You might have encountered places with the odd "half" address. Instead of simply a number and street name, you'll see something like "32 1/2 Main Street."
It's unusual, but it typically means that something was built between two lots. Typically, there's nothing unusual about the buildings at all.
Except if you're on St. Patrick Street in Toronto. There, the "1/2" is really quite literal.
In fact, looking at images of this house, or, fraction of a house, it almost doesn't look real. But it is. Right on the street, between other late-19th century rowhouses and a modern apartment building, is exactly one half of a brick Victorian home.
There are definitely some oddly-shaped homes in the world, including one that only measures 36 inches across at the narrowest. But this house has just been sliced right down the middle.
It’s a weird piece (literally) of Toronto’s history. Learn about it below!
[H/T: Amusing Planet]
Let's say you're walking down St. Patrick Street in Toronto. You'll pass apartment buildings and some older row houses, and everything will seem totally normal…until this.
It's literally half a house!
This is 54 1/2 St. Patrick Street, which is only a fitting address for such a strange building.
Ironically though, the house actually had that address before it was shorn in half.
Originally built as part of a row of interconnected houses between 1890 and 1893, the house was the end of a row that started at 52 1/2, included a 54 and a 54 1/2, a 56, 58, and 60. No one knows why the numbering went like that. The "1/2" addresses referred to the halves of duplex-style homes.
Today, 54 1/2 is the only one left standing. And half of it is missing.
As the neighborhood changed, real estate agents in the 1950s pressured families to sell. Most did, but not the people in 54 1/2.
So the real estate companies simply tore the old buildings down around it.
This blank wall used to be an interior wall that bisected the original building. Now it's an exterior wall.
The house has remained like this since the 1970s.
The double-peaked building you see next door is a recent addition, and was only built in 2013. It houses Cottage Life magazine, and the new buildings and the half-house are owned by the same person.
The new additions make the half-house blend in a bit better, but it's still striking!
In a world of expected buildings, the St. Patrick Street half-house is truly one of a kind.
The half-house is kind of a symbol of how cities change, sometimes in really unexpected ways! Whoever the original owners who refused to sell were, they ended up making a unique landmark!
SHARE this unique building with anyone who loves the quirkier parts of cities.
