Daniel Brooke Building is a historic building of Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Canada located at Jarvis and King Streets. Built in 1833 for owners Daniel Brooke and John Murchison, it is one of the last remaining buildings of the old Town of York. It was one of only a handful of buildings in the part of town to survive the Toronto Fire of 1849.

The Georgian-style building has been home to a number of commercial enterprises. It was the site of James Austin and Patrick Foy's grocery store. Austin's first venture in what would eventually make him one of Canada's most prominent 19th century business leaders. The building still has a plaque commemorating the business.

In the twentieth century the neighbourhood became one of Toronto's poorest. For almost fifty years, until 1987, the lower level was home to the Sportsman's Shop, a Toronto icon that mostly sold army/navy surplus. The upper levels were mostly abandoned, often becoming temporary homes to squatters. In the 1980s a massive public development project transformed the St. Lawrence

St. Lawrence, Toronto

St. Lawrence is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The area, a former industrial area, is bounded by Yonge, Front, and Parliament Streets, and the Canadian National railway embankment. The Esplanade off Yonge St., lined with restaurants, cafés and hotels runs through the...

neighbourhood and it became one of the trendiest parts of the city. The Daniel Brooke Building, and the entire block around it, was redeveloped into a luxury condo project named King George Properties.