Industrial heritage site.

Details of Site Location: 136 Palace (Front) Street.

Boundary History: The foundry site was bounded by Front, King, Berkeley and Parliament Streets.

Current Use of Property: Two commercial buildings on the south side of the block and a bus turning area.

Historical Description: William J. Hamilton was a Scot who had apprenticed as an iron founder in Scotland, then moved to England in 1834, and to Toronto in 1850. He worked briefly for James Good, then for stove-maker J.R. Armstrong. In 1851 he acquired a lease on property owned by John Mulholland and began to develop the St. Lawrence Foundry. In 1856, William J. was joined by his son, William M., and they formed a partnership called William Hamilton and Son. At first, the foundry specialized in the manufacture of castings of all kinds for buildings and industrial uses. By 1860, the properties to the north of Mulholland’s had been acquired through both leases and purchases, and by 1871 the foundry complex filled the entire block. In 1870, the foundry gained a contract from the Toronto and Nipissing Railway for the construction of 88 assorted passenger and freight cars, and another contract in the following year for 100 cars. Orders came from the Toronto Grey and Bruce Railway, the Grand Trunk Railway, the Northern Railway of Canada, the Midland Railway, the Intercolonial Railway, and the Canada Rolling Stock Company, which was a car leasing firm. In 1873, they opened the St. Lawrence Car Wheel Foundry on the northwest corner of Front and Cherry Streets. By this date, the original foundry building was surrounded by other structures: many sheds, an office, a bolt and spike shop, a car factory, a boiler room, a machine shop, a shed workshop, and at the southwest corner of the block a house. Following an economic downturn at the end of 1873, all car production ended, and the car wheel division was sold to the Toronto Car Wheel Company. Early in the morning of 21 November 1876, a mammoth fire broke out and the foundry was almost totally destroyed. Some sections and equipment were saved and rebuilt. In 1878 William J. turned over the company to William M., who reorganized the firm as the St. Lawrence Foundry Company of Toronto Limited, and converted manufacturing to the production of castings, sewer pipes, etc. The last Hamilton to be associated with the company was Frederick J., who sold the company in 1900. The new owners reorganized it again as the Canada Foundry Company, and almost immediately it became an arm of Canadian General Electric, continuing to make cast iron pipes. In 1907 or 1908, the plant was closed and was vacant by 1917. The date at which the buildings were demolished is uncertain.

Relative Importance: The importance of the foundry lies in several directions: in the role it played in the development of pioneer railway systems, in the role it played in the development of municipal services; and in the services it performed for the construction industry and commercial businesses.

Planning Implications: The foundry deserves recognition as a major 19^th century industry and contributor to the local economy and employment. Soil remediation at this site and at the Cherry Street site are of great importance and must be done before the site can be used.

Reference Sources: Goad’s Atlases; Toronto Reference Library; City of Toronto Archives.

Acknowledgements: Eastern Canada Transit Club; Maps Project.