The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 846 Yonge Street

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846 Yonge Street has a multifaceted and rich history, hosting operations as a laundry facility, auto mechanic garage, a Canadian Tire in 1955 and most recently as the hair-styling Salon Bespoke, the establishment that occupies the building today. Valerie Mah’s invaluable manuscript The Bachelor Society confirms the scant details known about operations at the turn of the previous century. As of 1899 the property was merely designated as a nondescript Chinese Laundry, but circa 1900 was listed as being rented to a specific Chinese entrepreneur. The registered owner of the building, James Weir, lived just down the street at 783 Yonge Street. It is interesting to note that that at the young age of 23, one Lee Kam You is documented as the presiding business owner at that time. There were a total of 4 residents listed as living at the premise, but only Lee Kam You’s name and details were to be found in historical accounts of the time. As of 2014 the whole adjoining stretch of commercial properties, ranging from 838-848 Yonge Street, was purchased by Bazis International for development of the newly conceived 1 Yorkville Condo Project. Previously valued at $1,474,000 in the 2014 Toronto Tax rolls, the proposed plans thankfully include a conservation strategy to preserve the heritage commercial building properties gracing the front area of Yonge Street, dating back farther than even the dawn of the last century.

 

1846-1850 Yonge Street, 1901.

1846-1850 Yonge Street, 1901.

846 Yonge Goad's Fire Insurance Map, 1913.

846 Yonge Street. Goad’s Fire Insurance Map, 1913.

846 Yonge Street neighboring buildings, 1930

846 Yonge Street neighboring buildings, 1930.

846 Yonge Street, 2014. As seen today.

846 Yonge Street, 2014. As seen today.

Works Cited

Assessment Rolls: Ward 3 Division 3. 1899-1900. Toronto Archives. Microform.

Goads Fire Insurance Plan (1913, plate 1a). Web. Obtained 05/02/2014 from http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=04ab757ae6b31410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextfmt=default#central

Mah, Valerie.  The Bachelor Society: A Look at Toronto’s Early Chinese Community from 1878 – 1924 (unpublished, 1978).

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 836-850 Yonge St/1-9A Yorkville Ave. Web. Obtained 05/11/2014 from http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2014/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-64732.pdf

Toronto City Directory. 1899-1900. Toronto Archives. Microform.

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 263 Queen Street East

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Based on a July 1900 letter from Thomas Humphries to Rev. MacKay, Sam Wing was one of 95 Chinese Establishment owners in Toronto. Goad’s Fire Insurance Plan indicates that Wing resided at 263 Queen Street East between 1899 to 1900 in a wooden building.

ASSESSMENT98

Goads Fire Insurance Plan shows unit 263 located beside unit 265 on Queen Street East.

Sam Wing lived at 263 Queen Street East when he was 32 years old. Based on the assessments he lived alone and was a Christian. His total taxable income was $1,645 and this income stayed the same for the two years that he lived at 263 Queen Street East.

For the 2 years that he lived on the property Sam Wing operated it as a Chinese Laundry mat. After Sam Wing left 263 Queen Street East, the property continued to operate as a Chinese Laundry, run by another Chinese owner, for many years.

Queen St. and Sherbourne

A picture of Queen St. East and Sherbourne St.

While there were some vacancies between 1902 and throughout the 1960’s a City of Toronto heritage report notes that during the 1950s and 1960s the unit was continually operated as a Chinese Laundry.

picture1960s

The arrow is pointing to 263 Queen St. East during the early 1960’s.

The landlord for Sam Wing’s property was Christina Lauder, who owned a large portion of real estate on Queen Street East between Sherbourne St. and Ontario St. Currently, there is no longer a laundry mat at 263 Queen Street East. It is now a Planet of Sound store that sells headphones and speakers.

The 263 Queen Street East building was designed in 1875 by Christina Lauder and everything on the exterior remains the same as it was originally designed. The 263 Queen Street East commercial unit along with any other units designed by Christina Lauder are City of Toronto heritage properties.

planetsound

There is no longer a laundromat at 263 Queen St. East. It is now a Planet of Sound.

 

Sources:

Assessment Roll: Ward 2 Division 1 1901

Assessment Roll: Ward 2 Division 1 1900

City of Toronto Archives: Goads Fire Insurance Plan (1899)

http://www.toronto.ca/archives/maps/goads-atlases/1903/g1890_1903_pl0029.jp2

City of Toronto Staff Report:

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/pb/bgrd/backgroundfile-62855.pdf

 

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 29 Queen Street East – Chon Tai’s Laundry

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Among the many names and establishments listed in Valerie Mah’s The Bachelor Society was Chon Tai, of 29 Queen Street East. According to the Goads Fire Insurance Plan Maps, the wooden building was constructed some time before the turn of the 20th century. The Toronto Tax Assessment Rolls indicate that it was a laundry service that predated Chon’s association: as early as 1897 it was staffed by and possibly lived in by Lee Ping, with Chon taking his place the following year. The laundry was part of a larger collection of neighbouring businesses, including a livery (a horse rental service) and a hotel, which were owned–leased to Chon–by the McCarron family.

Over the next 28 years Chon worked at the laundry service, through changes in ownership (from the McCarrons to the James & Bach Macdonald Supply Company; and later to Daniel Kenson and Alfred and Ruth Johnston) and directory assignment (29 Queen Street East was originally part of Division 1B within Toronto Ward 3. Between 1910 and 1911 the location was merged into Division 3 of the same Ward). The first two years, Chon spent all alone, living in his workplace. In 1901 he was joined by another Chon, unfortunately one without any first name listed in the Toronto City Directories. 1901 was also the year Chon Tai moved to 279 Church Street (which opened its own laundry service, possibly by him, in 1902), while the other Chon was stated to live at 177 McCaul Street. It’s possible that the two Chons were married or relatives; the unnamed Chon might have been a relative who immigrated to Canada in 1901. The second laundry service at 279 Church could indicate either Chon opening his own service or getting a second job to make ends meet, which would make sense given the presence of someone other than himself to support. Valerie Mah listed two other Chinese immigrants with Chon Tai, but only the one, unnamed Chon is listed in the city’s records.

Between 1926 and 1927 Chon Tai passed on the lease to a new owner, Tong Chui. The laundry business continued until 1946, when it was demolished and replaced with a parking station. Such became the lot’s purpose until the present day, for it is now part of a multi-level parking garage owned by the Toronto Parking Authority.

 

Sources

Toronto Tax Assessment Rolls: Ward 3 Division 1B. 1898-1910. Toronto Archives. Microform.

Toronto Tax Assessment Rolls: Ward 3 Division 3. 1911-1946. Toronto Archives. Microform.

Toronto City Directory. 1899-1901. Toronto Archives. Microform.

Goads Fire Insurance Plan (1899, 1913). Web. Obtained 04/08/2014 from http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=b1ab757ae6b31410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Mah, Valerie.  The Bachelor Society: A Look at Toronto’s Early Chinese Community from 1878 – 1924 (unpublished, 1978).

372 Spadina Today

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 372 Spadina Avenue – Mark Lum

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Mark Lum didn’t occupy 372 Spadina Avenue until 1901. In 1899, John Law owned an entire block of wood commercial space, with residential space above, from 370 to 382 Spadina Avenue and lived in 372 himself. In 1901, John Law rented out 372 to Mark Lum. Lum lived with three other adults in the apartment above and operated a Chinese laundromat  below. Just a year later, in 1902, Lum disappeared from the assessment rolls but 372 Spadina continued as a Chinese laundromat under Juong Yoong. Yoong lived above with two other adults under this record instead of three the previous year. This suggests that Lum either died or left his laundromat to Yoong and moved out a year after opening it.

Only a year after Yoong took over, 372 Spadina was exempt from the assessment roll. This means that a laundry service was no longer in operation and the building was empty.

Years later the property was sold to Alfred G. Brown who operated a barber and cigar shop at 372 and the neighbouring space next door.

 

 

This is what the block, where Mark Lum's Laundry was situated, would have looked like 60 years before he started.

This is what the block, where Mark Lum’s Laundry was situated, would have looked like 37 years before he started.

Reconstruction of Spadina and College in 1941 --Lum's Laundry is just one block south from this photo --

Reconstruction of Spadina and College in 1927 –Lum’s Laundry is just one block south from this photo —

372 Spadina in the 70's

372 Spadina in the 70’s

372 Spadina in the 90s

372 Spadina in the 90’s

Works Cited

Assessment Roll: Ward 4 Division 2 1899

Assessment Roll: Ward 4 Division 2 1901

Assessment Roll: Ward 4 Division 2 1902

Assessment Roll: Ward 4 Division 2 1903

Assessment Roll: Ward 4 Division 2 1909

Assessment Roll: Ward 4 Division 2 1912

Northwest Corner of Spadina Avenue and Baldwin Street. October, 1973. City of Toronto Archives, Toronto. Print.

Panorama of Spadina Avenue. 1985. Spadina Avenue by Rosemary Donegan. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. Print

Thomson, W.J. Spadina, Baldwin and Nassau. 1896. Metro Reference Library. Spadina Avenue by Rosemary Donegan. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. Print

Toronto Transit Commission. Re-Laying Streetcar Tracks. 1927. Spadina Avenue by Rosemary Donegan. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. Print

 

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 834 King Street West

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Valerie Mah’s The ‘Bachelor’ Society indicates that in 1900 a Chinese resident was at 834 King Street West. My research found that in the City of Toronto Directory for 1901, a different person than Sam Lee lived at the address. It was Davis Mrs M, gro Davis Wm.  Where this establishment was supposed to exist is now an intersection at King St and Niagara St.

 

 

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 207 Church Street

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In 1901, a man named Hong Kee lived in the building at 207 Church Street. The building also housed his business, which was a laundromat. According to the 1913 Fire Insurance Map, it was built out of wood. Hopefully the steam from the laundry did not rot the wood. Though there are no pictures of the building to be found, if it was anything like the back of 203 Church Street in 1914 (see picture), it was possibly somewhat rundown.

At this time, there were two other people living with him (three total), who presumably helped run the laundry. Valued at $1005 dollars and deemed “Anglican” in official Assessment records, the building was not owned by Kee, but was instead owned by Kenneth Allison, who lived elsewhere at 668 Yonge Street.

Allison still owned the building by 1909, at which time Kee was 30 years old. By this time though, there now only lived two people in the building. Kee did not have any children with him. In 1909 the property was valued at $1225, which was a slight improvement from 1901, though it’s uncertain whether this was due to improvement of the building, success of the business, or differences in dollar value. Perhaps all three.

 

Works Cited

City of Toronto Assessment Roll, Ward 3 Div. 2, Reel 216

City of Toronto Assessment Roll, Ward 3 Div. 2, Reel 147

Toronto Fire Insurance Plan (1913)

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 352 Spadina Avenue

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In 1913, 352 Spadina Avenue was part of a string of houses owned by Mary Leadly and Percival Leadly (they owned units 350 to 358)

Two tenants were listed at this address. The first was Louis Wong age 26, who lived on the bottom section of the unit. It was a laundry business in this bottom section, like most real-estates nearby. The number of residents living here including Wong is two. The second tenant was a Frank Tilley age 39, lived on the higher level of the 352 Spadina Ave establishment. The business title given to the tenant is a Collector. The number of residents living on the top section is 6 including Frank. Currently, this location is a Jewellery shop called Minh Chau Jewellery & Watches.

 

Sources

Title: City of Toronto Assessment Rolls, 1913

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 82 Gladstone Avenue

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In Valarie Mah’s paper Bachelor Society, in 1900, 82 Gladstone Avenue was occupied by Chinese immigrant Lew Mo Kee. According to the city directories, 82 Gladstone was vacant before Kee resided in 1900-1901 being the first Chinese resident to make it a laundry business. After his departure in 1901, another Chinese resident, Bong Mark, continued the laundry business and after 4 years in 1905, the business previously occupied by Wood Yong still remained. It appears the occupation of running a laundry lacked permanence and was a mere response to “the demand of rapidly growing urban economy by providing quality, low cost laundry service to a workforce of single men” (Mah, 40). Interestingly, prior to Kee’s moving, 82 Gladstone in 1898 was a Public School with the tenant and caretaker, Ritchie Duncan. The progression of this area is evident through the changes of residence and the use of building.

According to taxes of 1901, Kee was a tenant at 82 Gladstone which was owned by Matthew Parsons, owner and trustee of the Presbyterian Church. Mah reports there are three other Chinese immigrants taking residence in the same building. However, observing the accessible rolls of 1900 in Ward 6 division 2, it seems that this number may be an error and that there were actually five individuals are connected to the residence. In others words, it is possible that Kee was living with his family in 82 Gladstone Avenue.  Chinese immigrants living with their families in the early 1900s were, however, a rare phenomenon. Most in men in Toronto Chinatown were “bachelors” and “there were only 13 Chinese families among 2035 Chinese in the city in 1921(Mah, 37), therefore there must have been even less Chinese families in Toronto in 1900. Furthermore, a headtax for Chinese coming into Canada had been established and the “$50 a head was a financial hardship” for the Chinese making it very hard to believe that the residents as 82 Gladstone Avenue were Lew Mo Kee’s actual family (Mah, 27).

Currently, 82 Gladstone Avenue is a grocery store called “Friendly Grocery”.

82 gladstone friendly groceryfriendly grocery- glad
Works Cited:

Mah, Valerie. “The “Bachelor” Society”. A Look at Toronto’s Early Chinese Community from 1878 – 1924 (unpublished, 1978).

Google Maps: 82 GLadstone Avenue. https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en-CA&gbv=2&q=82+gladstone+avenue&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x882b3455204114fb:0x42d42d4448af7867,82+Gladstone+Ave,+Toronto,+ON+M6J+3K7&gl=ca&ei=S7dIU7CUO6qw2wWL9ICADg&ved=0CB4Q8gEoATAA. Web. Last accessed 11 April ,2014.

Toronto City Directory (1898-1902, 1905); Toronto Archives

Google map:
Goads Fire Insurance Plan (1899); Toronto Archives Website

 

460 Spadina Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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According to the City of Toronto Directories, the first building constructed on the site of 460 Spadina must have been established around 1888. This seems to be the case because, in 1887, lots 365 – 497 where College St. intersects were listed as: “stables, house, private grounds, Methodist Church, vacant lot, unfinished house, vacant, vacant, vacant lot.” In the City Directories for 1888, lot 460 is listed under “White Alfred.” Alfred White was the registered in the City of Toronto Tax Assessment Rolls for St. Patrick’s Ward in 1888: aged 42, occupation was “gents furnishing” with 7 family members. The size of the lot of land was 234 x 188 and on that lot was a brick building sized 18 x 266 / 14 x 31.

460 Spadina Ave. 1903 Map: Clip from Plate 23 of Goads Fire Insurance Plans

Map c. 1903: Clip from Plate 23 of Goads Fire Insurance Plans

c. 1927 on Spadina Ave., looking south to College St.

c. 1927 on Spadina Ave., looking south to College St.

According to Goads Fire Insurance Plans from 1903 (above), this building was located at the South-Western corner of the intersection of Spadina Ave. and College St. In these plans, the building is coloured red, which indicates that it was, indeed, a brick building. The photo (above) shows what the intersection looked like during the late 1920’s.

c. 2012: Outside the 460 Bistro Bar

Today: Outside the 460 Bistro Bar (c. 2012).

c. 2012: Inside the 460 Bistro Bar with Mona behind the cashier.

Today: Inside the 460 Bistro Bar with Mona behind the cashier (c. 2012).

Today that building bears the same address and is home to The 460 Bistro Bar. The woman who runs the business is named Mona and she moved from Southern China under a decade ago. Her bar has become somewhat of a legend among Toronto’s underground art and music scene.

The 460’s website can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-460/103511123019232

c. 1990s: Just north of 460 Spadina Ave. is the El Mocombo (464 Spadina Ave.)

Mona recalls that the previous business owner of 460 Spadina was a Vietnamese man named John. The City of Toronto Directories for 2001 do in fact list “John’s Restaurant” at that address.

Mona also recalls that before John, two Chinese women named Nancy and Michelle ran a restaurant and bar that served breakfast, lunch and dinner – apparently it was quite popular among University of Toronto students. The City of Toronto Directories for 1980 and 1990 simply list “Coffee Shop.”

_____________________________

CITATIONS

City of Toronto. Tax Assessment Rolls. St. Patrick’s Ward (1888). Microfilm. Pg. 81.

City of Toronto. Directories (1887). Microfilm. Pg. 213-214.

City of Toronto. Directories (1888). Microfilm. Pg. 248.

City of Toronto. Directories (1955). Microfilm.

City of Toronto. Directories (1980). Microfilm. Pg. 783.

City of Toronto. Directories (1990). Microfilm. Pg. 445.

City of Toronto. Directories (2001). Microfilm.

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 225 Church Street

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Around the turn of the century, 225 Church Street around Church and Wilton (Dundas was formerly known as Wilton) was a laundry owned by a man named Long Fung. The laundry was made of wood and and existed on the east side of the street. Today, 225 Church Street is the Sabai Sabai Kitchen and Bar, a Thai restaurant.

Sources

 

 

 

Toronto archives:

Fonds 200, Series 372, Subseries 58, Item 28