The contemporary look of the twenty foot high window openings
add contrast to the antique brick facade. When complete, the
original wooden beam will be clad in stainless steel with
the windows framed in mahogany.
Discussing final brick touch-ups before the reveal.
Each limestone block needs careful levelling.
The mason's assistant measures and marks a piece of limestone
which will dress the window openings on the facade.
The masons worked quickly, salvaging the old bricks and using
them to build the new openings for the atrium. After completion,
we looked out the study window and noticed that one of the
bricks bore the 100 year old print of a cat's paw.
The story of brickmaking is an important part of Toronto's
history. By the time our building was built circa 1909 there
were 34 brickyards in Toronto. The Don Valley Brick Works
(in operation from 1889 - 1989) led production with
a yearly quota of over 43-million bricks.
Soft mud, "John Price" bricks were made by tempering a
clay-sand mixture with up to 30 per cent water. This mixture
was forced into molds dusted with sand and chemicals.
Various proportions of borax, ferro-red or manganese dioxide
were used to produced the desired colour. After a series
of drying processes, the bricks were fired in small tunnel kilns.
To retain the character of the Dupont Street facade with respect
to the neighbouring buildings, it was critical to re-point and
replace the old bricks on the front and west side of the
building. Extra bricks from the atrium cut-away were saved
and used where needed.
