George Crookshank House, Heritage Property plaque, 2018.
Resource ID
723
Access
Open
Address
56 Blue Jays Way
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2018
Historical Themes
Program Category
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Time Period
Caption
George Crookshank House, Heritage Property plaque, 2018.
Description
Circa 1834
Built as a pair of Georgian, semi-detached houses by George Crookshank, a prominent businessman and politician, this building has had a variety of uses. In 1876, it was converted into a girls’ school. A third floor was added and the residences were combined. From 1909 to 1922, it was a receiving home for impoverished children brought to Canada to work on farms or as domestic servants by the Dr. Barnardo’s Homes charity. Promised a new life, many of the more than 100,000 Home Children, transported by various aid groups,
were denied pay, education, and the comforts of family life. Many were abused. The Crookshank House
became a warehouse in the 1920s and, in the 1980s, a steel and glass enclosure was built over the entrance. In 1996, it was altered again to house the Second City Theatre. The remainder of the 1834 brick facade was conserved as part of a hotel development in 2012.
Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, 2007
Marker lat / long: 43.645385, -79.392182 (WGS84)