Sir Casimir Stanislaus Gzowski (March 5, 1813 to August 24, 1898) was a Polish-born engineer and contractor who built railways in Canada West, completed the International Bridge between Fort Erie and Buffalo in 1873, and lived in Toronto for most of his working life. He was knighted in 1890 and chaired the Niagara Falls Park Commission from 1885 to 1893.
Life in brief
| Born | March 5, 1813, St. Petersburg, Russia |
|---|---|
| Died | August 24, 1898, Toronto |
| Role | Civil engineer, railway contractor, militia officer, and public servant |
| Toronto connection | Worked mainly from the city from 1845; his firm built the Toronto and Guelph line and the Toronto to Sarnia extension |
| Honors | Honorary aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria (1879); KCMG (1890) |
From St. Petersburg to exile
Gzowski was the eldest son of Count Stanislaw Gzowski and Helena Pacewicz. He attended the Lyceum of Krzemieniec in Volhynia, graduated in 1830, and entered the Imperial Corps of Engineers at 17. He served as an officer in General Dwernicki’s corps during the Polish uprising of 1831. The brigade was interned in Austria, and in November 1833 Gzowski sailed with about 264 exiles for the United States, arriving in New York in March 1834.
In the United States he clerked in a law office in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, finished his apprenticeship by November 1837, became an American citizen, and was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar. He practiced at Beaver, Pennsylvania. He then turned to engineering, working with William Milnor Roberts on a canal and on a section of the Erie Railroad.
Arrival in Canada West
In 1841 Gzowski scouted work on the Welland Canal for Roberts. In 1842 he became superintendent of roads and waterways for the London district under Hamilton Hartley Killaly, and from 1845 he worked mainly from Toronto. He took British citizenship in 1846. On October 29, 1839, he had married Maria Beebe, and the couple had eight children, six of whom survived infancy.
Railways and the firm of Gzowski and Company
In January 1849 he was hired as engineer for the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad, which was open from Montreal to Sherbrooke by September 1852. He also worked with Walter Shanly on the Toronto and Guelph Railway. In November 1852 he formed Gzowski and Company with Alexander Tilloch Galt, Luther Hamilton Holton, and David Lewis Macpherson. The firm built the Toronto and Guelph line and the Toronto to Sarnia extension for the Grand Trunk Railway. The Ontario provincial plaque, as transcribed by Read the Plaque, dates the Toronto to Sarnia work to 1853 to 1857, while the Canadian Encyclopedia says the line was completed in 1860. The partnership was wound up in 1857, and Gzowski and Macpherson continued under the same name.
The Toronto esplanade contract
In January 1854 the firm won the contract for the Toronto esplanade, priced at 150,000 pounds for the esplanade and 10,000 pounds for six bridges. Toronto council cancelled the contract in 1855. For the larger story of the shoreline, see the article on Toronto Harbour and the waterfront.
Business interests in the city
In the late 1850s Gzowski helped found the Toronto Rolling Mills with the Pomeroy brothers. A ten-year contract from November 1859 had the mills reroll rails for the Grand Trunk. He also invested in the Toronto Whale Oil Plant and joined a syndicate that bought the Rossin House hotel in 1864. His home, The Hall, an Italianate villa on Bathurst Street, was designed by Frederic William Cumberland. In 1867 his personal income was rated at $10,000, and the Bathurst Street estate was assessed at $33,282.
The International Bridge
Gzowski’s best-known work is the railway bridge across the Niagara River between Fort Erie and Buffalo. It was 3,651 feet (about 1,113 meters) long and opened on October 27, 1873, according to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. The Canadian Encyclopedia says he designed and built it between 1870 and 1873 and notes that the strong currents, ice, and winds at the site made the work difficult, and Niagara Parks says the bridge is still in use. At the dedication, Grand Trunk general manager Charles John Brydges said that no other man in the country could have carried on the work of the bridge.
Militia, public service, and professional honors
Gzowski was prominent in the 1864 protest against the withdrawal of British troops and urged stronger defenses for Toronto and Montreal. He helped organize the Dominion Rifle Association, which awarded the Gzowski Cup, and he served as treasurer for the Battle of Ridgeway Memorial. He became a lieutenant-colonel of militia in April 1873 and a colonel in 1882.
He sat on the senate of the University of Toronto from 1873 to 1893 and helped found the Protestant Episcopal Divinity School, later Wycliffe College, in 1877. He chaired the Niagara Falls Park Commission from 1885 to 1893 (the provincial plaque and Niagara Parks both call him its first chairman) and briefly served as administrator of Ontario in 1896 and 1897, when the province had no lieutenant governor. He was president of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers from 1889 to 1892, and the society’s highest prize became the Gzowski Medal. Queen Victoria named him an honorary aide-de-camp in 1879, and he was made a KCMG in 1890.
Memorial in Toronto
Sir Casimir Gzowski Park in Toronto is named for him. The Veterans Affairs Canada memorial inventory lists it at 1751 Lake Shore and describes him as a colonel and engineer who helped create the Dominion Rifle Association. Check the City of Toronto for current park details.
Death
Gzowski died in Toronto on August 24, 1898, after an illness of about three months.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Casimir Gzowski?
He was a Polish-born engineer and contractor who built railways in what is now Ontario and the International Bridge at Fort Erie. He worked mainly from Toronto from 1845 and died there in 1898.
Why did Gzowski leave Poland?
He fought in the Polish uprising of 1831. His brigade was interned in Austria, and the Dictionary of Canadian Biography says he was among 264 exiles who sailed to the United States in November 1833, reaching New York in March 1834. Niagara Parks places his arrival in New York in 1833.
What did Gzowski build?
According to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, his firm built the Toronto and Guelph Railway and the Toronto to Sarnia extension for the Grand Trunk, and he built the International Bridge, opened in 1873.
Was Gzowski knighted?
Yes. He was made a KCMG in 1890.
Related reading
- Frederic William Cumberland, designer of The Hall
- Toronto Harbour and waterfront history
- University of Toronto history
- An overview of Toronto’s history
- People of Toronto history
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography, “Gzowski, Sir Casimir Stanislaus,” vol. 12
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, “Sir Casimir Stanislaus Gzowski”
- Niagara Parks, “Casimir Gzowski”
- Read the Plaque, transcription of the Ontario provincial plaque “Sir Casimir S. Gzowski (1813-1898)”
- Veterans Affairs Canada, Canadian Veterans Memorial inventory, “Sir Casimir Gzowski Park”
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Sir Casimir Gzowski: Engineer and Railway Builder. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/casimir-gzowski
MLA: “Sir Casimir Gzowski: Engineer and Railway Builder.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/casimir-gzowski. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Sir Casimir Gzowski: Engineer and Railway Builder.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/casimir-gzowski.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.