Thomas Kidd Block
67 & 69 Main Street South, Seaforth, Ontario
( Year built: 1869 )
The Thomas Kidd Block is distinguished by the arched second-storey windows with their decorative hoods made of moulded concrete. The semi-circular part of the windows were so placed to let light into the attic. The roof originally was slate. The south part of the storefront level remains largely unchanged. The storefront of the north part has been modernized.
Left Advertisement: This Thomas Kidd's Emporium ad is from the January 24, 1873 issue of the Huron Expositor. Thomas Kidd had a frame store at the corner of Market and Main streets by 1865. He began building the large brick block in 1868, completing it in 1869. William Robertson & Co.’s “Sign of the Circular Saw” hardware store was in the north part until 1876. James McMulkin had a general store in the south part in 1869. Thomas Kidd joined with McMulkin and they operated as Kidd & M’Mulkin in 1870. By 1871, Thomas Kidd was in business on his own. In 1877, Kidd placed this advertisement in the Huron Expositor: “Boy Wanted – Wanted a strong, active intelligent boy, willing to make himself generally useful, and not afraid of work.” When Robertson & Co. moved in 1876, Kidd’s Emporium expanded into the north store. From 1885 to 1887, they had the south store only. Thomas Kidd was a food inspector and importer in the hall over the store from 1891 to 1902.
Above Left Photo: William Pickard’s store in 1900 – Above Right: the Millinery Department, Lower Left Photo: shows the Gents’ Furnishings Department, and Lower Right: the Dress Goods Department.
William Pickard’s dry goods and clothing store occupied the entire store block in 1900. Earlier, in 1888, it was in the south part only. Pickard also had a ladies’ clothing store in the Cardno Block until 1900 when he was able to take over both stores here. The ground floor was the retail space while the upper floor was the manufacturing area. As you can faintly see in the photograph on the previous page, the end room on the upper floor was occupied by James L. Killoran, Law Office, from 1900 to 1915.
Thomas Coventry, a shoemaker, had a shop in part of the north store from 1885 to 1893. James Scott, Music Dealer, occupied part of the north store in 1887 until 1889.
Upper rooms were taken by the Conservative Club, and by Cox & Co., Stock Brokers, in 1887. G.F. Belden, a dentist, had offices here in 1895-96. J.A. Munn, also a dentist, had an office here in 1925 to 1930. A Huron Expositor ad of March 25, 1925 reported: “Dr. J.A. Munn, who recently purchased the dental Practice of Dr. R.R. Ross, is having handsome new offices fitted up over G.A. Sills & Sons Hardware.”
A small brick building behind Thomas Kidd’s store was the location of O.C. Wilson’s implement warehouse in 1871-72. Charles Stewart had a tailoring shop here in 1885-6 and Richard Deem, Tailor, in 1889 to 1896. F.G. Meyer, a butcher, was here in 1887. The Farmers’ Banking House occupied part of the building in 1888 to 1890 before it moved across the street into the Commercial Hotel. J.P. Bell had a laundry here from 1980 to 1910.
This elevated section at the rear of the south store was lowered flush with the front floor and the same thing was done with the second floor. One oddity of the building is that it is a brick lower on one side than the other.
The south store has some special features. Over the plate glass windows is prism glass which catches the light, projecting it straight back parallel to the floor so that it strikes the back wall within inches of the ceiling. The interior rear wall of the store was erected in the 1930s. The ceiling is made of patterned tin squares. In the basement is a brick vault which at one time was used to store dynamite.
The telegraph company and the Bell Telephone Company had poles, wires & instruments between Lot 38 where the Robert Scott Block is located, and Lot 39. William Somerville was an operator/agent for the G.M.W. Telegraph Co. from 1890 to 1898.
Henry Edge, a local contractor and merchant, had the north store from 1916 to 1921. John C. Grieg had a clothing store in the south space after Pickard’s closed and were here until 1921. George, Charles and Frank Sills owned the lot in 1921 and moved their hardware business into the south store in 1922. The north store was the first location of the Province of Ontario Bank from 1922 until 1949. Henderson Smith and Thomas McAdam were clerks in the bank in 1927.
Advertisement Above Left: is from the August 24, 1888 issue of The Huron Expositor. Above Right: the displayed advertisement is from the September 15, 1871 issue.
There were two other tenants of the north store before Keatings Pharmacy moved here in 19??. One tenant was the Law Offices of McConnell & Hays, later McConnell & Stewart, in the 1950s. Reads Shoe Store was here in 1966.
 |
|
Click here to download a printer friendly version of the Historic Seaforth - Thomas Kidd Block web page in Adobe PDF format. The PDF file size is: (845 kb)
Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 (or higher) is required to open and view any Adobe PDF files. Please visit the link to obtain your free copy of this software.
