The story of Stan Anderson, and the Mansions on Jarvis

"The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL" (tokyobayaqualine) 03/26/2014 at 02:11 • Filed to: Toronto, TokyoBayAquaLine, Stan Anderson, Jarvis, Keg, Keg Mansion, Jarvis Street, history, Avro Arrow, valuables, treasure, true story, grandfather

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Forward: This is a long post. If you have the time to read it, I say go for it! If you don't, then I also understand. As of the end of this sentence, it's 1720 words, so I hope you've put aside at least 10 minutes!

I think my grandfather heavily influenced my addiction to automobiles. If he didn't, then he sure as Hell was an instigator, because every time I went to see him he always had some sort of a toy car for me to have and to play with. He also kept gumballs in a jar in a dilapidated 1950's era fridge that didn't run, in his apartment. With each twist of the lid to give me one, he'd tell me not to tell my mother, and would lure me into a certain colour of gum with a monotonous, repetitive "Wow Wow Wow Wow" as he plucked one from the jar.

Of course, I refer to him as my grandfather loosely, because he was not in fact blood related, but was the closest thing I had to a grandfather until his death in 1999. He loved me as a grandson until then, and never growing up with a father or any other male figure in my life besides him, it was always a relief and a treat to go spend a couple days with him and my mother in his attic based apartment near downtown Toronto.

Where he lived and how he lived however, was what made him most unique.

My grandfather (Yes, I'm going to keep referring to him as such) grew up in Toronto, and spent almost his entire life loping around, doing odd jobs to make a living. At one point, he got a job for the government organizing tax returns, met a woman, got married, had some kids, and then promptly lost his job due to cutbacks. With no money, his wife quickly grew tired of his flanéur ways and his incessant obsession with the Blue Jays Baseball team, and took the children and left him, all by himself. Every attempt to make contact with them was met with a "you're a terrible father - you can't even keep a simple job", and she instilled that mindset into his kids heads. Despite his interest in getting to know his children, he never really did get the opportunity to, so when my mother showed an interest in getting to know him as a friend when she was pregnant with me, he seized the opportunity to be a role model to a child that was born a bastard (my father left as soon as he found out my mother was pregnant).

In his later years, my grandfather finally did get a steady job working for the government again, and was tasked with the custodial duties of three historical properties on the corner of Jarvis and Wellesley: 515 Jarvis, 519 Jarvis, and 529 Jarvis.

In order, this was the (Hart Massey) Keg Mansion, Vincent Massey Mansion (which at the time was a CRA office), and Victoria daycare (which no longer exists).

Entrusted with these duties, he was offered monetary compensation, a decent benefits package, and the opportunity to accommodate himself in one of the residences, in particular the attic of 519 Jarvis. It was through this line of work that he met my mother, while she was searching for a daycare for me to attend, and chose Victoria Daycare based solely on it's "very nice elderly janitor". At the time, these three properties were privately owned but government subsidized. For his work, he was also given a key to each and every room in the residences, as well as the keys to the cellars. It's there where this story takes us...

Being a bit of a flanéur and a loner, he often waited until most or all the workers had gone home from the properties late at night to do his custodial work. Often times, he'd find himself cleaning the Keg mansion, only to discover money or valuables lying around. He'd pick them up, leave them at the front desk with a note, and was entitled to them if the person didn't come back for them within 72 hours. Often times, he'd find watches, wallets, necklaces, and sometimes even keys to storage lockers and safety deposit boxes. Why these people were leaving this kind of crap in a restaurant is bizarre to me, but I guess when you're drunk and disorderly at a big bar, you do stupid things.

One of the places he was most fond of having access to, was an underground tunnel underneath the Keg Mansion. This underground tunnel had been dug out by Hart Massey (the original owner of the mansion in the 19th century) so that he could have a direct route to the Wellesley Hospital, where he sought medical treatment for his autistic son. Hart's concern for his own fame was so selfish that he refused to take his autistic boy out in public, for fear of being ostracized. Back then, nobody knew what autism was, so doctors just assumed the boy was mentally retarded. This made Mr. Massey somewhat of a careless father, and his concern to have his boy cured seemed to only lie within the confines of his huge mansion, as he was consistently outside of it, trying to soak in as much public fame as he could. In return for the hospital allowing him to dig a private tunnel (which allowed him to keep the boy out of the spotlight and therefore not tarnish his reputation) he would often donate large sums of money to it.

One day, while taking the son back from getting experimental medicine at Wellesley hospital, Mr. Massey's maid was shocked to see the boy start to seizure. By the time she could get a doctor, it was too late, and the boy had died. It was the experimental medication to cure an unknown disease that had caused the death, and he was put to rest quietly in a graveyard out of the city limits. The maid was so taken a back by the loss of the boy she took care of every day, that she hung herself from the inside second floor balcony at 515 Jarvis. These two deaths are what led credence to the Keg Mansion being "haunted".

Anyways, getting back to the story at hand, my grandfather had an almost sickening fascination with this underground tunnel. He thought it was a truly magnificent piece of architecture, and was in awe that it could be built so secretly under a pre-existing structure. Since he was the only person who had access to it, he would keep his cleaning supplies in it, as well as the valuables he amassed over the years of working there, and through his fishing ventures to Lake Ontario.

When I was 7, he took me into his spare room in the attic. In it, he had all his valuables sprawled out and all his cleaning supplies laying around. He told me that the superintendent of the buildings wanted to review all the rooms and their cleanliness, and that my grandfather had feared that had the superintendent found out about his personal use of the underground tunnel under 515, that he would have lost his job and his home, so he had moved all the stuff to the spare room.

As a kid, I was absolutely smitten. Portraits of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe sat on the tabletop, signed, and in mint condition. So many Rolex's were sprawled out on another table that they seemingly looked like a river of metal. In the corner of the room sat a model of a jet... To a 7 year old, any jet was amazing, so I had to inquire.

When I asked about the jet, my grandfather informed me that he had "got that while doing some fishing up in Lake Ontario, and that if the Government knew he had it, they'd want it back." It wasn't until later that I realized that the model jet I was looking at was one of 9 scale models of the Avro Arrow that were shot into the lake in the 1950's. Looking yellowish green and faded, it's shape would have belied it's true value... Likely in the millions, if not priceless for its historic relevance to Canadian Aviation history.

A few years later, after having put all his valuables back into the underground tunnel, my grandfather was informed on extremely short notice that all three addresses would be sold to the highest bidder, and that Wellesley hospital would be torn down, and that the new landowners of where the Keg sat requested that the tunnel be closed off. In a rush to take his valuables out before the new owners cemented and painted the doors to the tunnel shut, he misplaced his key. A few days later, the doors were sealed off, and all of his valuables were locked under the Keg for good. His protests to get back into the tunnel to retrieve his items were met with disdain by the new owners; he was nothing more than an elderly custodian has-been to them, and they informed him that he was lucky that they were even letting him stay in his attic apartment.

A few days after that, he had a heart attack, likely due to the stress of all that he had worked hard for, being locked up forever.

When his real children came to identify him, they were disgusted at his lack of valuables. They claimed that it looked as if he had been robbed, and that he had never amounted to anything anyways. According to my mother, who also went to identify him, his own daughter said "Our mother was right. He never amounted to anything.. He didn't even have a cent to leave behind to his own children".

If only she knew...

Of course now, it would be nigh impossible to break open those doors to the underground tunnel. Sealed off for the better part of 15 years, it's hard to say what condition his valuables would be in. No one would ever know for sure, because as of now, the 515 and 519 mansion's have been identified as "Monuments of historical and architectural significance" and most certainly, no one would allow a construction crew down there to dismantle the wall to find out. Furthermore, the entire Keg kitchen is down in the basement. Asking a corporation as big as the Keg to relocate it's entire kitchen staff in its most famous of restaurants, to accommodate the removal of a cement wall just to get to some buried treasure that may or may not be there based on one 25 year olds story might be tricky to do, if not absolutely impossible.

But one thing is for sure. Both I, and my mother, remember very clearly the collection of valuables he had. We remember the Arrow. We remember the portraits. We remember the Rolex's and the Tag's that seemingly numbered in the hundreds. And with no signs of forced entry to his premises upon his death, we know exactly where they are.

Thankfully, 519 still sits in magnificent condition to this day, along Jarvis. Sometimes I like to go and sit on the steps in the summer and think back to being a 3 year old and playing with my model Cobra 427 he gave me. I used to roll it along the cracked perch, making little engine sounds. Sometimes I feel him there with me. And sometimes I thank him for inspiring me to be who I am today.

I know he would have wanted his story to be shared. I think it's about time I shared it.

-Dedicated to the memory of Stanley Anderson, who died in 1999 at 519 Jarvis St. in Toronto, alone and penniless.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 03/26/2014 at 02:19

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Wow, very well written. Worth the time to read! Thanks for posting.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/26/2014 at 02:35

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Thank you.

Arben72 > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 03/26/2014 at 03:29

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Sounds like a prequel to a heist, if so I'm in.

MonkeePuzzle > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 03/26/2014 at 14:48

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googles "flanéur", resolves to use it ASAP

DasWauto > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 03/31/2014 at 17:43

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That's a great story and nicely written. Kudos.

As it's quite a personal story, I just wanted to run my intention by you before I featured it in a Best of Oppo. Cheers.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > DasWauto 03/31/2014 at 19:14

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That's quite alright! Feel free to put it up. :)

gla2yyz > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 03/31/2014 at 22:21

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I live not too far from the Keg Mansion. Now what did I do with that pick axe...

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > gla2yyz 03/31/2014 at 22:31

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Too bad they won't even let me, the closest person to him, down there to even see the wall covering the doors, let alone pick at it. :(

Mark Hancheroff > Arben72 04/01/2014 at 00:28

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Do you think we could drive a set of Minis down the stairs?

JayR727 > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/01/2014 at 01:04

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Interesting and certainly worth the time to read. I would wonder if the people that were hired to seal the tunnel found your grandfather's belongings, maybe kept them for themselves? If he had the items particularly well hidden in the tunnel, then perhaps they are still there.

AsphaltAthlet > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/01/2014 at 05:58

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That is a great, compelling story! Thanks!

Mbdurham > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/01/2014 at 08:18

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Nice story which got me more interested but also confused that the information I found does not match up to the time line and information in your story. You may want to update Wikipedia and the ghost tour site unless you used a little artistic license?

http://www.ghostwalks.com/kegmansion-art…

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keg_Mansi…

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellesley…

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hart_Mass…

PDM33 > JayR727 04/01/2014 at 08:21

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Sounds like the grandfather was the only one with a key so maybe nobody even bothered to go inside before sealing up the door. Awesome story though

Taro > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/01/2014 at 08:30

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It's an awesome story. Fellow local here.Depending on how much you want to pursue it, I have some ideas that might help.

davedave1111 > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/01/2014 at 10:14

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Nice story. How about getting into the other end of the tunnel?

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Mbdurham 04/01/2014 at 10:23

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Awesome research. As far as I can tell, Wikipedia and the Ghostwalk site don't match up (date wise) for Hart Massey's move in date at all.

By the time of the boys death, it would have been the early 1900's.

On the Ghostwalk site, there is a reference to him:

"Like many Victorian mansions of the time, the Keg Mansion has a secret buried underneath… a tunnel that connects it with the original Wellesley Hospital building. Hart Massy used it to quietly bring their son in for treatment. Some believe the son referred to was the sickly Frederick Victor, who died at the age of 14. This was especially tragic due to the death of his eldest son Charles only six years earlier.

Hart's way of honouring them includes two city monuments in the Massey Music Hall for Charles and the Fred Victor Mission for Frederick."

From what my grandfather told me, Hart was too busy making a name for himself to devote much time to the boy, and the maid apparently died not finding out about a mistress' death, but upon knowing about the boys death. This was so long ago, it's hard to tell which is true now.

The Wiki article correlates to the timeline I have though. The ghost site doesn't. Which is strange.

Either way, the fact remains that there is a tunnel, and my grandfather did have access to it. He would have worked as the caretaker from the early 80's until somewhere around 97/98.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > davedave1111 04/01/2014 at 10:25

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I suspect it's buried in now that Wellesley Hospital has been torn down and replaced with condos. :(

Taro > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/01/2014 at 13:19

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Has anyone else seen the treasure? You might be able to get at the stuff if you can prove its there.

Mbdurham > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/01/2014 at 13:22

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Unfortunately I would imagine the workers who sealed up the tunnel probably made off with valuables your grandfather may have hidden. Great story regardless

996C2 > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/01/2014 at 15:00

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"When I asked about the jet, my grandfather informed me that he had "got that while doing some fishing up in Lake Ontario, and that if the Government knew he had it, they'd want it back." It wasn't until later that I realized that the model jet I was looking at was one of 9 scale models of the Avro Arrow that were shot into the lake in the 1950's. Looking yellowish green and faded, it's shape would have belied it's true value... Likely in the millions, if not priceless for its historic relevance to Canadian Aviation history."

There were actually 11 models launched by Nike boosters between Wallops Island Virgina and Point Petre Ontario. NONE have been recovered. Aside from that: they were huge models, weighing 475-490lbs and were 9' 2" long (not including nose antenna) with a 6' 3" wide wing span. All models had specific paint jobs for their launches with sections painted orange over the generally white body in order for the cameras to pick them up during launch.

All firings were successful with the avg distance out over the lake being 4 kms. Many attempts have been made by many groups (all professional diving companies) interested in recovering these models using sophisticated side scan sonar. To date, all that has been recovered has been part of the wings from one of the Nike boosters, (located in RCAF museum in Trenton). There are many theory's as to why these models have not been found but the latest is that the impact with the water at such high speeds (over Mach 1+ ) most likely destroyed these hand built models.

Have you contacted David Aisenstat?

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > 996C2 04/01/2014 at 15:08

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I do remember it being very very large. I'm not entirely sure if it was the same size as what you mentioned (my memory doesn't extend to that amount of detail), but I can tell you that it was a solid dining room table in length, and he had it perched on a wooden box.

I can also tell you that it had no decals on it, no details, and was just a yellowish green creme color (perhaps due to age and being underwater?).

I haven't contacted anyone. I don't have any interest in seeking out "the treasure" myself. I just know what I saw, and what he had along with it. If it was real or not makes no difference to me.

Perhaps it was one of the Aerodynamic wind tunnel models?? Do you know if any dumping was done into Lake Ontario after the program was cancelled? I understand they destroyed or got rid of everything related to the project.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > 996C2 04/01/2014 at 15:13

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I should add that the whole purpose of my story was not to make a big deal out of supposed hidden treasure, but to commemorate the passing of a man who didn't even have a eulogy left behind for him.

996C2 > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/01/2014 at 18:02

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Fair enough.

As far as dumping: The site was only under military control until mid 1957 then it was closed. Many Avro Arrow groups have attempted to find one of these models as it is the holy grail of what is left of the program that we know is left. Many millions have been spent between two companies with very little to show for the expenditure. It is possible that the smaller scale model you saw was either an engineering small scale mock up or something along those lines. There was little to no wind tunnel work done for the Arrow outside of some intake ramp work performed in the US on Avro's behalf. 1. They couldn't afford it and 2. They didn't trust US based tunnels to maintain trade secrets as most tunnels during the era were US Government funded with close connection to the US aviation industry.

Hence the use of the scale metal models and tracking devices using cameras, (Kine Theodolites) radars and telemetry transmitting back via battery packs.

Worth millions? I'm not sure about that. There was a MB5A ejection seat for sale in the UK for $500K that was a test seat (supposedly) for the Arrow that went no where and was not bid on. A free flight model would certainly be worth 6 figures but only with documentation.

Cheers.

945T > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/01/2014 at 18:45

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I'm not an expert by any means, but didn't they test many other prototype rockets at the same location over the years?

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > 945T 04/01/2014 at 19:58

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That's a good point. I'll have to give it a check. It could have been something else similar.

bmw325_num99 > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/02/2014 at 15:52

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Fascinating story. I am using some friend-of-the-family contacts to learn more.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > bmw325_num99 04/02/2014 at 15:57

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If they end up knowing anything about Stan, let me know!

bmw325_num99 > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 04/02/2014 at 16:16

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I will. Its someone associated with the Keg but he is not part of the business anymore.

Interested > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 06/21/2014 at 23:08

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Hey awesome story, I have always been interested in that tunnel. Was it dark? Was it scary? Was it a long walk to the hospital? What part of the hospital did it lead to? Was it an empty tunnel? Let me know as much as you can about it. Thanks

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Interested 06/21/2014 at 23:43

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Can't tell if serious or...

Interested > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 06/22/2014 at 12:41

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Hello, I am very interested. We used to park at the Keg Mansion and eat there before heading to Toronto Maple Leaf games. I used to always ask staff about stories. I recently participated in a Toronto Ghost Tour and the Tour Guide also mentioned the Keg Mansion but didn't have much info on the tunnel. Please your knowledge of it will be greatly appreciated here. I've been trying to find pictures of it for ages. I'm into this kind of stuff as a hobby.

Interested > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 06/22/2014 at 12:57

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Furthermore, I used to even know staff at the former Princess Margaret that was attached to Wellesley Hospital also, and they knew of a tunnel but had no or minimal info on it. I really enjoyed your story. I've been searching for years on an in depth story about the Keg and tunnel and its 2014 and you provided one. Thanks.

Interested > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 06/22/2014 at 13:01

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Also, your grandfather's story is very cool too, seemed like an interesting person.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Interested 06/22/2014 at 13:10

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I'm really glad that my article reached out to someone who has a genuine interest in it.

I really don't know much, besides the fact that it was double door sealed on the Kegs end, that it was capable of holding two adults standing, and that it went straight East in direction. It ended at a portion of the Hospital that (by the time of it's demolition) had a corridor and two tandem elevators.

I was only shown it's exit point... I was told about it's entry point (at the Keg). I'm 99% sure that if you could dig up some old info on the employees of 519 Jarvis back when it was a government building (back in the 90's) that they'd remember my grandfather, which would substantiate my claims. He was kind of a hoarder and a loner... A very interesting man indeed.

In any case, he was the only one with the keys to the tunnel until the new owners and contractors came and asked for them and his job on a stick... And he watched them brick up the double doors on the same day. Which means his stuff is still behind them.

Sad how life works out, but he did leave quite a legacy and story.

Interested > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 06/22/2014 at 17:22

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Yes quite the legacy he had, that's too bad about how they took the keys. Have you ever walked through the tunnel? If so was it well taken care of or messy? Do you remember if it was long? The exit point you mean being Wellesley Hospital I guess. I remember that area when I was younger, it had a creepy vibe to it (with all the hospitals etc..) but also very historic.

Azuri2006 > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/17/2016 at 17:17

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I was an employee at the Keg Mansion from approximately 1977 to 1987. As employees we had some liberty in exploring the old house and there was no shortage of interesting artifacts and hidden compartments (at least two hidden safes in the walls, and passages within rooms). The tunnel that you mention was in the lower basement (the house has two basements, with the lower basement being a fraction in size of the main basement which covered the footprint of the home). During my time this tunnel was boarded up (not bricked up) and as much as we tried to get in, we were never successful. We were also advised that this tunnel also connected to the mansion located at 95 Wellesley Street East which at the time housed the Red Cross head office http://www.tobuilt.ca/php/tobuilding… , and his brothers house next door at 519 Jarvis. This was also for safety for in case the family had to immediately vacate in case of a robbery. I am also trying to recall your grandfather as the city custodian. The Keg had its night cleaners that cleaned up the restaurant after each shift, but I was not aware of a city staffer that was responsible for the property. I did work primarily the nights so I was unaware of what went on during the day (during my employement the restaurant was only open at night). Did you you ever get a an opportunity to visit the 3rd floor of 515 Jarvis St. During my time is was the regional head office for Keg Ontario. Most of the floor was original, meaning ornate wood carvings and the famous skylight that some would-be burglar just fell through and died. http://www.cp24.com/news/man-dies-… . The main part of the 3rd floor was remodelled as the interior of a log cabin, with slatted walls and floors. I never did get a chance to visit 519 Jarvis which at the time was a hospice for Princess Margaret, but I’m certain it also had it’s share of unique features. Thanks for story as you’ve brought back some cherished memories of a most exquisite home.