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Ontario Street: Huron to Downie Street

One of Stratford's oldest, longest and widest streets, Ontario Street, was originally part of the old Huron Road, which led into the Huron Tract from the east and continued through to Goderich on Lake Huron. The trail was first blazed by Dr. William (Tiger) Dunlop, who brought a survey party through in May, 1827. Ontario Street was well named, because the Huron Road was the main route from Stratford to Lake Ontario settlements. Ontario Street derives its name from Lake Ontario and the name is believed to be from an Iroquois word "Skanadario." which means beautiful lake or sparking water.

1 Ontario St.- a storied past

Today, Scotiabank with its sleek, modern look at 1 Ontario St., now dominates the junction of Ontario, Church and Huron streets across from the Queen Anne Revival-style courthouse (see Huron Street) and has since 1997. To some in Stratford, it seems to have been a part of the city fabric forever. To others, there is more history.

The building itself has been there since 1962, commissioned by British Mortgage and Trust. (For early history as British Mortgage and Loan (see Corcoran Drive) Some may remember the architect who raised many an eyebrow with the brilliant but radical design that changed the Victorian streetscape. He also designed the Stratford Festival's permanent theatre. Robert Fairfield was his name and his story can be found here (see Fairfield Drive).

The story of the site, 1 Ontario St. In the early settlement days of the 1830s, the site was occupied by the Monteith general store. It was a wooden building that, like many of its era, have given way to multi-storey Victorian stone and brick structures. The building at b1 Ontario St. housed furniture builders and sellers, undertakers, another grocery business, and for many years the Public Utilities Commission offices, before financial institutions dominated the corner. Many will remember British Mortgage and Trust and its dark days of 1966, and the advent of Victoria and Grey Trust, before Scotiabank took over the site.

* The complete story of 1 Ontario St. is presented in a Feature Article 1 Ontario Street

2-6 Ontario St.- Perth County Inn, Lloyd's Wholesale, Dempsey's Creamery, Canadian Tire

Perth County Inn, newly restored in 2018 as seen here, facing Huron Street, has a new address of 4 Huron Street but is the same building known since 1868 as 2-6 Ontario Street. Photo: Perth County Inn Hotels

In 1868, James A. Redford, a prominent businessman built 2-6 Ontario St., which replaced earlier wooden structures dating from the late 1830s. It is known as the Redford Block, one of the oldest commercial blocks in Stratford. In 2018, it was restored by Bruce Whitaker, who also restored Edison's Inn at 46 Ontario St. (see article above on Ontario Street).

In July 2022, Whitaker received the James Anderson Heritage Preservation Award for his Redford Block restoration. Anderson was a teacher and the founder of the Stratford-Perth Museum. He became an influential and uncompromising heritage advocate.

Details of the refurbished building include eight residential apartments, the Perth County Inn, a trendy taco shop and cocktail bar, an antique store, an event space, and soon a Japanese takeout restaurant. It also includes gardens and deck areas.

The triangular building, now serving as the downtown core’s revitalized western anchor, is across the road from the Perth County Courthouse and has frontages on all three sides – York, Huron and Ontario streets.

Whitaker's earlier Edison Inn Restoration. The building had started to fall into disrepair by the time Whitaker bought it in 2018, That was two years after, his first major downtown renovation project, the building up the street at -a building down the street famous for housing inventor Thomas Edison during his brief stay in Stratford. Structural repairs and window and door replacements were among the most needed exterior fixes. Whitaker maintained the building’s elaborate brickwork, including dichromatic brick quoins and buff brick window surrounds, matching the original red and yellow when it was necessary. He also replaced That the dirt floor in the basement and the wooden support beams. Inside the five-room Perth County Inn, Whitaker has paid homage not only to the building itself but also to Stratford’s broader history. A 40-foot timeline of the city’s most interesting historical tidbits are illustrated on the walls and there are also sections dedicated to the city’s great musicians and actors, including artifacts shared by the Stratford Perth Museum. Source: Stratford innkeeper honoured for heritage efforts | The Stratford Beacon Herald

2 Ontario St.Dempsey's Creamery, in 1900.

This industrious scene from 1900, shows men unloading milk containers at the York Street side of Dempsey's Creamery, at 2 Ontario St. Daniel Dempsey operated his creamery at this address for five years and then, after partnering with William McCully, moved to Erie Street. Upon Daniel Dempsey Sr.'s death, his son Daniel managed the creamery business.

Photo circa 1900 by W.J. Allen. Before 1900 the establishment was run by cheese produce R.M. Ballantyne. this is the rear of the store were deliveries were made on York Street. Stratford- Perth Archives

2-6 Ontario St.- Canadian Tire, beginning

Early history of Canadian Tire on Ontario Street. George Thompson was a man on the move. And when he moved, he took his Canadian Tire store with him. His first store was at 29 Ontario St., where he set up shop in 1938. In 194o he moved across the street and re-settled at 16 Ontario St. Five years later, he moved west, to 2-4 Ontario St., across from the Public Utilities Commission offices and within shouting distance of the Perth County Courthouse.

The move from Ontario Street. In 1959, he bought a building at 45 Erie St., where today there is a city parking lot. At that address Thompson built a new store, which opened in 1960. Upon his retirement in April 1973, the store management passed to his son Don. It was Don who built the current store, at the east end of Ontario St. (1093 Ontario St.).

Family connections. Let us not overlook Don's brother, Ken, who met customers with a smile and an offer to help. He could lead one to any item in the store, regardless of the changing product lines and the store's size. Source: Brian Wendy Reis, If You Grew Up in Stratford . . . FB

36 Ontario St. -George J. Waugh, druggist

Thanks to Jeff Waugh for photos and text

At one time, George Waugh was the oldest merchant in Stratford, having been in business for 51 years, always in the same commercial block. He and his wife Jennie were born in Hamilton. He studied at the New York College of Pharmacy, and then came to Stratford to open a store.

In those days there were no paved streets or streetlights, so he carried a lantern home with him after work. The business section at the time was in the vicinity of Huron Street, and the sidewalks were but two boards, and the mud on the roads in places could be as deep as one's knees. Waugh served as president of the Ontario College of Pharmacy, and held various offices with the Masons. He was treasurer of local Masonic lodge for 25 years.

The photo shows George Waugh standing in front his store at 36 Ontario St., which was in the block at the far end on Ontario Street, on the right.

36 Ontario St.- Alexander Hepburn, architect

Alexander Hepburn was an architect whose office was above the Waugh Drug Store at 36 Ontario St.

He was a remarkably prolific architect who lived and worked in Stratford, Ont., from 1855 until his death in 1902. He was a dominant force in the architectural profession in Perth County for more than 30 years, and his prodigious output included more than 120 buildings throughout the region. They included commissions for commercial, industrial, institutional, ecclesiastical and residential builds throughout Perth County. The legacy of the Hepburn family of architects includes his son Thomas J. Hepburn, who trained under his father, and was the successor to his father’s practice after 1902.

Born in Dufftown, Moray, Scotland, in 1830, Alexander Hepburn was educated there, trained as an architect in the city of Aberdeen. He immigrated to Canada in 1854, and by December 1855 had settled in Stratford, Ont., where he worked as a carpenter in the building trades. He began to style himself as an architect in December 1867, and a local paper commended Hepburn for having proven himself to be “as good with the pencil as at the (carpenter's) bench.” In 1868, he had taken on new architectural commissions, but was still sought after by other architects for his carpentry skills.

The London, Ont., architect William Robinson secured Hepburn for the woodwork contract on St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church and the Toronto firm of Gundry and Langley obtained Hepburn's services on the interiors of the new St. James Episcopal Church.

Stratford-Perth Archives

His major commissions in Stratford include the Royal Canadian Bank (1868), Romeo Ward school (1873-74), and the Phoenix Block (1875). A major collection of original architectural drawings by Hepburn has survived, and is now held by the Stratford-Perth Archives. This collection includes more than 120 projects, dating from 1867 to 1892. A list of Hepburn's works can be found at Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada

48 Ontario -Edison Cafe and Bar Inn

Edison’s Cafe and Bar Inn at 48 Ontario St. is named for Thomas Edison (see Edison Place), who in 1863 had a room in the Edison’s Inn .

Edison’s Café was originally part of the Albion Hotel, referred to as the "old" Albion, built in 1855 by Peter and James Woods. The original Albion included the neighbouring building on the corner of Lakeside Drive and Ontario Street, opposite Erie Street. The café section of the hotel has changed hands over the years from Glen’s Gothic store to the Sputnik Café and now to Slave to the Grind.

When this historic, two-storey building went on the market, once an inn but with only its ground-floor coffee shop operating, Bruce Whittaker and his wife, Atlee, bought the property.

Left untouched for more than 70 years, the 1845-built structure required substantial plumbing, electrical and structural improvements. The upstairs remains relatively unchanged from Edison’s days. For a story of the renovation see Article. Whitacker has also restored 2-6 Ontario St.

54 Ontario St. -The "old " Albion Hotel

The Woods Albion Hotel. The horse and wagon are coming up the hill from the Avon River, off a street we know today as s Lakeside Drive. The stables were to the west of the hotel. Stratford-Perth County Archives.

Albion Hotel Stratford-Perth Archives

The Albion Hotel was built in about 1854 but, of course, it wasn't called "old" then. It was the second hotel in the village, opening about five years after the Shakespeare Hotel burned down .

The Albion Hotel was built by Peter and James Woods and was one of the village’s earliest and finest hotels.

However, the Albion was not the only hotel constructed after fire had taken down the Shakespeare Hotel. John Sharman (see Sharman Street), a blacksmith, built the Farmers Inn at the corner of Mornington and Huron streets. The Rob Roy hotel was south of the river on Ontario Street ,as was the Union hotel. Robert Johnson arrived in town and opened his Queen’s Arms, a fine wooden hotel. (see below on Ontario Street). And soon after that, Peter Woods had The Albion.

In the wake of the Shakespeare Hotel, the Albion was probably the best known of the early Stratford hotels. In Floodtides of Fortune, Adelaide Leitch wrote, “It pulled in the farmers from the township and the citizens from the village and the commercial travelers en route to Goderich. Ben Douro, a black man, drove for the hotel with a fine team of grey horses and a wagon. Adjoining the hotel, were Corey’s Livery Stables which operated the Albion Hotel minibus to and from the(railway) station.”

According to Mary Jane Lennon in Stratford, An Album, the overhanging balcony “witnessed many fiery speeches, not to mention a riot or two.” The Albion was a favourite meeting place for Tory politicians just as the Queen’s was the special headquarters for the county councillors and their friends.

When the hotels began closing, Stratford acquired business “blocks.” After 1875, the historic Albion was replaced by three stores: a grocery known as the Italian Warehouse; a jewelry store (Goldsmith’s Hall); and George Klein’s dry goods and ready-to-wear clothing. By then, there was a “new" Albion Hotel (see below on Ontario Street), farther east on the opposite (south) side of Ontario Street. It had originally been the Waverley House. After the new Albion was built, the hotel was referred to as The Albion Block and later it too was converted into a business block, known as the Waverley Block, at 87 Ontario St.

The original Albion Hotel, at the northwest corner of the junctions of Erie and Ontario streets and Lakeside Drive, was home to many other businesses in Stratford after the first three stores became part of the "old" Albion Block.

Over the years, it housed J. H. Kenner’s City Bookstore (see below), Thornton and Douglas men’s wear, Northway’s ladies wear (see Northway Circle) and Wade’s Flowers.Sources: Adelaide Leitch, Floodtides of Fortune and Mary Jane Lennon, A Stratford Album: Memories of the Festival City. Compiled by Gord Conroy

Wades Flowers for many years

54 Ontario St. - Kenner Book Store

Kenner Crescent is named for John Herbert Thomas Geach Kenner (1864-1956), who operated a bookstore in Stratford for 60 years, and for his son, Dr. Harold Brown Kenner (1896-1969), the city's medical officer of health.

Born in Camelford, near Cornwall in England, Herb came to Canada as a child with his parents. His father, Rev. John Kenner, was sent by the Bible Christian Conference to its headquarters in Bowmanville. The conference later merged with the Methodists and then became part of the United Church of Canada.

As a youth, J. H. served his apprenticeship in the book and stationery business in Bowmanville, before the family moved to Stratford because his father was transferred to Clinton.

In 1890, J. H. bought the book and stationary store at the corner of Ontario and Erie streets from Joseph H. Dufton. When Herb Kenner came to Stratford in 1890, the main streets were mud pavement, bordered by plank sidewalks and lit by gas lamps. Lake Victoria was a stump-filled millpond and the Grand Trunk Railway station was an aging frame structure. The old wooden building was still standing by the Avon River where the tennis courts and bowling greens were later located. * Kenner Crescent is named for him.

54 Ontario St- George Maitland, Photographer

George Maitland was born in 1835, near Aberdeen, Scotland, In his early 20s, he left to seek his fortune in Canada. He initially settled in the Hamilton, where he worked as a photographer. It was there he met Mary Ann Davidson a gifted poet and they married in 1861. One of their six children was George Henry, who became editor of the Stratford Herald in the early 1900s.

The Maitland family lived in Stratford from 1876 to 1916. One of the Stratford locations of the Maitland photography studio was at 54 Ontario St, at its intersection with Veterans Drive, where Wade's Flowers was later located. This is red glass negative in the picture was of the type used in Maitland's days in the late 1860s,

Maitland developed a reputation of producing fine photographs and experimenting with photographic techniques to advance the art. He established his photographic business on Market Square, and at a number of locations through the years, finally settling at 48 Ontario St. He was an important photographer in Stratford for more than 30 years. Upon his retirement, he and Mary Ann moved to St. Marys. In Stratford, the Maitland photography studio was also in the Myers Block on Downie Street near Market Square.

George Maitland died on Jan. 16, 1928 and is buried with his wife, Mary Ann, in Avondale Cemetery, Stratford. Source: Historic Plaque * see Maitland Ave. named for him.

62 Ontario St.-The majestic post office

This impressive federal building stood proudly on the north side of Ontario Street from 1882 until it was demolished in 1961. Its strong 19th-century design became a prototype for post office buildings across the country. It was designed by Thomas Seaton Scott, who designed the first parliament building. Memorial Park now occupies this site. The city fathers, in their great wisdom, tore it down.

Personal Note: In the 1950, my father joined the Stratford RCAF Ground Observer Corps. Once a week, he had to take his turn at night to stand on the roof of the Stratford Post Office and look into the skies for possible bombing raids from Russians. The old post office was a beautiful stone building; it would have been a shame to have it hit by a bomb. Who would want it to be destroyed?

The Ground Observer Corpswas a civilian organization within the Royal Canadian Air Force formed in October 1950 to help identify intruder aircraft in the era before the Pinetree Line radar network was fully operational. Members were required to report any sighting of an aircraft with four or more engines via Forces-supplied radios. by : Paul Wilker

Post office bell. The post office was completed in 1884, shortly after the Bell was installed. It was cast in the Henry McShane Foundry in Baltimore. When the post office was torn down, the bell survived, and it now hangs at the entrance of the Stratford Perth Museum.

The Henry McShane Foundry produced more than 300,000 bells.

This two-part glass clock face came from the post office that was demolished in 1961. The clock was restored by scenic painter, Kevin Kemp who refurbished the glass and repainted the numbers using archive images of the post office. Jeremy Cox built a frame to hold the heavy clock face, recreated the original hands and designed the clocks lighting. Greg Bride *, master electrician at the Avon Theatre, helped to deliver light to the clock, which now keeps good time. Located at Stratford-Perth Museum

Reflections Article: Becoming an important landmark, Stratford’s first government-built post office was completed in 1882, on the site of the present Memorial Gardens on Ontario Street. It was designed by British-born architect T. S. Scott, who immigrated to Canada in late 1855 or early 1856. The clock, built by P.J. Woods, jeweller, at a cost of $2,000, was installed in the clock tower late in 1884 or early 1885. For more than 75 years, its four faces, each five feet six inches in size, were the checkpoint for uptown workers and shoppers hurrying about their business. Accompanying the clock in keeping time on the post office roof was the 996-pound bell, made in 1884 at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore. With the building of a new post office on Waterloo Street, which officially opened on Sept. 11, 1959, the parks board acquired the old site on Ontario Street, and the old post office was demolished in 1961. The historic post office clock and bell are now in the Stratford-Perth Museum’s possession, where the bell, after recently being restored, hangs outside of the main entrance.

* Greg Bride has been head electician for the Avon Theatre since 2008 Youtube Interview with Greg Bride

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