# Two historic properties in Toronto to be excavated, spring 2017



## Arob (Jan 26, 2017)

Two very old properties that date from the original settlement of York 1793 (I believe 1796 was the expansion / reorganization of the settlement in preparation for moving House of Parliament, see below) are being excavated this spring / summer in downtown Toronto. They were right on the lake shore of the old town. Both sites are 'chronicled' in a recent Toronto Guardian article about the past, present and future of Front and Sherbourne.





The addresses are 154-158 Front St E and 177 -191 front St E with the latter being the more important (and bigger) of the two.  From the 1880s to 1940s there was a famous Canadian chemical company working at the latter site. At 183 Front st  Lyman Bros Chemical Works became Northrup & Lyman when the two merged and they made a fortune selling many well known patent medicines. This site is very much 'downtown Toronto' today.
The 'time travel story' on the Time and Space condos site shows many old pics and the 1880 fire insurance map segment of the block.





You can see Lyman Bros is central tenant. As I look at the fire insurance map I'm struck by how flammable all the businesses here are... There's soap and tallow, oil, coal and who knows what Lyman's stored in their tanks. There's no record of any explosive disasters though, but the soil is definitely toxic and will need to be entirely removed which could give a collector standing at the gate (with a fist full of fives) hours of viewing pleasure.


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## mctaggart67 (Jan 26, 2017)

Interesting digging possibilities. One thing, however, Lyman Bros. was, as far as I know based on my own research, not commercially connected to Northrop & Lyman. The two Lymans may have been very distant cousins, though, but they weren't in business together.


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## Arob (Jan 26, 2017)

good to know... i wondered about that


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## hemihampton (Jan 26, 2017)

Sounds very Interesting. Good Luck & let us know what you find. LEON.


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## Ace31 (Jan 27, 2017)

I'm interested in what will be unearthed.


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## RCO (Jan 28, 2017)

sounds like a historic location , downtown Toronto is very old so who knows what they will find there


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