467-473A Church Street, Toronto was constructed in 1864. In 1864-1865, the properties were vacant. The first occupant-related data is available in the 1866 City of Toronto Directory.
In 1894, the 467-473A Church Street was converted and/or reconstructed from a wooden structure to a brick structure to the design of architect George Martell Miller.
These properties have been renumbered several times since construction. The current numbering has been used since 1894. In 1894, 473 Church Street was also subdivided into 473 and 473A Church Street.
467 Church Street - the southmost of this block of houses - is largely associated with its current use as the Woody's bar (established 1989). 467 Church Street has been connected to 465 Church Street on the interior.
In 1866, the occupants of 467-473 Church Street were:
- 467 Church Street: James Watson (1833/1834 - 1891). James Watson was a bookkeeper and a founder of Wills and Watson – which was a biscuit, coffee, and spice importer and manufacturer based at the corner of Bay Street and Adelaide Street West. Watson lived at 467 Church Street with his wife (Mary Isabel Young (1837-1899)) and young children in 1866 – moving to Ann Street (now Granby Street) in 1867. Wills and Watson was later renamed James Watson.
- 469 Church Street: Robert Hill – Hill resided here in 1866 and was a bookkeeper by trade. Further research is required to find out more information about Hill.
- 471 Church Street: Harriett Hutton – widow of George C. Hutton - lived here in 1866. She may have operated a Boarding House at this address, as earlier years indicate she operated boarding houses in the Ward neighbourhood. Her daughter (Marianne Hutton (c. 1842 – 1910)) was also married in Toronto in 1866.
- 473 Church Street: William Saunders – Saunders resided here in 1866-1867 and was a bookkeeper by trade. Saunders later moved to Denison Avenue in Alexandra Park. Further research is required to find out more information about Saunders.
The first residents of 467-473 Church Street, Toronto after its 1894 conversion from a wooden frame structure to a brick structure (circa. 1895) were:
- 467 Church Street: Isabella McRae resided here in 1895 and moved out by 1896. No further information about McRae is available at present.
- 469 Church Street: John W. Wark resided here in 1895 and moved out by 1896. Wark was a clerk at the Robert Simpson Company.
- 471 Church Street: Sarah Theresa Reeve resided here in 1895 and had moved out by 1896. Sarah Theresa Reeve was the widow of William Albert Reeve – a prominent criminal law barrister and administrator at Osgoode Hall who died suddenly and unexpectedly of heart failure in 1894.
- 473 Church Street: George A. Kingston resided here in 1895 and had moved out by 1896. Kingston was a barrister with Lount, Marsh & Cameron – a legal firm based on Toronto Street.
- 473 ½ Church Street: Captain Jeremiah Vanderbilt Ditmars, Josephine Ditmars, and William Ditmars resided here in 1895 and had moved out by 1896. Captain Ditmars was a master mariner who sailed the Atlantic Ocean and Great Lakes. William Ditmar was prominently involved in an infrastructure building company and moved to Vancouver shortly after 1896. William Ditmar is also credited with bringing the first car to Vancouver.
Other notable occupants and former uses of 467-473 Church Street, Toronto include:
- 3 separate Melodeon makers were associated with these properties in a 10 year period (1864-1874): John Scott (467 Church Street, 1867-1869), Frederick Fisher (471 Church Street, 1870); and Henry Dixon (473 Church Street, 1873)
- William Ewing (1841-1917) – a photographer – lived at 471 Church Street in 1871-1872. This was during the early years of the availability of photography to the general public in Canada. William Ewing’s brother – Robert Douglas Ewing (1828-1893) - also ran a photography business, though was based in Peterborough, Ontario. The Ewings had emigrated from Scotland during the mid-to-late-1850s.
- Samuel J. Moore (1859-1948) – Moore was a prominent publisher, businessman, industrialist, and publisher who resided at 469 Church Street in 1881. Moore notably founded his own company in 1882. Moore manufactured carbon copy bill books, business forms, business supplies, etc. He then later founded The Metropolitan Bank in 1902, which merged with The Bank of Nova Scotia (now Scotiabank) in 1914. Moore then became the President of the Bank of Nova Scotia after this merger. He financed the construction of the Great Hall at Queen and Dovercourt in 1889, among many other philanthropic ventures. Samuel J. Moore was also significantly associated with the Baptist Church – serving on many national and regional committees; attending Parkdale Baptist Church; and frequently speaking from the pulpit. He had become one of the wealthiest individuals in Canada by the 1920s. Moore later lived on Jameson Avenue in Parkdale, Toronto. Moore’s company – founded in 1882 – is still operating in 2020 (as the Moore Corporation Ltd.), now being a multibillion dollar corporation.
- Frederick (Fred) Swire (c. 1849 – 1886) – an Associate Editor and Contributor to the Grip resided at 467 Church Street in 1885. The Grip was an illustrated, independent satirical weekly newspaper established by John Wilson Bengough (1851-1913) in Toronto in 1873. The paper – published on Saturdays – provided commentary on current events, including political movements and scandals; early feminism; labour laws; important court cases; taxation between Quebec and the rest of Canada; and regional disasters (fire, malaria outbreaks, etc.). The Grip also published an annual comic book. The paper was distributed across Ontario, as well as in Quebec and Detroit (USA). Interestingly, Samuel J. Moore (1859-1948) – who resided at 469 Church Street only a few years before – was the Manager of the Grip during this period in time. The publication team was small in 1885 – with only 3 people listed in its masthead – though Bengough, Moore, & Bengough managed several other publications simultaneously. Swire was a medical student in London, Ontario during the mid-1870s. Swire died suddenly of a hemorrhage of the lungs in March 1886. The Grip later evolved into one of Canada’s leading design firms of the early-to-mid 20th century with connections to many eminent individuals, including being the avenue through which the Group of Seven first met.
- George Augustus Clow (1848-1933) – a Cashier and Proprietor of The Only Turtle Restaurant lived at 467 Church Street in 1886-1888. The Only Turtle Restaurant was based on Colborne Street, Toronto and catered towards the upper business class. The restaurant is noted to have had a specialty of importing live turtle and serving turtle soup. George Augustus Clow’s brother William Clow (1845-1915) was a founder and manager of the restaurant. George Augustus Clow married Julia Clow (née Gleeson) (1849-1938) in 1885
- The Consulate of Cuba was briefly based at 473A Church Street in 1916
- Jingles - a gay piano bar - was based at 467 Church Street in the late 1970s through late 1980s.
(Research by Adam Wynne)
