With
each passing year York, and later Toronto, grew demographically,
commercially and residentially. Daily hundreds would brave rough sea
crossings or long stagecoach journeys to join in the prosperity. As a
result facilities had to exist for those people without homes of their
own in the town.
The Wellington Hotel [site 3, 4] was one of the many hotels along the waterfront. Another was the Steamboat Hotel, owned by Ulick Howard(1).
Located at 64 Palace Street East (now Front), Howard’s hotel was
recognized for its characteristic delineation of a steam packet
extending the length of the building(2).
John Bradley took over ownership of the hotel in 1829(3)
. He maintained it as the Steamboat Hotel for a few years, then renamed
it City Hotel, likely due the town’s incorporation into the city
of Toronto in 1834(4). Bradley’s hotel was an elegant two-storey building which has been captured in several 1830s prints of the city.
The City Hotel catered largely to visitors who came by sea, and offered a wonderful view of the harbour and Gibraltar point. |
