 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
ALLAN GARDENS & MOSS PARK
George's father had bought Park Lot 5 and built his pillared Moss Park on the west side of Sherbourne Street, north of Queen Street. He gave George the north half of the Moss Park lot, 50 acres between Carlton and Bloor Streets, and their villa (designed by John G. Howard) "The Home Wood." Moss Park and Home Wood (later to become the site of Wellesley Hospital) were names of Allan farms in Scotland.
In 1853, George inherited the family fortune, including the impressive Moss Park estate. George moved to Moss Park and eventually married Adelaide Schreiber, with whom he had 7 children. George William Allan had a very distinguished career in politics, beginning at the municipal level as an alderman in 1849 until 1855, when he was elected the 11th Mayor of Toronto. In 1858, he entered federal politics representing York, in 1867 he was nominated to the Senate, and in 1888 he was elected speaker of the Senate, serving until his appointment to the Privy Council in 1891. Besides his many civic and political posts, he was "president of everything cultural and horticultural in Toronto." He was the first president of the Toronto Conservatory of Music, and served for 25 years as President of the Toronto Horticultural Society.
Thus emerged Toronto's first real civic park, more by chance than any municipal initiative. Faced with debt, the society extended its ownership of property and holdings to the City of Toronto, which has transformed the concept of private gardens into neighbourhood parks within the municipal park system. The Horticultural Gardens was renamed Allan Gardens in 1901, shortly after George William Allan's death. In the mid 1980's, the City of Toronto, Parks and Recreation, began the "Allan Gardens Revitalization Program" to redevelop the greenhouses, preserve the Palm House and elaborate outdoor gardens. It designated the Palm House under the Ontario Heritage Act for architectural and historical reasons. The Palm House is a significant Canadian landmark and is esteemed amongst horticulturists and architects. Today, the conservatory's six greenhouses comprise over 16,000 square feet. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
eorge William Allan, one of Toronto's most prominent citizens in the nineteenth century, was the only son of one of the wealthiest citizens of York (Old Toronto). Honourable William Allan, merchant, soldier and banker, rose from a poor Scottish immigrant to a successful businessman and high-society figure. He was educated at Upper Canada College, studied law, and was called to the bar in 1846. 
llan also volunteered for the Royal Canadian Institute, the Ontario Society of Artists and the Upper Canada Bible Society. He extended his personal wealth to the benefit of the public. In 1858, George William Allan donated five acres of his property to the Toronto Horticultural Society to develop a botanical garden and gave an additional five acres in 1862.