860-864 Bathurst Street consists of a row of three, 2-storey houses that were built in 1887/1888 that have been altered over time, including the addition of storefronts and a large rear addition in the 20th century and internal consolidations. The original roofline of the 1887/1888 houses is visible above the storefront addition. 860-864 Bathurst Street presently contains four large commercial units.


As of 1888/1889, the occupants of 860-864 Bathurst Street were:

860 Bathurst Street: George B. Robarts — a bookkeeper at Polson Iron Works.

862 Bathurst Street:  John (James) Angus — a carpenter.

864 Bathurst Street: Frank Grimsley — a brickmacker; and Sarah Grimsley — a machine operator. 



In 1907, 862 Bathurst Street was home to F. Ottaway (Ottawa) and family. This same year, F. Ottaway founded the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators, and Paperhangers of America: No. 219 and Painters' District Council — both of which were headquartered at the property. The Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators, and Paperhangers of America: No. 219 and Painters' District Council were labour organizations and/or trade unions.


During the 1960s, 862 Bathurst Street was home to Gordon W. Lightfoot — an employee at the Pullman Company. However, this appears to be a different individual than Gordon Lightfoot, the famous Canadian musician who was then working for the CBC. 



Since the 1970s, 860-864 Bathurst Street has housed beauty parlours, hair salons, and cosmetic shops — including the World Wide Hair Clinic, the World Wide Cosmetic Centre, the Golden Barber Shop, the Golden Hair Clinic, and the West Indian Barber & Beauty Supply Corporation Ltd. These businesses primarily cater to the Black communities of Toronto. Notably, this stretch of Bathurst Street has a large number of businesses owned by and tailored to the Black communities of Toronto and is sometimes referred to as Blackhurst Street.  

(Research by Adam Wynne)