The Mystery on Danforth Avenue: Who Was G.W.L.?

A long brown brick building located at the southwest corner of Danforth Avenue and Gillard Avenue, featuring multiple storefronts and apartments above, with visible signage for local businesses. — Google Maps, 2018

A long brown building stands at the southwest corner of Danforth Avenue and Gillard Avenue in the East Danforth neighbourhood in Toronto. Its official street address is 1351-1367 Danforth Avenue. While the structure’s size, dark bricks, and subtle design touches are notable, the most intriguing detail is the marker high up on the east side of the block. This ornamental plaque reads “G.W.L. 1922” and it is the launching point for quite a history.

The year in this marker is easy to explain: the block is from 1922. However, it also comes with some extra supporting context. Neighbouring buildings at 1335-1337 Danforth have a 1918 placard and 1346-1350 Danforth have a 1919 placard. Much of the surrounding street is built within this time period — during and after World War I and after the opening of the Bloor Viaduct in 1918.

In 1922, The Globe reported that Danforth was experiencing a “historical” building boom. Rows of shops and apartments filled the main street along with an accompanying residential housing stock on surrounding side streets. The Goads Fire Insurance Maps show a sparsely populated 1913 and a very busy 1924, telling a very visual story of the district’s development. Other notable local landmarks from the era include The Riverdale Technical School (now Danforth Collegiate & Technical Institute) and the Canada Bread Company (now demolished).

The “G.W.L.” is harder to decode. While other historical commercial and residential blocks in Toronto have included a name along with a year of construction, 1351-1367 Danforth Avenue includes only three initials – perhaps of its builder or an original occupant. An initial theory by the author pointed to the Catholic Women’s League, which got its started in this period, but there was no evidence connecting the two.

The OnLand Property Records start to uncover the story. The building occupies Lots 118 to 122 of Plan 463E. In 1921, the plots were granted to George William Lucas by the Monarch Realty Company. The real estate firm – full name Monarchy Realty & Securities Co. – operated in Toronto’s east end and notably sold the City the land that would become Greenwood Park in 1919.

The story of the owner, George William Lucas, is one of ambition, hardship, family, and prosperity. Although several George Lucases are listed in the Toronto City Directories (and indeed Lucas was a very common family name – including rather confusedly a pair of builder brothers surnamed Lucas who also worked in the east end), he appeared to have had various listed professions within the construction field: contractor, builder, and carpenter. In the 1910s, he and his family lived at 51 Harcourt Avenue, among other addresses.

Mr. Lucas’ first appearance in the Canadian Census in 1921 listed him as a “Builder.” He was born around 1879, making him about 42. He immigrated to Canada from England in 1912. His religious affiliation was Methodist. He lived with his wife, Sarah Ann, 43 years old. They celebrated 25 years of marriage in 1922, according to a Globe article, making their marriage in about 1897. Their children were Norman, Rupert, Daisy, Stainton, George, and Hannah. A later census noted his parents were Welsh, and he could not read or write.

The site of the “George William Lucas Block” was likely a very deliberate and convenient choice for the builder. It was around the corner from the family home at 98 Monarch Park Avenue. It is a handsome Edwardian residence that still stands today. The lot was also part of Plan 463E, granted to Lucas in 1917, also by the Monarch Realty Co. According to the City Directory, the Lucases first occupied the home in 1919 at address 98 Bathgate Avenue (Bathgate became Monarch Park in 1921).

Despite its 1922 construction, 1351-1367 Danforth Avenue was oddly vacant for its first few years. In 1925, its first occupants appeared, albeit with more than half the building still empty. Curious events during the in-between years may explain the oddity. A story in the April 21, 1925 Daily Star explains that George William Lucas did not own the building for long and might have been going through some financial difficulties. “In November 1923, he transferred [the building consisting of five stores and fifteen apartments] to Isabella, Harry H. and Row W. Bailey in exchange for a 540-acre farm near Brantford.”

In another odd development, Lucas then transferred the farm to his son Norman “‘in consideration of natural love and affection, and the sum of one dollar.'” George Lucas declared bankruptcy in August 1924. Unfortunately, the elder Lucas passed his debts to the younger Lucas, and Norman was also forced by a court to pay his creditors $600. Norman Lucas was noted as a disabled World War I veteran who was tending to his injuries at Christie Street Hospital. He later gave vocal performances at the hospital. He married Alma Florence Finnie, a Canadian Expeditionary Force Nursing Sister in the Canadian Army Medical Corps.

It’s not clear if G.W. Lucas was responsible for any other buildings in Toronto. In a 1945 Globe and Mail article, it was reported that he retired as a builder “25 years ago,” and he later moved from Toronto. This places the timeframe around the time of the construction of the Lucas Block, meaning it may have been his last (and possibly only?) project. The 1931 Census (which nearly counted him twice) listed him as renting at 304 Hillsdale Avenue East with Sarah Ann, sons Stainton (25), and George (20). He was a self-employed carpenter.

Beyond his profession as a builder/contractor/carpenter, Lucas had a hobby: horses. He was visible at Woodbine, Dufferin, Fort Erie, and other racecourses. He also exhibited horses at the Canadian National Exhibition, the Royal Winter Fair, and New York. Some of the Lucas children appeared as “young drivers” in competitions in the 1920s. The Lucas children were successful in other pursuits, too. In a benefit tournament at St. Andrews Golf Club in 1933, Stainton took first place, and Rupert came in second.

George William Lucas died from pneumonia on January 14, 1945, at St. Michael’s Hospital. He was about 66. Sarah Ann passed four years earlier. He was survived by all his children. Rupert moved to New York and Norman to Winnipeg. Stainton was noted as a former baseball player for the Toronto Maple Leafs. George William Lucas is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

As for George Williams Lucas’ surviving built legacy, 1351-1367 Danforth Avenue has lived a long life that has, in some ways, represented the transformation on and of Danforth. Among the earliest tenants was the Kingsley Manufacturing Co., makers of piston rings. The business lasted from 1925 to the early 1940s. The Directories show that the 1920s to 1960s saw occupants of a largely WASP-background, and businesses such as the Yolles L furn & stoves, Toronto Mower Service (lawn mower reprs), East End Auto Glass, Bissett Brothers carpet cleaners, Toronto Washing Machine Co., Mervyn’s Furniture, Peel J H Conservatory of Music, Butterworth & Co. (Canada) Ltd publishers, and Holman Leather Goods. These were entreprises that reflected the everyday needs as well the latest technological and cultural developments. Beginning in the 1960s, the area’s changing demographics were present in the structure. Establishments like the Bari-Puglia billiard hall and Italian Social Club reflected an Italian presence, and a few names of Greek and Chinese origins lend to the multicultural factor, too.

In 2021, the Danforth Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment identified 1351-1367 Danforth Avenue as having potential heritage value. Toronto City Council declared the building as a listed property in 2022. The George William Lucas Block’s existence reflects not only the building boom of the area during its construction but the societal shifts over the next century. The intriguing stories of the ambitious builder and his intriguing family are forever tied to it.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to those who reached out to offer their assistance, especially to Mary Crandall and Jeff Stewart for decoding the identity of G.W.L. Without your invaluable helping hand, this rabbit hole of an article was not possible. Thank you also to ever resourceful and knowledgeable Robin on Bluesky who aided in the mystery of George W. Lucas’ “Cancelled” entry in the 1931 Census and offered some supplemental biographical details on the Lucas family.

Scenes From Greenwood Avenue

Note: These travels were made in late November 2013. It was a pleasant day. No snow on the ground, and although it is now alive and serving the community, the Brickyard Grounds was not ready then.

Greenwood Avenue is a curious little throughway in Leslieville. OK, perhaps not so little – it runs from O’Connor to Queen Street, a distance of 3.6 kilometres. I, however, tackle the street from the Danforth southward – a fortunate choice because northbound Greenwood is built on an incline.

I deliberately walk on the west side of the street because my first sight/site of note will be the TTC’s Greenwood Subway Yard. Looking far into the distance , I can see the faint outline of the downtown skyline fitted inside the chain link, highlighted by the giant toothpick-like structure. Gazing down at my immediate surroundings, I see a massive facility devoted to housing and servicing subway cars. The Bloor-Danforth subway doesn’t come around until the 1960s, so it begs one of my favourite questions: what was this area before?

Of course, I already know the answer going in.

My interest in Greenwood Avenue arose while researching this east end neighbourhood for a walking tour of Little India for Heritage Toronto. One of my goals was to get an understanding of what Gerrard Street and the surrounding community was like prior to the creation and growth of the Gerrard India Bazaar in the 1970s and 1980s.

One of the most fascinating tidbits that came out of this was that Greenwood Avenue south of the Danforth was lined with claymines and brickyards once upon a time. This intrigued me because looking at the neighbourhood today, I would have never guessed this. It’s a quiet, unassuming residential street. It’s this hidden history that gets me. We think of the Don Valley Brickworks as the place that built Toronto, not where this residential neighbourhood now lies.

In some ways, it reminded me of my travels along Carlaw Avenue a few blocks to west. Both streets hold an industrial past. Both streets are now largely residential. The difference is the majority of the factories on Carlaw still remain, giving us at least an obvious glimpse into the past.

GreenwoodGoads19131 — Greenwood Avenue c. 1913. Note the now buried-creeks. Vital to any clay deposit.

Yes, the Greenwood Subway Yard was once a giant clay pit. As this Transit Toronto article tells us, the TTC purchased the 31.5 acre site, which, after the clay beds were depleted, was being used as a garbage dump.

The 1913 City of Toronto directories tell me of a few enterprises that were once on the site: Standard Brick Co. at 500 Greenwood, Isaac Price Brickyard at 420-430 Greenwood, Bell Bros & Co. at 386 Greenwood, and A H Wagstaff Brick Co. at 362-368 Greenwood. I have pinned them on my map of Toronto’s Industrial Heritage which you can see here (do check it out, it’s fun!).

GreenwoodAerial1953 — Aerial of Greenwood Subway Yard, c. 1953. Still a pit.

Across the street is a nicely coloured residential complex. I do not imagine them being in existence for a long time, however.

I was aware of the yards on the other side of Greenwood as well: just north of the tracks was the John Price Brickyard (335-405 Greenwood), further up from that and south of Felstead Avenue was the John Logan Brickyards (471 Greenwood). The latter of these is significant because John Logan’s enterprise later became the Toronto Brick Company, which was the last of the brickyards on the street.

Logan's Brickyards, c. 1912 — Logan’s Brickyards, c. 1912

Logan's Brickyards 2 — Logan’s Brickyards, c. 1917.

Toronto Brick Company Walpole and Felstead — Toronto Brick Company, south of Felstead, c. 1952. Right around the time of its closure.

There is a Torbrick Road! Not only that, but as I walk down Torbrick Road, I can see that houses are very modern. Toronto Brick Co. outlasted until the 1950s, which makes this all come together. New area, new houses. I wonder how the residents feel about living on what was a dirty pit.

Passing an apparent staircase to nowhere that’s actually a remnant entrance to the former brickyard, I elect to travel to Gerrard on the west side of the street. I go under the CNR tracks and pass by another marker.

Wagstaff Drive (2) — Mr. Wagstaff ran the yard near the GTR tracks.

In my previous visit to the southwest corner of Greenwood and Gerrard some months ago, the gallery housed in this building ceased operations. Now, I walk by it and I see that a “Brickyard Grounds Fine Coffee” is ready to take over its space! What a tribute to the local heritage!

I make a giant note of it and vow to return when it is up and running (which, since this exploration, has happened). If Gerrard Street East is undergoing a bit of an identity shift with art galleries and coffee houses springing up, The Brickyard Grounds fits right in there!

Series 372, Subseries 58 - Road and street condition photographs — SW corner Greenwood and Gerrard, c. 1934

On the wall of the Grounds is a spectacular public art piece. There are so many great ones in the city. Doing a little digging, this one is entitled “Bricks and Wagons: A Greenwood Allegory” and looks to be a ‘throwback’ to the days of old days in the community. My favourite part are the street signs with the names of all the former brickyards.

Then, of course, I encounter Greenwood Park – notable for its size, hills, and view of Toronto. It looks a bit ‘dug in’, and that’s because it was once the site of the Joseph Russell Brickyard. In 1920s it was opened as Greenwood Athletic Field, but as local historian Joanne Doucette’s Pigs, Flowers, and Bricks: A History of Leslieville to 192o tells me, the feeling to turn the abandoned clay pit into a park was not as obvious as one might expect. Some Councillors felt that creating a park would encourage the working class population in this blue collar area to loaf around. Interesting.

Greenwood Park 1922 — Baseball in Greenwood Park, c. 1922.

Greenwood Park Opening 2 — Greenwood Park Opening, 1920.

Greenwood Park has several baseball diamonds, a dog park, and recently added a skating rink.

The area south of the park is intriguing. Dundas Street is one of the most peculiar streets in Toronto because of the manner in which it snakes through the city. This is because it is an amalgamation of previously existing roads as well as the creation of new paths altogether. This portion of Dundas doesn’t come into existence until the 1950s.

GreenwoodGoads19132 — Greenwood south of Gerrard, c. 1913. Doel and Applegrove Avenues both eventually get absorbed into the new Dundas Avenue, with a new road constructed to connect them.

Curvy Dundas — Winding Dundas, south of Greenwood Park

Greenwood Avenue and Dundas Avenue East, looking southeast

On Dundas, I head east to Billings and then up to Athletic Avenue, noting the near century houses along the way. Before its creation, the site of Billings Avenue once housed Morley and Ashbridge’s Ashbridge Brick Co., addressed in the 1913 Directories at 119 Greenwood Avenue. Ashbridge of course is a famous name in the east end, and his partner also had a street named after him. We know it today as Woodfield Road.

Athletic Avenue, by the way, remains as a final tribute to the stadium which was torn down after WWII. At the end of the street, a set of stairs present themselves to me. Curious, I descend them and find myself on another residential street. This is post-war Hertle Avenue.

I tour through the street until I hit Highfield road. From there, I conclude my journey by walking up to Gerrard, where I catch the eastbound streetcar to Main Street Station.