Description: 

63-65 Huntley Street is a 2 or 2.5 storey, semi-detached house located at the southeast corner of Huntley Street and Selby Street in the Upper Jarvis neighbourhood of Toronto. 63-65 Huntley Street was constructed in 1876 and first occupied by 1877. 63-65 Huntley Street display elements of both the Italianate and Gothic Revival styles of architecture. 

63-65 Huntley Street are of a yellow brick construction with red brick accents around the doors, windows, and quoins. The primary (Huntley Street) elevation is largely intact, although the exterior of the two ground floor bay windows may have been reclad since their initial construction. 63 Huntley Street additionally has a rear addition along Selby Street - known as 1A-1B Selby Street - which appears to provide access to several residential apartments.  

Prior to 1884, 63-65 Huntley Street was known as 88-90 Huntley Street. 

A 2-storey outbuilding exists at the rear of 65 Huntley Street. 

Upper Jarvis - A Brief History: 

The Upper Jarvis neighbourhood is bounded by Bloor Street East to the north; Sherbourne Street to the East; Wellesley Street East to the south; and Jarvis Street to the west.

The Upper Jarvis neighbourhood is situated at the northmost section of former Park Lots 5 & 6. Park Lot 5 was granted to Chief Justice William Osgoode on 4 September 1793; whereas Park Lot 6 was granted to William Jarvis on 4 September 1793. Park Lot 5 was later sold and subdivided several times during the late 18th through mid-19th century, whereas Park Lot 6 largely remained in the ownership of the Jarvis family until the mid-19th century. 

The Upper Jarvis neighbourhood first emerged on maps during the 1850s after Jarvis Street was extended north of Queen Street East in the late 1840s. Residential development in Upper Jarvis first emerged in the late 1850s and intensified from the 1860s onward. Many extant buildings in Upper Jarvis date to the late 19th or early 20th century. Sections of the Upper Jarvis neighbourhood were historically known as St. John's Grove, which was a name derived from and shared by the residence of Archbishop John Joseph Lynch - the Roman Catholic Bishop of Toronto between 1860 to 1870 and the First Archbishop of Toronto from 1870 to 1888 - that was located in the area near Our Lady of Lourdes Church. Our Lady of Lourdes Church was established in 1879 and was one of the earliest institutions in the Upper Jarvis neighbourhood. 

The Upper Jarvis Neighbourhood Association additionally notes on their website that the south end of Jarvis Street (Lower Jarvis) had "small lots for working-class housing [...] the lots grew in size as they approached Bloor, where substantial one-acre parcels in Upper Jarvis sold for $500 each. Here, Toronto’s industrial and mercantile elite built their mansions, and the upwardly-mobile sought properties on Huntley, Linden and Selby."

Huntley Street - which presently runs north-south between Bloor Street West and Earl Place / Earl Street (and historically north into Rosedale) - is situated directly on the boundary of former Park Lots 5 & 6. As of the publication of William Boulton Somerville's Atlas of the City of Toronto and Vicinity in 1858, Huntley Street had 3-to-4 structures - likely residences - constructed along the street. Huntley Street subsequently first appears in the City of Toronto Directories in the 1859/1860 Edition. As of 1861/1862, early residents of Huntley Street were: Caleb E. English - a barrister; Rev. George Paxton Young (1818-1889) - a professor at Knox College and University College; and Dalrymple Crawford - who owned the D. Crawford & Company mustard and spice mills on Palace Street, and who commissioned Cumberland and Storm to construct a residence at the corner of Huntley Street and Isabella Street in 1860. Huntley Street itself was named for Huntly, a small town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that was the birthplace of William Allan (c. 1770-1853). William Allan was the 2nd postmaster and customs collector of the Town of York and an early and prominent landowner in the area. Comparatively, Selby Street was named for Prideaux Selby (1747-1813) - the Receiver General of Upper Canada from 1808 until his death in 1813.

Following World War I, many wealthy residents of the Jarvis Street area moved to the outer suburbs. Many of the larger residences in the area were then subdivided into apartments, boarding houses, or converted to other uses such as use as charity or hospital buildings. Following World War 2, Jarvis Street was connected to the Gardiner Expressway at its southern terminus and Mount Pleasant Road at its northern terminus. This drastically increased the traffic volume along Jarvis Street and resulted in a dramatic change to the streetscape. The post-World War II era also saw multiple 19th and early 20th century properties in the Jarvis Street area demolished, as these downtown lands had increased in value and were converted to commercial, institutional, office, or residential high-rise use. 

First Occupants of 63-65 Huntley Street:

63 Huntley Street:

The first occupants of 63 Huntley Street were Arkless Harris Rundle and family who resided at 63 Huntley Street from 1876/1877 until 1884/1885.

Arkless Harris Rundle (1847-1909) was a prominent builder in Toronto. The Rundle family are particularly important to the history of the Upper Jarvis neighbourhood both through having constructed numerous residences in the area and through being long-term residents of the neighbourhood themselves. 

Arkless Harris Rundle was born in West Alvington, Devonshire, England in 1847 and arrived in Canada in 1871. He married Sarah Hockridge (born 1853) on 4 April 1873. Arkless and Sarah Rundle had 4 children - 1 daughter and 3 sons - born between 1878 and 1890. Their youngest son - Dyson Hague Rundle - died in infancy. Arkless Harris Rundle died in Toronto on 19 March 1909 of heart failure. Arkless Harris Rundle was the younger brother of Charles Rundle, another prominent Toronto builder (see below for more information). 

C. Blackett Robinson et al.'s History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario: Volume 1 (1885) provides the following biographical sketch of Arkless Harris Rundle: 

"A. H. Rundle, builder and contractor, was born in Devonshire, England and came to Canada in 1871, where he has resided ever since. Is engaged in building and largely interested in real estate. He has built nineteen houses on Sherbourne, Huntley, and Selby Streets. Mr. Rundle married Miss Hockridge, of Toronto." (page 364).

Historic directory data indicate that Arkless Harris Rundle operated under the business name A. H. Rundle & Company. A. H. Rundle & Company specialized in plaster work, although also engaged in house building and other construction-related activities. The Canadian Magazine's April 1893 (Volume 1, Edition 2) edition notes that A. H. Rundle & Company were contracted to do interior plaster and lathe work at the Ontario Legislative Buildings during their construction in the early 1890s.

Following their residence at 63 Huntley Street, the Rundle family resided on Rose Avenue in Saint James Town. The Rundle family later moved to Rosedale. 

Arkless Harris Rundle was the eponym of the A. H. Rundle House (1889) at 15 Selby Street, which was commissioned by Arkless Harris Rundle and designed by Edward James Lennox. The A. H. Rundle House was recently restored during the mid-2010s as part of The Selby condominium project at the southwest corner of Selby Street and Sherbourne Street. Further research is required to determine whether Arkless Harris Rundle also commissioned or constructed 63-65 Huntley Street. Notably, 63-65 Huntley Street (1876/1877) predates the A. H. Rundle House (1889) by over a decade.

By the 1890s, Arkless Harris Rundle had entered municipal politics. He served as a Reform (Liberal) aldermanic candidate for the St. Thomas Ward of Toronto during the 1891 election, although lost to another candidate. Arkless Harris Rundle continued to be involved with the Reform (Liberal) Party in Toronto through the late 1890s. In 1892, Arkless Harris Rundle gave a speech to Toronto builder and real estate professionals in response to an economic recession and real estate slump. In April 1893, Arkless Harris Rundle and Edward James Lennox were at the center of a scandal that accused them of making a backroom deal with Mayor Robert John Fleming to get the contract to build the (new) City Hall and Courthouse, but the rumours were later reported to have been baseless. However, subsequently in February 1894, Mayor Fleming sued Arkless Harris Rundle for $9140 in outstanding debts for building and real estate activities. Further research is required to determine if these two events were linked. 

Arkless Harris Rundle reportedly opposed Sunday streetcar service and attended a rally regarding this in August 1893.

By the late 1890s, the Rundle family had moved to Binscarth Road in Rosedale and Arkless Harris Rundle was working as the manager of the Toronto Basket Manufacturing Company alongside his construction and real estate activities. Arkless Harris Rundle was also reported to have been active in the North Toronto Liberals as of January 1898.

As noted above, Arkless Harris Rundle was the younger brother of Charles Rundle (1844-1914). Charles Rundle was also a prominent Toronto builder who had a long-time business partnership with Edward James Lennox. Charles Rundle was the eponym of the Charles Rundle House (1889) at 514 Jarvis Street, which was designed by Lennox. Alongside Lennox, Charles Rundle additionally had involvement with the construction of Toronto City Hall in the late 1880s through late 1890s.

Please note some genealogical and historical sources use varying spellings of Arkless' given name, including Arkless, Archaelus, Archelaus, and Arch. The name is derived from Greek history and mythology. Some genealogical sources also reference that Arkless Harris Rundle may have had a twin named Hercules Rundle, although other sources dispute this due to extremely limited information existing about Hercules Rundle and note that he may have died in infancy and/or this could be an erroneous transliteration of the name Arkless.

65 Huntley Street:

The first occupants of 65 Huntley Street were the Caston family, who lived there from 1876/1877 until 1898. The Caston family consisted of 3 siblings: Frederick A. Caston, Harry E. Caston, and Emily Caston. A domestic worker - Maud Dwyer - also lived with the family during this period in time. 

Census records indicate that the Caston family were from the London area of England and arrived in Canada in 1862. The family were members of the Church of England. Brief biographies of the Castons have been included below. 

Frederick A. Caston (c. 1849-1916) was the head of the household according to census records. Prior to the late 1880s, he owned F. A. Caston & Company - a leather and findings shop based on Scott Street. By the late 1880s, Frederick A. Caston had become engaged with real estate activities and was working as a real estate broker. On 29 April 1876, Frederick A. Caston married Mary Rosina Johnson (born 1848), although was widowed by 1891. Frederick A. Caston had re-married by 1901. Frederick Caston died in Toronto on 18 March 1916.

Harry E. Caston (c. 1850-1907) was the younger brother of Frederick A. Caston. Harry E. Caston was a barrister. During the early 1880s, he worked at Caston & Galt - a law firm based at 50 Church Street, although he had established his own firm - Caston & Co. - by the late 1880s. As of the 1890s, Harry E. Caston was residing at 340 Brunswick Avenue in Harbord Village. Harry E. Caston died in Niagara Falls on 14 March 1907 following a trip to California for his health. Harry E. Caston's obituary notes he was unmarried. Harry E. Caston's obituary also notes that he was a member of St. Albans Cathedral, a Liberal, and a past member of the Ashlar Masonic Lodge. Please note various genealogical and historical sources refer to Harry E. Caston as both Harry E. Caston and Henry E. Caston. 

Emily Caston (1860-1922) was the younger sister of Frederick A. Caston and Harry E. Caston. On 8 September 1891, Emily Caston married Benjamin Homer Dixon, who was approximately 40 years her senior and twice widowed. Benjamin Homer Dixon (1819-1899) was born in  Amsterdam to an English family involved in trade with the West Indies. For many years, Benjamin Homer Dixon served as the Canadian Consul General of the Netherlands. In 1863, Benjamin Homer Dixon purchased the well-known Home Wood estate from George William Allan. It is presumed that Emily Caston moved into the Home Wood estate following her marriage to Benjamin Homer Dixon. Emily Homer Dixon (née Caston) died in Welland, Ontario on 7 January 1922.

Maria Caston (1839-1916) - the elder sister of the above Castons - lived next door at 61 Huntley Street as of 1891. Maria Caston appears to have operated a boarding house from the property.

Later Occupants and Uses of 63-65 Huntley Street:

Please note the following list is not exhaustive of all former occupants and uses of 63-65 Huntley Street and aims to provide a general overview of former occupants and uses of note. Dates are also approximate.

Mary Agnes FitzGibbon:

Circa, 1896, Mary Agnes FitzGibbon resided at 63 Huntley Street. As of 1896, Mary Agnes FitzGibbon was the Secretary of the Canadian Women's Historical Society (later known as the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Toronto) which was founded in 1895. FitzGibbon later served as the President of the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Toronto in 1914-1915. Mary Agnes FitzGibbon was the granddaughter of Susanna Moodie, was a respected historian and women's rights activist, and also founded the Women's Welcome Hostel. A photograph of Mary Agnes FitzGibbon has been included with this entry.

John McGill Sherlock and Family:

Between 1897 and the early 1910s, 63 Huntley Street was home to John McGill Sherlock and family. John McGill Sherlock (c. 1862-1910) was a well-known conductor, music teacher, vocalist. In 1903, Sherlock established the Sherlock Vocal Society which was later renamed the Toronto Oratorio Society in 1906. The Society gave annual concerts from 1904 to 1909. John McGill Sherlock was Irish-Canadian and originally from Kingston, Upper Canada. He was married to Margaret Dunlop (1859-1929). John and Margaret Sherlock had 4 children - 3 daughters and 1 son - born between 1892 and 1898. John McGill Sherlock died in Toronto around 1910.

The Patterson Family:

Between 1900 and 1968, 65 Huntley Street was home to several generations of the Patterson family. The first head of the family at 65 Huntley Street was George Emmanuel Patterson (1865-1921). George Emmanuel Patterson had a business partnership with Emmanuel W. Heward in the form of Patterson & Heward - a company that engraved metal and manufactured brass and bronze products, including bookbinding stamps and metal signs. Patterson & Heward was based at 40 Wellington Street West. George E. Patterson was born in Glenburnie in Frontenac County, Ontario in 1865. He married Elizabeth Lodge (1867-1954) on 15 February 1899. George and Elizabeth Patterson had 3 children - 1 daughter and 2 sons - born between 1900 and 1902. Elizabeth's mother - "Mrs. J. O. Lodge" - also lived with the family at 65 Huntley Street and died in 1941 at the age of 97. Elizabeth's mother was noted to have been involved with the Red Cross in Toronto until an illness that occurred a month prior before her death.

George E. Patterson died suddenly while boarding a train in Barrie in August 1921. Following his death, Elizabeth Patterson continued living at 65 Huntley Street until her own death in 1954. By 1950, 65 Huntley Street was owned by their son George Lodge Patterson. George Lodge Patterson (1901-1958) lived at 65 Huntley Street until his own death in 1958. Following his death, the property was inherited by his wife Audrey Patterson (née Crawford) (1904-1961) and then Paul Patterson (1940-1994), who was the son of George and Audrey Patterson. Paul Patterson resided at 65 Huntley Street until 1968. 

A photograph of George Emmanuel Patterson has been included with this entry.

Peter Kaffka:

Peter Kaffka - the former Chief Architect of Hungary and Director of City Planning for Budapest, who later became one of Vancouver's most influential mid-20th century architects - resided at 63 Huntley Street around 1950. Peter Kaffka (1899-1992) was Hungarian-Canadian. Donald Luxton and Associates Inc. - an architectural firm based in Vancouver - have published the following biographical sketch of Peter Kaffka in their 2014 Heritage Conservation Plan for the Sykes Residence which Kaffka designed in 1964: 

"Peter Kaffka was born in 1899 in Budapest, Hungary. Kaffka graduated from the Royal Hungarian Joseph Polytechnical University in 1925 and worked for architectural firms in Budapest until 1936 when he founded his own practice. In 1939, Kaffka was the Director of City Planning for the City of Budapest.

Following his service in the war from 1941-1945, Kaffka left for Canada where, between 1945 and 1948, he worked for the Ministry of Reconstruction in Ontario before joining the Toronto firm Marani & Morris. Moving to Vancouver in 1950, Kaffka was employed that year first by William K. Noppe, then the important office of Sharp & Thompson, Berwick, Pratt. He began his own practice in 1954 and became a member of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia in 1956.

Amongst the notable projects produced by Kaffka are the Grouse Mountain Chalet in North Vancouver, built in 1956, and the Thea Koerner Graduate Centre and House at the University of British Columbia, 1959-1961. With three stories of student centre and the top floor a residence, this building was chiefly conceived by architect Charles E. Pratt with the assistance of Kaffka, Zoltan Kiss and Roy Jessiman. It was awarded a gold Massey Medal for Architecture in 1962." 

Kaffka retired in the late 1970s and died in Vancouver in 1992 at age 93. A photograph of Peter Kaffka circa. 1950 has been included with this entry.

For more information on Peter Kaffka's connection to 63 Huntley Street, please see Fugitive from Hungary Still Fears the Red Hand, published in The Globe and Mail on 1 April 1950, page 5. During this period in time, 63 Huntley Street was owned by Aglaia Campbell, who was the daughter of Luigi von Kunits. Luigi von Kunits was Serbian-Canadian and the Founding Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 

Future Redevelopment: 

The Upper Jarvis Neighbourhood Association has identified on their website that there is an ongoing development-related land assembly on the east side of Huntley Street between Linden Street and Selby Street. As such, 63-65 Huntley Street is part of this land assembly. The Upper Jarvis Neighbourhood Association has noted on their website that they anticipate the redevelopment will include a 40 to 50 storey tower. The future of the historic properties presently extant on this block of Huntley Street is uncertain. Steps should be taken to ensure heritage resources at this site are not lost.

(Research by Adam Wynne)