What if these bricks could talk? The Bishop’s Block Plaque commemorates some of the oldest buildings in downtown Toronto. These townhouses whisper tales of a bygone era.
Back in the 1830s and 1840s, John Bishop built these houses. He was a butcher and landlord. Bishop’s Block was a row of five brick townhouses. They were designed in the Georgian style. Prominent members of the community lived here.
Let’s rewind to December 1838. Writer Anna Jameson arrived in Toronto. She described it as a little ill-built town on low land. It sat at the bottom of a frozen bay. Jameson lived in Bishop’s Block. She wasn’t impressed. Her house offered little defense against the cold. She found it comfortless. Snow piled up against her windows. All she heard was sleigh bells and a half-starved cow.
Fast forward. By 1873, one of the Bishop’s Block townhouses became a boarding house. Late nineteenth-century records show up to 22 boarders living in some houses. Imagine the stories within these walls.
The City of Toronto Commercial Directory lists some early tenants. Miss Ross ran a ladies’ school here. G. A. Barber was a writing master at U. C. College. R. S. Jameson worked as Attorney General. Colonel Cameron also resided here. So did Dr. Bartley, Surgeon of the 15th Regiment. Aeneas Bell, a yeoman, and A. Rennie, a gentleman, were among the residents.
Later, David Fleming worked as a contractor. Joab Scales was a tobacconist. S. H. James sold dry goods. The block evolved over time.
In 2010, site development led to an archaeological dig. This excavation unearthed fascinating artifacts. The two remaining houses were taken apart. They were rebuilt to look like their 1910 renovation.
One interesting find was a privy vault. Its masonry construction stood out. It was different from the other townhouse privies. Those were wood-lined. This vault measured 150 cm wide and 220 cm long. It was lined with boulders, shale and limestone. After analyzing 2,500 artifacts from it, the privy was likely abandoned after 1859.
Archaeologists recovered almost 70,000 artifacts. These items and historical records tell a story. Adelaide Street transformed. It went from semi-rural, upper-middle-class homes to an urban, working-class area. It was full of boarding houses and businesses.
Today, the heritage-designated building is the Soho House Toronto. It is a members-only club. The Shangri-La Hotel planned to display some artifacts from the dig. So, the next time you pass Bishop’s Block Plaque remember its rich past. It is a reminder of Toronto’s evolving story.