Built in 1888, the historic Nealon House is one of Toronto’s earliest surviving commercial buildings and a standout example of Romanesque Revival architecture. The building’s thick masonry walls, rounded stone arches, and tall windows reflect the confidence of a city expanding through trade, manufacturing, and its close ties to the nearby waterfront.

Commissioned by James Nealon at a cost of $1,200, the hotel passed through several hands after his untimely death two years later, and as the years passed it became woven into the colourful fabric of Old Town. In the 1930s, it even entered local legend when wrestling promoter and owner Jack Corcoran briefly employed the infamous criminal Norman “Red” Ryan as an evening greeter, until he was caught in an attempted robbery and killed.

Since then, the hotel has had several lives, including long runs as the Riviera Hotel and later the Domed Stadium Hotel. Remarkably, from its founding in 1888 through the mid-1990s, it operated continuously as a hotel and tavern, welcoming generations of guests through its arched doors. Today, carefully restored, Nealon House invites guests to stay within a building that has witnessed Toronto’s transformation for well over a century—where historic architecture, layered stories, and modern comfort now meet