Magical Holiday Lights Walking Tour
This is a self- guided walk through Cabbagetown South, ending on Aberdeen Avenue, to enjoy
the Christmas lights and beautiful decorations found in this Victorian neighbourhood. On your
walk you will learn about Victorian Christmas Traditions as well as interesting historic information
about the neighborhood and the homes you pass.
Starting Point: Pick-up your Route Guide from the box at the
front of 182 Seaton
Cabbagetown is a neighbourhood located on the east side of downtown Toronto.
Although you won’t find it on a map or survey, it comprises "the largest continuous area
of preserved Victorian housing in North America", according to the Cabbagetown
Preservation Association.
For the Victorians who lived in Cabbagetown South holiday decorating actually began
weeks before Christmas. They celebrated Christmas with characteristic enthusiasm and
had deep respect for custom and tradition . Many Victorians did not have money to spend
decorating their homes and instead made their decorations by hand. Favorite decorations
were garlands of fresh evergreens, berries, popcorn, ribbons, bows, small toys, candies,
fruits and nuts, dried flower, candles and handmade ornaments.
Seaton Street:
Seaton Street was built in 1852 (under City of Toronto Plan 41) and later improvements were
made to the infrastructure in 1911. It was created in conjunction with the development of the area
east of Sherbourne over to the Don River. During the years between 1860 and 1890 the area
gradually filled in.
182 Seaton Street was built in 1874 and was originally the home
of John Taylor, a wealthy safe manufacturer and his wife Maria
Crerar, from Montreal. They had a son David in 1869 and other
John in 1870. John purchased land on Seaton Street in 1870 and
quickly built a series of four rough-cast houses side by side.
He
rented these out to workers at nearby factories. For one year he
lived in one of his cheaper homes until 120 Seaton (which later
became 182 Seaton) was finished. It was a two story house with a
brick frame. One of the prominent additions to the house was the
circa-1884 stained-glass window that was created by Robert
McCausland. Mr. McCausland’s great-grandson Andrew now runs
the family business.
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Walk South along Seaton to Dundas Street.
Callaghan Lane: The laneways in Cabbagetown South recently received names. This was done
so that it would be easier for emergency vehicles to get to their destination. You are walking by
Callaghan Lane which was named for Morley Callaghan who was born in 1903 to an Irish
Catholic family. Callaghan grew up on Belshaw Place in Cabbagetown and was later
educated at the University of Toronto. Callaghan attended Osgoode Hall in the mid-1920’s,
but never engaged in the practice of law. Instead, he worked at the Toronto Star, where he was a
junior reporter. In his time there, he met writer Ernest Hemingway who was supportive of his
craft. In 1928, Callaghan’s first novel, Strange Fugitive, hit the shelves and his subsequent
popularity garnered hi the informal title of Canada’s first urban novelist. By the
1950s, Callaghan mapped his skills as a writer to the emerging broadcast
industry and thereby became known to a much larger audience. His writings
continued to be successful and in 1951 Callaghan received the Governor
General’s Literary Award for his book The Loved and the Lost. A later success
was his 1963 memoir, That Summer in Paris.
Callaghan received the
Companion of the Order of Canada. He died in 1990. Barry Callaghan, son of
Morley Callaghan supported naming the laneway after his father.
Corner of Seaton/Dundas look right.
You will see All Saint’s Church. When this
church was built in 1872 Sherbourne was a very elegant street and home to many of the
wealthiest members of Toronto society.
All Saint’s Church was designed by architect R.V.
Windeyer of Windeyer and Fallon, Architects. It was designed in the High Gothic Style popular
during the Victorian era. Church officials and members of the community approached Windeyer
and negotiations led to the signing of a contract on March 13, 1874 with Lionel York named as
the contractor. Several years later a Sunday school and Boys’ Hall were added to the structure. It
has been featured in Toronto Open Doors and is a landmark building. The neighbourhood
became a home for the mostly transient population as early as 1912. 196 members of the church
served in World War 1, and 28 lost their lives. By 1964 it was known as Canada’s largest
rooming house district. The church became a drop-in centre with a wide range of services.
The 1922 WWI memorial tablet can be seen in this photo.
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Dundas/Ontario:
On the NE Corner of Dundas & Ontario is the site of the infamous ‘Stougies Bar’ a notorious
hangout for drug dealers and hookers in times gone by. Today the bar is used by many
production and film companies because it offers an authentic bar atmosphere.
Cross Dundas Street at the lights.
As you cross the street at Dundas and Ontario look right and you will
see the Century Condo’s. Imperial Optical Condos which originally
started life in the 1940’s as the Imperial Optical Lens Factory. Built of
yellow brick ad poured concrete this building is an excellent example
of the Art Deco style. The building was converted to condos in 2000
and today is home to 41 residential and live/work lofts spanning the
two original stories.. The condo owners successfully obtained a
Beautiful City grant in 2009 to improve the streetscape of their
building. The planters and plantings went in during the summer and
are a great addition to the community.
Walk South on Ontario Street towards the lake.
Verner Laneway:
As you walk South on Ontario you will pass Verner Laneway. This laneway was named
after John Verner, the owner of a popular Cabbagetown store at 283 Parliament Street
(demolished now). J. Verner McAree, the nephew of the owner, used the store as a
primary setting in his book Cabbagetown Store. The work records the writer’s upbringing
with his Uncle John and Aunt Polly. Together, they lived onsite and operated their
business from the 1870s to World War 1. The store was known to take credit and issue
no interest loans to their Cabbagetown clientele. .
(Source: City of Toronto) To read the
Cabbagetown Store online visit: http://www.crpmuseum.com/index.php?article=40
262 Ontario Street
Frederick Hagan, One of Canada’s Greatest
Artists and Teachers 1918-2003
Frederick Hagan was one of Canada’s greatest artists, a great teacher and a
unique personality. When Frederick Hagan was 13 years old, his father, a
cabinet maker, died. His mother was left to raise eight children, so at the age
of 16, he dropped out of school to work in a paper-box factory. .From a studio
he set up in an empty garage, he used to wander the streets of his Cabbagetown neighbourhood
sketching and painting.
While studying at the Ontario College of Art (now Ontario College of Art and Design) his teachers
were John Alfsen, who became a mentor and father figure, and Frank Carmichael of the Group of
Seven.In 1946 Mr. Hagan was hired to teach drawing, painting and printmaking at O.C.A. He was
living in Newmarket at the time and commuted to Toronto for the next 37 years.
In 1998, he was awarded the Royal Canadian Academy of Art’s medal. Previously, he received
the Canadian Centennial Medal. His works are held by the National Gallery of Canada, the Art
Galleries of Ontario and the Frederick Horsman Varley Museum . (Source: Toronto Historical Board)
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222 Ontario Street: Did you know that 222 Ontario is the home of fictional detective William
Murdoch from the Maureen Jennings murder mystery series by the same name. His character
lived in Cabbagetown circa 1895. Toronto Heritage offer historic walking tours with Maureen
Jennings throughout the year. One of our very own Cabbagetown South members is an actor
who has been featured in the series!
Ontario Parkette:
You will note that Ontario Parkette has been decorated in true Victorian style! According
to tradition houses were dressed in branches of ivy and holly; the churches were
converted into leafy tabernacles and standards decorated with evergreens were set-up in
the streets so boys and girls could dance around them. We have tried to bring some of
those traditions alive in Ontario Parkette. There are fresh garlands on the fences with
bright red bows, ribbons on the lamp posts and colorful balls hanging from the tree
branches. Bells have also been added to the garlands and wreaths in the parkette
because they were also very popular in Victorian times. It was believed that the cold,
sunless winters made evil spirits more powerful and one way to drive them away was to
make a lot of noise. Look for the Victorian Kissing Ball in Ontario Parkette! (Source:
Illustrated London News, December 20th, 1845)
Picture of 205 Ontario Street (Source:Ontario Archives)
Walk North on Ontario passing Coatsworth Lane. .
Coatsworth Lane:
Many of the small Cabbagetown streets have disappeared
without a trace. In the not too distant past, there was a Central
Row, Armstrong Ave., Williams St., Roslin Ave., Lima St., Otter
Ave., Reed St., Home Place, Maple Row, Oland Place, Dean St.,
Hanover Place, and Malady's Lane. Coatsworth Lane was only
recently resurrected as Coatsworth Street
Ontario/Dundas:
At the corner of Ontario and Dundas Streets you will see a red
brick building with a green storefront. This was the first urban
live/work space. Now known as the Metropolitan Glass Ltd., it
was originally built for the Grand Noble Wine and Grocers circa
1890. Once the business was established, however, most
merchants found it expedient to rent the space above the store
to trusted employees who could deal with the late night
emergency calls.
Cross Dundas and proceed North on Ontario Street
311,313 Ontario Street:
These two houses are some of the oldest in Cabbagetown South! 313 were first surveyed in
1847 and may have been built that year or anytime over the next five years. It started as a one
room, 12 foot wide 30 foot long no basement Irish cottage with a stove for cooking and heat.
By 1900 the house had expanded to a second room in back to be used as a kitchen, and an
upstairs with two or three rooms (most likely two rooms and a closet but the closet could also
have been used as a small baby's room) but still relied on the stove for heat.
Over the next 30 years it acquired a bathroom (installed in the upstairs closet or baby's room),
and knob and tube electricity. Around 1930 the house was lifted up and a basement put under
with a furnace. Then in 1960 (we think 1962) the basement was redone with cement block. Up
to this point, 313 and 311 were joined - that is they had one basement. With the 1960 renos, a
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wall was built in the basement between 311 and 313 when the woman who owned both houses,
sold. In the 1970s an addition was added to the back for a larger kitchen on the main floor and a
third bedroom upstairs. The older part of the house was also renovated to update wiring and
plumbing. In the 1980s it was renovated with new windows and updated plumbing again, as well,
the back patio was installed and a fireplace was installed upstairs. After the major snow storm
of 1999, the house required a new roof and drains from the city lines were upgraded. As well
insulation was blown into the attic.
Over the years, the current owners of the two houses have collaborated to ensure that there is a
consistent look and feel to the street ensuring that the exterior paint colour; gardens and roof are
coordinated.
The house still has it's original hardwood and softwood floors on the main level and in the main
bedroom upstairs. Also, the original architecture of the main floor and the front of the house
upstairs can still be seen. It has one of the most beautiful front gardens in Cabbagetown South.
Ontario Street & Gerrard:
Cross the street at the lights and walk East along Gerrard and North on Berkeley.
242 Gerrard Street:
This home was built in 1881 and is a 3 ½ story in the Second Empire Gable style. It was
originally owned by Samuel Parker who rented it to John Hill who was a grocer. The
original assessment was $1420! It is now a Pimblett’s B&B and is reported by the owner
to have its own GHOST!
262 Gerrard:
Built in 1881 for Thomas Bryce this Second Empire Half Gable Style home was originally a
detached home. The original occupant was a James Pringle who was listed as an agent.
The home was
269 Gerrard Street: Look Across the Street to the Library!
The Edwin Snider House is now a City of Toronto Library. It was built in 1881 and in a
Gabled Victorian style. The home was rented to a Mr.Robert Vaughan who was an Agent.
Gerrard Street Store 937
Dmytro and Mary Horiszny in his store, Reliable
Shoe Repair, 285 Gerrard Street East (at Parliament)
April 1937
Courtesy of Kathleen "Kay" Horiszny,
daughter,Cabbagetown-Regent Park Museum
Berkeley Street:
Most of the homes that you will pass on Berkeley Street were built between 1883 and 1887 with
one or two build in the 1900’s.
Woodward Evans Lane:
As you walk North on Berkeley you will see Woodward Evans Lane. This laneway was named
after Torontonians James Woodward, a medical electrician, and Matthew Evans, a gentleman,
who filed a patent for the first light bulb on July 24, 1874. Together, they constructed the first
lamp with a rod of carbon placed between two electrodes in a glass bulb filled with nitrogen.
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Subjects of public ridicule, they received little support for their work. Woodward obtained a U.S.
patent in 1876. In 1879, Thomas Edison purchased the patent from Woodward and Evans as
well as other interested parties. The larger houses of today’s Cabbagetown, such as those
found on Sherbourne Street and Carlton Street, were among the first in the City of Toronto
to be electrically lighted. (Source: City of Toronto)
360 Berkeley:
At 360 Berkeley please note the fresh evergreens decorating the wrought and iron fence.
This 2 story semi-detatched, Half Bay & Gable was built in 1883 and features red & yellow
brick and a stained glass window.
Victorian Traditions say that even the poorest homes would decorate with holly and ivy!
Children waited anxiously to welcome Santa Claus to fill stockings and leave gifts. Here
is a poem from
The Victorian family was never at a loss for things to do after dinner. They would sing
songs, recite poems (like the one below) or play games.
Santa Claus, will you kindly go,
And visit a friend whose name you know:
Leave there your prettiest gifts and say,
All happiness comes on this Christmas Day.
370 Berkeley:
Built in 1883 370 Berkeley is an example of Second Empire style and features a round bay
window. The original owner was George Barton and he rented the house to a bookkeeper
by the name of William H. Harvey. There are many interesting features to this red and
yellow brick house …including curved stone lintels on the bay and tooth brickwork above
the bay lintels. It also features a Georgian stained glass transom.
379 Berkeley:
This 2 story home built in 1900 for Arthur Bell features a full gable and fractionable gable.
It features a porch and decorative wood pillars.
393 Berkeley:
Is a two story detached residence built in 1883 and owned by George Roard. Mr.Roard rented
the house to Grant Helliwell who was an architect who belonged to the Church of England. The
house is in the Half Gable style and features red and yellow brick and has an original slate roof!
The original assessment was for $3100. (Source: CPA Inventory of Homes)
386 Berkeley:
Walk North on Berkeley to Dr. O. Lane
Doctor O Lane:
As you approach the corner of Berkeley and Carlton you will pass Doctor O
Lane. This lane was named after Oronhyatekha (“Burning Sky”) M.D. who
was born into the Mohawk tribe and baptized as Peter Martin. Oronhyatekha
graduated from the University of Toronto’s medical school in 1866 and is
thought to be the first native doctor in Canada to train and practice in western
medicine. In 1878, Dr. O (as he was known), joined the fraternal
organization known as the Independent Order of Foresters (IOF) where he
held the position of CEO for over 25 years. By 1887, Dr. O had established a
medical practice in Nappanee. During his career, Dr. Oronhyatekha represented the Six Nations
and delivered the welcoming address to HRH the Prince of Wales. By Royal invitation, he
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studied at Oxford University. Dr. O is remembered for his residence at 211 Carlton Street.
He died in 1907 and a memorial service was held at Massey Hall to capacity crowds. (Source:
Toronto Historical Board)
226 Carlton Street:
Look a cross the street. This was the home of Rowena Grace Hume
who you will learn more about shortly. In recent years it has been
the home to several restaurants.
211 Carlton Street:
This was the home of Dr. O. It has been the home of Weenen
Construction since 1962. 211 is on the left.
Before you cross the street please look left and you will see the A.M. Howard
House.
Allan MacLean Howard House, 192 Carlton Street
As you cross the road at Ontario look to your left and
you will see the Allan MacLean Howard House at 192
Carlton Street. This house, now home to the Second
Mile Club, was built in 1850 for A. MacLean Howard, a
prominent citizen and clerk of the First Division Court.
He lived in the house until 1890’s. Howard rode his
horse to work along Carlton Street, then a tree-lined
country road bordered on the north by forests. In 1947
Arthur Davison, the last owner to live in the house,
donated it to the City of Toronto. He asked that the
house be used as a senior citizens’ clubhouse, which it
became when the Second Mile Club began leasing it that same year. Eunice Dyke, the influential
head of the City’s Public Health Nurses, founded The Second Mile Club in 1937 to encourage
meaningful activities among the elderly. The first organization of senior citizens in Canada, the
club still operates the house as a centre, one of five in the city of Toronto that continue to provide
a valuable service to the elderly. ( Source: Toronto Historic Board, 1997)
Walk West on Carlton to Ontario. Cross at the lights and proceed North on Ontario
Street to Aberdeen which will be one block North on the East side (right).
Hume Lane (off Ontario Street)
The new name for the laneway running east between
Aberdeen and Carlton is Hume Lane in honor Rowena Grace
Hume (1877 – 1966) who lived in this block and was a
Founder of Women’s College Hospital.
Rowena Grace Douglas Hume was born in Galt, Ontario, the
youngest of 12 children. She was a graduate of Galt Collegiate
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Institute, and University of Trinity College. She took post-graduate studies in England and the
United States before returning to Canada to take a position at the Ontario Medical College for
Women.
Her career was exceptional, having lectured in Pathology and Bacteriology, she was Assistant in
Anatomy, Ontario Medical College for Women, from 1902 – 1906. In 1911 she became a founder
of Women’s College Hospital, and its first Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a position she held
for twenty years.
A pioneer of planned parenthood programs, she formed the Birth Control Clinic, the first in
Canada, in Hamilton, Ontario. It opened March 3, 1932, and Doctor Rowena Hume was the first
doctor in attendance.
She was also actively involved in Alcoholics Anonymous, the Salvation Army’s Harbour Light
Centre, and the Fred Victor Mission. After retiring, she ran a private practice in Toronto.
Dr. Hume was in the habit of hiring the unemployed to do odd jobs around her home, and at the
age of 89 she was attacked and murdered by a transient worker. Some reports of the event
suggest that she died at the hand of a man at whose birth she had officiated 28 years earlier.
Aberdeen Avenue is a historically designated street in Cabbagetown named for Lord
Aberdeen, Governor General of Canada 1893-1898, and a lane way running off the
street, Ishbel Lane is named for Lady Aberdeen, an aristocratic democrat with a
strong social conscience who made lasting contributions to Canadian society.
Turn Right & Walk East along Aberdeen
6 Aberdeen Avenue:
Ernest Thompson Seton (1860-1946) was one of the most
important 19th-Century Toronto novelists who lived at 6 Aberdeen
Avenue. Seton began his career as a scientific illustrator and was a
self-trained biologist. From the 1890s until his death he wrote about
60 books, and nearly 400 magazine articles and short stories. His
book Wild Animals I Have Known, first published in 1898, has never
been out of print. His dramatic wilderness stories brought him praise
from such notable contemporaries as Andrew Carnegie, Rudyard
Kipling, Theodore Roosevelt, Leo Tolstoy and Mark Twain. It is said
that he had an almost mystical reverence for wolves and Indians. He
thought that wolves were the most clever and noble of creatures and
eventually called himself ‘Black Wolf.’ Indians to him were the finest
people because of their understanding of, and respect for, nature.
As one of the founders of the Boy Scouts and the Girl Guides of America, he inspired children t
imitate Indian ways. The message that Ernest Thompson Seton delivered for 60 years was that
nature is a great gift and should be valued and protected. One of the more thought-provoking
phenomena of the 20th century is the remarkable extent to which we have become a nation of
nature lovers. In his time, Ernest Thompson Seton did more than his share to help this cause
along.
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Lady Aberdeen:
Lady Aberdeen was president of the International Council of Women for 36 years and the
National Council of Women of Canada for six years and her most significant achievement was the
founding of the Victorian Order of Nurses. In her vice-regal duties at Ottawa's Government
House, invitations were eagerly sought to state dinners where she became famous for her
tableaux, dramatizing incidents in Canadian history, conscripting household staff, guests and
family members to play roles. She and Lord Aberdeen in honour of the Queen's Jubilee in 1897,
spent $4,000 of their own money to stage a huge pageant in Toronto’s Allan Gardens celebrating
Canada's progress in industry, arts, sciences and sports. (Apparently these expenses
consistently exceeded Lord Aberdeen's £10,000 yearly salary, alarming the Edinburgh lawyers
who managed their finances.
In her boundless enthusiasm to improve the lot of working women, Lady Aberdeen created the
Onward and Upward Association to help develop, socialize, and educate her staff, as well as
encourage prostitutes to relinquish the street. To honour these outstanding public contributions to
the women of her time, an offshoot of women from Toronto's Aberdeen Avenue Residents' Group
(AARG) has resurrected the Onward and Upward model in creating a modern-day salon as a
forum for discussion of issues critical to modern day women.
Lord Aberdeen's legacy was a reformed role in how the office of Governor General dealt with
Canadian society. He and his wife had sought to show interest in the welfare of less privileged
Canadians. By meeting Canadians in all regions of Canada and discussing their concerns, Lord
Aberdeen transformed the role of Governor General from that of the aristocrat representing the
King or Queen in Canada to a symbol representing
the interests of all citizens. He had also sought to
strengthen communication and trade links with the
overseas Dominions, seeing the future benefits of
openness between countries.
Lady Aberdeen’s father, Sir Dudley Coutts
Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth and a Scottish
aristocrat, is the breeder and originator of the Golden
Retriever. Improvements in guns in the 1800s
resulted in more fowl being downed during hunts at
greater distances over increasingly difficult terrain.
Setter and pointer breeds were found to be ineffective
retrievers, thus the breeding of a dog to fill this role of
one more vigorous and powerful than previous
retrievers, yet still gentle and trainable.
The original cross was of a yellow-coloured Retriever,
Nous, with a Tweed Water Spaniel female dog, Belle.
The Tweed Water Spaniel is now extinct but was then
common in the border country. In 1868, this litter of four pups became the basis of a breeding
program selected for trueness to Majoribanks' vision of the ultimate hunting dog.
Lady Aberdeen introduced the breed to Canada, and her brother introduced it to the USA. There
are more Golden Retrievers on Aberdeen Avenue than any other breed. The residents of
Aberdeen Avenue established an active community association in 2006, the Aberdeen Avenue
Residents' Group (AARG) to address issues unique to its
END OF TOUR:
Thank you for joining us!
Please consider joining Cabbagetown South (membership is $10 per year)
www.cabbagetownsouth.ca via PayPal.
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Thanks to the Cabbagetown People program for excerpts. www.cabbagetownpeople.ca
You can download extra copies of the Walking Tour from the website www.cabbagetownsouth.ca
.
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