Description:

151-153½ Church Street is a 2.5 storey Georgian Revival style building on the east side of Church Street approximately 90 meters north of Queen Street East in the Garden District of Toronto. 151-153½ Church Street was originally a house that was constructed between 1843 and 1851 (likely c. 1843-1846) which later underwent ground floor commercial modifications during the 1880s. 151-153½ Church Street has significant heritage value and is representative of some of the earliest development on Church Street.

151-153½ Church Street does not appear in James Cane's 1842 Topographical Plan of the City and Liberties of Toronto However, 151-153½ Church Street does appear in Sir Sandford Fleming's 1851 Topographical Plan of the City of Toronto. 

Historical fire insurance plans and photographs indicate that 151-153½ Church Street is likely of brick construction underneath the 20th century siding. Historical fire insurance plans and photographs also indicate that 151-153½ Church Street was originally part of a row of similar style houses, all of which have since been demolished (however, please note that nearby 159-161 Church Street may have been rebuilt in a similar style during an early 21^st century redevelopment.)  

The rear (east) elevation of 151-153½ Church Street contains a dormer window. This feature is not present on its primary (west) elevation. The rear yard of 151-153½ Church Street formerly contained an addition to the house, but this was later demolished and infilled with a building fronting Dalhousie Street during the late 19th or early 20th century.

151-153½ Church Street is situated on former Park Lot 7. Park Lot 7 was granted to Commissary John McGill on 4 September 1793. The McGill family began selling off parts of the Park Lot in the mid-1830s and extended Church Street north from Queen Street East to Carlton Street in the late 1830s or early 1840s. At the time of its construction in the 1840s, 151-153½ Church Street faced the McGill Cottage. In front of the cottage was a public space known as McGill Square. The McGill Cottage was demolished in 1870. The site of the McGill Cottage is now the Metropolitan United Church (formerly the Metropolitan Wesleyan Methodist Church) which was constructed in 1870-1872 and later rebuilt after a fire in the 1920s.

The present-day address - 151-153½ Church Street - has been used since 1889/1890. Information on former address numbers associated with the property has been included below.

Early Occupants:

151-153½ Church Street was constructed between 1843 and 1851 (likely c. 1843-1846).  However, the earliest definitive occupant-related data in the City of Toronto Directories is in the 1856 Edition. Prior to 1856, the City of Toronto Directories are less precise for this block of Church Street as address numbers changed over time. Further research is required once the City of Toronto Archives fully re-open (post-COVID-19) to discern with certainty pre-1856 occupant and owner related information, such as through consulting building permits and tax assessment rolls.

Circa 1846-1847:

In circa 1846-1847, 151-153½ Church Street was potentially known as 66, 68, 70, 72, or 74 Church Street. Please note that this information about the potential 1846 occupant(s) requires further research to verify with certainty as address numbers on this block changed and shifted over time. 

As of 1846-1847, the occupants of 66-74 Church Street were as follows: 

66 Church Street: William McMaster - a dry goods merchant with a shop at 43 Yonge Street. William McMaster later became a Senator and is a person of historical significance. 

68 Church Street: Samuel Thompson - of Rowsells and Thompson, a printing house based at 70 King Street East.

70 Church Street:  John Balfour - a bookkeeper at Scobie and Balfour. 

72 Church Street: George Black Wyllie - an accountant, broker, general agent,  salesman, and landlord - and his family. Wyllie was associated with this block from the 1840s through at least the early 1860s. Further information on Wyllie has been included below.

74 Church Street: No data.

George Black Wyllie: 

George Black Wyllie (c. 1817-1866) was associated with this row of Church Street houses from the 1840s until his death in 1866. Further research is required to determine whether Wyllie was the original developer and/or landlord of this row of houses.

George Black Wyllie (also spelled Wylie) was born in c. 1817 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He emigrated to Canada prior to 1844.

In Toronto, George Black Wyllie worked as an accountant, broker, general agent, salesman, and landlord in Toronto. His companies included: Wyllie and Murray - a woollen dry goods and drapery company; and Wyllie, Penton, and Company - a brokerage firm. 

In 1844, George Black Wyllie married Mary Ann Reid in Montréal. George and Mary Ann Wyllie had 6 children - 4 daughters and 2 sons - born between 1845 and 1861. Their youngest daughter - Eva Wyllie - died in infancy.

Elizabeth Jennet McMaster (née Wyllie / Wylie) was the 2nd eldest daughter of George and Mary Ann Wyllie. Elizabeth J. McMaster (1847-1903) married Samuel Fenton McMaster (1840-1888) - the nephew of Senator William McMaster (1811-1887) - and became a prominent hospital administrator, nurse, social worker, and philanthropist and also established Toronto's first First Aid courses. Notably, William McMaster resided at 66 Church Street - as a close neighbour of the Wyllies - during the mid-1840s. For more information, see Elizabeth J. McMaster's biographical article in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.

As of the early 1860s, George Black Wyllie rented neighbouring 135 Church Street for £40 per year (adjusted for inflation, this is approximately $8680 CAD in 2021). Wyllie's 1862 rental ad notes neighbouring 135 Church Street (which was originally of the same style as 139 [151-153½] Church Street prior to its demolition in the early 20th century) was a "two-storey brick house with basement, well, cistern, etc. and pleasantly situated facing McGill Square." 135 Church Street was later home to Dr. Emily Howard Stowe - Canada's first female physician - and her practice between 1869/1870 and 1875/1876. It is probable that Elizabeth J. McMaster and Dr. Stowe knew each other.

Circa 1850-1851:

66 Church Street: Mrs. Metcalf.

68 Church Street: No Data.

70 Church Street: Abraham Nordheimer - of A. & S. Nordheimer, piano manufacturers. Abraham Nordheimer is a person of historical significance.

72 Church Street: John Balfour - a bookkeeper formerly at Scobie and Balfour.

74 Church Street: E. G. O'Brien - the Secretary Treasurer of the Provincial Mutual and General Insurance Company. 

Circa 1856:

In circa 1856, 151-153½ Church Street - then known as 70 Church Street - was home to William Fletcher Langlois (1828-1875) and family. William Fletcher Langlois was born in Québec in 1828. In 1852, he married Eliza Ann Hunt (1834-1891) in Québec City. By the mid-1850s, the Langlois family had moved to Toronto. In Toronto, William Fletcher Langlois was a liquor and wine merchant with a shop - W. F. Langlois - located at 12 Yonge Street, next door to both the Toronto Hotel and the American Hotel. 

The Langlois family were Wesleyan Methodist.

William and Eliza Ann Langlois had 5 children - 2 daughters and 3 sons - born between 1853 and 1867. Herbert Langlois (1853-1923) - their eldest son - became a prominent businessman in Toronto and served as the Vice President of the Standard Bank of Canada, the Vice-President of the Toronto Mortgage Company, and a Director of the Consumers Gas Company. 

Circa 1859-1860:

In circa 1859-1860, 151-153½ Church Street - then known as 139 Church Street - was home to James Beswick. James Beswick was a general merchant. By the early 1860s, Beswick had opened a grocery, liquor, and wine store in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto. 

Circa 1861:

In circa 1861, 151-153½ Church Street - then known as 139 Church Street - was home to David Morris. David Morris was a  merchant. 

Circa 1862:

In circa 1862, 151-153½ Church Street - then known as 139 Church Street - was home to George B. Wyllie and family. Further information on the Wyllie family has been included above. 

Circa 1864-1865:

In circa 1864-1865, 151-153½ Church Street - then known as 139 Church Street - was home to Richard Yates and family. Richard Yates (c. 1791/1797-1867) was one of the founding directors of the Consumers' Gas Company upon its incorporation in 1847/1848 and served as its third President from 1859 until his death in 1867. The Consumers' Gas Company was the successor to the Toronto Gas Light and Water Company - Toronto's first gas utility company - which had been founded several years prior in 1841. Richard Yates also had a grocery and tea business known as the East India House located on King Street East.

The following biography of Richard Yates was provided in William H. Pearson's Recollections and Records of Toronto of Old (1914): 

"Mr. Richard Yates was a grocer and tea merchant. His store was called the East India House (on King Street three doors east of Leader Lane), as he dealt principally in teas. He had as an advertisement a Chinese mandarin in the window bowing to the people as they passed by. He was a very pleasant old gentleman and a prominent Methodist. He was an uncle to Mr. James E. Ellis, the jeweler, granduncle to R. Y. Ellis, and a great granduncle of Messrs. P. W. Ellis & Company. He died in 1867 at the age of sixty-nine years." (pages 206-207). 

There is a discrepancy in historical sources as to when Richard Yates was born. His death record provides his year of birth as 1791, whereas Pearson (1914) estimates it to be c. 1797. 

Later Occupants and Uses: 

Please note the following list is not exhaustive of all former occupants and uses of 151-153½ Church Street and aims to provide a general overview. Dates are approximate.

151-153½ Church Street was originally a residential property. By the 1880s, it appears to have underwent modifications to convert the ground floor into a commercial space with the division into two storefronts occurring in circa 1887/1888. The upstairs remained in use for residential purposes. 

Circa 1868-1869:

In circa 1868-1869, 151-153½ Church Street was home to Thomas McCrossen and William Badenach. Thomas McCrossen and William Badenach were both furriers and hatters by trade. Their company was called McCrossen & Company and had two locations: 111 King Street East and 92 Yonge Street. 

Circa 1870:

In circa 1870, 151-153½ Church Street was home to William Lailey. William Lailey was a printer by trade. 

Circa 1875:

In circa 1875, 151-153½ Church Street was home to Eliza Yates and Fred T. Yates. Eliza Yates was the widow of Thomas Yates. Fred T. Yates owned F. T. Yates & Company - an exchange and stock brokerage based at 32 King Street East. Further research is required to determine how Eliza Yates and Fred T. Yates were related, as well as whether they had any relation to Richard Yates who was a former resident of the property a decade prior. 

Circa 1880:

In circa 1880, 151-153½ Church Street - then known as 139 Church Street - was home to Isaac Martin. Isaac Martin was a carpenter by trade.  

Circa 1885:

In circa. 1885, 151-153½ Church Street - then known as 139 Church Street - was home to Jeremiah C. Sears. Jeremiah C. Sears was a painter and likely operated his business from the property. 

Circa 1887/1888:

151-153½ Church Street - then known as 139 and 139½ Church Street - appears to have been divided into two commercial storefronts in 1887/1888. As of this point in time, the occupants of the building were: 

139 Church Street: Richard Hibbitt - a tailor.

139½ Church Street: Jeremiah C. Sears - a painter. 

139½ Church Street (Upstairs): William Bell - a travelling salesman at C. M. Taylor & Company, a wholesale books and stationery company.

Circa 1890:

In circa. 1890, the commercial occupants of 151-153½ Church Street were the same as 1888.

151 Church Street: Richard Hibbitt - a tailor

153 Church Street: Jeremiah C. Sears - a painter.

Richard Hibbitt: 

Richard Hibbitt was born in Rutland, England in about 1836 and emigrated to Canada during the 1850s. He was a tailor by trade. Richard Hibbitt was married to Bridgett Ann O'Connor (born 1837) and had 5 children - 4 daughters and 1 son - born between 1860 and 1876.

Jeremiah C. Sears: 

Jeremiah C. Sears (c. 1823-1906) was born in England in circa 1823 and died in Toronto, Canada in 1906. From the 1860s through the 1890s, he worked as a painter in Toronto. Jeremiah C. Sears was originally a member of the Church of England and later converted to Episcopalism. Jeremiah C. Sears was married. 

Further research is required to determine whether Hibbitt and/or Sears commissioned the renovations to the property during the 1880s. 

Circa 1900:

In circa 1900, the occupants of 151-153½ Church Street were: 

151 Church Street: Joseph S. Poulton - a shoemaker. Joseph S. Poulton lived at 259 Parliament Street.

153 Church Street: Sam Hing - who ran a laundry from the property; and William Allen - a tailor. Sam Hing was an early Chinese-Canadian merchant on Church Street. 

Upstairs: Michael McNab - a lineman at the Canadian Pacific Railway; and Melinda Taylor - the widow of Thomas Taylor.

Circa 1910:

In circa 1910, the occupants of 151-153½ Church Street were: 

151 Church Street: Joseph S. Poulton - a shoemaker.

153 Church Street: Hugh Sutherland - a tailor.

153½ Church Street: William C. Penton. 

Circa 1920:

In circa 1920, the occupants of 151-153½ Church Street were: 

151 Church Street: Walter Tulley - a shoemaker.

153 Church Street: Horace Wing - a real estate agent.

153½ Church Street: George Emilio - a painter.

Circa 1930:

In circa 1930, the occupants of 151-153½ Church Street were: 

151 Church Street: Walter Tulley - a shoemaker and manufacturer and merchant of orthotics.

153 Church Street: Baldwin & Hand - a prosthetic limbs manufacturer and merchant.

153½ Church Street: John L. Fordham - a barber. 

Circa 1940:

In circa 1940, the occupants of 151-153½ Church Street were: 

151 Church Street: Vacant.

153 Church Street: Arthur W. Eaton - barbershop.

153½ Church Street: John L. Fordham - a barber.

Circa 1950:

In circa 1950, the occupants of 151-153½ Church Street were: 

151 Church Street: Acme Caretakers Supply Company and Acme Exterminating Company - janitorial supplies and pest control services.

153 Church Street: Jong Mark. 

153½ Church Street: John Hechert - an engineer. 

1960: 

In circa 1960, the occupants of 151-153½ Church Street were: 

151 Church Street: Brimstin & Donack - locksmiths.

153 Church Street: The Socialists' Press - books and periodicals; and the Socialist Labour Party's Committee Rooms.

153½ Church Street: Grace Rioux - the widow of Frank Rioux.

1969:

In circa 1969, the occupants of 151-153½ Church Street were: 

151 Church Street: Brimstin & Donack - locksmiths.

153 Church Street: The Socialists' Press - books and periodicals; and the Socialist Labour Party's Committee Rooms.

1971-2004:

From 1971 until 2004, 151 Church Street was home to Richmond's Trading Post Ltd. - a pawn shop and second hand store.

Present Day (2021):

As of 2021, the occupants of 151-153½ Church Street are: 

151 Church Street: Five Star Exchange - a pawn shop and second-hand store. Five Star Exchange opened in the mid-1990s and has been based at 151 Church Street since 2004.

153 Church Street: Gold Lobby - a pawn shop and second-hand store. Gold Lobby opened in 2004.

153½ Church Street: Residential.

(Research by Adam Wynne)