Shakespeare Street 

Land developer

A land developer who lived in Galt, William Mackenzie, came to Stratford in 1853 in anticipation of a boom that was sure to follow the Grand Trunk Railway's arrival in 1856. Two of three land developments he oversaw were properties adjacent to the railway lands. Though he was a land developer, he took an interest in the community 's preservation of the classical  Shakespearean names which had existed since Stratford's founding in 1832. Mackenzie went to the top of the list by naming  Shakespeare Street. The first recorded use of the name Shakespeare was on a sign erected over the door to Stratford's first permanent building,  the Shakespeare Inn, at the corner of Downie and Ontario streets.  By Stanford Dingman

The former Canadian National Railways (CNR) and VIA Rail station in Stratford reflects the turn-of-the-century prosperity of the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR), and its pre-eminence in the lucrative, southwestern Ontario region. The construction of a new, divisional point station brought tremendous economic benefits to the local economy and assisted the cultural development of the city, which gave the former hamlet a county seat. Upon the demise of the Grand Trunk Railway, Canadian National Railways became the owner of the train station, which in 1986 was purchased by VIA Rail to be shared with Gray Coach Lines.

 The station is a good example of pre-First World War design trends in its use of large windows between thin piers, its textural treatment of materials, and its vestiges of historical revivalism. For many years, the key elements of its site included the station garden, the adjacent Station Park, the railyards, the roundhouse, the nearby repair shops, and some urban structures. Its location on a rise of land above the street reinforced its imposing presence. The station was designated a local heritage structure in 1988. Source: Ontario Heritage 

The official opening, Dec. 17, 1913

The story has been told in different ways, but this is the one recounted by Dean Robinson in his book  Railway Stratford Revisited. It involves R. Thomas Orr, of the parks board fame, as told by his daughter, Peg Willock. 

"The official first train was to arrive at the station carrying the officials of the GTR and be met by the mayor and council and local officials, but the dispatcher or whoever is in charge of such things by mistake switched the train from Port Dover onto the track ahead of the Toronto train.

"Dad was returning from a business trip to Aylmer and when the train stopped, he alighted to be met by all these officials lined up. He thought it was simply marvelous, but they were pretty upset that it was only Tom Orr and not the president of the GTR or whoever they were expecting. Dad was still laughing years later."

R. Thomas Orr, as the first of the passengers off that train, had, unofficially at least, opened the new station ahead of schedule. Charles Forrester, superintendent at the time, is said to have been more than mildly upset.  Source. Dean Robinson "Railway Stratford Revisited."  

 *  Stratford has had six train stations. See where they were, and the the timeline for all six.  Station Timeline

Schoolchildren lined up along the track at assembly points at 12:45 p.m. and waited for a glimpse of the King and Queen. A huge disappointment was felt by thousands of children, who had spent hours waiting, some of the smaller ones in tears, as the train sped by them, instead of slowing down as had been promised. During the approximate 10 minutes the train was stopped in Stratford, stopping so abruptly the King bumped his elbow, there was “a brisk ceremony of presentations.” 

The King and Queen were unaware that all the children had been positioned along the tracks or the train would have slowed and their majesties would have waved. They later sent a note of apology when they found out about the error in planning.  Sourced:  by Gord Conroy Stratford-Perth Archives and Adelaide Leitch, Floodtides of Fortune. 

 *    See James Reaney (St. Andrew Street) poem  The Royal Visit  

Special buses met the patrons at the train station and took them for supper at different churches, including Knox, St. John's and Parkview. The women of Parkview United Church, for example, served 200 guests once a week for six weeks during the opening season. The chartered trains from Detroit also booked meals at Parkview, and the church women served the American visitors on two Friday nights each season. After the evening performances, many people came to Parkview, just a couple of blocks from the theatre, to have coffee and doughnuts before the trip home.

The church suppers were needed in the early days because Stratford did not have enough restaurants. By 1958 the city had more restaurants, but some charters were still running and there was still a need to help. So the women continued to cater Festival meals twice a month.

In 1959, one particular evening made the news in Toronto. The Toronto Telegram ran an editorial on Monday, July 13, with the headline Thank You Stratford. It explained events of the preceding Friday evening, beginning with how a special Festival train sponsored by the Telegram malfunctioned near Guelph. Carrying 340 theatre-goers, the train limped into Stratford, by which time the waiting Stratford Coach Line buses and church women at St. John's and Parkview  had been informed of the delay. As the train finally arrive, the heavens opened and a downpour added to the angst of all.

As quickly as possible, the passengers were whisked off to dinner (which, the newspaper reported, was "excellent"). When Festival officials learned of the unfortunate turn of events, they  delayed the opening curtain for 13 minutes, a first in its short but illustrious history. The Toronto visitors saw the whole show and Parkview and St. John’s received some well-deserved publicity for their hospitality and food.  Sourced:  By Gord Conroy Parkview United

This flatiron is a good example of a commercial Neo-classical building. Two storeys tall, it has a flat roof with a cornice over the most visible corner and a combination of round arch and rectangular windows. The round arch windows have decorative lights and keystones of contrasting grey stone. The rectangular windows have decorative sills and lintels of the same contrasting grey stone. The neo-classical details also include brick quoins at the northwest and southwest corners. Located prominently on the northeast corner of Shakespeare Street and Downie Street, 6-8 Shakespeare St. is unique because it was built in a triangular shape to conform to the shape of the lot. It has the appearance of a flatiron building similar to the Gooderham building in Toronto and is the only one of its kind in Stratford. Builder John Badour was arguably attempting to extend the downtown area of the city to his site by bringing the building flush to the sidewalk like buildings in the downtown. Because of these striking features, the building is a landmark in the City of Stratford.  Source: Canada's Historical Places