Fashion District in Toronto, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
George Crookshank House
circa 1834
Photographed by Tim Boyd, June 28, 2025
1. George Crookshank House Marker
Inscription.
George Crookshank House. 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
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.
W. Marker is in Toronto, Ontario. It is in the Fashion District. It is on Blue Jays Way 0.1 kilometers south of King Street West, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 56 Blue Jays Way, Toronto ON M5V 2G3, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Toronto and on the Golden Horseshoe. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Ruperts Land.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 153 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 30, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
