Description: 

133 Dunn Avenue is a 2.5 storey house located on the east side of Dunn Avenue approximately 200 meters south of King Street West in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto. 133 Dunn Avenue was constructed in 1882/1883 by local Parkdale builder James (Jonas) Coxhead.

133 Dunn Avenue was built in the Italianate and Queen Anne Revival styles of residential architecture and is one of the finest examples of these styles of architecture within the Parkdale neighbourhood. The exterior contains a number of fine details, including intricate polychrome brickwork and intact corbels. 

Constructed in 1882/1883, 133 Dunn Avenue is representative of the earliest period of residential development of Dunn Avenue.  

Prior to the annexation of Parkdale in 1889, 133 Dunn Avenue was known as 151 Dunn Avenue.  

During the 1970s, 133 Dunn Avenue was one of the earliest houses in Parkdale to be formally converted into bachelorette units. Further information on this conversion has been included below.  

133 Dunn Avenue was listed on the City of Toronto Heritage Register (formerly the Inventory of Heritage Properties) in August 1976. 


Builder — James (Jonas) Coxhead: 


The City of Toronto Heritage Register identifies the builder of 133 Dunn Avenue as James (Jonas) Coxhead. 

Born in 1847/1848, James (Jonas) Coxhead (1847/1848-1908) was the son of Caesar Coxhead (1818-1894) and Sarah Stockford (1819-1894). James (Jonas) Coxhead was a builder and lumber merchant by trade. Prior to arriving in Parkdale in the early 1880s, James (Jonas) Coxhead was a resident of Guelph. In Parkdale, James (Jonas) Coxhead lived on O'Hara Avenue during the early 1880s and later moved to Dunn Avenue during the mid-1880s. 


By 1883/1884, James (Jonas) Coxhead had established an architectural and building firm with James Ingham. The firm became known as Ingham & Coxhead and was based in the Village Hall of Parkdale.  Alongside various residential buildings, James (Jonas) Coxhead also had a role in building the since demolished Parkdale Congregational Church at the northwest corner of Brock Avenue and Maple Grove Avenue in 1883. 


A few years later, in 1885/1886, Coxhead became the Vice President of the Parkdale Lumber Manufacturing and Building Company. The Parkdale Lumber Manufacturing and Building Company had offices on Queen Street West near Gwynne Avenue and a factory on West Lodge Avenue. James (Jonas) Coxhead was also a candidate for municipal office and was nominated for the role of Parkdale alderman during municipal elections prior to annexation. 

James (Jonas) Coxhead was married thrice. His first wife was Ellen Willoughby (1857-1882). James and Ellen Coxhead had four children — 2 daughters and 2 sons — born between 1874 and 1882; however, both of their daughters died in infancy. Following the death of Ellen in 1882, James (Jonas) Coxhead remarried only 9 months later to Margaret Todd (1851-1897). Margaret died in 1897 and James (Jonas) remarried again to Emily Frost (born 1861) in 1898. James (Jonas) Coxhead died in Victoria, British Columbia in 1908. 


At least two of James (Jonas) Coxhead's siblings also lived in Parkdale during the 1880s. His brother Caesar Coxhead  (born 1859) was a carpenter in the village, whereas his sister Leah Coxhead (born 1845) was a dressmaker. 


Please note that some historical sources refer to this individual as James Coxhead and other sources as Jonas Coxhead. 



First Residents — the Gissing Family:  


The first residents of 133 Dunn Avenue were the Gissing family. The Gissing family consisted of Frederick John Gissing (1849-1926), his wife Mary Eliza Gissing (née Freeman) (born 1852), and their son Frederick William Gissing (born 1879). The Gissing family lived here from 1883 until 1885. 


Frederick John Gissing was a wealthy journalist and publisher. 


Born in 1848 in Oxford County (Ontario), Frederick John Gissing established the publishing house Gissing & Clark with his brother-in-law Daniel Clark in Woodstock in 1869. Gissing & Clark published newspapers in Southwestern Ontario, including the Woodstock Review, the Sentinel Review, and the Princeton Weekly Review. 


In 1875, Daniel Clark was appointed the Superintendent of the Toronto Asylum for the Insane. It is possible that this prompted Frederick John Gissing to move to Toronto during the early 1880s. Clark held this position for 30 years. 


In 1899, the Gissing family moved to Los Angeles. The Gissing family were still living in Los Angeles as of the time of the 1920 United States Census. 


Frederick John Gissing died of kidney failure in Toronto in 1926. Further research is required to determine whether the Gissing family had returned to Canada or whether they were visiting at the time. Gissing's estate was valued at $244 000 in 1926 (approximately $3.8 million in 2022). Of this, $100 000 ($1.56 million) was bequeathed to the Woodstock Hospital for the construction of a new wing and the remainder was divided between his family members.



Later Residents and Uses: 

Please note this list is not exhaustive of all former residents and uses and aims to provide a general overview. Dates are also approximate. 

Circa 1886 to early 1890s:  

In circa 1885/1886 to the early 1890s, 133 Dunn Avenue was home to Margaret Martin and James Martin Jr. Margaret Martin was the widow of James Martin Sr. James Martin Jr. was their son. During this period, he was employed as the manager of the Parkdale Branch of the Standard Bank - located at the southeast corner of Queen Street West and Elm Grove Avenue. 

Circa mid-1890s to early-to-mid 1900s:

During the mid-1890s to early-to-mid 1900s, 133 Dunn Avenue was home to Lucy M. French. Lucy M. French was the widow of James French.

Circa late 1900s to 1920s: 

During the late 1900s through 1920s, 133 Dunn Avenue was home to Charlotte Charles, Frederick Charles, and family. Charlotte Charles was a widow. and Frederick Charles was her son (then employed as a manager). Charlotte Charles was the daughter of John Segsworth. The Segsworths were an early pioneer family in Toronto that operated a jewellery business during the early-to-mid 19th century.


Circa 1929/1930:

In 1929/1930, 133 Dunn Avenue was home to Margaret Carr. Margaret Carr was the widow of Charles Carr.

Circa 1939/1940: 

In circa 1939/1940, 133 Dunn Avenue was home to Milton Harker. Milton Harker was a painter at the Metro Building. 


Circa 1949/1950:

In circa 1949/1950, 133 Dunn Avenue was home to James McKean. James McKean was an employee at Canadian General Electric.


Circa late 1950s and late 1960s:

During the late 1950s to late 1960s, 133 Dunn Avenue was home to Henry Yee and Robert Lee.

Conversion to Bachelorette Units (1970s):

During the mid-1970s, 133 Dunn Avenue was one of the first houses in Parkdale to be converted to bachelorette units. Bachelorette units are "independent, habitable rooms containing either food
preparation facilities or sanitary facilities, but not both [...] they are essential pieces of Toronto‟s
affordable housing stock, providing some of the city‟s least expensive private rental
accommodations" (Simons 2009). Within Parkdale, Bachelorette units have often been the source of significant controversy. Over time "many landlords have converted legal rooming houses into illegal bachelorette apartments by adding either kitchens or bathrooms to one-room units without the appropriate building permits" (Simons 2009). The renovation of 133 Dunn Avenue into bachelorette units in the mid-1970s was not without controversy and involved media investigations into accusations of municipal corruption during permit issuance and building inspection processes. Later, during the early 1980s, the landlord of 133 Dunn Avenue was the first to be tried during Toronto's "bachelorette clean-up drive." 

Present Day: 

133 Dunn Avenue is presently converted into numerous residential rental units. 



(Research by Adam Wynne)

• Builder - Jas. Coxhead