It was a quiet Sunday afternoon at the Don Valley Brick Works. A few people walked their dogs as some wetland birds earnestly called out to each other. An earlier expedition contains information on the history of this site.
Inside the Brick Works, subdued shafts of light illuminated the interior like a cathedral of industry. Amongst a row of old kilns, a Parkhill Martin brick machine lay silent as it’s rusted metal surface gleamed in the evening light. It was manufactured by G. Baird, Son Co. and built in Parkhill Toronto. This soft mud brick machine was placed in the Brickworks after 1956.
This turned out to be the last visit. In the spring of 2009 a redevelopment company called Evergreen started a renovation of the Brick Works. By October the roof was removed. I discovered later that (*1) the roof was made from an asbestos composite called transite. This made me wonder about previous explorers and graffiti artists that passed through this site without respirators. Several of Toronto’s landmarks are built from bricks made at this factory, hopefully the restoration of this site will leave a piece of Toronto’s history intact.
References
(*1)
Rick McGinnis, Don Valley’s Abandoned Brick Works Finally Coming Back To Life, October 8, 2009
www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/
Evergreen Brick Works
http://ebw.evergreen.ca/
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