Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme.
Toronto ON
Benjamin Chapman presumably learned the watchmaking and jewellery trade from his father who had established a jewellery business in Dublin, Ireland in 1814. Benjamin worked for 16 years as a jeweller in Belfast before immigrating to Canada in 1864. Ten years later he established his own business at 261 Yonge street in Toronto.
Photo taken May 2021 - not sure what the city plans to do with it.
B. Chapman’s shop offered imported clocks and jewellery from England and Germany. In January, 1890 The Trader & Canadian Jeweller reported that his store had recently installed the “new Edison incandescent electric lighting”, which “shows off their handsome goods to great advantage.”
William James Chapman (1911 – 1999) great grandson of Benjamin, was the last owner of the family business that remained in operation until c, 1983. In 1979 the original building was given heritage status and housed a Tim Horton’s on the main floor until recently.
ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT
In the block between Shuter Street and Dundas Square, the George Pears Stores (1891) at
229 Yonge Street , John Northway Company Building (1928) at 236-242 Yonge Street, Art
Metropole Building (1911) at 241 Yonge Street, John William Drummond Store (1868) at
253 Yonge Street, Chapman Brothers Jewellery (pre-1910) at 261 Yonge Street, and Childs
Restaurant and Offices (1918) at 279-283 Yonge Street are listed on the City of Toronto Inventory
of Heritage Properties. The Pantages Theatre (1920) at 263 Yonge Street is a city-wide landmark
that is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. 
...what a relief that the property won't sprout up a modern glass high rise!
ReplyDeleteThe building deserves to be protected and have some new use.
ReplyDeleteCatching up with you. Loved your gluten free muffin cups, nothing like the taste of hard paper in the morning. Lovely old building here. I hope they find another use for it without demolishing it. Toronto has been so destroyed. I remember the egg filips (sp?) my mother would make to harden us up for the winter, sounds like that egg coffee. She also made me ingest it before I sang publicly to "loosen my throat" I imagine she was referring to the gag reflex. *grin*
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
Preservation sure is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteI like the psychic advisor, maybe someone should open a shop Common sense advisor.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe