Player Street  

James Player Sr.

To distinguish it from the older Charles Street, in the northwest part of the city, in 1915 the name Charles Street South was changed to Player Street to reduce the confusion that had arisen over mail delivery. Player Street runs west of Downie Street and ends at Holmes Street. 

The Player name was chosen in honour of James Player Sr. (1891-1967), a building contractor who then lived at 24 Player St. It was the first house on the street and was built by its occupant. Player also built most of the other early houses on the street, all of which, at one time or another, were occupied by members of the Player family. James Player Sr. and his wife Charlotte (Welsh) had seven children, four girls and three boys.

Born in Wales, James Player was a mason and bricklayer by trade. He arrived in Stratford in about 1896. One of his first projects here was the Perth Mutual Insurance building at the corner of Ontario and Waterloo streets. It was demolished in 1964. Five generations of the Player family continued in the bricklaying trade. It was James Player Sr. who tired over the confusion created by two Charles Streets. He complained to the post office and then to city council, which had a quick solution. Why not call it Player Street? That was fine with James Player. Source: Streets of Stratford, 2004