they turned to him for assistance. He gave them the money in return for a northwest portion of their property in what is now the North Jarvis and Church and Wellesley neighbourhoods. Toronto author and historian Henry Scadding said in an address at a meeting of the York Pioneers' Association (now the York Pioneer and Historical Society) that William Cawthra was "one of the necessary constituents of the ideal conception of Toronto". Legacy William Cawthra died without heirs, leaving an estate estimated between $2,000,000 and $3,000,000 which was divided between his wife and his nieces and nephews. This fortune allowed the construction of many mansions on Jarvis Street and elsewhere which factor significantly in the architectural heritage of the North Jarvis Street district and established his family among the City's social elite. His beautiful house at King and Bay long remained as his monument, but he is a political and business figure of whom there is little record or history with the exception of a small square and a city park. Cawthra's property at Church and Wellesley Streets was home to the city's lacrosse club and the first baseball club at the Old Lacrosse Fields from 1872 to 1890. The property was redeveloped for homes and a church on a public road known as Cawthra Square. This site was further redeveloped in 1971 with the construction of Plaza 100 on the former site of the Church. Former Cawthra Square Park A park formerly known as Cawthra Square Park, in the city's Church and Wellesley neighbourhood, adjoining Cawthra's former Jarvis Street properties, was named for him. The street to the north of the park, now named Monteith Street, was also once called Cawthra Avenue. In May 2014, Toronto City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam proposed the renaming of Cawthra Square Park to "Barbara Hall Park" after former City of Toronto Mayor Barbara Hall. The proposal was approved by Toronto and East York Community Council. References External links Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online William Cawthra 1801 births 1880 deaths Pre-Confederation Ontario people Pre-Confederation Canadian businesspeople Cawthra, Will Cawthra, Will Immigrants to Upper Canada