Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
375-381 Queen Street West
1879 & 1930
Photographed by Tim Boyd, June 28, 2025
1. 375-381 Queen Street West Marker
Inscription.
375-381 Queen Street West. 1879 and 1930. Before it was named for Queen Victoria in the 1840s, Queen Street was known as Lot Street. Once lined with large family estates, by the late 19th century Queen Street was a major commercial street populated by blacksmiths, cabinetmakers, confectioners, dressmakers, druggists, grocers, milliners, and tailors. In 1900, Yolles Furniture Co. Ltd. - a business owned by a Jewish family that sold home decor and antiques-opened its first Toronto store here. Two years earlier, Elizabeth and Joseph Yolles had started the company to sell reasonably priced furniture to local families, Continuing to expand, Yolles Furniture bought the two buildings to the east and built a new, larger store in 1930. Designed by the notable movie theatre architects Kaplan and Sprachman, the new red-brick Yolles Furniture building, with simple square-headed windows, matched the many other small commercial businesses on Queen Street West. The third floor faηade of this building (381 Queen Street West) is an example of Late Victorian design., Designated in 2007 under the Ontario Heritage Act
Before it was named for Queen Victoria in the 1840s, Queen Street was known as Lot Street. Once lined with large family estates, by the late 19th century Queen Street was a major commercial street populated by blacksmiths, cabinetmakers, confectioners, dressmakers, druggists, grocers, milliners, and tailors. In 1900, Yolles Furniture Co. Ltd. - a business owned by a Jewish family that sold home decor and antiques-opened its first Toronto store here. Two years earlier, Elizabeth and Joseph Yolles had started the company to sell reasonably priced furniture to local families, Continuing to expand, Yolles Furniture bought the two buildings to the east and built a new, larger store in 1930. Designed by the notable movie theatre architects Kaplan & Sprachman, the new red-brick Yolles Furniture building, with simple square-headed windows, matched the many other small commercial businesses on Queen Street West. The third floor faηade
of this building (381 Queen Street West) is an example of Late Victorian design.
. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Toronto Heritage series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.
Location. 43° 38.947′ N, 79° 23.637′ W. Marker is in Toronto, Ontario. It is in Queen Street West. It is at the intersection of Queen Street West and Soho Street, on the right when traveling east on Queen Street West. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 379 Queen Street West, Toronto ON M5T 1Z6, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Toronto and on the Golden Horseshoe. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Ruperts Land.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 2, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 152 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 2, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
