Mackenzie House

Mackenzie House is a historic building and museum in Toronto , Ontario, Canada. The building was built in 1836. In 1858-1861, William Lyon Mackenzie , the first mayor of Toronto, lived in the house. The mansion is one of the few surviving examples of Georgian architecture in the city. Currently, the building is a historical house-museum ^[1] .

Mansion
Mackenzie House
English Mackenzie house
Building's facade
A country	Canada
City	Toronto
Architectural style	georgian architecture
Established	1836 year
Status	historical Museum
Website	campbellhousemuseum.ca

Toronto's first Mackenzie home was on York Street south of Queen Street. It was built in 1830 by Major Andrew Paton, who had previously served in the 45th Regiment and was the former foreman of the York garrison barracks. He lived in this building until his death in 1835. In the same year, Mackenzie rented a house and lived in it until 1837, when he refused to rent. An announcement of his search for a new home appeared in the issue of the Constitution newspaper on January 11, 1837. After an unsuccessful rebellion, this house was expropriated by the authorities. First Colonel Hill and then Colonel Bagot lived in it ^[2] .

Mackenzie was forced to flee to the United States after leading a failed 1837 uprising. He returned to Toronto only after the creation of the province of Canada in 1850, becoming the last rebel to be pardoned. Upon returning, Mackenzie experienced serious financial difficulties. In 1858, friends bought for him house number 82 on Bond Street. He died in this house in 1861. His widow and three daughters lived in the mansion for the next ten years. Mackenzie's grandson, William Lyon, Mackenzie King became Prime Minister.

The neighboring houses were demolished in 1936. However, this house was saved due to its historical significance. The mansion, built in the style of Georgian architecture, is currently a municipal historical house-museum with the exposition "Life in the city in the Victorian era in the 1860s." It is one of ten historical museums owned by the city and managed by the city of Toronto. In addition to the story of life in Toronto during the time of Mackenzie, the exhibition also includes items related to the period when the first mayor of Toronto was the editor of the newspaper and actively participated in the political life of the city. The museum collection also contains materials on life in the fast-growing and multinational Toronto from the 1860s to 1890s, including the history of local Afro-Canadians and Mary Ann Shadd. The museum is a member of the Association of Museums of Canada and the Virtual Museum of Canada.

Near the building of the mansion are the side panels of the Memorial Arch, which once stood at the foot of the Honey Bridge over Niagara Falls. Built in the 1930s, the arch was demolished thirty years later, and the panels were preserved and moved to Toronto in 1974 ^[3] .