Archive record · Brewery
Don Brewery (Toronto)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Founded
- Not recorded
- Closed
- Year unknown
- Archive ID
- TB-H6PCQV14
- Last checked
- 2026-09-08
Who owns this brewery?
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Tally Answers Beta
- Who owns this brewery?
- John Dick (since 1903)Verified
From the record
Summary
Status: CLOSED. Address: 19R River Street / Old Brewery Lane, Toronto — surviving 1876–1877 lager brewery building within the former Don Brewery complex. Pass 101 canonicalizes the Don Brewery from federal/municipal heritage evidence. Thomas Davies leased the brewery from William and Robert Parks in 1848 and operated it with his son Thomas Jr.; after Thomas Sr.'s 1869 death, Thomas Jr. was joined by Robert Davies in 1871. The 1876–1877 lager building survives. Secondary historical research says London & Colonial Financial Company purchased the brewery in 1889; exact final closure/owner remain partial. [Canada Pass 101]
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Ownership & corporate history
- Owned by Thomas Davies Jr.1869 – 1889
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Took over after father's death; family ownership persisted until 1889 sale according to secondary historical research. Source: https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=1321&pid=0
- Sold to London & Colonial Financial Company1889
What the sources say
Resolves held claim HOC-0396 ("ACQUIRED / OWNED"). The Davies family's Don Brewery sold to the English investors for CA$1.2 million — an enormous sum for 1889. The pre-sale chain (the Parks; Thomas Davies from 1848; Thomas Davies and Son from 1868) rides here as leads.
- Sold to John Dick1903
What the sources say
Resolves held claim HOC-0396 ("ACQUIRED / OWNED"). The English investors, looking to exit from 1902, sold to John Dick in 1903 — a second dated fact from the same records.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
Where it brewed
- 19R River Street / Old Brewery Lane, TorontoToronto, Ontario
SURVIVING HISTORICAL BREWERY BUILDING
Operated by Don Brewery (Toronto)
Site detail
Likely Toronto's oldest surviving brewery structure; part of former Don Brewery complex.
Events
- Thomas Davies leased the Don Brewery from William and Robert Parks and operated it with son Thomas Jr.1848
LEASE / OPERATION_START
Pre-Davies brewery history remains separate.
- After Thomas Davies Sr.'s death, Thomas Jr. continued the Don Brewery.1869
FAMILY_SUCCESSION
Robert joined in 1871.
- Robert Davies joined his brother Thomas Jr. in operating the Don Brewery.1871
CO_OWNER / OPERATOR_JOINED
Robert later founded Dominion Brewery.
- Historical research reports the Davies family sold Don Brewery to London & Colonial Financial Company.1889
Exact later owner/closure still open.
The People
Behind the beer
Surviving objects
3 objects catalogued here so far, held by Larry Sherk Collection — Toronto brewery ephemera. That is what the archive has recorded, not the extent of what the holder keeps — follow each link for the institution's own finding aid or catalogue. The archive links to each record rather than reproducing its photograph; the images belong to the holding institution and are licensed object by object.
- Don Brewery Invoice1890-02-07
BREWERY INVOICE
- Davies Brewing & Malting Co. Invoice1893-04-13
BREWERY INVOICE
- Davies Brewing XXX Porter Labellate 19th century
BEER LABEL
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