Yonge Street artifacts

 

Location: Inside 3 Brewers at Yonge and Dundas

Date photo taken: 30 December 2023

These detailed figurines and the more mundane - but still fascinating - items below them are part of a large display hanging on the left wall as you enter the 3 Brewers brewpub on Yonge Street. Displayed are a tiny fraction of the almost 18,000 artifacts unearthed during an extensive archaeological investigation of the property begun in 2006. They are remnants and reminders of the many uses to which the site has been put over the years, starting with a shoemaker in 1843. The buildings now sitting at 275 and 277 Yonge Street were commissioned by John Bugg in 1868 and, according to a City report, "are significant as early surviving examples of the low-scale commercial buildings that are associated with the historical development of Yonge Street." Kudos to the building owners, Prime Properties, for collaborating on the installation of this display, for funding the archaeological assessment and excavations which made it possible, and for the restoration of the building exterior.