The Laing & Meharry Block

The Laing and Meharry Block. . , John B. Laing and John W. Meharry entered into partnership in 1874 purchasing a building at this location to operate a general hardware store. , A fire in 1884 destroyed their building causing a loss of more than $16,000 for the two men. A new structure was immediately built on the site using the original foundations and they moved in by November the same year. , The attractive two-story block was built of white brick, with a frontage of 66' on Queen Street and 110' in depth. , The portion of the block not occupied by the owners was taken up by the Standard Printing Office and the real estate office of David Adams. , Six years later, in October 1891 the Laing and Meharry building was gutted by fire and their stock destroyed, but once again they rebuilt. Although similar to the original building there were exterior modifications to the design. , E.H. Purdy purchased the Laing and Meharry block in 1897 and established his grocery and grain business in the middle and west section, while Cawker Brothers Butchers located in the most easterly section of the block. , The two easterly units of the original three section block are now owned by the Brock family, who occupy four storefronts along Queen Street. , The most westerly of the original Laing and Meharry building has seen many changes in ownership over the past century. , Among its many tenants have been McClintock's grocery store, Pickard's Dominion Hardware for 20 years, Karl the Butcher, The Meeting Place restaurant and delicatessen, Reid's Organic Foods and Queen Beans and Plover's.