17 Hayden Street is a 2.5 storey Gothic Revival (Bay and Gable) houseform building located on the south side of Hayden Street approximately 40 meters east of Yonge Street. 17 Hayden Street was constructed as a detached home in 1884/1885 with another house constructed on its east side a year later in 1885/1886. Prior to the late 20th century, the property was known as 9 Hayden Street.  The exterior of 17 Hayden Street is constructed of brick that has been painted since at least the mid-20th century.

17 Hayden Street is a contributing property within the Yonge Street Heritage Conservation District (presently under appeal at the Ontario Land Tribunal). It is a rare example of a surviving houseform building in the Bloor-Yonge district and one of less than 5 surviving houses on Hayden Street.

Hayden Street was created in the 1850s. Prior to the creation of the Yonge Street Subway in the early 1950s, the street was almost wholly residential with a few small-scale commercial buildings located near its corners at Yonge Street and Church Street; alongside the Naval Club located at 14 Hayden Street; the Westminster Sunday School at 54-58 Hayden Street; the Salvation Army Nurses' Residence at 68-74 Hayden Street; and the Carlton Club at 80-94 Hayden Street. Following the creation of the Yonge Street Subway, Hayden Street rapidly changed with many of the houseform buildings being demolished and replaced with large mid-and-high-rise buildings used for a mix of commercial, institutional, and residential purposes. The neighbouring parking garage was constructed in the mid-1990s.

17 Hayden Street is an extremely rare surviving example of the original residential houseform buildings that originally lined Hayden Street prior to the mid-20th century. Only four others survive: the pair of semi-detached Bay and Gable houses at 48-50 Hayden Street, the Edwardian house at 52 Hayden Street, and the side elevation of 642 Church Street. 17 Hayden Street is the only surviving houseform building on the south side of Hayden Street. 

The first occupant of 17 Hayden Street was George Davis - a bricklayer - who resided here between 1885 and 1886. By 1887, the property was home to John Rose; then by 1899, it was home to William Hynes — a Post Office clerk. 

During the early 1950s (concurrent with the Yonge Street Subway construction), 17 Hayden Street was converted from residential to commercial usages. Its first commercial use was as a storage facility for neighbouring Walker Stanley Ltd. (ladieswear and furs). Recent commercial uses have included a number of small restaurants and a Soviet-themed vape shop (Eastern Bloc Vapes).

Redevelopment:

17 Hayden Street is part of the proposed redevelopment of the southeast corner of Yonge Street and Hayden Street with a 64-storey condominium tower. The developer is proposing demolition of 17 Hayden Street as they allege restoration is too difficult due to parged bricks on some sections of the primary façade.

(Research by Adam Wynne)