Our old photo this week shows a wintertime view of the home of Dr. Thomas Clark, one of the few private homes located among the otherwise commercial buildings that have long dominated St. Paul Street.
Clark’s house was likely built around 1860 and stood on the north side of St. Paul, just east of Garden Park. It was both the residence and office of Clark.
For a time in the 1860s, Clark shared the office space there with Dr. Theophilus Mack and his brother, Dr. Francis L.
Mack. However, the Macks soon moved on after Theophilus became involved in establishing the Springbank spa hotel/sanatorium (1864) and the General Hospital (1865). Clark continued to practise and reside there on St.
Paul Street for another four decades. After his death and the residence of another physician there, the building was finally subdivided into apartments. In about 1912, it was purchased by Thomas Nihan.
Nihan was a prominent local businessman, successful in farming and as a canal and railway contractor and, for a time, owner of the NS&T street railway. He was also active in local politics, first as the reeve of Grantham Township and later as a member of St. Catharines city council.
On a couple of occasions, he also ran, unsuccessfully, for mayor. In about 1918, Nihan replaced Clark’s former home and office with a fine new commercial building designed by architect A.E.
Nicholson, best known at that time for his work on the Yates Street mansion he had done a few years earlier for Col. Reuben L. L.