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Great Fire of Toronto (1849)

1849 fires1849 in Canada19th century in TorontoDisasters in OntarioHistory of Toronto
Pages with non-numeric formatnum argumentsUrban fires in Canada
King st toronto 1840s
King st toronto 1840s

The Great Fire of Toronto of 1849, April 7, 1849, also known as the Cathedral Fire, was the first major fire in the history of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Much of the Market Block, the business core of the city, was wiped out, including the predecessor of the current St. James Cathedral. The 1831 building of the Toronto City Hall and St. Lawrence Market south of King was damaged and was torn down.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Great Fire of Toronto (1849) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Great Fire of Toronto (1849)
Church Street, Toronto

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N 43.6508 ° E -79.3735 °
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Cathedral Church of St. James

Church Street 65
M5C 2G1 Toronto
Ontario, Canada
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King st toronto 1840s
King st toronto 1840s
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Toronto Mechanics' Institute
Toronto Mechanics' Institute

The Toronto Mechanics' Institute, originally named the York Mechanics' Institute, was an educational institution in 19th century Toronto that became the city's first public library. It was one of a series of mechanics' institutes that were set up around the world after becoming popular in Britain. Established in 1830, it was designed to provide technical and adult education.Paying members had access to lectures, courses, and a library. In 1853 the Institute erected a new permanent home at the corner of Church and Adelaide Streets, but it struggled to attract new paying members. In 1883 the Institute was thus transformed into a municipally-supported public reference library. The idea was promoted by alderman John Hallam, but it met considerable resistance in city council. No other city in Canada at this time had a completely free public library. Hallam brought the initiative to a public referendum, and the citizens of Toronto voted in its favour on January 1, 1883. The 5,000 book collection of the Mechanics' Institute became the first books of the Toronto Public Library and James Bain was selected as the first chief librarian. As chief librarian, he focused on building the library's special collection documenting Canadian history. He also applied to Andrew Carnegie for a grant to build more branches and to replace the Mechanics' Institute as the central reference library. The building remained the main branch of the Toronto Public Library until 1909 when the Carnegie grant allowed the library to open its new location at College and St. George (today the Koffler Centre). It remained a library branch until 1927, and was torn down in 1949. Today a condominium complex (84 Adelaide Street East) stands on the site, although it is marked with a heritage plaque.

Daniel Brooke Building
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Daniel Brooke Building is a 19th-century Georgian building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada located on the northeast corner of Jarvis Street and King Street. The building is one of the last remaining buildings of the old Town of York. Built in 1833 for owners Daniel Brooke and John Murchison, it was rebuilt before 1849 and damaged by the Toronto Fire of 1849.The building has been home to a number of commercial enterprises. In 1843, James Austin and Patrick Foy opened a retail and wholesale grocery business in the building. This was Austin's first venture in what would eventually make him one of Canada's most prominent 19th-century business leaders. The grocery operated at the location until 1859. After the 1849 fire, the building housed The Patriot newspaper, whose offices on the south-east corner had been destroyed. From the 1930s, the lower level housed the Sportsman's Shop, a Toronto icon that mostly sold army/navy surplus. The upper levels were mostly abandoned.On June 20, 1973, the City of Toronto government listed the property on the City of Toronto Heritage Property Inventory. and designated it as being of cultural heritage value or interest, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act by City of Toronto By-law No.793-85 on October 23, 1985. In the 1980s, the property came under the ownership of King George Properties, which rehabilitated the building in 1988 and adjoining heritage properties 61–63 Jarvis Street (1860) and 172 King Street East (1907). In 1998, the block was integrated into a condominium project known as King George Square, with a new tower in behind.