Groulx Grocery at 193 King Edward Avenue
By Nancy Miller Chenier
The last commercial building still operating in the “Wedge” area near the Rideau River in Lowertown East stands at the southeast corner of Guigues and King Edward. In 1981, it was one of several buildings proposed for heritage designation in an attempt to protect the few heritage structures remaining after the sweeping urban renewal demolitions in Lowertown East. At the time, it was seen as an excellent late nineteenth century example that combined business and residence. In addition to a second storey hanging ornamental porch (since removed), it encompassed special design details from its rusticated stone basement to its decorative upper moldings. Now home to the Champa Thai restaurant, this stately brick edifice shows the scars of years of neglect.
Land registry documents indicate that on February 22, 1866, Francois Xavier Groulx, gentleman, bought Lot Letter A on the south side of Napoleon Street at the corner of King Street for $500. The lot was sold to Groulx by the Institut canadien-français de la cité d”Ottawa.
The 1871 census identified François X. Groulx as a 31-year-old merchant with a wife Sophie and four children. He was in partnership with his younger brother Alphonse in a dry-goods business located near the Byward Market area, later known as X. & A. Groulx. He also had family ties to Eugene Martineau, the first francophone mayor of the City of Ottawa, whose first wife was Olive Groulx, a sister. Perhaps this connection was one of the reasons that Groulx later entered municipal politics.
By 1874, Groulx was one of the French-Canadian candidates in the Ottawa Ward that extended north of St Patrick Street between the two rivers. As an alderman, he presented petitions from residents about sidewalks and roads and voted on multiple municipal issues. In 1875, he was part of a committee looking at the feasibility of turning the old cemeteries (now Macdonald Gardens) into a public site for possible use as a hospital for contagious diseases.
During this time, the X&A dry goods business at 94 and 98 Sussex had expanded to 277 Wellington Street. But by the mid 1870s, the economic depression had created problems for the key industries in Ottawa. Reduced wages as well as layoffs meant less money to spend on goods of any kind. In September 1875, the Groulx brothers were forced to close their businesses.
Perhaps in anticipation of this business failure, Francois Xavier transferred the ownership of his corner lot on King Street to his father-in-law Jean Baptiste Parent who operated Montreal House, a hotel close to the Cathedral. Groulx had worked for Jean Baptiste and had married his daughter, Sophranie Parent. The transfer of the property was fortuitous as F.X. died in 1878 leaving his wife Sophranie with four underage children.
Property in this northeastern part of Lowertown had become more valuable over the years as the city expanded services. The open Bywash down King Street that ran first as a barge-carrying canal and then as a garbage filled ditch was closed in 1875 when an underground sewer was installed. A decade later, sidewalks were gradually added on the east side of the street. By 1878, the fire insurance map showed a two and a half storey building on this corner lot.
In the early 1880s, Jean Baptiste Parent transferred the property back to his grandson, the younger Francois Xavier Groulx. City directories indicate that several different individuals operated grocery businesses at this corner, possibly as renters prior to F.X. Groulx junior assuming responsibility. By the early 1900s, the building was enlarged to a three storey bricked building with a corner entrance designed to bring in customers passing on either street. When Francois Xavier junior died in 1946 at 87 years of age, his will indicated extensive property holdings that included 193-195-197 and 199 King Edward Avenue as well as 260 Guigues Avenue. He also had a summer residence at Crystal Bay.
Within a few years, the third generation owner, Romeo Groulx, applied for a license for the Rialto, a tavern for men in the building. At the subsequent meeting of the Ontario Liquor Licence Board, the Citizen reported that several temperance organizations had stormed the event with claims that the increase in licensed establishments throughout the city was detrimental to the community. Later Groulx found evidence that someone had broken into his buildings during the night. The culprit was quickly found – a man asleep in the owner’s car behind the store with an empty bottle of gin beside him.
By the 1960s, the Groulx connection was gone from the building and it became associated with the Carrozzi family and others who ran varied enterprises from this corner location prior to Champa Thai. Despite the early effort to obtain heritage designation, this storied Lowertown landmark remains in danger of losing its heritage defining qualities due to neglect.