Discover Toronto's history as told through its plaques
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Dominion Coal and Wood
Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted January, 2012
Photo Source - City of Toronto Archives
On the west side of Mt. Pleasant Road just south of Merton Street at the top of a set of stairs going down to an entrance to Mt. Pleasant Cemetery and an extension of the Kay Gardner Beltline Park is this 2010 Heritage Toronto plaque. Here's what it tells us:
Coordinates: 43.69775 -79.38650 |
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Originally located on Danforth Avenue, the Dominion Coal and Wood Company was founded in 1912 by William H. Smith. In 1929, the company opened a landmark facility on this site. Its nine adjoining concrete silos were designed by E.P. Muntz Engineering Company. Coal and wood were transported here by rail car along the former Belt Line Railway and then sold as heating fuel to local businesses and homeowners.
Originally just one among many similar suppliers in the city, Dominion Coal and Wood outlasted most of its competitors. The company expanded into building supplies as coal sales dwindled, but continued to sell coal here until this site was closed in 1999. Although recognized as an increasingly rare type of industrial architecture, the historic silos were demolished in 2001.
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Here are the visitors' comments for this page.
> Posted May 22, 2017
I lived in the house on the property at 2647A Danforth from 1951 to Sept. 23 1962 when the house was badly damaged in a fire and we were forced to move. My dad David Vance continued working for Dominion Coal until 1972 when he retired. I would like to find photos and information regarding the "closing" of the coal yard etc.
Gwen Vance [email protected]
> Posted April 28, 2013
The business was actually started by George Spring, with money he borrowed from William H Smith, who was an uncle of George's. George and his wife Muriel are buried not far from the site of the plaque, in Mount Pleasant Cemetery under a very large unusual granite monument.
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