Telephone & Power

Harvey Curell's book entitled, The Mimico Story, pg. 65, tells us that the first telephone exchange opened in New Toronto in Wilson's Drug Store in 1914.  Wilson's Drug Store was immediately beside Reveley's Hardware, which is now Don Russell's Pharmacy.  The phone exchange contained 48 lines and only operated during daytime hours.  Although telephone number one was listed to Dr. John R. Serson, a Mimico physician and Dean of the High School board, most of the other 47 lines were in the homes of railway employees, in order to call them in for service.  This book was very interesting to read, and contained a wealth of local historical detail. In fact, it contains much of the family history for several of the names found in the Etobicoke map above, including the Van Everys, the Murrays, and the Hendrys. This book can be found in the Toronto Public Library catalogue.  You can view pages of the book through their Digital collections as well.

The June 20th, 1913 edition of the Toronto Daily Star reports that "a copy of [by-law no. 11] shall be posted at the Post-Office, Lakeview Hotel, Wilson's Store (Fourth avenue), and Hick's Hardware Store."  The bylaw itself referred to taking a vote of the ratepayers of the Village of New Toronto on whether the ratepayers were in favor of a supply of electric power from the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario.

A Bell Canada switching building was located at 80 Birmingham Street, northeast corner of Sixth Street.    The building still has the inscription stone for the Bell Telephone Company of Canada, which I've enlarged below, but today it houses the offices for several different companies, none of which are Bell.   

Christina Sobolak, the current owner of the Bell Building since 2001, has been able to provide me a much more detailed history of the Bell Building as noted below:

When the original building and additions were Built + the Architects:

The Bell Canada building now known as Birmingham Business Centre located at 80 Birmingham Street was once known as 199 Sixth Street, and then 201 Sixth St. The front entrance is on 6th Street and not Birmingham Street because Sixth Street was originally a main street and joined up to what is now known as Islington Avenue. 

The Bell Telephone Company of Canada hired Montreal architect W.J. Carmichael to design the building to house the new telephone exchange.  J. Whitehall & Son and JH Doughty Ltd. were the structural and mechanical engineers for the building.  Their signatures are indicated on the 1925 floor plans excerpts below:

Note on the original Elevation drawing of the front of the building that The Bell Telephone Company of Canada was also inscribed in the stone above the front door.  Unfortunately, this was covered over with cement by either Bell or Canada Fireguard in 1981.  Only the inscription at the top the building remains.  Also, there was a flagpole on top of the building, long since gone as well.

According to Michael Harrison, who conducts the New Toronto Walking Tour each year, the architectural design is of "the Neo-Classical and the Beaux-Arts Revival” styles.  The stone lintels and sills of the windows and the stone cornice, frieze and pilasters of the doorway express touches of the Italian Renaissance style.  Art Deco is expressed in the stepped window keystones and atypical stylized corner stones."

It is a formidable 2 1/2 story solid structure with 6 inch concrete walls, beams, and floors.  It was designed for an additional storey to be added if more space for the telephone exchange was required. 

Instead of building upwards in 1946, Toronto architect Frank A. Williams was hired to design an addition to the east side of the building, increasing the building size by 30%.  You can see the slight difference in colour of the brick. 

The other interesting thing about this picture is that you can see the Continental Can building in the background to the right.

Why it was built: 

In 1912 telephone service was first established in New Toronto according the 1937 New Toronto in Story and Picture souvenir booklet. The earliest telephone service was shared lines and you could listen in on your neighbours conversations.  As the network of phone lines grew and the development of private lines, switchboard operators were required to connect you to the other party and would ask "what number please?"  By 1925, there were over 1,500 telephone subscribers in New Toronto and the adjacent communities of Mimico and Long Branch.  A centralized location was required for the operators and technicians who maintained the telephone system in the area.

According to the original 1925 building plans, the lower floor housed the cable vault, battery room, furnace & coal rooms, store room and work room for the technicians.  The first floor housed the terminal room and operator’s lunch rooms.  The second floor housed the operator’s room, women's rest room and locker room.

The 1926 interior was divided by beautiful patterned glass and wood panelled room dividers.  The main entrance staircase was white carrera marble steps to the first floor, terrazzo landings, and 1 1/2' thick black slate stairs up to the second floor.  The only thing that remains of the original interior is the front entrance and stairway and a small plaster wall detail in a second floor closet.  The windows are all still original.   

It is noted that the Bell Canada building was a very popular destination to visit during lunch hours for the young men working in the neighbouring local factories including Goodyear and Continental Can - because most of the operators were pretty, single, young women.

In 1946 addition plans show a conversion of the heating system from coal to an oil furnace boiler system.  The lower floor now housed the cable vault, battery room, boiler room & oil fuel tank, men's restroom and locker room, and a large work room.  The main floor housed the terminal room, women's locker room, large kitchen, lounge, and lunch room.  The plans for the top floor show instructions to the contractor remove the beautiful wood and glass partition walls and open up the entire floor space into one large operator room with a switchboard along the south wall. 

In 1974, a third small addition was made to the building on the north side and the heating system was converted to natural gas.  A boiler inspection certificate notes that the address has been changed to 201 Sixth Street.

History of Ownership of Building:

From 1926 to 1981 the building was owned by The Bell Telephone Company of Canada.

In 1981 it was purchased by Canada Firegard Inc. who redesigned the interior of the building.  Each floor was divided into small offices with a main hallway.

In 1982, the building was purchased by Wyllie & Ufnal Ltd. Engineers. Christina’s father, Frank Sobolak, was the Vice President.  The mailing address was changed to 80 Birmingham Street.  Several other businesses also shared use of this building including an architect, mechanical engineer, and property development company.  Christina started her own aquarium design business in 1989 and occupied the 1974 addition at the back of the building.

In 2001, Christina purchased the building and had an idea to renovate and turn it into a business centre for entrepreneurs. They currently have 16 small businesses occupying the building. Christina finds it very rewarding serving as a mentor (she has an MBA from the University of Toronto) to those starting up and growing their businesses.  Her tenants include: an international beauty products business, graphics and packaging designers, internet web-site designers, youth magazine publisher, production process engineer, PLC computer design school, computer network technician, computer programmers, property management company, property development company, sales and marketing company, language translator, general contractor, church office and outreach centre, and Christina’s own aquarium design business.  Anyone interested in touring the inside the building, looking at the original architects' drawings, or renting office space is welcome to call Christina anytime at (416) 252-0320.