During the First World War, Gooderham & Worts shareholders placed the distillery plant at the disposal of the British Government. British Acetones Toronto Ltd. was formed early in 1916 to manufacture acetone, an essential ingredient in the production of munitions. At the end of the war, an excellent but still unidentified photographer documented the exterior and interior of the plant, as well as the employees, equipment, and processes that had contributed to the war effort. These constitute the fullest documentation of the site at any single point in time while the plant was still in operation. Some of the photographs show buildings that were demolished after the war; others depict scenes that haven’t been precisely located.
Here is a selection from the album of over 160 images.