courtesy Google streetview
This quintessential shop and residence at 80 Mimico Avenue was built in 1929 by Anthony Joseph.
Anthony Joseph was born in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon in about 1870 when it was part of the Ottoman Empire. He emigrated to Canada via New York in the 1910s and settled in Welland, Ontario. His name was originally Antoni Joseph Michael but sometime after he married his second wife Lucy Mansour (also from Mount Lebanon and her second marriage as well) in Welland Ontario in 1920 he began to use Anthony Joseph.
By 1920 they had moved to Toronto and then in 1926 to Mimico where they opened a confectionary shop at 118 Mimico Avenue. This move to Mimico seems to be as a result of the fact that his wife's sister was already living in Mimico at 100 Mimico Avenue where her husband Stephen Francis also had a store. It seems there was a desire for the two families to live close to each other. The family were members of the Syrian Melikite Mission Church in Toronto but usually attended St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church on nearby Church Street (present day Royal York Road) as it was closer and more convenient.
Joseph bought part of lot 7, Plan 852 in 1928 from John Mackenzie & Sons Dairy next door for $1,600. He then mortgaged the property to Pearl Assurance Company for $3,000 in early 1929. This most likely was to obtain the capital to build the store where he operated as a grocer and he and his family lived on the second floor. He would pay off the mortgage in 1936 so business must have been good despite the Depression.
Anthony Joseph died on July 25, 1947 and ownership of the property was transferred to his wife Lucy Mansour. In 1980 she sold the property to the Exclusive Canada and Novelty Distributors Ltd.
Update - January 18, 2024
Today the Toronto Preservation Board recommended designation of the property under the Ontario Heritage Act along with the properties at 78 and 86 Mimico Avenue. The recommendation will proceed to Toronto City Council for a decision. At the meeting a planner representing a developer that owns 78 and 80 indicated that they will be submitting a development application for this site in the second quarter of 2024. The city staff report on this item can be found here.
Update - February 6, 2024
The item was deferred to the March Toronto City Council meeting.
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