List of oldest buildings and structures in Toronto (1890–1899)

This is a list of the oldest buildings and structures in Toronto, that were constructed between 1890 and 1899 and still surviving. This list is composed of buildings that are heritage-designated structures or are notable in some way.

1890 to 1899

The following list does not include structures where only the facade of the building has been preserved.

Building	Image	Year completed	Builder	Style	Address	Neighbourhood	District[note 1]	Ref.
497-499 Adelaide Street West		1890	John & Felix Marvyn		497,499 Adelaide Street West	Fashion District	Old Toronto	THR[1]
1-12 Ashby Place		1890		Row housing	1-12 Ashby Place	Corktown	Old Toronto	THR[2]
20–24 Draper Street		1890			20–24 Draper Street	Fashion District	Old Toronto	ACO
26–28 Draper Street		1890			26–28 Draper Street	Fashion District	Old Toronto	ACO
108 Park Road		1890		Queen Anne Revival	108 Park Road	Rosedale	Old Toronto	SRHCD
270 Sterling Road		1890 (ca.)			270 Sterling Road	Junction	Old Toronto	THR
272 Sterling Road		1890 (ca.)			272 Sterling Road	Junction	Old Toronto	THR
274 Sterling Road		1890 (ca.)			274 Sterling Road	Junction	Old Toronto	THR
276 Sterling Road		1890 (ca.)			276 Sterling Road	Junction	Old Toronto	THR
Charles Powell Bldg		1890			332-340 Spadina Avenue	Chinatown	Old Toronto	THR
Annette Victoria Lofts (former Victoria-Royce Presbyterian Church)		1890	Knox & Elliott		152 Annette Street	Junction	Old Toronto	THR[3]
Don Valley Brick Works		1890		Victorian industrial	550 Bayview Avenue	Rosedale	Old Toronto	THR
Drake Hotel		1890			1150 Queen Street West	Little Portugal	Old Toronto	ACO, THR
Fashion Institute (Humber College)		1890			3166 Lake Shore Boulevard West	New Toronto	Etobicoke	ACO
G. H. Gooderham House		1890	David Roberts Jr.	Richardsonian Romanesque	504 Jarvis Street	Church and Wellesley	Old Toronto	ACO, THR
Harbord Collegiate Institute		1890			286 Harbord Street	Palmerston–Little Italy	Old Toronto	THR
Keele Street Church of Christ		1890	James A. Ellis		97,99 Annette Street	Junction	Old Toronto	THR[4]
Palace Arms Hotel		1890	Frederick Henry Herbert		950 King Street West	Niagara	Old Toronto	THR[5]
R.G. McLean Company Building and Barclay, Clark and Company Building		1890			20–26 Lombard Street	St. Lawrence	Old Toronto	ACO
William E. Dunn Building		1890	William George Storm		350–358 Spadina Avenue	Chinatown	Old Toronto	THR
Swansea Public School		1890[note 2]		Romanesque Revival	207 Windermere Avenue	Swansea	Old Toronto
Thomas Harris House		1890			314 Wellesley Street East	Cabbagetown North	Old Toronto	CNHCD, THR
Dr. Anderson Ruffin Abbott House		1890			119 Dowling Avenue	Parkdale	Old Toronto	ACO
280 Jarvis Street		1891			280 Jarvis Street	Garden District	Old Toronto	THR
260 King Street East		1891			252 King Street East 256 King Street East 260 King Street East 427 Adelaide Street East	Old Town	Old Toronto	SLHCD[6]
Athenaeum Club		1891	Denison and King	Moorish Revival	167 Church Street	Church and Wellesley	Old Toronto	ACO
A.W. Dingman Shops		1891			704 Queen Street East	Riverdale	Old Toronto	THR
Boxer Building		1891		Richardsonian Romanesque	222 Islington Avenue	New Toronto	Etobicoke	ACO
Crocker Building		1891			652–672 Queen Street West	Trinity-Bellwoods	Old Toronto	ACO, THR
Dennis Avenue Community School		1891[note 3]	James Augustus Ellis		17 Dennis Avenue	Mount Dennis	York	ACO
Heydon House Hotel		1891	James A. Ellis		1834 St. Clair Avenue West	Earlscourt	Old Toronto	ACO
Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall		1891	Norman Dick & Frank Wickson		2 College Street	Discovery District	Old Toronto	THR
J. Morrish General Store		1891			6282 Kingston Road	Highland Creek	Scarborough	THR
2–6 Melbourne Street		1891	Alvary Beecroft	Row houses	2–6 Melbourne Street	Parkdale	Old Toronto	THR
Broadview Hotel (formerly Dingman's Hall)		1891	Archibald Dingman	Romanesque Revival	106 Broadview Avenue	Riverdale	Old Toronto	THR
Ryrie Building		1891[note 4]	Langley & Burke	Palazzo style	229 Yonge Street	Garden District	Old Toronto	THR
St. George's Hall (now Arts and Letters Club)		1891	Edwards & Webster	Gothic Revival	14 Elm Street	Downtown Yonge	Old Toronto	ACO, THR
Wycliffe College		1891	D. B. Dick		5 Hoskin Avenue	Discovery District	Old Toronto	THR
Underwood House		1891			5933 Steeles Avenue East	Armadale	Scarborough	THR
266–270 Adelaide Street West		1892	Robert Brown	Row housing	266–270 Adelaide Street West	Entertainment District	Old Toronto	THR
Berry House		1892			125 Kingsway Crescent	The Kingsway	Etobicoke	EHS[7]
Charles Powell Bldg No. 2		1892			318-328 Spadina Avenue	Chinatown	Old Toronto	THR
Densmore and Company Building		1892			271 Queen Street West	Entertainment District	Old Toronto	THR
George Gooderham House (now York Club)		1892	David Roberts Jr.	Romanesque Revival	135 St. George Street	The Annex	Old Toronto	ACO, THR
Gooderham Building		1892	David Roberts Jr.	Romanesque Revival	49 Wellington Street East	St. Lawrence	Old Toronto	SLHCD[6]
Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital Carriage House		1892	Robert Brown		21 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive	New Toronto	Etobicoke	ACO, THR
MacMillan Storage Company Moving and Storage		1892			1291 Queen Street West	Parkdale	Old Toronto	ACO, THR
M.B. Aylesworth House		1892[note 5]	M.B. Aylesworth		2 Elmsley Place	Discovery District	Old Toronto	THR[8]
Reid & Co. Lumber		1892			359 King Street East	Old Town	Old Toronto	SLHCD[6], M[9]
University of Toronto French, English Dept Science and Medicine Library University of Toronto Library (orig.)		1892[note 6]	Darling & Pearson		7 King's College Circle	Discovery District	Old Toronto	THR[10]
Victoria Hospital for Sick Children		1892	Frank Darling & S. George Curry	Romanesque Revival	67 College St	Discovery District	Old Toronto	THR
Confederation Life Building		1892	Knox, Elliot & Jarvis	Romanesque Revival	20 Richmond Street East	St. Lawrence	Old Toronto	THR
Victoria College		1892	William George Storm	Richardsonian Romanesque	73 Queen Park's Crescent	Discovery District	Old Toronto	THR
345-347 Wellesley Street East		1892	David J. Carlyle	Bay and Gable	345-347 Wellesley Street East	Cabbagetown	Old Toronto	THR
Carlyle Block		1893	David and William Carlyle		234–242 Queen Street East	Moss Park	Old Toronto	THR
Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital Gatehouse		1893	Kivas Tully		3101 Lake Shore Boulevard West	New Toronto	Etobicoke	THR
Maple Hurst		1893			89 Rosemount Avenue	Weston	York	ACO
Ontario Legislative Building		1893	Richard A. Waite	Richardsonian Romanesque	111 Wellesley Street West	Discovery District	Old Toronto	THR
1075–1085 Queen Street West		1893			1075–1085 Queen Street West	Niagara	Old Toronto	ACO, THR
St John the Baptist (Norway) Anglican Church		1893[note 7]	C. J. Gibson		470 Woodbine Avenue	Upper Beaches	Old Toronto	THR[11], OTH[12]
57 Cowan Avenue		1894			57 Cowan Avenue	Parkdale	Old Toronto	THR[13]
107 Cowan Avenue		1894			107 Cowan Avenue	Parkdale	Old Toronto	THR[14]
18 Fern Avenue		1894			18 Fern Avenue	Weston	York	ACO
Davisville General Store and Post Office		1894			1909 Yonge Street	Davisville Village	Old Toronto	THR[15]
Fern Avenue Public School		1894-1895[note 8]	Charles H. Bishop		128 Fern Avenue	Roncesvalles	Old Toronto	ACO, OTH[16]
Humberside Collegiate Institute		1894			280 Quebec Ave	High Park North	Old Toronto	ACO[17], OTH[18]
Massey Hall		1894	Sidney Badgley	Palladian exterior, Moorish Revival interior	178 Victoria Street	Garden District	Old Toronto	THR
1–3 Queens Drive		1894		Second Empire	1–3 Queens Drive	Weston	York	ACO
125 Rosemount Avenue		1894		Second Empire	125 Rosemount Avenue	Weston	York	ACO
St. Phillip's Anglican Church		1894[note 9]			31 St Phillips Road	Humber Heights – Westmount	Etobicoke	THR
Toronto Athletic Club		1894[note 10]	E.J. Lennox		149 College Street	Grange Park	Old Toronto	THR[19]
F. W. Woolworth Building		1895			220 Yonge Street	Downtown Yonge	Old Toronto	THR
Robert Simpson Co. (now Hudson's Bay Queen Street)		1895[note 11]	Burke and Horwood	Romanesque Revival	176 Yonge Street	Financial District	Old Toronto	ACO
Roncesvalles Carhouse		1895			20 The Queensway	Roncesvalles	Old Toronto	Pursley 1961[20]
St. George's Greek Orthodox Church (formerly Holy Blossom Temple)		1895	John Wilson Siddall		115 Bond Street	Garden District	Old Toronto	THR
Victory Life Church		1895			691 Scarlett Road	Humber Heights – Westmount	Etobicoke	ACO
Baird House		1896			261–263 Keele Street	High Park North	Old Toronto	ACO, THR
Cumberland House		1896			3131 Lake Shore Boulevard West	New Toronto	Etobicoke	THR
Eden Smith House		1896	Eden Smith		267 Indian Road	Roncesvalles	Old Toronto	THR[21]
George Jackson House		1896			2950 Keele Street	Downsview	North York	ACO
H. Harley Dewart House (Windle House)		1896-1897			5 Elmsley Place	Discovery District	Old Toronto	THR[22]
Scarboro Centennial Memorial Library		1896			115 St. Andrews Road	Bendale	Scarborough	OTH[23]
Sir George Ross House		1896			1 Elmsley Place	Discovery District	Old Toronto	THR[24]
William Edward Chalcroft House (Phelan House)		1896-1897	Langley & Langley		3 Elmsley Place	Discovery District	Old Toronto	THR[25]
Cowan Avenue Methodist Church (now St. John's Polish National Cathedral)		1897	Smith and Gemmell		186 Cowan Avenue	Parkdale	Old Toronto	THR[26]
Dineen Building		1897	Frederick Henry Herbert		2 Temperance Street	Financial District	Old Toronto	THR[27]
Don CPR railway station		1897			255 Bremner Blvd (Roundhouse Park)	South Core	Old Toronto	ACO[28]
George Gray House		1897			1299 Don Mills Road	Don Mills	North York	ACO
Kormann House Hotel		1897			229 Queen Street East	Old Town	Old Toronto	THR
First Evangelical Lutheran Church		1898		Gothic Revival	116 Bond Street	Garden District	Old Toronto	ACO
Former Havergal College building		1898	George Martel Miller		354 Jarvis Street	Garden District	Old Toronto	ACO[29]
Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital Assembly Hall		1898			1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive	New Toronto	Etobicoke	THR
MacFarlane's Hotel		1898	Frederick Henry Herbert		99 Jarvis Street	Old Town	Old Toronto	THR
Masaryk-Cowan Community Recreation Centre		1898	Frank Darling and John Pearson		220 Cowan Avenue	Parkdale	Old Toronto	THR
Toronto Police Service 51 Division (former Consumer's Gas Co. Station A)		1898	Bond & Smith		51 Parliament Street	Corktown	Old Toronto	SLHCD[6]
366 Adelaide Street East		1899			366 Adelaide Street East	Old Town	Old Toronto	SLHCD[6]
Don Station		1899			255 Bremner Blvd (Roundhouse Park)	South Core	Old Toronto	THR
Fetherstonhaugh Estate Gardener's Cottage		1899	Henry Sproatt	Queen Anne	2669–2673 Lake Shore Boulevard West	Mimico	Etobicoke	THR[30]
John Gibson House		1899			227 A Crawford Street	Trinity-Bellwoods	Old Toronto	ACO, THR
Melville Manse		1899			476 Manse Road	Bendale	Scarborough	ACO
Old City Hall		1899	E. J. Lennox	Romanesque Revival	60 Queen Street West	Downtown Yonge	Old Toronto	THR
Parkdale Telephone Exchange Building		1899	W.J. Carmichael		207 Cowan Avenue	Parkdale	Old Toronto	THR[31]
St. Hilda's College (Strachan Houses)		1899	Eden Smith		790 Queen St West	Trinity-Bellwoods	Old Toronto	THR[32]

Reference keys

ACO: Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (Toronto) - TOBuilt - SEARCHABLE TOBuilt DATABASE

B: Benn 1993^[33]

BCPV: Black Creek Pioneer Village - Black Creek Pioneer Village Historic Building List

C: Cruikshank2003^[34]

CE: Canadian Encyclopedia

CNHCD: Cabbagetown North Heritage Conservation District - Cabbagetown North Heritage Conservation District

CoT: City of Toronto - Heritage bylaw citations

CRHP: Canadian Register of Historic Places - HistoricPlaces.ca

EHS: Etobicoke Historical Society

EYCPP: Etobicoke York Community Preservation Panel - Etobicoke York Pre-Confederation Architectural Treasures

GO: Government of Ontario

M: McHugh Bozikovic 2017^[35]

NRHCD: North Rosedale Heritage Conservation District - North Rosedale Heritage Conservation District Study

OHT: Ontario Heritage Trust Ontario Heritage Trust

PC: Parks Canada - National Historic Sites

SLHCD: St Lawrence Heritage Conservation District - Archaeology -St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District Plan

SRHCD: South Rosedale Heritage Conservation District - South Rosedale Heritage Conservation District Study

THR: City of Toronto Heritage Register - "City of Toronto's Heritage Property Search". secure.toronto.ca. City of Toronto.

TN: Toronto Neighbourhoods - Toronto Neighbourhoods

TPL: Toronto Public Library - Digital Archive

WHCD: Weston Heritage Conservation District - Weston Heritage Conservation District Plan - Phase I

OTH: Other - see citation

See also

• Architecture portal
• Canada portal

• List of historic places in Toronto
• List of lost buildings and structures in Toronto
• List of oldest buildings in Canada
• Toronto landmarks

Notes

1. Districts in this instance refers to the lower-tier municipalities of Metro Toronto, an upper-tier municipality that was dissolved in 1998. The City of Toronto was formed after the six lower-tier municipalities of Metro Toronto amalgamated into a single entity in 1998. The City of Toronto government does not formally organize areas of the city by "districts."
2. Additions were made in 1928, 1953 and 1985.
3. Additions made in 1908, and 1919
4. Additions and alterations by Edmund Burke, Horwood & White 1913-14; ground floor and basement remodelled by Norman A. Armstrong, 1934.
5. 1897, 1903 additions
6. 1912 addition - D.B. Dick
7. 1915 addition by C.D. Lennox
8. 1909, 1911 additions by Bishop, 1950 - major addition by Dyson CEC
9. Original structure destroyed built in 1852, and destroyed by a fire in 1888.
10. 1904 alteration A.F. Wickson, 1930 alteration J.J. Woolnough
11. Additions in 1900, 1908, 1912, 1923 and 1928

References

1. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
2. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
3. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
4. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
5. "950 KING ST W". Heritage Property. City of Toronto. Retrieved 2024-02-26. Palace Hotel, 1890, attributed to F.H. Herbert; additions in 1897, F.H. Herbert -adopted by City Council on March 5, 1984 }
6. "Archaeology" (PDF). St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District Plan. City of Toronto. 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
7. Harris, Denise. "Traplin-Berry House". Etobicoke Historical Society. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
8. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
9. McHugh 2017, p. 36. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMcHugh2017 (help)
10. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
11. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
12. St. John's Norway | Heritage Toronto - Telling Toronto's Stories Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. Heritage Toronto. Retrieved on 2010-11-05.
13. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
14. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
15. "1909 Yonge Street". City of Toronto's Heritage Property Search Details. City of Toronto. 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
16. "Fern Avenue Junior and Senior Public School (GR. JK-08)". Toronto District School Board. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
17. "Humberside Collegiate Institute". acotoronto.ca. Architectural Conservancy of Ontario - Toronto Chapter -TOBuilt Database. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
18. "History". Toronto District School Board. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
19. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
20. Pursley 1961, p. 25. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPursley1961 (help)
21. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
22. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
23. "Scarborough is wild, historic, and steep - The Star". Thestar.com. 28 March 2014. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
24. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
25. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
26. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
27. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
28. "Don Rail Station". acotoronto.ca. Architectural Conservancy of Ontario - Toronto Chapter -TOBuilt Database. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
29. https://www.acotoronto.ca/building.php?ID=3938
30. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
31. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
32. "City of Toronto Heritage Property Detail". City of Toronto. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
33. Benn 1993.
34. Cruikshank 2003.
35. McHugh & Bozikovic 2017.

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Bibliography

• Bell, Bruce (2006). Toronto: A Pictorial Celebration. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 1-4027-2389-X.
• Benn, Carl (1993). Historic Fort York, 1793-1993. Dundurn. p. i. ISBN 1-5548-8190-0.
• Boyle, Terry (2014). Haunted Ontario 3: Ghostly Historic Sites, Inns, and Miracles. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1-4597-1766-4.
• Gutsche, Andrea; Bisaillon, Cindy (1999). Mysterious islands: forgotten tales of the Great Lakes. Lynx Images. ISBN 1-8940-7311-8.
• Chadwick, Andrew; McCowan, Bruce (1997). The Scots Kirk: An Oral History of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Scarborough. Dundurn. ISBN 1-8962-1926-8.
• Cruikshank, Tom (2003). Old Toronto Houses. Toronto: Firefly Books.
• Denby; Kilbourn (1986). Toronto Observed: Its Architecture, Patrons, and History. Toronto: Oxford University Press.
• Fairburn, M. Jane (2013). Along the Shore: Rediscovering Toronto's Waterfront Heritage. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-7704-1099-2.
• Filey, Mike (1995). Toronto Sketches 4: The Way We Were. Dundurn. ISBN 1-5500-2248-2.
• Goddard, John (2014). Inside the Museums: Toronto's Heritage Sites and their Most Prized Objects. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1-4597-2376-4.
• Kalman, Harold D. (1994). A History of Canadian Architecture. Toronto: Oxford University Press.
• Lundell, Liz (1997). The estates of Old Toronto. Boston Mills Press. ISBN 1-55046-219-9.
• McArthur, Glenn (1996). William Thomas, Architect: 1799-1860. McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0-7735-9607-0.
• McHugh, Patricia; Bozikovic, Alex (2017). Toronto Architecture: A City Guide. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Inc. ISBN 978-0-7710-5989-6.
• Mika, Helma; Mika, Nick; Thompson, Gary (2000). Black Creek Pioneer Village: Toronto's Living History Village. Dundurn. ISBN 1-5548-8100-5.
• Palmisano, Richard (2011). Ghosts of the Canadian National Exhibition. Toronto: Dundurn Press. ISBN 978-1-55488-974-7.
• Redway, Alan (2018). East York 1924-1997: Toronto's Garden of Eden.
• Richards, Larry Wayne (2019). University of Toronto: An Architectural Tour (The Campus Guide) 2nd Edition. Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-1-6168-9824-3.
• Ricketts, Shannon; Hucker, Jacqueline; Maitland, Leslie (1992). A Guide to Canadian Architectural Styles. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press.
• Samuel, Alan (1998). Treasures Of Canada. Dundurn. ISBN 1-4597-1124-6.
• Taylor, Dave (1994). Algonquin Park: Excursions With a Photographer. Dundurn. ISBN 1-5548-8070-X.
• Thomas, Christopher (September 15, 2006). "Canadian Architecture: 1867-1914". The Canadian Encyclopedia.

External links

• Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada  – biographies of Canadian architects and lists of their buildings from 1800 to 1950.
• The Former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital
• Colborne Lodge and buildings associated with surveyor John Howard
• TO Built
• University of Toronto Capital Projects