Description:

37 Huron Street is a detached, 2.5-to-3-storey Romanesque Revival style house located at the northeast corner of Huron Street and Orphanage Mews in the Chinatown West and Grange Park neighbourhoods of Toronto. 37 Huron Street was constructed in 1892 and first occupied by 1893.  

37 Huron Street is one of the best examples of residential Romanesque Revival architecture in the Chinatown West and Grange Park neighbourhoods.

37 Huron Street was constructed on the boundary of former Park Lot 14 and Park Lot 15. Park Lot 14 was granted to Peter Russell on 4 September 1793; whereas Park Lot 15 was granted to William Willcocks on 7 September 1793. Huron Street runs in proximity and/or directly on the boundary of these 2 former Park Lots. 

By the late 1850s, the site of 37 Huron Street was a lot owned by Robert Baldwin (1804-1858). The lot was bounded by Huron Street, Grange Avenue, Orphanage Mews (then an unnamed laneway), and Russell Creek. This was one of several lots owned by Robert Baldwin along Huron Street. Russell Creek bisected this block in its southeastern course towards Lake Ontario, albeit the creek had been almost entirely buried by 1874. The Protestant Orphanage was located to the immediate south, whereas several houses had been constructed nearby along Beverley Street. 

While Huron Street has existed since the 1840s and 1850s, the street was first developed residentially during the early-to-mid 1870s. Prior to this, the area was largely undeveloped and/or used for non-residential purposes, including the St. Leger / Union Racecourse near present-day Baldwin Street; the Furniss municipal waterworks near present-day D'Arcy Street; and market orchards north of College Street. 

The extant 1892/1893 house at 37 Huron Street replaced an earlier house that was constructed on the site during the 1870s. 

The architect or builder of 37 Huron Street is not known at present. However, it is possible that this information may exist in archival materials which are presently inaccessible to the public due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Further research could be conducted in the future to discern whether an architect or builder is named on historical building permits, etc. 

During the late 19th and early 20th century, 37 Huron Street also had a rear unit separate from the main residence. This appears to have since been consolidated with the primary residential component of the house.

Please note that while the extant building was constructed in 1892/1893, the Fire Insurance Plans were not updated to reflect this until the 1903 Edition. Prior to 1903, the Fire Insurance Plans show the earlier wooden frame building on the site. 

Adjacent Street Names:

Huron Street is named after the Huron people. Leonard Wise and Allan Gould in Toronto Street Names: An Illustrated Guide to their Origins (2011, Revised Edition) note that Huron derives from a French term used to describe the Ouendat (Wendat / Wyandot) people. The Ouendat (Wendat / Wyandot) were a “confederacy made up of five First Nations tribes that lived in the Orillia/Midland area until 1649, when they were dispersed by their enemies, the Iroquois from upstate New York”  The Ouendat (Wendat / Wyandot) “made a military and trading alliance with the French in 1609 and by 1820 they dominated the fur trade in most of Ontario and part of Quebec." Historical directory and map data indicates that the name Huron Street has been used since the 1840s or 1850s. 

Orphanage Mews was named to "recognize The Protestant Orphans’ Home, which was once located on Sullivan Street, and backed onto the lane." The City of Toronto notes in their 2011 laneway naming report that: "the Protestant Orphans’ Home was Toronto’s first orphanage. It originally opened on Bay Street in 1852 but moved to Sullivan Street in 1854, where it ensured the care and welfare of up to 30 children. Between 1861 and 1864, there were additional wings built on each side of the original structure, resulting in the accommodation of 70 children. After a measles outbreak in 1864 that killed 18 children, there was also an infirmary wing built in the rear of the building. In 1882, the orphanage moved to Dovercourt Road. The Sullivan Street building was sold and eventually torn down." The name Orphanage Mews has been used since 2011.

First Occupant(s): 

Elizabeth Grant:

The first occupant of 37 Huron Street was Elizabeth Grant who lived here from 1893 until 1894. Elizabeth Grant was the widow of William Grant.

Later Occupants and Uses:

Please note the following dates are approximate. The following list also aims to provide a general overview and is not exhaustive of all former occupants of 37 Huron Street, Toronto.

Shaul Isaac Rittenberg and Family:

Between 1895 and 1902, 37 Huron Street was home to Shaul Isaac Rittenberg (c. 1850-1915) and family. The Rittenberg family were Jewish and from Lithuania. The Rittenberg family emigrated to the United States in 1870 and arrived in Montréal in 1875, later moving to Toronto by the late 1870s. In Toronto, S. Isaac Rittenberg was a jeweler by trade. Genealogy records also note that S. Isaac Rittenberg may have additionally been a rabbi and/or chazzan. Isaac Rittenberg died of pneumonia in Toronto in 1915. 

Isaac Rittenberg was married to Yenta Annie Chaviva Goldstein (1852-1925). The couple had 8 children - 5 daughters and 3 sons - born between 1871 and 1890.

Isaac Rittenberg's daughter - Bessie Rittenberg - married Samuel Grossman.  Several members of the Grossman family also resided at 37 Huron Street during this period. Samuel and Bessie Grossman later moved to the Chicago region. Further research is required to determine if this branch of the Grossman family had any direct connection to Grossman's Tavern on Spadina Avenue, which opened in 1943. 

John Joseph Landy and Family:

Between 1903 and 1920, 37 Huron Street was home to the Landy family. The Landy family consisted of: John Joseph Landy, Henrietta Landy, and several of their children, including John James Meagher Landy. 

John Joseph Landy (c. 1841/1843-1913) was an Irish-Canadian barrister. He married Henrietta Dennis (c. 1851-1919) in Toronto on 1 May 1867. Henrietta was originally from Oswego, New York. John Joseph and Henrietta Landy had 10 children - 7 daughters and 3 sons - born between 1869 and 1893. 

John James Meagher Landy (c. 1870/1871-1930) was the eldest son of John Joseph and Henrietta Landy. He was a jeweler by trade, with his shop based nearby at 440 Queen Street West. John J. M. Landy married Catharine Loarden (born 1876) in Toronto on 30 September 1914.

Morris Miller:

On 19 July 1920, Morris Miller - a resident of 37 Huron Street - was struck and killed by a streetcar. Morris Miller was then 40 years of age and reported to have been deaf, dumb, and blind.

Circa. 1921-1922:

Circa. 1921-1922, 37 Huron Street was home to Thompson Robinson and Joseph Rubenstein. Thompson Robinson was a police officer at Toronto Police Station 6. Unfortunately no further information is available about Joseph Rubenstein at present.

Circa. 1923:

Circa. 1923, 37 Huron Street was home to William Gibbon. William Gibbon was a carpenter by trade.

Circa: 1924:

Circa. 1924, 37 Huron street was home to Samuel Wasilkin. Samuel Wasilkin was an employee at Simpson's. 

1925:

In 1925, 37 Huron Street was listed as vacant in the City of Toronto Directory.

Circa. 1930:

Circa. 1930, 37 Huron Street was home to Mrs. Hideto Watari. Unfortunately no further information on Mrs. Watari is available at present. 

Circa. 1935:

Circa. 1935, 37 Huron Street was home to Saime Hyytianen and Anna Johanna Roivainen. Unfortunately, no further information is available about Saime Hyytianen's profession at present. Anna Johanna Roivainen was a housemaid who later married Vaino Ramo (see below for further details). Both Saime Hyytianen and Anna Johanna Roivainen were Finnish-Canadian.

By the mid-1930s, 37 Huron Street may have been in use as a boarding or rooming house.

Circa. 1940:

Circa. 1940, 37 Huron Street was home to William Kirjavainen. William Kirjavainen was a carpenter by trade. William Kirjavainen was Finnish-Canadian.

Circa. 1945:

Circa. 1945, 37 Huron Street was home to John Harju. John Harju was a moulder at Massey-Harris. John Harju was Finnish-Canadian.

Circa. 1935 / 1950 - 1966:

Between circa. 1935 / 1950 and 1966, 37 Huron Street was home to Vaino Ramo and Anna Johanna Ramo (née Roivainen). Both Vaino and Anna Johanna Ramo were Lutheran and originally from Finland. Vaino Ramo was a labourer, whereas Anna Johanna Ramo was a housemaid. Vaino Ramo and Anna Johanna Ramo were married in Toronto on 18 December 1935. Of note is that Anna Johanna was already living at 37 Huron Street as of this point in time.

In May 1935, Vaino Ramo was charged with manslaughter due to a fatality at a house party on Soho Place. Reportedly, Ramo smashed a bottle over the head of another partygoer during a fight which caused a fragment of glass to fly in the direction of Ida Rinnie. This fragment of glass sliced Rinnie's jugular. Rinnie reportedly wrapped a towel around her neck and made it to a hospital, but later died. 

By the 1960s, Vaino Ramo was listed in the City of Toronto Directories as owning 37 Huron Street.

Regarding the Finnish-Canadian occupants:

Notably, this area of the City was home to a sizable Northeastern European population during the mid-20th century. The Finnish Social Club was based nearby 19 Huron Street and the The Latvian Relief Society of Canada was based at 123 Huron Street during this period in time.

Circa late. 1960s:

By the late 1960s, 37 Huron Street was home to Lawrence Ing. Unfortunately, no further information about Lawrence Ing is available at present. Further research is required to determine how long Ing owned the property. 

Present Day:

37 Huron Street is presently used as a rooming house.

Recent Sale:

In the summer and autumn of 2021, 37 Huron Street was listed for sale for $3 990 000. Reportedly - according to neighbours - the sellers have owned the property for several decades.