Scarborough's "Golden Mile" (1) Commemorative Plaque, 2009
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Resource ID
4940
Access
Open
Address
1900 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto, ON M1L 4R5
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2009
Historical Themes
Program Category
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Caption
Scarborough's "Golden Mile" (1) Commemorative Plaque, 2009
Description
Surrounded by farmland until the 1940s this stretch of Eglinton Avenue from Pharmacy Avenue to Birchmount Road became famous in the 1950s as Scarborough's Golden Mile of Industry" - a hub of large -scale manufacturing and a celebrated symbol of post-war prosperity.
The area's transformation began during World War II when the government of Canada acquired a vast tract of farmland for a munitions plant known as GECo (General Engineering Company). After the war the Township of Scarborough purchased the plant and additional surrounding land for proposed development. Some of the munitions plant buildings became municipal offices a Council Chamber and a public library branch while other buildings were leased or sold to small businesses.
In 1950 ball bearings giant Svenska Kullagerfabriken (SKF) acquired part of the GECo lands and the industrial boom of the Golden Mile began.
Marker lat / long: 43.726858, -79.293212 (WGS84)