Mallett House

During the height of travel by rail, many prosperous hotels sprung up near the tracks to offer their services to weary travellers.  In Oshawa, Mallett House provided these services as travellers stopped at the Oshawa Junction.

The Mallett House was a two storey frame building, built facing the tracks located just south of Bloor Street in Cedar Dale.  The hotel was built by Richard Frank Mallett in 1896 and was an important part of the small hamlet of Cedar Dale. Its approximate location today is at the southwest corner of Annis and Albert Streets.

The hotel was highlighted in a 1911 publication Oshawa: The Manchester of Canada,  Illustrated.  The account is as follows:

The house contains ten good rooms, and the bar is one of the best in Oshawa. The house is always kept in the best of condition and is a comfortable place for the transient visitor or for the regular boarder.  The bar is well stocked with the popular brands and blends of wines and liquors, the best advertised brews of ales and beers, domestic and imported cigars, and all kinds of soft drinks.

RF Mallett died in 1931, and in his obituary, it was noted that he kept the Mallett House for 17 years.

“Richard Frank Mallett Passed Away Early Today,” Oshawa Daily Times, 17 Sep 1931, p. 1