209 Carlton Street was once the residence of a unique figure in Canadian history. Dr. Oronhytekha, also known as Burning Cloud and Peter Martin, called this address home between 1896 and his death in 1907.

Oronhytekha holds a fascinating place in the history of Indigenous peoples throughout the Commonwealth. He straddled global Victorian society and local Indigenous communities in a way rarely seen before or since. A Mohawk man born in Southwestern Ontario's Six Nations of the Grand River, Oronhytekha was educated at the Mohawk Institute Residential School, the Wesleyan Academy, Kenyon College, the University of Oxford, and the University of Toronto School of Medicine. He then became a prominent physician, Indigenous statesman, civil rights activist, internationally competing marksman, soldier, and CEO of the Independent Order of Foresters.

Oronhytekha also served as president of the Grand Council of Indian Chiefs (a forerunner of the modern Assembly of First Nations) and was a pioneering conservator whose extensive collection of artefacts illustrating the interplay between Indigenous and colonial cultures now lives at the Royal Ontario Museum. When he passed away, his body was visited by over ten thousand people while laying in state at Massey Hall.

A laneway running behind the property – known as Dr. O Lane – was named in recognition of Oronhyatekha's connection to the neighbourhood. Another heritage plaque about Oronhyatekha has been installed near the northeast corner of Allan Gardens. 

Note that the plaque on the outside of the building detailing Oronhyatekha has been situated on 211 Carlton Street, due to number 209's owner not wanting it on their building.  

As of June 2021, 209 Carlton Street is for sale for $3.6 million.