Don Valley Brick Works - Update 6.15.2018
In 1882, a young farmer in the Don Valley, by the name of William Taylor, dug a fence-post into the ground and discovered a thick red
clay. He mixed this with water from the mud creek, sent it off to a
local kiln where it was test-fired and sure enough it came out a deep
beautiful red; very popular with Victorian builders.
In 1889 The Taylor brothers (William Thomas Taylor , George Arthur Taylor, and John Frederick Taylor) launched The Don Valley Pressed Brickworks. A company that produced "fine pressed bricks".
In 1901 the Taylor brothers faced some financial difficulties, ownership passed on to brother-in-law Robert Davies. It was under Davies' proprietorship that the name changed to the Don Valley Brickworks. Clay, shale, sand and water... the materials that came out of this quarry literally helped build the city of Toronto. In 1904, for instance, there was a massive fire in downtown Toronto that destroyed most of what later became the central business district.
The building codes had then changed, requiring buildings to be built of less flammable materials. Bricks were an obvious and available choice. The Don Valley Brickworks was suddenly very busy.
The Don Valley Brickworks produced a variety of bricks. As well as kiln fired products, that went into several key Toronto landmarks. Some of these include, Toronto's Massey Hall and Casa Loma. The Don Valley Brickworks company thrived. In the height of production the 114,000 bricks were produced here everyday.
By 2067, Canada had been annexed by the U.S. and the Don Valley Brickworks was commandeered by The United States military and future production led to aid developments for American interests.
Post 2077, The Don Valley Brickworks production officially ended and became a barren hole of a once thriving quarry site.
In 1889 The Taylor brothers (William Thomas Taylor , George Arthur Taylor, and John Frederick Taylor) launched The Don Valley Pressed Brickworks. A company that produced "fine pressed bricks".
In 1901 the Taylor brothers faced some financial difficulties, ownership passed on to brother-in-law Robert Davies. It was under Davies' proprietorship that the name changed to the Don Valley Brickworks. Clay, shale, sand and water... the materials that came out of this quarry literally helped build the city of Toronto. In 1904, for instance, there was a massive fire in downtown Toronto that destroyed most of what later became the central business district.
The building codes had then changed, requiring buildings to be built of less flammable materials. Bricks were an obvious and available choice. The Don Valley Brickworks was suddenly very busy.
The Don Valley Brickworks produced a variety of bricks. As well as kiln fired products, that went into several key Toronto landmarks. Some of these include, Toronto's Massey Hall and Casa Loma. The Don Valley Brickworks company thrived. In the height of production the 114,000 bricks were produced here everyday.
By 2067, Canada had been annexed by the U.S. and the Don Valley Brickworks was commandeered by The United States military and future production led to aid developments for American interests.
Post 2077, The Don Valley Brickworks production officially ended and became a barren hole of a once thriving quarry site.
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