From the Irish of the 18th century to the global citizens of the 21st, Cabbagetown has been a home to immigrants. See the Victorian workers’ cottages to Spruce Court co-op and the high rises of the revitalized Regent Park.
Benjamin Brick was born in Worchester, England on March 11, 1845. He worked as a bricklayer until he came to Canada. He and his wife Anna Marie Ingleson, had five children, and in 1875 they moved into 314 Carlton Street, a Second-Empire style cottage that he had built.
Shortly after they moved in, Mrs. Brick died, and in 1887 he married Margaret Leggott from Alliston, Ontario.
At this time Mr. Brick was a prominent house-builder and chief contractor for the gas works site on Eastern Avenue.
While on a trip to Paris, France, he was inspired by the workmanship and artistic forms that he saw in the houses that he visited.
After his return to Toronto, he became well known for his richly–decorated plaster moldings and elaborate ceilings.
In 1890 he moved his family into a new house he built a few doors away at 308 Carlton Street. His exquisite plaster moldings and dining room ceiling are still admired to this day.
In 1897, after the death of his second wife, he married Jane Bartrem. He lived at 308 Carlton Street until his death on September 7, 1913. This house is rumoured to have a resident ghost.
Cabbagetown南边大部分已经被拆掉，二战后改建为廉租社区，但黑社会猖獗，成为多伦多最臭名昭著的社区之一。近年来该廉租社区被拆除，改建为混合廉租楼和商业公寓的高层建筑社区，新建了室内水运动中心等很多公共设施，面貌焕然一新，而且还有很多高层公寓继续拔地而起。置身其间，人们也无法分辨哪栋楼是廉租楼，那栋楼是商业公寓，因为设计标准都是一致的。