George’s Spaghetti House was once located at 290 Dundas St E (at Sherbourne St on the northwest corner) in the Garden District of Toronto.
Doug Cole & George’s Spaghetti House
Doug Cole, known as the founder of Toronto’s jazz movement, opened the live jazz club in 1956. Initially, it took some time for jazz to catch on, but once it did, the club attracted top talents such as Ed Bickert (guitarist), Guido Basso (trumpeter and flugelhornist), Jerry Fuller (drummer), Don Thompson (double bass, piano, and vibes), and Moe Koffman (saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist). Moe Koffman not only performed regularly at the club with the Moe Koffman Quartet/Quintet but also booked acts and served as the musical director for 25 years.
In addition to being one of the longest-running jazz clubs in the country, George’s Spaghetti House was also a popular Italian restaurant. Later, the second floor was opened and named Castle George.
Bourbon Street & Basin Street
Doug Cole operated two other clubs in Toronto: Bourbon Street and Basin Street, which were once located at 180 Queen St W. Opening in the early 1970s, Bourbon Street occupied the building’s main floor and primarily showcased modern jazz talent. Basin Street, a cabaret, was situated on the second floor. The Queen St W building also housed George’s Italian Cafe.
George’s is Sold
In 1983, Mr. Cole sold George’s Spaghetti House, and shortly thereafter, he sold the Bourbon Street, Basin Street, and George’s Italian Café located on Queen St W.
About a year after the sale of George’s Spaghetti House, the new owner relocated the jazz club to the second floor. George’s Spaghetti House closed in 1994, and the storefront at the corner of Dundas St E and Sherbourne St became Goody’s Diner. From 2004 until around 2020, this space was home to True Love Café. Since then, the storefront has remained vacant.
Bourbon Street jazz club changed hands a few times before closing in 1986. The building on Queen St W, along with a large portion of the block, was later demolished and replaced by a mixed-use office tower, which was completed in 2006.
Honours & Awards
Doug Cole received the Order of Canada in 2008 for his development of jazz in Canada. In 2012, just days after his passing, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He loved music and was known for giving musicians the opportunity to experiment and develop their sound in a live setting. Because of that, many great jazz musicians were able to build careers in Canada.
Did You Know?
- The building that housed George’s Spaghetti House was built in the 1910s. Originally, it served as both an apartment and commercial space that included a real estate office and a drugstore.
- From the mid-1940s until 1956, the building was known as George’s Hotel, named after its owner, George Anreczuk. When Doug Cole passed away, his obituary, published in the June 18, 2012, edition of the Toronto Star, mentioned that when the jazz venue and restaurant opened in 1956, “There wasn’t even enough money to change the name of the club from George’s to Doug’s.”
- A few celebrities who visited his jazz clubs included Rod Stewart, Harry Belafonte, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Gabriel, and Isaac Hayes.
- Ken Cole, Doug’s son, hosts George’s Spaghetti House Jazz radio show on The Bay 88.7 FM, airing Sunday evenings between 8 and 11 pm. Ken offers a glimpse into the backstories and history of jazz.
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George’s Spaghetti House Photos
SOURCE
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Oct 16, 1956, pg 18
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Aug 31, 1983, pg 15
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Jan 11, 1985, pg E9
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Jul 28, 1995, pg 3
- The Toronto Star Newspaper Archives: Jun 18, 2012, pg GT3
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: George’s Jazz Room
- The Governor General of Canada: Mr. Douglas Cole
- Photos: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photos: City of Toronto Archives, Library and Archives Canada & GAMI/Simonds
- Toronto Yellow Pages 1957 & 1967 courtesy of Toronto Public Library
