- Part Of
- Benjamin Brown fonds
- Commercial building plans and drawings series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 3
- File
- 5
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- 1929
- Physical Description
- 8 architectural drawings : 1 blueprint, 7 pencil on tracing paper, some hand col. pencil crayon ; 44 cm length or smaller and 5 cm diam.
- Admin History/Bio
- Mr. Joseph Goldenberg was the owner of a dwelling and kosher restaurant located at 63 Elizabeth Street. After selling it in 1925, he purchased a new kosher restaurant at 275 Spadina Avenue. Alterations and additions to the restaurant were made in 1929 and 1934 respectively.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of several floor plans and elevation drawings.
- Related Material
- See File 49-3-84 for the architectural drawings of the 1934 alterations to Mr. Goldenberg's restaurant at 275 Spadina Avenue.
- Places
- Spadina Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Benjamin Brown fonds
- Commercial building plans and drawings series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 3
- File
- 27
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- 1932
- Physical Description
- 4 architectural drawings and technical drawings : 2 blueprints, 2 pencil on tracing paper ; 53 cm length or smaller and 4 cm diam.
- Admin History/Bio
- Owned by Mr. A. Levy, Levy Auto Wreckers was one of Canada's largest auto wreckers during the 1930s. The head office was located at 735/737 Queen Street West and it had a branch office at 464 Queen Street East.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of floor plans, a block plan and drawings of joist framings for Levy Auto Wreckers at 464 Queen St. East.
- Related Material
- See File 49-5-10 for plans of stores for Mr. A. Levy on St. Clair Avenue that were designed by E. Telfer Arnoldi.
- See File 49-3-13 for plans of the head office, located at 735/737 Queen Street West.
- Places
- Queen Street East (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Benjamin Brown fonds
- Commercial building plans and drawings series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 3
- File
- 32
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- 1934
- Physical Description
- 6 architectural drawings : 2 blueprints, 4 pencil on tracing paper, 1 hand col. pencil crayon ; 73 cm length or smaller and 6 cm diam.
- Admin History/Bio
- The Balfour Building is a Toronto landmark and designated heritage building that is located at 119 Spadina Avenue. It was designed by Benjamin Brown and was one of his most important commissions. Built in 1930, the building is twelve storeys high and is crowned by a two storey tower. It is considered one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in Toronto. The Balfour Building was declared a heritage building by order of City Council in July of 1989. It currently houses offices for several graphic design and advertising firms, shops and a post office.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of architectural drawings of additions and alterations to two stores located in a single storey Annex to the Balfour Building, at 125 Spadina Avenue. One of the stores was Shiffer-Hillman Men's Clothing Manufacturing, owned by Elsig Shiffer and Benjamin Hillman. The other store was the Blue Bird Dress Company, owned by Mr. Sam Lichtman. Floor plans, elevations, a block plan, a foundation plan, and a sketch of the storefront are also included.
- Physical Condition
- Material is slightly torn and fragile.
- Related Material
- See File 49-3-34 for alterations to Lazar's restaurant in the Balfour Annex at 125 Spadina.
- See File 49-3-105 for architectural drawings of the Balfour Building itself.
- Places
- Spadina Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Benjamin Brown fonds
- Commercial building plans and drawings series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 3
- File
- 34
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- 1934
- Physical Description
- 6 architectural drawings : 1 blueprint, 3 pencil, 1 hand col. pastel, 2 on verso of blueprints, pencil and hand col. watercolour ; 35 cm length or smaller and 4 cm diam.
- Admin History/Bio
- Lazar Levinson was the owner of two Jewish restaurants in downtown Toronto. The original restaurant, named Lazar’s "Old Spain" restaurant and delicatessen specialized in catering, and was located at 128-130 Queen Street West. In the 1930s, a second restaurant was established in an Annex to the Balfour Building at 125 Spadina Avenue.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of architectural drawings of additions and alterations to Lazar's restaurant, located in a single storey Annex to the Balfour Building at 125 Spadina Avenue. Floor plans and elevations are included.
- Physical Condition
- Material is fragile, slightly torn.
- Related Material
- See File 49-3-32 for alterations to Balfour Annex stores for Messrs. Shiffer, Hillman and Lichtman.
- See File 49-3-105 for architectural drawings of the Balfour Building and for a description of the building.
- Places
- Spadina Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Benjamin Brown fonds
- Commercial building plans and drawings series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 3
- File
- 35
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- 1924
- Physical Description
- 7 architectural drawings : blueprints ; 41 cm length or smaller and 8 cm diam.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of architectural drawings of an apartment building located on Beverley St. for Mr. Benjamin Brown (in trust). Floor plans, sections and elevation drawings are included.
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Benjamin Brown fonds
- Commercial building plans and drawings series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 3
- File
- 40
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- [ca. 1930]
- Physical Description
- 2 architectural drawings : 1 pencil and hand col. pencil crayon on verso of blueprint, 1 pencil on tracing paper ; 63 cm length or smaller and 5 cm diam.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of architectural drawings of alterations to The Spadina Building for Mr. H. Greisman. Floor plans and an elevation drawing are included.
- Notes
- One drawing is located on the verso of a discarded blueprint of a building for Power Investments Ltd. on 55 Charles St. West.
- Places
- Charles Street West (Toronto, Ont.)
- Spadina Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Benjamin Brown fonds
- Commercial building plans and drawings series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 3
- File
- 104
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- 1921-1922
- Physical Description
- 27 architectural and technical drawings : 26 blueprints, 1 pencil and paint ; 81 cm length or smaller and 9 cm diam.
- Admin History/Bio
- Located at 285 Spadina Avenue, the Standard Theatre was the first purpose-built Yiddish theatre in Canada. Described as the finest Yiddish theatre in North America, it contained seating for 1500 and included a balcony. The Standard held its opening performance and ceremony on August 31, 1922. It became the site of a variety of Yiddish plays, musical performances and other entertainment. The theatre was also the scene of political activity during this period, including a 1929 gathering to commemorate the death of Lenin. In 1935, due to poor attendance, the theatre was converted into a movie theatre renamed the Strand. Over the next several decades, the theatre was used for a variety of purposes, including as a Chinese movie house and even as a burlesque house for a time. Most recently, the main floor of the building has been converted into a bank, while the upper balcony has been closed. The Standard was designated as a heritage building in 2007.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of architectural drawings by J. M. Jeffrey of the Standard Theatre located at 285 Spadina Avenue. Elevations, floor plans, sections, detailing, a heating plan, a roof plan, a colour drawing of a theatre sign and technical drawings of structural elements of the building are included. These drawings are the original permit plans that would have been used onsite during construction. Although Jeffrey is the name on the drawings, Benjamin Brown has also been credited as the architect for the theatre according to an August 31, 1922 Globe and Mail article detailing the opening night.
- Name Access
- Jeffrey, J. M.
- Standard Theatre
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Physical Condition
- Drawings are torn and wrinkled. A conservator should examine these drawings before further handling.
- 2023-11-28: Some drawings are still very fragile after conservation treatments. They should be handled with extreme care.
- Places
- Spadina Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Rabbi Nachman Shemen fonds
- Canadian Federation to Aid Polish Jews in Israel series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 103
- Series
- 1
- File
- 1
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1936
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of handwritten lecture notes and a newspaper clipping documenting Shemen's lecture on Polish Jewry and the struggle between existence and ruin. Shemen presented this lecture to the "Not to Worry!" Club (or "Be of Good Cheer!" Club) in Radomer Hall, 210 Beverley Street.
- Subjects
- Jews--Poland
- Lectures and lecturing
- Physical Condition
- The lecture notes are rolled and difficult to unfurl.
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions