English's Boathouse Commemorative Plaque, 2016
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Resource ID
5220
Access
Open
Address
11 Avenue of the Island, Toronto, ON M5J 2W2
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2016
Historical Themes
Program Category
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Caption
English's Boathouse Commemorative Plaque, 2016
Description
For more than 65 years, a landmark boathouse stood at the south end of the Centre Island cast iron bridge. Built in the early 1890s by John Hanlan, brother of world champion rower Ned, Hanlan’s Boathouse rented canoes and other small vessels to Towns and Villages visitors at a time when the island was at the centre of outdoor recreation for the city.
In addition to a boat rental business, the building included, at various times, a dance hall, a bicycle rental office, and a large refreshment stand facing Manitou Road.
When John Hanlan died in 1900, the boathouse passed to his sister, Emily Durnan Solman, and her entrepreneur husband Lawrence "Lol" Solman. A few years later, their son-in-law Edward English began operating the business and renamed it English's Boathouse.
The boathouse remained in the family until 1959 when the redevelopment of Centre Island and the creation of Towns and Villages Park led to the expropriation and demolition of all buildings on Manitou Road (later Avenue of the Islands).
Marker lat / long: 43.61889, -79.374032 (WGS84)