Old Beardmore residence, College and St. George

Black and white photograph of the old Beardmore residence located at 136 Beverley St. in Toronto, ON. The house was built by Chudleigh George Lissant Beardmore, a prosperous tanner, in 1871-72. In 1937 the building was purchased for use as the Italian Consulate. The building was known as the Casa d'Italia and became the meeting grounds for Italians living in Toronto. In 1939 the property was taken over by the Government of Canada and on June 10, 1940 police raided the building and arrested a number of men of Italian heritage. For almost twenty years the building was used as a barracks for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). In 1962 the Canadian Government returned the house to the Italian community as a training centre for immigrants and in 1977 the building again became the Italian Consulate.