Description: 

1267 Queen Street West / 81-83 Elm Grove Avenue is a 2.5 storey Second Empire building located at the southeast corner of Elm Grove Avenue and Queen Street West in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto.

Prior to the annexation of Parkdale in 1889, 1267 Queen Street West was known as 71-73 Queen Street, Parkdale. 

Site History: 

Early Occupants and Uses:

Between circa. 1884 and 1886/1887, the southeast corner of Elm Grove Avenue and Queen Street (Parkdale) was home to A. H. Carter & Bros. A. H. Carter & Bros was a grocery store operated by Augustus H. Carter (1843-1913). However, A. H. Carter & Bros appears to have originally occupied a smaller corner building, which was either renovated for expansion and/or demolished and replaced in late 1886 or early 1887. While the A. H. Carter & Bros. grocery store had vacated the building by 1888, Augustus H. Carter continued to live upstairs - at 83 Elm Grove Avenue - until his death in 1913; and other members of the Carter family had businesses in the building - including another grocery store and a real estate office - through the early 1920s.

As of 1887, the tenants of the building were: A. H. Carter & Bros in the east storefront unit (1269 Queen Street West); and the Parkdale Branch of the Standard Bank of Canada in the west (corner) storefront unit (1271 Queen Street West). The large pillars on the storefront of 1271 Queen Street West likely date to its use as a bank branch. The Parkdale Branch of the Standard Bank of Canada remained at 1271 Queen Street West until 1914. Following the Standard Bank of Canada, 1271 Queen Street West was home to the Parkdale Branch of the Bank of Montréal from 1916 until 1922. In 1898, architect Arthur Richard Denison was commissioned to design a new façade for the bank branch, which included the extant pillars and stonework. 

By 1888, A. H. Carter & Bros had vacated the building. The east storefront unit (1269 Queen Street West) then became home to the John C. Gray & Co. drugstore and the Parkdale Post Office. John C. Gray & Co. was run by John Gray III (1865-1929), whereas his brother William T. Gray (1863-1935) was the Postmaster of the Parkdale Post Office during this period in time. The Gray family are significant in Parkdale's history. John C. Gray III's and William T. Gray's grandfather - John Gray Sr. (1811-1875) - was one of the first settlers in the area and established a horticultural nursery in Brockton Village in 1852. Their father - John Gray Jr. (1837-1917) - was a prominent citizen, land developer and land owner, military veteran, and politician in Parkdale. John Gray Jr. served in the Fenian Raids (1866) and Northwest Rebellion (1886), as well as a Reeve of Parkdale in 1879-1881 and as a Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of York West in 1883-1886.  Two of John C. Gray Jr.'s daughters - Ida Gray (born 1869) and Caroline Gray (born 1874) - married sons of the Italian Consul-General of Canada, one of whom (Victor Gianelli) owned the Gladstone Hotel during the early 20th century. For more information on Parkdale's Gray family, please see Margaret Laycock's and Barbara Myrvold's Parkdale In Pictures: Its Development Until 1889 (1991), pages 41-42.

Robert Parker & Co. - dry cleaners and dyers - were also at 1267 Queen Street West during the 1890s and early 1900s. The company was founded in 1876 and is still active as of 2021, now being known as Parkers and having 3 locations in the GTA.

Overview of Later Occupants and Uses: 

Please note this information has been largely sourced from the City of Toronto Directories.

1895: 

1267 Queen Street West: Robert Parker & Co. - dyers.

1269 Queen Street West: Parkdale Post Office and John C. Gray & Co. - drugstore. 

1271 Queen Street West: Parkdale Branch of the Standard Bank of Canada. 

1900:

1267 Queen Street West: Robert Parker & Company - dyers. 

1269 Queen Street West: Joseph M. Carter - a grocer. 

1271 Queen Street West: Parkdale Branch of the Standard Bank of Canada

1910:

1267 Queen Street West:  Cooper and Becker - Real Estate; and residence of Alexander Cooper. 

1269 Queen Street West: John H. C. Vance's restaurant. 

1271 Queen Street West: Parkdale Branch of the Standard Bank of Canada. 

83 Elm Grove Avenue: Augustus H. Carter

1915: 

1267 Queen Street West: Morris Sheltuck - shoemaker.

1269 Queen Street West: Hopkins Brothers - restaurant; and George Hopkins' residence.

1271 Queen Street West: Vacant.

Note: The Parkdale Branch of the Standard Bank of Canada at 1271 Queen Street West closed in 1914 and the Parkdale Branch of the Bank of Montréal subsequently opened at 1271 Queen Street West in 1916. The Parkdale Branch of the Bank of Montréal was based here until 1922. 1271 Queen Street West was then vacant between 1923 and 1927. 

1920:

1267 Queen Street West: Morris Sheltuck - shoemaker.

1269 Queen Street West:  Herbert Carter - Real Estate / Collils and Guil - restaurant. 

1271 Queen Street West: Parkdale Branch of the Bank of Montréal.

Note: The Parkdale Branch of the Bank of Montréal was based at 1267 Queen Street West between 1916 and 1922. 

1930:

1267 Queen Street West: William Readley - shoe repair. 
 
1269 Queen Street West: Toronto Tent and Awning Co. Ltd. 

1271 Queen Street West:  LCBO Store #6. 

83 Elm Grove Avenue: Addis Newell and George R. Thwaites. 

Note: LCBO Store #6 opened at 1271 Queen Street West on 1 June 1927 and was based here until 1957 (at which point Parkdale's LCBO moved to 11 Brock Avenue). The LCBO itself was also established in 1927, following the repeal of the Ontario Temperance Act (provincial prohibition) that same year. LCBO Store #6 was one of the first LCBO stores in Ontario. 

1940: 

1267-1269 Queen Street West: The Brewers' Warehouse.

1271 Queen Street West: LCBO Store #6.

1950: 

1267-1269 Queen Street West: Gula's - a Jewish bakery operated by Herschel (Harry) Gula. 

1271 Queen Street West: LCBO Store #6

Note: Gula's was a Jewish bakery that was based at 1267-1269 Queen Street West between the mid-to-late 1940s and mid-to-late 1950s. The bakery was owned by Polish-Canadian Herschel (Harry) Gula and specialized in products like matzo. A photograph of workers at Gula's in 1948 has been included in the photographs section of this entry.

1960:

1267-1269 Queen Street West: Vacant
1271: Silver Furs & French Furriers of Paris

Note: Silver Furs & French Furriers of Paris moved from 333 Adelaide Street West to 1271 Queen Street West in 1959. The hand-painted French Fur Company and Eiffel Tower sign visible above the storefront at 1267 (formerly 1267-1271) Queen Street West dates to 1959-1964 when the French Furriers of Paris company was based here. The sign was covered up for years, but was revealed during renovations in the mid-2010s. 

Circa. 1965-1969 and Early 1970s:

1269-1271 Queen Street West: Usher's Surplus Foods - a grocery store. 

1970s:

During the 1970s, the Parkdale Community Legal Services offices were based at 1267-1271 Queen Street West. Established in 1971, the Parkdale Community Legal Services was the first community legal clinic in Ontario.

1980s and early 1990s: 

A goodwill store was based at 1267 Queen Street West during the 1980s and early 1990s.  

Early 2010s: 

The Mascot café - which sold coffee, art, and magazines - was based in 1267 Queen Street West. 

Present Occupants and Uses (as of early September 2021): 

The current tenants of the building include The Workroom - a fabric, quilting, and sewing supply store on the ground floor; and The Parkdale Hostellerie - a hostel located upstairs.

• Architect - A.R. Denison  <-- More buildings by this architect.