Whitby is located in Durham
Region in Southern Ontario, east of Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore
of Lake Ontario. It is about twenty kilometers (twelve miles) east of the
Toronto borough of Scarborough. The southern part of Whitby is predominantly
urban and an economic hub; the northern part is more rural and includes the
communities of Ashburn, Brooklin, Myrtle, and Myrtle Station.
Whitby was named after the
seaport town of Whitby, Yorkshire, England. Settlement dates back to 1800,
however, it was not until 1836 that a downtown business center was established
by Whitby’s founder Peter Perry. Whitby’s chief asset was its natural harbor on
Lake Ontario, from which grain from the farmland to the north was first shipped
in 1833. In the 1840s, a road was built from Whitby Harbor to Lake Simcoe and
Georgian Bay, to bring trade and settlement through the harbor to and from the
rich land to the north.
Many residents commute to work in
other Greater Toronto Area communities, and General Motors Canada in Oshawa is
a major employer for all of Durham Region. Whitby has a steel mill, a retail
support center operated by Sobeys, and a major Liquor Control Board of Ontario
warehouse.
Four railways pass through
Whitby. The Toronto-Montreal corridor main lines of the Canadian National
Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway both pass east–west through the south end
of town. A second CP line running from Toronto to Havelock passes through the
northern part of Whitby. Via Rail trains travel through Whitby, but the nearest
station is in Oshawa. GO Transit provides frequent service via its Lakeshore
East line.
300 Centre Street South – Holden Jackson House – 1869301 Centre Street South – c. 1875 – built for William Hood, a retired Whitby farmer and son of an English settler – rubble-stone foundation, white clapboard building, two-storey vernacular Gothic RevivalCentre Street South – barge board trim on gables, shutters416 Centre Street South – Whitby Centennial Building was designed by Cumberland and Strom in the Greek Revival style. It was built in 1853 with the second floor added in 1910. It served as Ontario County Court House from 1854 to 1964.601 Centre Street South – Clive Hatch House – combines elements of the Prairie style architecture and Arts & Crafts style – c. 1915600 King Street – c. 1913 – gambrel roof – built for Dr. Horace Bascom who was Clerk of the Ontario County Court from 1912-55320 St. John Street West – c. 1881 – designed by Canadian architect, Henry Langley – high Victorian style – built for Judge George Dartnell – From 1899 to 1920, it was the home of Judge Duncan John McIntyre.400 St. John Street West – c. 1913 – Prairie style – built for George Dryden, Registrar of Deeds for Ontario County from 1897 to 1931200 Colborne Street West – George Conrad Gross House – Castle Style house built in Gothic Revival style – c. 1883213 Byron Street South/101 Dunlop Street West – Second Empire style, mansard roof with dormers, corner towers with widow walks, two-storey bay windows208 Byron Street South – built in 1868 – All Saints Rectory from 1882 to 1951 – tongue-in-groove frame house301 Byron Street South – battlemented parapet, two-storey frontispiece408 Byron Street South – c. 1853 – Holmes/Whitfield House – Second Empire style with mansard roof added about 1875404 Dunlop Street West – c. 1888-89 – Queen Anne Revival style – asymmetrical design – built for George Ross – Mrs. Ross was president of Whitby Women’s Institute and founder of the Victorian Order of Nurses in Ontario County.3050 Brock Street North – 1875 – Lakeview Hall – verge board trim on gables with finials, dichromatic brickwork, banding, voussoirs, two-storey wraparound veranda
