HISTORY OF BRICK WORKS TCA TOUR In 1882, farmer William Taylor discovered clay on his company’s Don Valley property and knew it would be ideal for making the red bricks in high demand by city builders at the time. Seven years later, he and his brothers George and John opened the Don Valley Pressed Brick Company to capitalize on the opportunity. In 1903, they sold their business to a brother-in-law, Robert Davies, who changed the name to Don Valley Brick Company Limited. The site changed hands and names several more times before quarry and industrial activity drew to a close in the 1980s. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority expropriated the land in 1987, and efforts to restore the site began a few years later. It was in the 1990s that Evergreen stepped in to revitalize the abandoned buildings and repur- pose them into a cultural centre spotlighting sustainability. In the late 1990s, the 16-acre Weston Family Quarry Garden was opened to the public while restoration work at the site continued. Then in 2010, Ever- green officially opened the doors to Brick Works. Builders' Digest Quarter 4 2018 | 27