UrbanToronto has partnered with Heritage Toronto to capture a moment in Toronto's past. On a weekly basis, we will both be highlighting a historic photo of the city's people, places and events, and will be telling the stories behind them.

Many thanks to both Gary Switzer of MOD Developements and Maya Bilbao for putting together the photos and research.

This week's photo:

The Old Mill

Seen in this 1899 photo are the remains of a flour mill that is now among Ontario's most significant heritage sites.

The first mill on this site was known as the King's Mill. It was Toronto's first industrial building, built in 1793 on order of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe on the bank of the Humber River. A new mill was constructed near that site in the late 1840's by well known architect and engineer William Tyrell, for William Gamble, the first reeve of Etobicoke. This mill came to be known as “Gamble's Mill”. It was decimated by fire only forty years later, in 1881. The ruins were designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1983.

In 1914, The Old Mill Tea Restaurant was opened by Robert Home Smith, the developer of the Kingsway neighbourhood. It fast became a noted spot among Toronto residents for entertainment and repose. The Mill transformed over the years including a massive restoration and reconstruction. The Old Mill Inn & Spa reopened in 2001 with 60 new rooms and suites. Incorporated into the design are the ruins of “Gamble's Mill.”

Gamble's Mill continues to be great importance to residents of the Kingsway neighbourhood, visitors to the Humber River, archaeologists, historians, and anyone interested in the history and development of Toronto.


Sources:

http://www.oldmilltoronto.com/about/history
http://www.alanbrown.com/TorontoHist.../Old_Mill.html
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2...file-25680.pdf

This article was originally published in forum thread: Heritage Toronto Mondays