Industrial heritage site.

Details of Site Location: 474–530 King Street West.

Boundary History: The property extended from King to near Adelaide Street between Brant  Street and near Spadina Avenue.

Current Use of Property: A parking area at its centre surrounded by a ring of commer-cial buildings fronting on all four streets.

Historical Description: Brothers Charles and Edward Gurney began their business in Hamilton, Ontario, operating a foundry and making stoves. In 1845, they were joined by a partner and the company was renamed the Carpenter and Gurney Iron Foundry. This partnership dissolved in 1863 and the company reverted to its first name, the E. & C. Gurney Company. When the Bessemer steel process arrived in Canada in the 1870s, many foundries went into decline. Their problems were compounded by a five-year depression, which began in the U.S.A. in 1873 and spread to Canada, killing such businesses as the Rolling Mills. But the Gurney brothers were in a period of expansion and arrived in Toronto in 1883 to set up business at King Street West. They made stoves, hot-water boilers, steam and hot-water radiators, stove pipes, castings, and ventilation equipment. The officers of the company in 1892 were: Edward Gurney, president; W.H. Carrick, vice-president; F.F. Skinner, treasurer; T. Alcock, secretary; and Frederick Massey, director. The next year, Charles Gurney died and the company’s assets were divided among the heirs of the two brothers. But the firm continued, shipping its products by horse and wagon, never seeking a rail siding. The King Street West foundry was the largest of its time. By 1917, the company had a works on the north side of Junction Road, and the president was W.C. Gurney, with E.H. Gurney as vice-president. At this time they were making Gurney Oxford Stoves, ranges, and hot-water and steam boilers and radiators. Newspapers of each period tracked the company’s progress, and financial and economic blue books always included the firm and its principals. Gurney stoves are now collectors’ items.

Relative Importance: The importance of the firm for Toronto lies in its huge economic success and in the quality of its products. Some historic buildings in the city still have Gurney radiators for heating. The company provided substantial employment and trained many men in foundry and manufacturing work.

Planning Implications: The Gurney property needs soil remediation, despite its current inhabitants, and that must precede its redevelopment of the property. Archaeology might be undertaken in the centre of the block at present, but should rather be done as redevelopment occurs. A plaque mounted on the King Street face of the block should commemorate the company and family.

Reference Sources: Dictionary of Hamilton Biography; Toronto Illustrated 1893; Consolidated Illustrating Company, 1894.

Acknowledgements:  Maps Project; Ontario Society for Industrial Archaeology.