On April 19, 1904, fire ripped through downtown Toronto in what is now the Financial District. It started in a tie factory. Wooden exterior fire-escapes and window-sills meant it spread quickly. New-fangled elevators became chimneys. Because of the strong winds and cold, ice congealed on the telegraph wires, the streets Read More →
On April 19, 1904, fire ripped through downtown Toronto in what is now the Financial District. It started in a tie factory. Wooden exterior fire-escapes and window-sills meant it spread quickly. New-fangled elevators became chimneys. Because of the strong winds and cold, ice congealed on the telegraph wires, the streets Read More →
Taken just a year and a few weeks after the Great Toronto Fire of 1904, this dramatic shot of the fire at the Canadian Feather & Mattress Company on Melinda St. just east of Bay Street, illustrates the difficulty that the new taller buildings posed to firefighters. The relatively newly-developed Read More →
In the mid 19th-Century, Rossin House Hotel was one of the most prestigious hotels in Toronto and one of the early city’s tallest structure. Located at the southeast corner of King and York Streets in Toronto, it was originally built in 1856. As this picture shows, it was destroyed by Read More →
In the summer of 1893, it was hot and it was dry. There was a drought, and that September the City’s water intake pipe broke. This meant that water had to be brought in by wagon—people would go out into the street to meet the wagon and fill their buckets, Read More →
In the summer of 1893, it was hot and it was dry. There was a drought, and that September the City’s water intake pipe broke. This meant that water had to be brought in by wagon—people would go out into the street to meet the wagon and fill their buckets, Read More →
The Legislative Building at Queen’s Park was built between 1886 and 1893. While adding an extension 1909, workers accidentally set fire to the roof of the west wing. The fire spread quickly. MPPs and staff formed a bucket brigade to save the Legislative Chamber, but sadly the damage included the Read More →
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