Residence of G.Y. Smith, 1907

Description
Creator
Unknown, Photographer
Media Type
Image
Item Type
Postcards
Description
A black and white photographic postcard of G.Y. Smith's home.
Notes
This home was located at 401 Dundas Street West, Whitby. It was built in 1877 on the block bounded by Dundas, Henry, Colborne and King Streets. It was demolished in 1958. The owners of the house were G.Y. Smith (a lawyer and later a judge) and Samuel Trees (owner of the blanket factory and later the buckle factory).

Whitby’s house numbering system was provided by Rev. Dr. James Roy Van Wyck (1877-1941), a retired Presbyterian minister. Van Wyck provided this service to the town, free of charge, during the Great Depression. By the summer of 1935, Whitby had a population of about 4,000 people and a house numbering system was needed. Prior to 1935, residences and businesses were listed in the telephone book with the street on which they were located. As well, there was no need for a house numbering system since all mail was picked up by local residents from the town post office. Under Van Wyck’s system, each block was numbered by a hundred. For instance, the first block south of Dundas on Brock Street was the 100 block; the second, the 200 block, and so on. Buildings on the west side of the street were given even numbers, while buildings on the east side were given odd numbers. On streets running east and west, even numbers were given on the north side while odd numbers were provided on the south. Van Wyck was careful to assign numbers for vacant lots between existing homes. Assigned house and business address numbers were published in the Whitby Gazette and Chronicle and a postcard was mailed to each residence in 1935 with the assigned house number and asking residents to please place this assigned number at their front door. Brooklin was given a house numbering system in the late 1960s or early 1970s, while Ashburn, Myrtle and Myrtle Station received a house numbering system in the 1980s or 1990s.
Inscriptions
On Dundas St., Whitby
Date of Original
1907
Dimensions
Width: 10 cm
Height: 12 cm
Image Dimensions
Image Width: 10cm
Image Height: 12cm
Subject(s)
Local identifier
17-008-020
Language of Item
English
Geographic Coverage
  • Ontario, Canada
    Latitude: 43.88342 Longitude: -78.93287
Copyright Statement
Public domain: Copyright has expired according to Canadian copyright law. No restrictions on use.
Reproduction Notes
Scanned from a copy negative.
Contact
Whitby Public Library
Email:archives@whitbylibrary.ca
Website:
Agency street/mail address:

405 Dundas Street West, Whitby, Ontario L1N 6A1

For inquires about any newspaper content please contact askreference@whitbylibrary.ca

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