Researched and compiled December 2022 by Peter J. Marshall for Hogtown House Histories.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The city of Toronto is located on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The city is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit.
290 SHERBOURNE STREET
290 Sherbourne is located within a 100-acre tract of land bounded by Bloor, George, Queen and Sherbourne Streets known as Park Lot 5 that was first granted to Chief Justice William Osgoode in 1798. In 1819 it was purchased by one of York’s wealthiest citizens, William Allan, who began the process of subdividing it before passing the task to his son George William Allan.
George registered subdivision Plan 150 in 1856 which covered the area between Gerrard, George, Sherbourne and Dundas Streets. This included the designation of building lots along Sherbourne that were 50 feet wide and 138 feet deep. The following year, Allan had a detached house built on the lots numbered 54 and 55 which he leased until selling it as part of a 50-foot plot of land that straddled those two lots.
In 1886 builder Joseph Logan Thompson purchased the property for $4,500, demolished the house and constructed the current pair of slightly asymmetrical semi-detached homes. The two-and-a-half-storey brick dwellings designed in the bay and gable style were reflective of the handsome middleand upper-class homes that lined the upper parts of Sherbourne and Jarvis Streets at the time, although number 290 is notable for having its main entrance located on the side of the house.
Thomson sold both semis with the original combined 50-foot frontage to Frederick Macqueen and Robert Pyne in June 1888 and Macqueen then subdivided the property as two 25-foot lots, selling 292 Sherbourne that same year and keeping number 290 as an income property.
Macqueen and Pyne were landlords to 290 Sherbourne’s original tenant, William A. Reeve, a lawyer and one of the first principals of Osgoode Law School. Reeve and his wife Sarah lived there with their nine children until he passed away at the residence in 1894. In 1899 the landlords sold the house to dry goods merchant Robert Stanley who occupied the home with his wife and six children until 1910.
The Edwardian era saw a significant change in the demographics of Toronto’s downtown east as its prosperous inhabitants decamped to neighbourhoods further away from the city’s increasingly busy and dirty industrial core. In their wake, most of their former homes were adapted into boarding houses consisting of a primary family that either owned or rented the premises and earned supplemental income from multiple lodgers. 290 Sherbourne followed this model until 1980 James and Margret Beveridge acquired the dilapidated house and renovated it on the eve of its centennial anniversary. The semi was then purchased in 1997 by the current owner. From 1998 until 2019 he also operated his video editing business on the second floor and as of 2021 he has owned the home for longer than anyone else in its history.
LAND OWNERSHIP HISTORY
Ontario Land Registry offices hold the province’s historical property ownership records as well as abstracts (indexes) of those records. Abstracts are grouped in books by subdivision plan. The following are highlights of the abstract pertaining to 290 Sherbourne which is situated on Lot 55 in Plan 150. The abstract is titled “Plan 150, book 275, 275A, 275B” and is filed in Land Registry Office #80. Its contents trace property ownership back to the original land grant of Park Lot 5 by the government of Upper Canada in 1798.
6 3925M Grant June 11, 1888 Joseph Logan Thompson and Mary Ann his wife Frederick Macqueen [ and Robert Pyne]
7 5077O Grant Nov 26, 1888 Frederick MacQueen (unmarried) & Robert Allan Pyne & Mary Isabel his wife
9 11270R Grant May 1, 1899 Fred’k Wm Macqueen, Robert Allan Pyne, Fanny Isabella Ann wife of F W Macqueen & Mary Isabel wife of R A Pyne
Alexander Maclean
Robert Stanley
This is the first sale of 290 and 292 Sherbourne which encompasses the north 44 feet of Lot 55 + south 6 feet of Lot 54
This is the first solo sale of 292 Sherbourne which consists of the north 25 feet of the property purchased by Macqueen and Pyne.
This is the first solo sale of 290 Sherbourne which consists of the south 25 feet of the property purchased by Macqueen and Pyne. 10 7780T Grant Apr 3, 1906 Robert Stanley Sarah Stanley 10 19733S Grant Jun 25, 1910 Sarah Stanley,
Transfer Feb 11, 1991 Margaret Julianne Beveridge, estate James Alexander Beveridge 20 CA216233 Transfer Nov 23, 1992 James Alexander Beveridge Alexander Shepp Beveridge (as to 1/3 int.), Nina Beveridge (as to 1/3 int.), Nicholas Robert Adam Beveridge, Judy Beveridge 21 CA369389 Transfer Oct 2, 1995 Alexander Shepp Beveridge, Nina Beveridge, Nicholas Robert Adam Beveridge, Judy Beveridge Nina Beveridge
Interpretation Guide
Inst. # Records are referred to as instruments. Reproductions can be ordered from the Land Registry office by referring the instrument number but the numbers for historical instruments prior to the 1970s must converted to a modern system of numbering first. Instructions for converting these numbers are available from the OLR although they require a basic understanding of the Registry’s record classification processes.
Inst. Type “Memorial of BS” (Buy & Sell), “Grant” and “Transfer” all refer to deeds of sale.
Inst. Date Abstracts include dates of instrument creation and dates of registration with the registry. This chart shows only the former unless otherwise noted.
PREDECESSOR HOUSE
Built: circa 1857
Demolished: 1886
Style: unknown
Alt. Address: 148 Sherbourne St. prior to 1872
OLR ID: Part Lots 54 & 55, Plan 150, LRO #80
The city directory excerpts below help identify the original house’s construction year, street number, occupant and demolition year.
1856 directory: no houses yet built on the west side of Sherbourne between Dundas and Carlton.
The next available directory after 1856 is from 1859. No street listings are included in this directory, just resident listings which include a Joseph Robinson of jewellers Joseph Robinson & Co living at 148 Sherbourne. Later directories corroborate that 148 is the predecessor house.
1861 directory: Joseph Robinson’s house is the only one between Wilton (Dundas St. E.) and Carlton
1872 directory: last year that the house is numbered as 148 1873 directory: Sherbourne St. houses have been renumbered 1887 directory (compiled 1886): Last appearance of 1st generation house
The 1858 Atlas of the City of Toronto shows the earliest development of the neighbourhood bounded by Sherbourne and George Streets just two years after the subdivision plan was officially registered. (Wilton Crescent would eventually become part of Dundas Street East.)
The original 290 Sherbourne is denoted as a 2-storey brick house with two wooden outbuildings.
SUBDIVISION PLAN
This 1854 subdivision plan for a portion of George W. Allan’s estate into “Villa lots” would be registered with the province in March 1856 as plan number 150. The current 290 Sherbourne is located on lot 55.
Note how Pembroke Street is depicted as a tree-lined approach to the Horticultural Gardens north of Gerrard. The land for the gardens had been donated by Allan the year prior and was renamed Allan Gardens after his death. (Toronto Public Library)
LOT MAPS
Historical fire insurance maps offer valuable insights into a building’s shape, storeys and construction materials to assist insurers with determining the cost of policies. The maps below were created by the Charles E. Goad Company.
1884 Atlas of the City of Toronto showing the original 290 Sherbourne just prior to demolition. It is located on lot 55 of subdivision plan 150. Pink shading indicates brick building materials and yellow indicates wood. (Toronto Public Library)
1890 Atlas of the City of Toronto showing the new 290 & 292 Sherbourne.
Number 292 is located on the south 6ft of Lot 54 and north 19ft of Lot 55 while number 290 is located on the “north 25ft of south 31ft” of Lot 55 per original land registry descriptions. (Toronto Public Library)
Circa 1889 Insurance Plan of the City of Toronto provides more accurate building outlines - including porches denoted by dashed lines - and notes how the number of storeys. It also indicates wooden outbuildings with grey shading and stone construction with blue. (University of Toronto)
GLENHOLM PL. (LANE)
GLENHOLM PL. (LANE)
GLENHOLM PL. (LANE)
1886 DEED
Deed for purchase of the 50-foot property and original house by Joseph Logan Thompson from his sister-in law for $1,500. Logan would build the current semidetached houses the following year. (Instrument # 198N)
CITY DIRECTORIES
City directories listed the heads of household sorted by street address which allows a house’s occupants to be determined up until 2000 when the directories ceased being published. The Sherbourne Street excerpts below are for years that relate to the house’s original occupants and the occupants at the time of the decennial censuses.
1888 directory (compiled 1887). First appearance of 290-292 Sherbourne semi-detached houses.
1889 directory (compiled 1888). 290 Sherbourne is listed as still being vacant.
1890 (compiled 1889) The house’s first occupant is listed as William A. Reeve.
1902 directory (compiled in 1901 census year) shows the Stanley family living at the house. Note that the lane north of 290 Sherbourne has been officially named Glenholme Place.
1912 directory (compiled in 1911 census year). The Gall family is now residing at 290 Sherbourne.
1922 directory (compiled in 1921 census year) shows the head of household being Ernest Wright although a different family appears in the census.
1891 CENSUS
Excerpt from District 119: Toronto (City) > Sub-district I: St. Thomas Ward > pages 8 and 9
Interpretation Guide
Col. Description
4 Dwelling is described with abbreviations for construction material, number of stories and number of rooms. For example, “S2/6” is a stone house with 2 stories and 6 rooms. “W” = wood, “B” = brick.
5 A separate number was to be assigned to each family that occupied the same house.
6 Occupants’ names were to be entered with the surname first.
7 Sex was denoted by the letter “M” for male and “F” for female.
8 Ages for children under one year were indicated by fraction e.g. 2 months was written as "2/12".
9 Marital status was denoted by the letter “M” for married or “W” for widow or widower.
10 Relationship to the head of family (i.e. the first person listed in the family group) was denoted by the letter “W” for wife, “D” for daughter, “S” for son, “DOM” for live-in domestic servant or "L" for lodger.
11 For individuals born outside of Canada, the name of their country of origin was provided. For those born in Canada, the name of the province was indicated. The ditto mark shown in this excerpt indicates Ontario.
Col Description
13, 14 Same information as for column 11 but pertaining to the individual’s father and mother.
15 See Library and Archives Canada 1891 census web page for a list of abbreviations of religious denominations.
16 Individuals studying a profession or trade were to be noted as students of that profession or trade. Individuals in college were to be entered as students; however, school children were not to be entered as students. For those who had no other occupation aside from a share of the household work, a symbol for nothing-to-be-recorded was entered.
General
Items to be counted as one were to be indicated by either a downward stroke (|) or the figure "1."
Items to be counted as zero were to be indicated by a dash (-) or the space was left blank.
A dash (-) was written whenever NO was the answer or there was nothing to be recorded.
Ditto marks (" or “do”) were used, except where specifically prohibited under the instructions.
1901 CENSUS
Interpretation Guide
Col. Description
1 A count of the dwellings, numbered in the order visited by the enumerator.
2 A separate number was to be assigned to each family that occupied the same house.
3 Individuals’ names were to be entered with the surname first.
4 Sex was denoted by the letter “M” for male and “F” for female.
5 An individual’s “colour” was denoted by the letter "W" for whites (people of European descent), "R" for red (Native Canadians), "B" for black (people of African descent), "Y" for yellow (people of Japanese or Chinese descent). Children who were of mixed Caucasian and other heritage were to be designated as members of the appropriate non-white race. The ditto marks in this excerpt indicate “W”
6 The head of the family (or institution) was entered as such, with the remaining members of the group indicated through their relation to the head (wife, son, daughter, servant, boarder, lodger, partner, etc.). Those persons in an institution could be described as an officer, inmate, patient, prisoner, pupil, etc.
7 Marital status was denoted by "S" for single, "M" for married, "W" for widowed and "D" for divorced.
11 The ditto marks in this excerpt indicate “Ont U”
10 Age was denoted by the number of years completed before March 31, 1901. For children under one year of age, fractions were used (for example, to indicate 2 months, "2/12" was written).
Col. Description
13 If individuals had applied for their citizenship papers, but had not yet gained full citizenship, they were to be marked as "PA".
14 Racial origins were generally traced through the father. Aboriginal people were to have their origin traced through their mothers, with the specific name of the First Nation entered.
15 The ditto marks in this excerpt indicate “Canadian”.
16 See Library and Archives Canada 1901 census web page for a list of abbreviations of religious denominations. The ditto marks in this excerpt indicate “Church of England”.
Description
17 Only the main profession was to be recorded.
18 For people living on income from other sources than salary, like annuities, pensions, etc.
25 For those who were employed in an occupation other than their trade, or if an individual who usually worked at a trade was engaged in any employment.
33 The ditto marks in this excerpt indicate “English”.
34 The degree of the infirmity needed to have reached the stage of incapacity to be noted.
General
The census began on March 31, 1901.
1911 CENSUS
Excerpt from 124 Toronto Centre > Ward 2 > Division 21 > pages 12-13
Interpretation Guide
Col Description
1 A count of the dwellings, numbered in the order visited by the enumerator
2 A separate number was to be assigned to each family that occupied the same house.
3 Individuals’ names were to be entered with the surname first.
5 Sex was denoted by the letter “M” for male and “F” for female.
6 The head of the family (or institution) was entered as such, with the remaining members and their relation to the head (for example, wife, son, daughter, servant, boarder, lodger, partner). People in an institution were described as officer, inmate, patient, prisoner, pupil, and so on. The chief officer of the institution was designated through his/her proper title (for example, warden, superintendent or principal).
7 Marital status was denoted by the letter "S" for single, "M" for married, "W" for widowed, "D" for divorced or "L.S.." for legally separated.
10 For people one year of age and over, their age was the number of years completed before June 1, 1911. For children under one year, fractions were used (for example, to indicate 2 months, "2/12" was written).
Col. Description
13 Naturalization year was provided for persons 21 years of age and over, who were born in a country outside the United Kingdom or any of its dependencies and who had become naturalized.
14 Racial origins were generally traced through the father. Aboriginal people were to have their origin traced through their mothers, with the specific name of the First Nation entered.
16 See Library and Archives Canada 1911 census web page for abbreviations of religious denominations.
17 Occupation was to be entered for every person 10 years of age and over. This was to be the title that most accurately described the "gainful" work through which the individual earned money or a money equivalent.
"Income" was entered for individuals who did not have a specific occupation, but that instead subsisted on an independent income, such as investments, pensions, superannuations. "None" was entered for individuals 10 years of age and over who did not have an occupation and who did not live on an independent income.
18 Supplemental income was to be noted for anyone 10 years of age and over. A three-part numerical code was used to indicate (1) main divisions of occupations or industries, (2) class of worker, and (3) Trade. For a complete list of codes see Library and Archives Canada 1911 census web site.
20 The term "W," for wage earner, was to be entered for someone who worked for salary or wages.
21 "O.A" for "own account" for someone who was employed in a gainful occupation and who was neither an employer nor an employee.
29 Persons employed in the construction and mechanical trades were believed to be paid according to a fixed schedule of rates per hour. Individuals paid in such a manner were to have an entry in this column.
38-41 The degree of the infirmity needed to have reached the stage of incapacity to be noted. If the infirmity developed in childhood, "child" was entered followed by the age at which the infirmity appeared.
The census began on June 1, 1911
Col Description
General
1921 CENSUS
Excerpt from District 130 Toronto Centre > Ward 2 / Subdistrict 5 > page 23
Interpretation Guide
Col. Description
1 A count of the dwellings, numbered in the order visited by the enumerator
2 A separate number was to be assigned to each family that occupied the same house.
6 For home ownership status, "O" denoted that the home was owned by the householder, "R" that it was rented.
8 House type was denoted as "A” for apartment house, "T" for Town or Terrace, "S" for single house, "D" for semi-detached.
9 Construction materials were denoted as "S" for stone, "B" for brick, "W" for wood, "B.V." for brick veneer, "P.L." for plastered with lime mortar, "P.C." for plastered with cement mortar (stucco), "CON" for houses constructed of cement blocks or concrete.
10 This column indicates the number of rooms occupied by this family for living purposes.
11 For people in an institution, the descriptors were officer, inmate, patient, prisoner, pupil and so on. The chief officer was designated through his/her proper title e.g. warden, superintendent, principal
14 For children under one year, fractions were used (for example, to indicate 2 months, "2/12" was written).
Col. Description
20 A married woman was to be reported as the same nationality as her husband. A foreign-born child under 21 is to be reported as the same nationality as his parents.
25 See Library and Archives Canada 1921 census web page for a list of abbreviations of religious denominations.
28 For post-census statistical analysis, a numerical code (for example 05-07 or 09-80) representing specific occupations was added in column 28. The first part of the code indicates the industry while the second part represents the occupation. For an explanation of these codes, consult the 1921 Census Occupations Codes chart available on the Library and Archives Canada web site.
General
Items to be counted as one were to be indicated by either a downward stroke (|) or the figure "1."
Items to be counted as zero were to be indicated by a dash (-) or the space was left blank.
Ditto marks (") were not to be used, except where specifically called for under the instructions.
Numeric codes: when employees of the bureau of statistics were compiling the statistical summaries some of them wrote numbers on the census pages. The numbers relate to the information already recorded, not to additional details about the person enumerated. For example, for columns 15-17 (Place of Birth) the following codes were used on some pages: 1 Canada, 2 United Kingdom, 4 United States etc. Also, column 28 (Schooling) was used for Occupation codes that are defined in a separate guide. The meaning of numbers written in other columns is unknown.
The census began on June 1, 1921
1931 CENSUS
In the order of visitation.
Excerpt from District 156 Toronto East Centre > Subdistrict 24 > page 5 Interpretation Guide Col. Description
1 A count of the dwellings, numbered in the order visited by the enumerator
2 A separate number was to be assigned to each family that occupied the same house.
5 For home ownership status, "O" denoted that the home was owned by the householder, "R" that it was rented.
7 House type was denoted as "A” for apartment house, "R" for row or terrace, "S" for single house, "D" for semi-detached, “F” for flat.
8 Construction materials were denoted as "S" for stone, "B" for brick, "W" for wood, "BV" for brick veneer, "P.C." for stucco, "CB" for cement brick.
9 This column indicates the number of rooms occupied by this family for living purposes.
13 Marital status was denoted as “S” for single, “M” for married, “W” for widowed, “D” for divorced. 14 For children under one year, fractions were used (for example, to indicate 2 months, "2/12" was written).
Racial origin. Can speak English. Can speak French. Languages other than English or French spoken as Mother tongue. Religious body, Denomination or Community to which this person adheres or belongs. Can read and write. Months at school since Sep 1, 1930.
Industry or business in which engaged or employed as cotton mill, brass foundry, grocery, coal mine, dairy farm, public school, business college, etc. Class of worker. Total earnings in the past twelve months (since June 1st, 1930). If an employee, were you out of work Monday June 1st, 1931. If answer to previous question is NO Why were you not at work on Monday June 1st 1931. (For example, no job, sick, accident, on holidays, strike or lock-out, plant closed, no materials, etc.) Total number of weeks unemployed from any cause in the last 12 months. Of the total number of weeks reported out of work in columns 34, how many were due to-No Job Illness Accident Strike or Lockout. Temporary Layoff. Other causes (see instructions 181) 20 21 22 23
OCCUPATION.
Trade, profession or particular kind of work, as carpenter, weaver, sawyer, merchant, farmer, salesman, teacher, etc. (Give as definite and precise information as possible.)
INDUSTRY
Col. Description
26 “R” indicates the person can read only, “W” indicates they can read and rite, “No” indicates they can neither read nor write.
30 Class of worker was indicated by “E” for employer, “W” for wage or salary worker, “O” for own account, “N.P.” for wife, son, daughter working without regular wages.
General
The census began on June 1, 1931
1888 ASSESSMENT ROLL
Assessment rolls were compiled annually by the city for property tax purposes. Information for the 1888 roll was collected in September 1877 and marks the first appearance of the current 290 & 292 Sherbourne.
The two semis are marked in the roll as “unfinished house” and therefore no occupants are noted.
The owner is listed as William S. Thompson although Land Registry Records indicate that Joseph Logan Thompson officially owned the property from 1886 to 1888. This type of anomaly occurred often in assessment rolls and it is unknown why William was designated as the tax payer for this property, although genealogical records show he is Joseph’s brother.
Similarly, the rolls state that 292 Sherbourne had 26 feet of frontage and number 290 had 24 feet when in fact both had 25 feet. The frontage was multiplied by a property tax rate of $58 per foot based on a lot depth of 138
feet. This resulted in a land value of $1,501 and $1,392 respectively. The house value is based on each semi being a mix of a 2-storey 21’x 17’ section and a 2 ½-storey 21’ x 45’ section. The smaller sections are constructed of class 2 building materials while the larger are of class 1 (the highest quality category being class 3). Accordingly, each home was valued at $1,000.
NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS
Toronto Daily Star, Aug 24, 1917
Toronto Daily Star May 2, 1919 p18
Classified ad by a resident looking for work as a rooming house manager.
Toronto Daily Star May 15, 1926 p28 “Properties for Sale”. According to land ownership records, the owner at this time did not sell the property until 1935.
Jun 25, 1953 p37 “Properties for
The Globe May 5, 1894 p20
The Globe Sep 21, 1898 p12
Toronto Daily Star Apr 17, 1909 p22
Toronto Daily Star Feb 1, 1916 p5 List of men Toronto men training to go to war overseas.
The Globe Apr 17, 1930 p13
Globe and Mail Jan 23, 1951 p21
“Rooms to Let, Furnished”
Toronto Daily Star Dec 4, 1952 p46 “Properties for Sale”. Helen Hladich purchased the house in June and sold it in August the following year.
Toronto Daily Star
Sale”
WILLIAM A. REEVE PROFILE (FIRST OCCUPANT)
residency 1889 until his death in 1894 full name William Albert Reeve known as commonly referred to as W. A. Reeve in writings. occupation Lawyer, principal of Osgood Hall Law School born 1842 in Toronto died May 1894 at 290 Sherbourne burial site St. James Cemetery
Ancestry.com family tree also indicates:
Reeve Married Sarah Theresa Bielby in 1866 in New York USA (born in New York)
They had 11 children between 1867 and 1885, two of which died at birth. The nine surviving children are all listed in the 1891 census
The Globe, May 3, 1894 p8
The Canada Law Journal, Volume 30 (1894)
A complete is profile of Reeve is available online at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography site.
Osgood Hall Law School Class of 1894. Note: Osgoode Hall Law School became affiliated with York University in 1965 and moved to the York campus in 1969. (Osgoode Digital Commons)
James and Sarah Reeve’s tombstone at St. James Cemetery. (findagrave.com)
JOSEPH L. THOMPSON PROFILE (BUILDER)
ownership May 1886 – June 1888 full name Joseph Logan Thompson
known as Sometimes referred to as Joseph Logan Thompson Jr.as his father had the same name occupation Builder / contractor / architect (per 1881 and 1891 census and 1886 and 188 deeds of sale) born May 20, 1849, Durham England
immigrated Immigrated to Toronto in 1866 at age 17 died Mar 14, 1922 in Vancouver
Ancestry.com family tree also indicates:
Married Mary Ann Holgate in 1875 (born in Hamilton)
Had three children born in 1876, 1878 and 1881
Occupation in 1881 census was contractor, in 1891 census it was builder
Moved to Quebec by 1901
1888 city directory (compiled 1887) indicates he was living at 247 Wellesley at time of this house’s construction.
Thompson’s signature from his deed of sale to Macqueen
HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS
James and Martha Beveridge bought 290 Sherbourne in January 1980 and the following month their renovation coordinator photographed sons Alex and Nick and daughter Nina touring the dilapidated former boarding house. When Nina sold the house she passed on the photos to the current owner.
The painted brick exterior was a common tactic used by cheap landlords in the 1960s and 70s to detract from an old house’s rundown state. Landscaping is nonexistent.
The rotting wooden steps to the main entrance on the south side of the house. The house’s layout is somewhat unique in that the entrance is on the side of the building rather than out front like the adjoining semi.
By October 1980 the renovations were nearly complete. The rear of first floor had been extended and the original brick exterior had been restored in dramatic contrast to the neighbouring semi.
A hall closet on the second floor had been converted into a tiny kitchen. It became part of a large bathroom during the Beveridge renovations.
A bathroom at the rear of the second floor was converted into an apartment.
The middle bedroom on third floor was typical of the squalid living conditions for the former tenants.
This bedroom at the rear of the third floor became part of a separate apartment. The patchwork of mismatched wallpaper was a common sight throughout the house.
HERITAGE STATUS
Boundaries of the Garden District Heritage Conservation District. (City of Toronto)
Excerpt from the Garden District HCD Plan showing 290 Sherbourne as a Contributing Property. (City of Toronto)
