James Graves Block
32 & 34 Main Street South, Seaforth, Ontario
( Year built: 1897 )
When W.H. Spencer came to Seaforth in the 1860s, he opened a jewellery store in a small shop on part of this lot. A second small shop housed Robert P. Tait’s Saddlery. Miss Hart had a millinery shop on part of the lot in 1869-70. Mrs. Rumley had a confectionery store in the other shop in 1875 which was then taken over by Thomas Coventry’s boot and shoe store. Miss Bessie McDonald had a fancy goods and dressmaking establishment in the south store from 1879-84.
Left Photo: The interior of John F. Daly’s jewellery store, the first occupant of the north store, as shown in Souvenir of Seaforth, 1900.
Below Photo: The James Graves Block with Fred S. Savauge’s jewellery store left side and Graves’ Wallpaper & Paint right side.
James Constable and later, Patrick Mulcahy, had a barbershop in the south store in the early 1890s. In 1894, James Graves bought the property. He was a painter and he opened shop in the other store while Mulcahy continued his work as a barber. By the fall of 1897 Graves had his new brick block completed. John F. Daly, a jeweller and optician who also sold marriage licenses, was the first occupant of the north store. Daly had the store until 1902, at which time he moved across the street to the Cardno Block and John Bulger, also a jeweller, took over in the Graves store. O.L. Hess succeeded Bulger in 1909. By 1915, Fred S. Savuage was the jeweller here. Savauge was in business at this location until 1924. John F. Daly moved back into this store from 1925 until 1927 when Arnold Westcott took over from him. Westcott started out in the jewellery business as a clerk in Daly’s store in 1921. Westcott stayed in business here for the next 32 years. In 1960, John A. Anstett, Jewellers, was here and continued in business until the early 1970s. The north store is unique in having been a jewellery store for most of its life. This ended by 1975 when James Etue opened his insurance office here.
James Graves himself was the first occupant of the south store. The store remained under the name of Graves’ Wallpaper & Paint until the early 1980s. Orval V. Weston and Miss Cleta Dickson were the proprietors of the store from the 1950s on.
The James Graves Block is a 2½ storey yellow brick building with two stores. (The brick has been painted.) The building is set forward of the Megary store to the north creating another slight jog in the street. The cornice with its prominent finials capping each pilaster, visible in the picture at right, has since been removed. There is a detailed brickwork frieze and three pilasters with large windows set between. The windows have a rowlock arch above. The window itself is divided into three stained glass sections above and three plain glass sections below.
The main floor cornice with decorative brackets has been removed. There are two inset doorways, one to each store, at either end of the façade. The pilasters all continue from the second level to the lower level.
Advertisement Below Left: November 1, 1962 issue of the Seaforth News. Below Right: The Huron Expositor, December 16, 1910.
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