Cawthra House is the name for two homes owned by the
Cawthra family
The Cawthra family of Toronto was famous for its business, social and cultural contributions to the city. It is one of the oldest families in Toronto, and many descendants of the family's founder, Joseph Cawthra, continue to play significant roles ...
.
William Cawthra House
The first was a mansion completed in 1853 for businessman
William Cawthra by
Joseph Sheard
Joseph Sheard (11 October 1813 – 30 August 1883) was an English architect and politician. He was Mayor of Toronto from 1871 to 1872.
Born in Hornsea, near Hull, Yorkshire, England, his father died when he was only six weeks old, leaving four yo ...
and William Irving. It is a now site of the
Scotia Plaza
Scotia Plaza is a commercial skyscraper in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is in the financial district of the downtown core bordered by Yonge Street on the east, King Street West on the south, Bay Street on the west, and Adelaide Stree ...
office tower in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
.
The Toronto building was one of several properties of the influential
Cawthra family
The Cawthra family of Toronto was famous for its business, social and cultural contributions to the city. It is one of the oldest families in Toronto, and many descendants of the family's founder, Joseph Cawthra, continue to play significant roles ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, became a branch of
Molsons Bank in 1885, then as
Sterling Bank from 1908 and finally as home to
Canada Life
The Canada Life Assurance Company, commonly known as Canada Life, is an insurance and financial services company with its headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The current company is the result of the 2020 amalgamation of The Great-West Life Assura ...
Assurance Company from 1926 until 1929.
Attempts to preserve the house failed and by 1949 it was demolished to make way for the Bank of Nova Scotia Building, now part of
Scotia Plaza
Scotia Plaza is a commercial skyscraper in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is in the financial district of the downtown core bordered by Yonge Street on the east, King Street West on the south, Bay Street on the west, and Adelaide Stree ...
.
John Cawthra House
The second building was built for
John Cawthra (1789–1851) in 1830 as a home and retail store. It is still standing at 262 Main Street North in
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket ( 2021 population: 87,942) is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The name stems from the ...
.
See also
*
Canada Life Building
The Canada Life Building is a historic office building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fifteen-floor Beaux Arts building was built by Sproatt & Rolph and stands at , including its weather beacon.
It is located at University and Queen Stree ...
- successor to Joseph Cawthra House as Canada Life Head office in Toronto.
References
Cawthra family
Greek Revival architecture in Canada
Historic house museums in Ontario
Houses in Toronto
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