Archive for month: April, 2014

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The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 956 Queen Street West

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990 Queen St West (1917)956-52 Queen St W (2014)

Provincial Lunatic Asylum (CAMH today)

 

Wu Chong was a tenant at 956 Queen St. West, owned by James Hunter, and operated a laundry mat from that location. According to the Toronto Street Directories, the property was listed under Sells H & Sons, assumed to be Hunter & Sons, in 1889 and “Wer. Chong” became a tenant in 1890. The name “Wer. Chong” may be an interpretation of his name by the person filling out the assessment. According to the Assessment Roll of 1900 and Valerie Mah’s “The Bachelor Society”, there is only one person listed under this address, meaning that Wu Chong was either a bachelor or working and sending money home to his family in China. It can be confirmed that Chong operated from that establishment from 1890-1917. However, beginning in 1917, the establishment is listed in the Toronto Directory as “Chinese Laundry”, which may have still been operated by Chong. The property is located across from what was then known as the Provincial Lunatic Asylum (known today as the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)). The appearance of the shop can be assumed to be similar to the properties shown in the photo above of 990 Queen St West in June of 1919. The location is currently occupied by the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) and will be replaced by condominiums as part of a redevelopment plan.

Works Cited:

Assessment Roll (1900) Ward 5 Division 1; City of Toronto Archives.

Mah, Valerie. The bachelor society: a look at Toronto’s early Chinese community from     1878-1924. MA Thesis. 1978. Print.

Provincial Lunatic Asylum (June 1973). Public Works Photographs. Series 372, Item 69. City of Toronto Archives.

Toronto Directory (1889-1917); City of Toronto Archives.

990 Queen St W (June 17, 1919). Public Works Photographs. Series 372, Item 811. City of Toronto Archives.

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 352 Spadina Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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352 Spadina Ave. 1903 Map: Clip from Plate 23 of Goad's Fire Insurance Plans

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

 

352 Spadina Ave. 2014 Google Maps

352 Spadina Ave. in 2014 Google Maps

In accordance with Valerie Mah’s research, the City of Toronto Directories from 1900 and the Tax Assessment Rolls from 1901 do verify that, at that time, 352 Spadina Ave. was occupied by a person by the name of Mah Tang.

Valerie Mah’s research (in her thesis The Bachelor Society A Look at Toronto’s Early Chinese Community 1878-1924), which included a letter from Thomas Humprhies to Reverand MacKay, listed 95 Chinese establishments in Toronto on July 25 1900. That letter stated that 352 Spadina Ave. was occupied by Mah Tang and 3 other Chinese people.

The Tax Assessment records from 1901 state that Mah Tang was a tenant of Thomas Hook. His occupation is listed as “laundry.” Mah Tang’s business must have run out of the street-level portion of the building, because there is tax listing for another tenant that lived “over 352” named Patterson John J. (This upstairs tenant was recorded as 44 years old, with 6 family members, 3 children. The owner of the upstairs property was Edward Leadlay). Mah Tang was recorded to have 2 “Persons in Family” and no children.

According to Goads Fire Insurance Plans from 1903 (image attached), this building was located at the North-Western corner of the intersection of Spadina Ave. and St. Andrew St. In these plans, the building is coloured red, which indicates that it was a brick building.

Today that building bears the same address and is home to Minh Cau Jewellers who sell jewellery, watches and optical glasses (storefront image attached). Their website can be seen here: http://www.minhchau.ca/

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WORKS CITED

City of Toronto. Tax Assessment Rolls. Ward 4 Division 3 (1901). Reel 148, Location 264736:40. Microfilm. Pg. 50.

City of Toronto. Directories (1900). Reel 46. Microfilm. Pg. 233.

Mah, Valerie. The Bachelor Society: A Look at Toronto’s Early Chinese Community from 1878-1924. MA Thesis. 1978. Print.

Letter from Humprhies to Rev. MacKay, July 25, 1900, File 33, Box 1, United Church Archives, as noted in Mah 19.

 

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.”

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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: 84 Ulster Street

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The address I chose to do was 84 Ulster street. Mainly because I have never heard that street name before and I figured it would be fun to figure out the history of it. It was a thrilling experience until I realized I would have to scroll through many pages of film to get to the name listed at the address. When I first started to look for the address in the fire plans I found that 84 Ulster street was in Ward 4 division 2. After figuring out the ward went into the roll of 1899, and decided to see who lived there at the time and what occupation they may have had. Then I stumbled onto this: 84 Ulster Street was the location of a laundry owned by Bing Lee. The laundry was named Peoples Loan Company. By 1903, 84 Ulster, also a laundry, was owned by a Lem, Yong.

 

Works Cited:

Assessment Roll: Ward 4 Division 2 1899

Assessment Roll: Ward 4 Division 2 1903

 

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

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 309 College Street

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According to Valeria Mah’s thesis paper The Bachelor Society, 309 College Street in the early 1900s was occupied by a Chinese bachelor named Charlie Lung. However according to information gathered from the 1899 and 1903 Goad’s Fire Insurance Plans, the 1900 and 1901 Toronto City Directories and the Toronto Assessment Rolls there was no one living at that address. In fact, there was no building at 309 College Street. It was an empty lot according to the Goad Insurance Maps with no structures.

Despite this anomaly, Charlie Lung does appear in the City Directories of 1900 and 1901 however he is listed at 697 Yonge Street not 309 College. This could mean that there were more than one Charlie Lung’s in Toronto. The 1898 Assessment Roll has no listing for 309 College Street but there is a Charlie Lung listed at 313 College Street. According to the information, Lung ran a laundry, was the householder, and lived alone. There were no other listed tenants or family members. The building itself was owned by Florence (last name is illegible) from Montreal.

However in the 1901 Assessment Roll, Charlie Lung is listed at 313A College Street owned by Gordon Jones. He still ran a laundry business and was a householder. This might be explained by the rapid growth of the city which altered street numbers. It is not likely that Charlie Lung moved his laundry down one house between 1898 and 1901 therefore it is probable that it was the street numbers that altered.

In both Assessment Rolls, Lung’s religion is listed as Chinese. This listing of Lung’s ethnic and racial background as a religion highlights the ‘othering’ of the Chinese in Toronto at the time and the ignorance of Chinese culture.

Works Cited

Assessment Roll (1898): Ward 4 Division 2; City of Toronto Archives.

Assessment Roll (1901): Ward 4 Division 2; City of Toronto Archives.

Goad’s Fire Insurance Map (1899 & 1903); City of Toronto Archives Website.

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

Toronto City Directory, 1900 & 1901; City of Toronto Archives.

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto:100 Elm Street

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In Valerie Mah’s thesis paper The “Bachelor” Society, Samuel Wing is listed as having lived at 100 Elm Street in the early 1900s. This fact is corroborated by both the City of Toronto Directories and the Toronto Archive’s Assessment Rolls. According to the Goad’s Insurance Plans of 1899 and 1903, the building at 100 Elm Street was made of wood and situated directly across from the Poor House. In the City Directories of 1900 and 1901, Wing is listed as running a laundry business from 100 Elm St. Wing is listed as a tenant while the actual owner of the building was Samuel Jardiene of the Home Savings and Loan Company. Jardiene was most likely a mortgage holder of some sort. Wing lived alone, with no listed tenants, no listed family and no listed children.

In 2014, the building has been torn down and fused with many other lots to form Sick Kids Hospital.

 

Works Cited

Assessment Roll 1900: Ward 3 Division 2; City of Toronto Archives

Goad Fire Insurance Map (1899 & 1903); City of Toronto Archives Website.

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

Toronto City Directory, 1900 & 1901; City of Toronto Archives.

 

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 90 Dundas West

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Lee Hing was listed as a Chinese migrant residing in Toronto in a July 1900 letter to Rev. MacKay of the United Church. Between 1899 – 1901, Hing was listed as the only renter at Woods L Butcher at 90 Dundas West (now 3142 Dundas West). Hing may have worked at one of the Chinese business in the area, such as a nearby Chinese-run hardware store or a Chinese laundromat. Old 90 Dundas West was almost directly across from St. John Church.

 

 

 

Might Directories, Limited. Toroto City Directory 1899. Toronto, 1900. Print.

Might Directories, Limited. Toroto City Directory 1900. Toronto, 1901. Print.

Might Directories, Limited. Toroto City Directory 1901. Toronto, 1902. Print.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, Town of Toronto Junction assessment roll – 1899, Toronto. 1900.  Print.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, Town of Toronto Junction assessment roll – 1900, Toronto. 1901. Print.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, Town of Toronto Junction assessment roll – 1901, Toronto. 1902. Print.

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 447 Queen St. West

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Mark Sing was an early migrant to Canada from China and is listed as being at 447 Queen St. West in a July 1900 letter to Rev. MacKay of the United Church. Sing probably hoped to earn some money in Canada to send back to his family. To accomplish this goal he opened a laundromat, called the Sing Mark Laundry, which was in business in the year 1899.  The following year, a man identified as Charlie Hing bought that property and moved his own laundry, the Hing C Laundry, from 229 Queen St West to 447 Queen St West. The location then became Hing C laundry from 1900 onwards. Currently, there is a TD bank at this address.

 

 

 

Might Directories, Limited. Toroto City Directory 1899. Toronto, 1900. Print.

Might Directories, Limited. Toroto City Directory 1900. Toronto, 1901. Print.

Might Directories, Limited. Toroto City Directory 1901. Toronto, 1902. Print.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, Assessment roll, Toronto, ward 6, division 2 – 1901, Toronto. 1902. Print.

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 281 Church Street – Private Grounds

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According to a letter to Rev. Mackay (July 25, 1900) of the United Church noted in Valerie Mah’s  independent research paper “The Bachelor Society”,  a Chinese man named Charlie Lee either had a business or was living at 281 Church Street. The Goad’s Fire Insurance Plan Map indicates that the property at 281 Church Street was built sometime between 1884 and 1890. Goad’s Fire Insurance Plan Map depicts the property in brown which indicates that it is was a brick building.  The Toronto City Directories for 1899 show a man by the name of Charles J. Taber, a butcher, living at the property. The property was considered to be private grounds. The following year in 1900 it was indicated to be vacant, and in 1901 the address was no longer listed within the directory. Looking through the Assessment Rolls, the only assessment roll available for the address 281 Church Street was in 1899. The information was quite consistent with the information from the directory, however the name was recorded as Tabor, Arthur J. instead of Tabor, Charlie J. Due to the fact that this person only lived at the address for a short period of time and it was accounted for as private grounds, it can be deduced that the person living there did not run any kind of business and even if he did, it would have been a private shop that was available to a few people. In 2014, the property where 281 Church Street was located is now a part of Ryerson University. The George Vari Engineering building is located at that site.

281 Church Street (2014)

 

Works Cited

– Assessment rolls (1899) Roll#7332; Toronto Archives

– Toronto Directory (1899, 1900, 1901); Toronto Archives

– Goads Fire Insurance Plan (1899); Toronto Archives Website

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