Description: 

224 Wellesley Street East is a 2.5 storey Gothic Revival houseform building with a ground floor storefront located on the north side of Wellesley Street East between Sherbourne Street and Parliament Street (near the intersection of Wellesley Street East and Ontario Street) in the St. James Town neighbourhood of Toronto. 224 Wellesley Street East was constructed in 1877/1878 as a residential property and underwent ground floor commercial modifications during the late 1890s or early 1900s.  

224 Wellesley Street East has significant  contextual and historical value through being the only surviving 19th century building on the north side of Wellesley Street East between Sherbourne Street and Parliament Street. 224 Wellesley Street East is one of a declining number of pre-1950s buildings in the St. James Town neighbourhood, as over 90% of its 19th century and early 20th century neighbourhood built form - within the area bounded by Bloor Street East to the north; Parliament Street to the east; Wellesley Street East to the south; and Sherbourne Street to the west - has been demolished from the late 1950s onward.

Prior to 1890, 224 Wellesley Street East was known as 222 Wellesley Street East. 

Prior to the 1970s, 224 Wellesley Street had two houses - known as 226-228 Wellesley Street East - connected to its east elevation. However, 224 Wellesley Street East had a greater setback from the street than 226-228 Wellesley Street East, indicating that 224 Wellesley Street East may not have originally been constructed as part of a continuous row. 

A rear addition was added to 224 Wellesley Street during the mid-to-late 20th century. 

224 Wellesley Street East presently contains murals on its east and west elevations. 

224 Wellesley Street East should be considered at increased risk of being lost to demolition due to the presence of multiple intensive redevelopments in its immediate vicinity, as well as through the forthcoming public realm revitalization of St. James Town. 224 Wellesley Street East would be an excellent candidate for restoration during the forthcoming intensive redevelopment and revitalization of the St. James Town neighbourhood. 

First Occupants: 

The first known occupants of 224 Wellesley Street East were Cecilia Lloyd and her son Henry Hoyes Lloyd who lived here from 1877/1878 until 1884.

Cecilia Lloyd (1833-1901) was the widow of Reverend Hoyes Lloyd (1824-1877). Henry Hoyes Lloyd (1860-1941) was her eldest son and employed as a clerk during this period in time. 

Cecilia Lloyd was born on 23 March 1833 in St. David's, Ontario - a small village near Niagara-on-the-Lake. She died in Toronto on 24 March 1901. Reverend Hoyes Lloyd married Cecilia Moore in St. Catharines on 11 October 1855. Hoyes and Cecilia Lloyd had 6 children - 4 daughters and 2 sons - born between 1856 and 1870. 

Reverend Hoyes Lloyd was a prominent Baptist minister. Born in New Glasgow, Québec on 12 October 1824, he arrived in Ontario prior to the mid-1850s. Rev. Lloyd was involved with the Baptist Church in Port Hope and Whitby during the early-to-mid 1850s. The Lloyd family later moved to Toronto in the late 1850s or early 1860s.

In 1863, Rev. Lloyd became the editor of The Canadian Baptist journal and newspaper. He held the editorship position until 1871 when ill health forced him to resign. His period of editorship occurred during the American Civil War (1861-1865), the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (1865), and the Confederation of Canada (1867). In 1866, Rev. Lloyd was one of 6 Baptist ministers selected to sit on the Canadian Auxiliary of the American Baptist Missionary Union committee. Reverend Lloyd was also associated with a number of Toronto area Baptist churches, including the Alexander Street Baptist Church which he served as the interim pastor of during its establishment in 1866 and as the first pastor of the College Street Baptist Church from 1871/1872 until his death in 1877.  Reverend Lloyd died in Toronto on 7 June 1877. For more information on Reverend Hoyes Lloyd, please see his biographical article in Harold U. Trinier's A Century of Service: Story of The Canadian Baptist, 1854-1954 (1958).  

The Lloyd family were long-time occupants of the east side of Downtown Toronto. Reverend Hoyes Lloyd is the eponym of the Reverend Hoyes Lloyd House (1871) at 422 Sherbourne Street. Cecilia Lloyd is the eponym of the Cecilia Lloyd House (1887/1888) at 201 Gerrard Street East. 

Later Occupants and Uses: 

Please note the following list is not exhaustive of all former occupants and uses of 224 Wellesley Street East and aims to provide a general overview. Dates are also approximate. 

Circa 1885:

In circa 1885, 224 Wellesley Street East - then known as 222 Wellesley Street East - was home to Charles S. Finch. Charles S. Finch was a traveller.

Circa 1890:

In circa 1890, 224 Wellesley Street East was home to Joseph J. Moore. Joseph J. Moore was a real estate broker at the firm Brown & Moore, which was based at 58 Church Street, Toronto.

1895:

In circa 1895, 224 Wellesley Street East was home to David W. Hughes. David W. Hughes was a wool merchant with a business at 14 Front Street West. 

Circa late 1890s and early 1900s:

In the late 1890s and early 1900s, 224 Wellesley Street East was home to Martin Robinson and Rebecca C. Robinson. Martin Robinson was a shoemaker. Around 1898/1899, Rebecca C. Robinson opened a dressmaking shop - known as R. C. Robinson - at 224 Wellesley Street East. This appears to have been the first commercial use of the property.  

Martin Robinson (1833-1912) and Rebecca C. Robinson (1835-1906) were married. The Robinsons were originally from England and arrived in Canada in 1854. The Robinsons initially settled in Newmarket and Whitchurch before arriving in Toronto during the late 19th century. Martin and Rebecca Robinson had 3 children: Robert Harry (born 1857); Rebecca (born 1866); and Mariam Ann (born 1869).

Circa 1905:

In circa 1905 224 Wellesley Street East contained William W. Thomson's stationery shop and his residence.

Circa 1910:

In circa 1910, 224 Wellesley Street East contained William W. Thomson's stationery shop and his residence.

Circa 1920:

In circa 1920, 224 Wellesley Street East contained William W. Thomson's stationery shop and his residence.

Circa 1930:

In circa 1930, 224 Wellesley Street East contained Philip Shniffer's confectionery shop and his and his family's residence. 

Circa 1940:

In circa 1940, 224 Wellesley Street East contained the Wellesley Variety Shoppe and Leah Beauty Salon. Philip Shniffer owned the building, lived upstairs with his family, and ran the variety shop. 

Circa 1950:

In circa 1940, 224 Wellesley Street East contained the Wellesley Variety Shoppe. Philip Shniffer owned the building, lived upstairs with his family, and ran the variety shop. 

Philip (Feivel) Shniffer:

For over 25 years, Philip (Feivel) Shniffer ran a confectionery shop and variety store at 224 Wellesley Street East and lived upstairs with his family. 

Philip (Feivel) Shniffer (c. 1890-1956) was born in Russia in about 1890. He emigrated to Buffalo, New York in 1911. By 1917, he was living in Toronto, Canada. Philip (Feivel) Shniffer was married to Ethel Himelson (1888-1926) who was originally from Minsk, Belarus. Philip and Ethel Shniffer had 3 daughters: Leah (born 1917), Adele (born 1918), and Molly (born 1923). The Shniffer family were Jewish. Philip (Feivel) Shniffer died in Toronto in 1956.

Following the death of Shniffer in 1956, the Wellesley Variety Shoppe continued to operate under various proprietors through the late 20th century. 

Circa 1960:

In circa 1960, 224 Wellesley Street contained the Wellesley Variety Shoppe. Ben Willer was listed in the 1960 Directory as living on site and owning both the building and shop. 

Circa 1969:

In circa 1969, 224 Wellesley Street contained the Wellesley Variety Shoppe.

1981:

Newspaper advertisements indicate that in 1981, 224 Wellesley Street East contained the Wellesley Variety store. This appears to have been a subsequent iteration of the Wellesley Variety Shoppe. 

Early 2000s to Present Day:

From the early 2000s onward, 224 Wellesley Street East has been home to various iterations of convenience, grocery, and hardware stores, including: Rajahari Convenience (2002-2003); 224 Mart (2003-2008); Reim Custom Paints Inc. (c. 2009); D. & W. Fruits and Flowers (2011-2013); Sunny Green Vegetable and Fruit Ltd. (2013-2018); and Wellesley Fruit Market (2018 - present day). Further research is required to discern if this trend continued pre-2002. 

(Research by Adam Wynne)