Green Bush Inn

Green Bush Inn was the name used by several hospitality establishments in the Toronto region of Ontario, Canada. The earliest identified Green Bush Inn was a two-storey clapboard building constructed around 1830 at the northeast corner of Yonge Street and what is now Steeles Avenue. Its location placed it along an important northward route from Toronto and helped make it a local meeting point. Historical accounts associate the inn with people involved in planning the Upper Canada Rebellion, giving the establishment significance beyond its ordinary role as a lodging and drinking house. The identity of the first proprietor is disputed in the available historical references. F. R. Berchem, in his history of Yonge Street, attributes the opening of both the first Green Bush Inn and a later establishment to Joseph Abraham. Wes Porter, writing in Hort Pro magazine, instead identifies Thomas Steele, whose name is associated with Steeles Avenue, as the first proprietor. Because the sources disagree, no founder is assigned here. A second Green Bush Inn operated at 215–217 Shuter Street in Toronto. The relationship between the two establishments was connected in historical accounts through their association with Joseph Abraham, although the precise corporate or ownership structure is not documented in the available material. By 1876, the Shuter Street premises had changed management, and by 1880 the establishment had adopted the name Russell House. This renaming marked the end of the Green Bush Inn identity at that location. The earlier Yonge Street building later had a series of different uses. In 1938, the structure was moved to the northwest corner of the intersection and converted for use as a family home. In 1969, students at the newly opened York University proposed moving the historic building to the university campus and reopening it as a student pub. The proposed relocation did not occur. The building was ultimately demolished in 1972, although the planned campus pub retained the historic Green Bush name. Green Bush Inn is therefore best understood as a historical hospitality name rather than a continuing hotel chain or modern operating company. Its significance rests on the succession of Toronto-area establishments that used the name, the role attributed to the original inn in local political history, and later efforts to preserve or revive the name through a York University student-pub project.

The name Green Bush Inn refers to several establishments that operated in the Toronto region during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The earliest known premises were built around 1830 as a two-storey clapboard inn on the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue. At the time, Yonge Street was an important route north of Toronto, and the inn served travelers and local residents. It was also remembered as a meeting place for individuals planning the Upper Canada Rebellion. The historical record does not establish the first proprietor with certainty. F. R. Berchem's account of Yonge Street history credits Joseph Abraham with opening both the original Yonge Street establishment and a later Green Bush Inn on Shuter Street. A separate account by Wes Porter identifies Thomas Steele, the namesake associated with Steeles Avenue, as the first proprietor. Since these claims conflict, the inn's founder is recorded as unknown. The second establishment operated at 215–217 Shuter Street in Toronto. By 1876 it was under different management, and by 1880 it had been renamed Russell House. This indicates that the Green Bush name was no longer being used for the Shuter Street premises by the end of the nineteenth century. The original Yonge Street building survived after its use as an inn ended. In 1938 it was moved from the northeast corner to the northwest corner of the intersection and adapted as a family home. In 1969, a student association at York University considered moving the structure onto the university campus and reopening it as a student pub. The plan was not carried out. The building was demolished in 1972, although the proposed pub retained the Green Bush name. The available record presents Green Bush Inn as a historical local hospitality name rather than an ongoing commercial brand. Its importance derives from the early inn's place in Toronto-area transportation and community life, its reported connection with Upper Canadian political activity, the later Shuter Street establishment, and an unsuccessful twentieth-century preservation and student-pub revival effort.

• 1972

  Historic structure demolished

  [1]Green Bush Innen.wikipedia.org

  The building was demolished after the proposed York University relocation failed.

• 1969

  York University student-pub proposal

  [1]Green Bush Innen.wikipedia.org

  Students proposed moving the historic building to campus and reopening it as a pub under the Green Bush name.

• 1938

  Original building moved and converted into a home

  [1]Green Bush Innen.wikipedia.org

  The original structure was relocated to the northwest corner and used as a family residence.

• 1880

  Shuter Street inn renamed Russell House

  [1]Green Bush Innen.wikipedia.org

  The establishment at 215–217 Shuter Street had adopted the Russell House name.

• 1876

  Shuter Street premises changed management

  [1]Green Bush Innen.wikipedia.org

  The second Green Bush Inn was operating under new management.

• 1830

  First Green Bush Inn built

  [1]Green Bush Innen.wikipedia.org

  A two-storey clapboard inn was constructed near the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue in the Toronto region.

• Inn became associated with Upper Canada Rebellion planning

  [1]Green Bush Innen.wikipedia.org

  The original establishment was used as a meeting place by people planning the Upper Canada Rebellion.

• Second Green Bush Inn opened on Shuter Street

  [1]Green Bush Innen.wikipedia.org

  A separate establishment operated at 215–217 Shuter Street in Toronto.

A locally significant nineteenth-century inn and public-house name associated with travel along Yonge Street, Toronto-area social life, and the historical memory of the Upper Canada Rebellion.

• Historical inn · 1830

  Original Green Bush Inn

  The earliest known Green Bush Inn was a two-storey clapboard hospitality building constructed around 1830 at Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue. It provided lodging and public-house services to travelers and the local community and later acquired historical importance because of its reported connection with meetings related to the Upper Canada Rebellion.

• Inn and public house

  Shuter Street Green Bush Inn

  A separate Toronto establishment operated at 215–217 Shuter Street under the Green Bush Inn name. It was under new management by 1876 and had been renamed Russell House by 1880, ending its use of the Green Bush identity.

• Student pub · 1969

  Green Bush student pub concept

  In 1969, a student association at York University proposed moving the historic inn building to campus and reopening it as a student pub. The building was not moved, but the proposed pub retained the Green Bush name after the structure was later demolished.

• 1969York University Green Bush student-pub proposal

  York University, Toronto, Canada

  A York University student association proposed preserving the historic Green Bush building by moving it to campus and reopening it as a student pub.

  Outcome. The building was not relocated. It was demolished in 1972, although the proposed pub continued to use the Green Bush name.

  Source

• 1969

  Proposed relocation and student-pub revivalStrategy

  Background

  York University students sought to preserve the historic building and connect the Green Bush name with campus social life.

  Action taken

  The student association planned to move the structure to York University's campus and reopen it as a pub.

  Aftermath

  The relocation did not occur. The building was demolished in 1972, while the planned pub retained the historic name.

  Source

• 1880

  Rename the Shuter Street establishment as Russell HouseOther

  Background

  The second Green Bush Inn at 215–217 Shuter Street had changed management by 1876 and was operating under a different name by 1880.

  Action taken

  The premises ceased using the Green Bush Inn name and adopted Russell House.

  Aftermath

  The Green Bush identity ended at the Shuter Street location.

  Source

1. 1Green Bush Innen.wikipedia.org