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NORTHWAY & SONS CO.

13-15 King Street East

CURRENT STATUS (1999)
Present Owner: #13-15: Park Place Partnership
Present Use: #13: Downtown Subway (submarine takeout); #15: Money Mart
Heritage Status: Listed on the City’s Inventory of Buildings of Architectural and / or Historical Interest and included on LACAC’s list of Landmark Buildings in the Downtown Core
Locally Significant Date: Early Twentieth Century

BUILDING INFORMATION
Date Built: 1903
Original Owner: Stanley, Edwin & Robert Mills
Original Use: Stanley Mills & Co.(department stores) (1903-1924)
Subsequent Uses: #13-15: various retail stores (Northway Ladies’ Wear)
Previous Building on Site: Three storey commercial building occupied by the Mills family business since 1893 and destroyed by fire in 1903

ARCHITECTURE
Size: #13-15: frontage: 34.68 ft.; height: five-storeys
Design and Style: Early Twentieth Century Transitional
Architect, Builder: Charles Mills, eldest Mills brother (architect)
Construction Materials: façade #15: metal screen added to original facade
Architectural Integrity: #15-17: poor (original upper façade entirely altered)

John Northway, founder of Northway & Sons Company, was a young and well-established English tailor. He left his native Devonshire, England home after serving a seven-year apprenticeship, for which he received no payment. He spent some time in New York before moving to Embro, Ontario. It was here that he married and managed to save $100 dollars, which he invested in a business that would bear his distinctive "Northway Shapekeeping Garments" adage. In 1875, Northway opened his first shop, located in Tillsonburg. His business prospered, and Northway opened other branches in various commercial centres. In 1903, he opened a store on Yonge Street in Toronto. The original two-storey establishment was torn down and replaced with a larger facility, standing an imposing 8-storeys high. IMAGE: window display(28163 bytes)

Northway later opened stores in Hamilton, Stratford, Orillia, and Brantford. The firm decided to concentrate its efforts on the retail business, leaving the manufacturing industry. Northway was one of the first successful manufacturers of women’s garments in the country. The Northway Company eventually grew into Canada’s multi-million dollar fashion industry, employing thousands.

The Company remained a family business, being passed down from father to son, from generation to generation. John Northway, founder of the company, passed the business down to his son, John Northway II, who in turn passed the company down to his son, John Northway III. The founder’s name was preserved for the Northway family.

In 1924, the company leased the building that was formerly occupied by the Stanley Mills Department Store and owned by the Mills Brothers. The company planned to open a store in that location the following year. In March of 1925, their first Hamilton location opened. The building was remodelled and redecorated, bringing the old Mills building up to acceptable standards. The Hamilton Northway store was devoted to the needs of all women, and special attention was given to blind women. The store had five sales floors with elevators, equipped with attendants for the convenience of the patrons. The store’s departments carried exclusive fashion lines and were home to the famous "Bromleigh" coats and suits.

In 1960, the company was purchased by David Rush and the following year, he purchased the Lady Ellis chain of stores. In 1962, the company passed to Adam Eckhardt. In 1963, the Lady Ellis Stores went bankrupt in a receiving order issued by the Supreme Court of Ontario. The Hamilton branch of the Northway store remained in Hamilton until 1960.

REFERENCES:
Clipping Files – Hamilton – Department Stores – John Northway & Sons Ltd. Special Collections. HPL.
LACAC Research File. Planning Department, City Hall.

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