THE HEART OF THE CITY

BUNTIN, GILLIES & CO.

62 King Street East
(Pre-1890 address 23 King Street East in 1890)

IMAGE: Gilles Buntin and Co. (55213 bytes)IMAGE: button(490 bytes)CURRENT STATUS (1999)
Present Owner: Elias Robis, Hamilton
Present Use: Finger's Bar and Grill
Heritage Status:  Listed on the City's Inventory of Buildings of Architectural and / or Historical Interest
Locally Significant Date: N/A

IMAGE: button(490 bytes)BUILDING INFORMATION
Date Built: 1875-1876 (fourth storey and new facade added to pre-1850 building)
Original Owner: Edward Magill, silversmith
Original Use: Wholesale dry goods business
Subsequent Uses: Buntin and Gillies, wholesale stationers (1890-1906); china store; billiards room; various restaurants (including the Bright Spot Restaurant)
Previous Building on Site: Three-storey structure incorporated into present building

IMAGE: button(490 bytes)ARCHITECTURE
Size: Four-storeys
Design and Style: High Victorian
Architect, Builder: Unknown
Construction Materials: Brick masonry with stone front
Architectural Integrity: Moderate (stone masonry intact; upper facade altered by removal of cornice and window caps)
Architectural Features: Finely crafted stone ashlar facade with continuous sill courses beneath the third and fourth storey windows; originally featured an ornamental cornice and window caps (probably of sheet-metal construction)  

In 1848, nineteen years before Confederation, the wholesale paper and stationary business of Buntin, Gillies & Co., was started by Alexander Buntin. He was soon joined by his brother James Buntin and the two ran the company together until Alexander moved to Montreal where he started a similar business. Another store was opened in Toronto and all locations used the Buntin family name.

IMAGE: Advertisement for Buntin, Gillies and Co. (23541 bytes)James Buntin died in 1861 and the store’s name was changed to Buntin, Gillies & Co.  Mr. Buntin’s nephew, David Gillies, joined the firm with his sons. C.W. Graham later purchased the business and became the sole owner.  He remained the owner until his death in 1936. In 1939, the business was acquired by N.E. Wainwright and in 1941 was taken over by the Howard Smith Organization.

Until the turn of the century, the company’s downtown warehouse was located on the south side of King Street just west of MacNab Street. In 1903, due to the company’s continued success and formal incorporation, a larger building was required. A facility was erected in1906, on the site of an old hotel building. The company had a second warehouse, which was designed for the storage and distribution of huge paper rolls, located at John and Jackson Streets.

The last city directory entry for the Buntin, Gillies & Co. at their John Street location was in 1970. Afterwards, Leo Barnett & Company is listed at that location, although in recent years the building has remained vacant. In 1990, the Buntin, Gillies & Co. building was restored by Chaps Development Inc.

The company played an important role in Canada’s pulp and paper industry and was even responsible for creating and producing the paper bag in 1866.


REFERENCES:
Clipping File – Hamilton – Industries – Buntin, Gillies & Co. Special Collections, HPL.
LACAC Research Files.  Planning Department, City Hall.

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