Paul Bishop's House
Encyclopedia
The Paul Bishop's House is actually a pair of historic townhouses located at 363-365 Adelaide Street East in the St. Lawrence
neighborhood downtown Toronto
. The houses, constructed in 1848 by Paul Bishop, sit upon the foundations laid by William Jarvis
for his home in 1798. Jarvis was a member of the Queen’s Rifles
and Provincial Secretary
and Registrar of Upper Canada
. He selected a site at what is now the southeast corner of Sherbourne and Adelaide Streets and constructed a 30 by 41 foot building of squared logs that he covered with clapboards which he named Jarvis House.
After William’s death in 1817, his son Samuel, divided the two-acres of land on which the house sat into smaller parcels and sold them. The house went through a series of owners and was expanded in the early 1820s.
During the Cholera epidemics in the 1830s, several people who lived in a rooming house now occupying Jarvis House died. To prevent the disease from spreading, owner James Kidd sealed several of their rooms. However, boarders and residents of the area report hearing eerie sounds emanating from the house and seeing ghostly shadows on walls.
In 1841, James Kidd sold the house to Paul Bishop, a blacksmith who worked in an adjacent building. In his workshop in 1837, Bishop created Toronto’s first horse-drawn cab based on a design presented to him by Thornton Blackburn
. Blackburn operated his taxi business until 1860 and left a considerable fortune upon his death in 1890. His cabs were painted yellow and red, the colors now used by the Toronto Transit Commission
.
In 1848, Bishop demolished the old house and built the current structure. They consist of two-storey brick houses in the Georgian
style with a stone-clad cellar partially above ground. The north facade of each house contained three symmetrical bays with stone lintels and sills framing the windows The houses survived the Great Fire of Toronto
of 1849 and in 1860, came under the ownership of Thomas Dennie Harris.
Harris died in 1872 and the property again underwent a series of changes. Nearby trees were removed and the small yard around the house was torn-up. The interior was gutted and during the next hundred years, the building served as a machine shop, garage and rooming house at various times. Windows were closed and new doors cut through the exterior walls.
According to John Ross Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto (Volume I, 130-132), blacksmith Paul Bishop acquired the property on the corner of Duke (Adelaide) and Caroline (Sherbourne) Streets formerly belonging to Sheriff Jarvis where he erected the subject buildings in 1848. However, historical records indicate that Bishop actually acquired the subject property in 1841, with the house form buildings in place the following year. An 1842 Map of Toronto, which shows the site as developed, also supports this date. Robertson describes Bishop as a French Canadian blacksmith and wheelwright who "was the principal workman in his trade in the town, but eventually he failed in business and left Toronto". Initially renting the property, Bishop resided on-site in 1843. The next year, he sold the property to Malachy O'Donohue, a local landowner. O'Donohue retained the site until 1846.
895-1998 enacted on December 17, 1998 under the Ontario Heritage Act
. At the time, the building had been vacant for an extended time and still bore the alterations made since 1872. These included a three-storey addition to the rear and addition of a gabled dormer on the roof. The houses were restored in 2005-2006 and the addition removed to allow construction of the highrise Kings Court Condominium building to the south.
St. Lawrence, Toronto
St. Lawrence is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The area, a former industrial area, is bounded by Yonge, Front, and Parliament Streets, and the Canadian National railway embankment. The Esplanade off Yonge St., lined with restaurants, cafés and hotels runs through the...
neighborhood downtown Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. The houses, constructed in 1848 by Paul Bishop, sit upon the foundations laid by William Jarvis
William Jarvis (Upper Canada official)
William Jarvis was an American born head of famous Jarvis family of Toronto.Jarvis was born in Stamford, Connecticut to Samuel Jarvis, who was the town's clerk and Martha Seymour. The Jarvis family was forced to flee when his home was seized at the start of the American Revolution...
for his home in 1798. Jarvis was a member of the Queen’s Rifles
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada is a militia regiment within the Canadian Forces, based in Toronto, Ontario. The regiment is part of Land Force Central Area's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. It is the only Primary Reserve regiment in Canada to have a parachute role. The regiment consists of the reserve...
and Provincial Secretary
Provincial Secretary
The Provincial Secretary was a senior position in the executive councils of British North America's colonial governments, and was retained by the Canadian provincial governments for at least a century after Canadian Confederation was proclaimed in 1867...
and Registrar of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. He selected a site at what is now the southeast corner of Sherbourne and Adelaide Streets and constructed a 30 by 41 foot building of squared logs that he covered with clapboards which he named Jarvis House.
After William’s death in 1817, his son Samuel, divided the two-acres of land on which the house sat into smaller parcels and sold them. The house went through a series of owners and was expanded in the early 1820s.
During the Cholera epidemics in the 1830s, several people who lived in a rooming house now occupying Jarvis House died. To prevent the disease from spreading, owner James Kidd sealed several of their rooms. However, boarders and residents of the area report hearing eerie sounds emanating from the house and seeing ghostly shadows on walls.
In 1841, James Kidd sold the house to Paul Bishop, a blacksmith who worked in an adjacent building. In his workshop in 1837, Bishop created Toronto’s first horse-drawn cab based on a design presented to him by Thornton Blackburn
Thornton Blackburn
Thornton Blackburn and his wife Lucie were escaped slaves from Louisville, Kentucky. They had been settled in Detroit, Michigan, for two years when, in 1833, Kentucky slave hunters located, re-captured, and arrested the couple...
. Blackburn operated his taxi business until 1860 and left a considerable fortune upon his death in 1890. His cabs were painted yellow and red, the colors now used by the Toronto Transit Commission
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
.
In 1848, Bishop demolished the old house and built the current structure. They consist of two-storey brick houses in the Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
style with a stone-clad cellar partially above ground. The north facade of each house contained three symmetrical bays with stone lintels and sills framing the windows The houses survived the Great Fire of Toronto
Great Fire of Toronto (1849)
Great Fire of Toronto was the first major fire to destroy part of the City and the second in the 19th century.The fire began at Post's Tavern, east of Jarvis Street and north of King Street in the early morning of April 7, 1849...
of 1849 and in 1860, came under the ownership of Thomas Dennie Harris.
Harris died in 1872 and the property again underwent a series of changes. Nearby trees were removed and the small yard around the house was torn-up. The interior was gutted and during the next hundred years, the building served as a machine shop, garage and rooming house at various times. Windows were closed and new doors cut through the exterior walls.
According to John Ross Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto (Volume I, 130-132), blacksmith Paul Bishop acquired the property on the corner of Duke (Adelaide) and Caroline (Sherbourne) Streets formerly belonging to Sheriff Jarvis where he erected the subject buildings in 1848. However, historical records indicate that Bishop actually acquired the subject property in 1841, with the house form buildings in place the following year. An 1842 Map of Toronto, which shows the site as developed, also supports this date. Robertson describes Bishop as a French Canadian blacksmith and wheelwright who "was the principal workman in his trade in the town, but eventually he failed in business and left Toronto". Initially renting the property, Bishop resided on-site in 1843. The next year, he sold the property to Malachy O'Donohue, a local landowner. O'Donohue retained the site until 1846.
Today
The Bishop Houses were declared a historic property through Toronto By-lawBylaw
By-law can refer to a law of local or limited application passed under the authority of a higher law specifying what things may be regulated by the by-law...
895-1998 enacted on December 17, 1998 under the Ontario Heritage Act
Ontario Heritage Act
The Ontario Heritage Act, first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage value or interest....
. At the time, the building had been vacant for an extended time and still bore the alterations made since 1872. These included a three-storey addition to the rear and addition of a gabled dormer on the roof. The houses were restored in 2005-2006 and the addition removed to allow construction of the highrise Kings Court Condominium building to the south.