The collection of ghost signs are located at 1529 Dupont St (at Perth Ave, on the southeast corner) in the Junction Triangle neighbourhood of Toronto.
On the east-facing wall of the building, you can find these ghost signs. Constructed in the early 1900s, this building has housed various businesses in its storefront over the decades. Around 1920, Christopher Cornish operated a paint shop here, and the letters “CO,” seen in the upper left portion of the ghost sign, could refer to the first two letters of his last name. After Cornish’s paint shop, the building became a Dominion grocery store before transitioning into a bakery and confectionery shop. The lower part of the ghost sign still faintly displays the words “Groceries” and “Confectionery.” By the 1940s, the storefront was home to Jean’s Pie Shop, followed by Royce Radio & Furniture Co.
For a few decades, a sign for Homezone Real Estate Services was affixed to the building alongside the ghost signs painted on the brick. The real estate company occupied the neighbouring building at 1531 Dupont St during the 1980s and ’90s, but the Homezone sign has since been removed.
Until the late 1940s, the stretch of Dupont St from Emerson Ave to the west side of the railway tracks was known as Royce Ave.
1529 Dupont St Ghost Signs Photos
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Photos: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
