched the game in Maple Leaf Gardens. On his way home to Grenadier Gardens in Swansea he suffered a fatal heart attacks. This Leafs fan gave special silver spoons to the stars of all the games at Maple Leaf Gardens.

On April 19, 1947 the Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadians 2-1 winning the Stanley Cup.

toronto-star-april-21-1947 — Toronto Star, April 21, 1947

1947-champions — 1947 Stanley Cup Champions

toronto-star-april-22-1947 — Toronto Star, April 22, 1947

syl-apps-with-stanley-cup-1947 — Syl Apps with the Stanley Cup before it was redesigned later that year. It is likely that Roden Bros. Ltd. had a hand in the recreation of the Stanley Cup into the form we know it today. (Photo from the Imperial Oil-Turofsky/Hockey Hall of Fame)

On August 26, 1951 (age 24), Bill Barilko died in a plane crash in the bush near Timmins. His body was not found until 1962. The Leafs won the Stanley Cup that year – the first time since Barilko disappeared 11 years before.

bill-barilko-1951-52-parkhurst-52-209x300

Birks took over Roden Bros. Ltd. in 1953, but continued production on Carlaw until about 1956.[10]

toronto-star-dec-23-1972 — Toronto Star, Dec.23, 1972

globe-and-mail-october-29-1988-bailiffs-sale-lark-manufacturing — Globe and Mail, October 29, 1988 Bailiff’s sale: Lark Manufacturing

After the Roden Bros. Ltd. left, 345 Carlaw became a printing factory for a while and then a textile company, Larks, until it went under in 1988. Then it became a warehouse and housed a number of different small manufacturers over the next two decades, sharing the general decline of Carlaw Avenue as industries left or went out of business. The street was a sad shadow of itself when I moved here in the early 1980s.

The Carlaw

In September, 2011, Streetcar Developments (formerly Dundee Realty) began advertising “The Carlaw” as a “midrise condo with 1- and 2-bedroom lofts” at prices “from the low $200,000s”. Amenities would include a 24-hour concierge, guest suites, a fitness centre, a rooftop party room and a terrace for barbecues, a courtyard garden and even a pet spa. Occupancy was expected in December 2014, but sales began in October, 2011. [11]

In 2013 the City of Toronto approved the building of a 12-storey condominium tower and three-storey stacked townhouses, with a total of 313 units, on the site of the Roden factory. There were conditions for amending the zoning by law to allow Streetcar Develops the increased density and a 12-storey building. One of the City’s conditions was that the new complex would house a theatre company such as Crow’s Theatre. Another was that, although the Roden Building would be torn down, the Barthelmes Building to the north would be kept. The Carlaw and its neighbour, the Taylor, were completed in the fall of 2015. Tact Architecture designed both buildings.[12]

If there is a ghost in 345 Carlaw, it is probably waiting for the Leaf’s to win the Stanley Cup and the people who live in The Carlaw to invite that spectre to the party. He knows they have a great party space and there’s a lot of Leaf fans on Carlaw.

[1] http://www.passionforthepastantiques.com/store/products/item/categories/semi-precious/products/roden-bros-amethyst-marcasite-ster-earrings-c-1900-10/?tt_products%5Bbegin_at%5D=10&cHash=d6dc57942c8031ea192c00c4b258b5f7

[2] Globe, Feb. 22, 1908

[3] Globe, Dec. 20, 1907

[4] John Christopher Bacher, Keeping to the marketplace: the evolution of Canadian housing policy, University of Toronto Press, 1984, pp. 56-57.

[5] Who’s Who in Canada, 1922

[6] Globe, October 16, 1912

[7] http://www.costumejewelrycollectors.com/2014/08/01/early-canadian-sterling-enamel-souvenir-jewelry-patricia-gostick-cjci/

[8] http://www3.sympatico.ca/norman4/SelectAntiques.htm

[9] Unterman McPhail Associates, Heritage Analysis Report: Carlaw and Dundas District Landscape and Public Realm Improvements, City of Toronto, Ontario. Appendix D.

[11] Toronto Star, Sept. 24, 2011

[12] http://urbantoronto.ca/database/projects/carlaw

[i] Toronto Star Dec. 17, 1912

A Visual Tour: Carlaw, Dickens and Thackery ca. 1983

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Leslieville Historical Society Remembers

Eleven Men of the 48th Highlanders
and Eleven Families among Many.

cruxtons — Article on left, Toronto Star, June 1, 1916. The Cruxton family moved to 489 Eastern Avenue.

duncan — Article on left, April 10, 1914. Painting by Mary Riter Hamilton, Trenches on the Somme, 1919, Library and Archives Canada.

foden — Image downloaded from The Canadian Virtual War Memorial http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/1567993?Herbert%20Ralph%20Foden

johnston — Article on the right, Toronto Star, Oct. 24, 1916. Photo Canadian Jocks repairing a road to Courcelette (Battle of the Somme). Library and Archives Canada

One man among many, one family among man. Private Edgar Clayton, Sangster, 15th Battalion, #27405. Previously reported missing April 24, 1915, now for official purposes presumed dead. He was fighting in the trenches at The Bluff, Ypres, Belgium (Missing, presumed dead). Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres. Body not recovered. He was a coppersmith and lived at 264 Ashdale Avenue, Toronto, when he signed the Attestation Form on September 18, 1914. He was another “Original” of The First Contingent, 48th Highlanders.

Come take a trip, in a virtual flying ship, 1929

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Since there has been so much hot air about lately, why not harness its power to drive a virtual airship into the past: 1929 before the Great Crash that ushered in the Great Depression.