19. Doyle’s General Store

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Doyle’s General Store – 3 Albert St

By 1912, a general store stood on the east side of Albert Street between the McDermott Block and the Presbyterian Church. Fire insurance maps identify it as a concrete building, while historical records associate the property with Timothy Pangman and businesses operated by the Aziz Brothers and W. H. Miller. At one time it was known as the Calhoun Block and was associated with William Calhoun and his family.

Shortly after midnight on March 5, 1913, an overheated stove started a fire that completely destroyed the building. A family living above the store escaped through a second-floor window, and fortunately no lives were lost.

The fire caused approximately $25,000 in damage. The neighbouring Presbyterian Church also suffered damage to its roof and tower but survived the blaze.

A new commercial building was eventually constructed on the site. The Hurd family later operated a grocery store here, and by 1949 William Doyle was running a general store in the building.

That year brought another major threat. During Sunderland’s devastating 1949 fire, the McDermott Block immediately north of Doyle’s store was engulfed in flames. Photographs taken during the fire show several men on the roof of Doyle’s store, using snow to keep the roof cool and prevent the building from catching fire.

Doyle also operated an egg-grading station nearby on the east side of the McDermott Block. As the fire spread, men pushed the east wall of the burning building inward, away from the egg-grading station, while others hurried to move chickens and eggs to safety.

One small story captures how suddenly the disaster unfolded. George Clay had come to Doyle’s store simply to buy some butter when neighbours arrived to tell him that his own restaurant was on fire.

Unlike its predecessor in 1913, Doyle’s store survived the 1949 fire, leaving this site with a remarkable connection to two of the major fires in Sunderland’s history.