James Cooper House is an historic house in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. In 2008, the house became the heaviest residential

structural relocation A structure relocation is the process of moving a structure from one location to another. There are two main ways for a structure to be moved: disassembling and then reassembling it at the required destination, or transporting it whole. For the ...

in Canadian history, when it was moved east and south from its original location. The relocation took place over two phases, moving east on September 25, 2008 and south on December 11, 2008, at a reported cost of . The house is located at the corner of Sherbourne Street and Linden, just south of

Bloor Street Bloor Street is an east–west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River (Ontario), Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkway. East ...

. It was built in 1881 for James Cooper, a wealthy importer, manufacturer, and retailer of shoes. It was one of many mansions in the Sherbourne and Jarvis area, once among Toronto's wealthiest. The eight bedroom house was opulently constructed in the Second Empire style with Classical detailing. The City of Toronto designated the structure a heritage property and affixed a ''Heritage Toronto'' plaque in 2010. After Cooper departed, the building became home to the Keeley Institute for Nervous Diseases, an organization assisting those with alcohol and substance abuse problems. In 1910, it became home to the Toronto

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

, who used the facility as a meeting and fundraising venue for almost a century and added the assembly hall seen in the black and white photograph from 1956.

Tridel Tridel is a major Canadian real estate developer based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest builder of Condominium (living space), condominiums in the Greater Toronto Area. Since being founded in the 1930s it has built some 90,000 homes. H ...

development corporation purchased the building and its large lot in 2005, intending to erect a condominium tower on the site. The building would be preserved, but moved to a part of the lot about 60 feet away from its original location. The assembly hall addition would be demolished. This process began in 2008 when crews lifted the 800-ton house off its foundation and moved it to a temporary spot during construction. Tridel's new 32 storey tower is named "James Cooper Mansion," and the old house will serve as an amenities centre for the new building.

References

External links

Tridel page on the construction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, James, House Houses in Toronto Second Empire architecture in Canada Knights of Columbus buildings Houses completed in 1881 Relocated houses 1881 establishments in Ontario