Description:

89-91 Bloor Street West are a pair of Bay and Gable / Queen Anne Revival houses constructed in 1888 that are located on the south side of Bloor Street West approximately midblock between Bay Street and St. Thomas Street in the Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto. 89-91 Bloor Street West also serve as an architectural vista at the southern terminus of Bellair Street.  

89-91 Bloor Street West is a rare surviving 19th century building on Bloor Street West in the Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto. 89-91 Bloor Street West has had several alterations over time, including the addition of ground floor storefronts and second floor bay windows. 

First Occupants:

89-91 Bloor Street West was first home to: 

89 Bloor Street West: John Alfred McAndrew — lawyer and Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (1886-1890).

91 Bloor Street West: Arthur Moore — partner of McLaughlin & Moore and co-proprietor of the Royal Dominion Flour Mills (located at the foot of Bay Street)

Concerto Café:

Between 1955 and 1959, 89 Bloor Street West was home to the Concerto Café. The Concerto Café was the first coffee house in Toronto to offer live music and the first coffee house to offer folk music. The Concerto Café was one of a number of Bohemian coffee houses which opened in Yorkville during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The Concerto Café was "operated by two gay men, former British intelligence officer Claude Dewhurst and Hungarian-born Irving [Ervin] Bolgar" (Tate and Bowman 2019). The Concerto Café closed after a fire in 1959. 

Current Occupants and Uses:

89-91 Bloor Street West is presently home to APM Monaco (a contemporary fashion jewellery brand), Winks Eyelash Boutique, and RSG Events.

Recent Redevelopment Application:

In December 2021, Parallax and RioCan released a proposal for a 79-storey mixed use building at 83-95A Bloor Street West. The December 2021 proposal includes demolition of 89-91 Bloor Street West.  

(Research by Adam Wynne)