Alexander Johnston House Heritage Property plaque, 2019
File information | File dimensions | File size | Options |
Original JPG File | 5533 × 3659 pixels (20.25 MP) 46.8 cm × 31 cm @ 300 PPI |
5.7 MB | Restricted |
Low resolution print | 2000 × 1323 pixels (2.65 MP) 16.9 cm × 11.2 cm @ 300 PPI |
733 KB | Restricted |
Screen | 1209 × 800 pixels (0.97 MP) 10.2 cm × 6.8 cm @ 300 PPI |
198 KB | Restricted |
Resource ID
7524
Access
Open
Address
(Not installed, to be installed at 24 Mercer St, Toronto, ON M5V 0C4)
Date of Creation
2019
Historical Themes
Archaeological Heritage, Business History, Residential History
Program Category
Historical Plaques
Time Period
1835-1899
Caption
Alexander Johnston House Heritage Property plaque, 2019
Description
This is one of the oldest residential buildings in the city and a rare surviving example of a Toronto urban townhouse. Architect John Tully designed the original two-storey, red-brick structure in the Greek Revival style for hotelier Alexander Johnston. William Gibbon, an accountant, was the first tenant. The Great Fire of Toronto in 1904 destroyed much of the city’s commercial district along Bay Street, and many factories moved west to the King–Spadina area. Businessman Herbert Shaw bought the Johnston House in 1909 and converted it into a factory that made wooden hat forms for milliners. In the 1960s, it housed the Parkdale Novelty Co. and it was later remodelled into offices.