Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951) was a suspense and horror fiction writer, a pioneer in the genre and one of the most influential. His father sent him to Canada to make something of himself. After running a dairy farm outside of the city that failed, Algernon bought a hotel in Toronto on 42 Colborne St. This venture was also unsuccessful and he fled Toronto to escape his creditors, hiding out in cabin outside the city for a few months before returning to England and then an illustrious literary career.

During his time in Toronto, Algernon was one of the original founders of Toronto's chapter of the Theosophical Society, a group devoted to study in religion and the occult and is now located at 109 Dupont St.