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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: 1120 1/2 Queen Street West

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A man named Chu Foo is listed as living at 1120 1/2 Queen Street West, with one other person living there as well. This address is found on plate 21 in Goads Fire Insurance Plans, in lot 531. This establishment is located close to the corner of a block, just like 465 College Street, and the intersection here is Queen Street West and Lisgar Street. The concentration of Chinese shops on Queen Street West seems to be the deepest around the year 1915 (37). According to Valerie Mah, the types of establishments at this location seemed to cater more to white people than Chinese people (37). The picture shows Queen Street West in the present day from the addresses 1122 to 1116, which means that 1120 1/2 would be in this cluster of buildings.

Works Cited

Assessment Roll: Ward 5, Division 1 1900.

Assessment Roll: Ward 5, Division 2 1900.

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

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 465 College Street

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In Valerie Mah’s research paper The ‘Bachelor Society, a man named Wong Foo is listed as living at 465 College Street. According to Goads Fire Insurance Plans, 465 College Street is found on plate 23, in lot 192. The address is located close to the intersection of College and Markham Street. The building is listed as a laundry establishment. The size of the lot was 15×120, and the value of the land was $570. The establishment was also built on as opposed to being vacant land. There are three other people listed as living there with Wong Foo, which are most likely family members, since laundries were generally operated by close relatives or friends from a neighbouring village in the same district (Mah 23). Chinese laundries at this time were hand laundries, meaning that all the work except washing was done by hand (23). Additionally, “Chinese were noted for the fine hand finish” (23). Wong Foo’s establishment was likely quite successful, and would have been up and running f
or many years in the early 1900s.

 

Works Cited

Assessment Roll: Ward 5, Division 1 1900.

Assessment Roll: Ward 5, Division 2 1900.

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

The Chinese In Early 20th Century Toronto: 79 Queen Street West

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This is a photo that was taken around the area of Bay and Queen, roughly around 65-80 Queen Street West

This is a photo that was taken around the area of Bay and Queen, roughly around 65-80 Queen Street West

After: Pre-occupied by the Sheraton hotel as well as small businesses, this is what the space looks like today. Photo taken: 2014
After: Pre-occupied by the Sheraton hotel as well as small businesses, this is what the space looks like today.
Photo taken: 2014

In 1900 during the month of July, Thomas Humphries wrote a letter to Rev. MacKay regarding the Chinese occupancy being held within Toronto. One of the addresses associated with the Chinese in this letter was 79 Queen Street West. It has been recorded within the Toronto Archives that early settler Frank Lee migrated into Canada and became the tenant of 79 Queen Street West within the year 1899 (1). However, he was not the owner of the place — the property was owned by Toronto’s General Hospital (2). Although he was the resident along with three other residents (although it was not recorded the age nor the gender of any of the residents), his occupation was undisclosed (3). He continued to live there for an additional two years up until 1901 when it was documented that there was a new owner named Arthur Stevenson (4). Throughout the years, Toronto became a prevailing city that was in a high-demand for modernistic expansion. With the building of the New City Hall and the formulation of the subway lines, residential homes within the area were being torn down to make room for the developing city. 79 Queen Street west is no longer existent as an independent space. Currently, it is now pre-occupied by the Sheraton Hotel.

It was difficult to find the before picture since it was not a business but rather just a home for Chinese residents.

Work Cited

Assessment Roll: Division 1 1901, Reel 167.

Assessment Roll: Division 1 1899, Reel 132.

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

Toronto: Might’s Directory Co. 1899. Microform. the Toronto city directory for 1899: Vol. XIV.     Location no. 2643730-46, Reel 44.

Toronto: Might’s Directory Co. 1901. Microform. the Toronto city directory for 1901: Vol. XXV.     Location no. 2643730-47, Reel 47.

 

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 85 Church Street

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A laundry mat owned built in wood near the public library. It was presumably owned by Sun Long and called Sun Long Laundry.

Fire Insurance Plan 1903

Fire Insurance Plan 1903

 

Current location

Current location

Fire Insurance 1903 close upFire Insurance 1903 close up

Name of owner and type of business 1901 microfilm

Name of owner and type of business 1901 microfilm

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 126 Adelaide St

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A laundry mat built with wood. Originally, it was owned by Hing Quong. Around this time, a sidewalk was put in along Adelaide St W connecting Bay St and York St. A few years later, the shop changed owners to Parfiovsky Louis and Walsh Walters is also cited as living there.

Fire Insurance 1903

Fire Insurance 1903

Adelaide2

Fire Insurance 1903 Close Up

Adelaide3

Sidewalk Installment on Adelaide between York and Bay (photo taken across the street from 126)

Adelaide4

Microfilm 1899 Owner Hing Quong, Laundry

Adelaide5

Microfilm 1903, owner Parslovsky Lois and Walsh Walter, Laundry

Adelaide6

City Assessment Rolls

Adelaide7

City Assessment Rolls

Adelaide8

City Assessment Rolls

Adelaide9

City Assessment Rolls

Adelaide10

Current Address

 

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 1060 Queen Street West

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This is what the space is currently occupied as. Photo taken: 2014.

This is what the space is currently occupied as.
Photo taken: 2014.

Photo taken from Google Maps Later on developed to be Lighthaus - A gallery for condos.
Photo taken from Google Maps
Later on developed to be Lighthaus – A gallery for condos.

 

According to Valerie Mah’s thesis, The Bachelor’ Society, within the bounds of 1060 Queen Street west, there was a single Chinese resident named Sing Lee who lived above an unnamed laundry facility (1). The leaseholder, however, was a man named Tong Ho who was also Chinese but did not live within the space (2). The primary owner of this wooden house lived within the foundations of Trinity College (3). As the number of residents remained at one, Sing Lee continued to be the only resident of 1060 Queen Street west between the years 1899, 1900 and 1901 (4). The house still remained intact between the years 1913-1924 but gradually became a smaller space throughout those years. What stands on that property today is a real estate presentation centre called LightHaus that promotes the growing urbanization in Toronto with the production of condominiums, metropolitan architecture and modernized living spaces (5). In terms of the picture, it was quite impossible to find a before picture of the Laundry.

Work Cited

Assessment Roll: Ward 5 Division 1 1899, Reel 187.

“General Information.” UrbanToronto. Media, n.d. Web. 10 April. 2014.

Toronto: Might’s Directory Co. 1899. Microform. the Toronto city directory for 1899: Vol. XVI.     Location no. 2643730-46, Reel 58.

Toronto: Might’s Directory Co. 1901. Microform. the Toronto city directory for 1901: Vol. XII.     Location no. 2643730-47, Reel 66.

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

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).

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 420 1/2 Yonge Street

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According to Valerie Mah’s paper, The ‘Bachelor’ Society, a Chinese individual was identified as being connected to 420 1/2 Yonge Street in July 1900.  Bert Lee ran a laundromat at that address in the early 1900s, but today, that address no longer exists.

The Chinese in Early 20th Century Toronto: 926 Bloor Street West

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This laundry was located at 926 Bloor Street West.  This laundry was found during the years 1889 to 1905. The laundry did not change its name or location during that time and it was also found during this research that two people named Ling and Sam were also mentioned to be working there. Also beside there names was another address mentioned for 206 Queen Street which would assumed to be the place where they lived.