Accommodation, refreshment facility.

Details of Site Location: 1840 Eglinton Avenue at the northwest corner of Dufferin Street.

Boundary History: The hotel occupied up to one acre at the corner bounded by Eglinton and Dufferin.

Current Use of Property: A bank.

Historical Description: The southeast corner of the old Matthew Parsons farm was purchased by Francis McFarlane, who built a hotel on it in 1867. Of frame construction, it had locally fired brick chimneys at the north and south ends of the gable roof. The front façade on Dufferin had three sashed windows on the second floor and two on the ground floor, and two panelled entrance doors with transoms above them. In front of the hotel was a pump, drawing the waters associated with Castle Frank Creek, which was used for watering horses. The pump was at the roadway, close to Eglinton Avenue. In 1877, the Fairbank Post Office was relocated to the hotel from the Watts’ house. In common with other hotels, McFarlane’s has some religious history: in 1886 a Presbyterian congregation held meetings in the hotel’s ballroom and, two years later, built their church on a lot donated to them on Vaughan Road to the south. Next came the Anglicans, who met in the ballroom in 1889, eventually settling at Dufferin and Vaughan / Eglinton to build St. Hilda’s Church.

Relative Importance: As is the case with most small communities in Ontario, the local hotel was the centre of the community and McFarlane’s is no exception. It served the Fairbank community in many ways.

Planning Implications: A plaque on the exterior wall of the existing bank at the corner is recommended.

Reference Sources: W.G. Thomas, Legacy of York (1992); Bill Bailey, Stories of York (1980); York Museum; Plan T-2539, Ministry of Natural Resources.

Acknowledgements: Heritage York.