St. Charles Clock Tower (1872) Yonge Street Fire Hall Heritage Property Plaque
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Original JPG File8400 × 6515 pixels (54.73 MP) 71.1 cm × 55.2 cm @ 300 PPI 8.6 MB |
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Resource ID
10434
Access
Open
Address
488 A Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4Y 1X5
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2023
Historical Themes
Architectural Heritage, LGBTQ*, Performing Arts
Keywords
LGBTQ+, architecture
Program Category
Historical Plaques
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Time Period
1835-1899, 1900-1953, 1954-1998, 1999-today
Caption
St. Charles Clock Tower (1872) Yonge Street Fire Hall Heritage Property Plaque
Description
This clock tower was originally part of the Yonge Street Fire Hall. It later stood over the St. Charles Tavern, which was a symbol for Toronto’s gay community. The Yonge Street Fire Hall was active for 56 years. It closed in 1928 and the building became a car wash, then a tire dealership. In 1948, racehorse owner Charles Hemstead purchased the building and redesigned the ground floor to open the St. Charles restaurant and cocktail bar in 1950. Hemstead sold the business in 1958 but it continued to operate, serving drinks and Chinese Canadian food. The St. Charles could legally stay open when other bars had to close for dinner. Patrons at the nearby Red Lion Room, nicknamed the “Pink Pussy” by the gay community, often moved to the St. Charles to eat. The St. Charles grew popular with gay men and it held many drag shows, but it was not always a safe space. Police were hostile to the community and surveilled inside. In the 1970s, the tradition of Halloween drag shows began to attract malicious crowds, forcing drag queens to enter in secret or be pelted with eggs. Several discos used the upper floors in the 1970s and 1980s, including Maygay, Charly’s, and Y-Not. The St. Charles closed in 1987, but the building still housed nightclubs such as the Empire Dancebar. In 2022, the St. Charles clock tower was restored and incorporated into a housing development.