O'Keefe House

The land at what is today 137 Bond Street was sold to a dry goods importer by the name of William Mathers on April 14, 1855. Along with the land, Mathers received the not yet completed, golden-bricked house. The building would host its most prominent proprietor in 1879 when it was purchased by Eugene O'Keefe. He was attracted to the house at the corner of Bond and Gould because he could keep tabs on his neighbouring brewery and reside within a block of St. Michael's Cathedral. To accommodate his growing family, O'Keefe had the third floor added in 1889. O'Keefe lived at 137 Bond Street until his death on the night of September 30, 1913, in his second-floor bedroom.[3]

The house eventually was purchased by Longman's Publishing and converted to administrative space. The layout that can be found today can trace its origin to these offices. The Canadian Congress of Labour, the United Mine Workers and the Canadian Railroad Employees all utilized the Bond Street building at one point or another.

On March 6, 1963, S.E. Lyons and Son Realty Limited sent a letter to Ryerson principal Howard H. Kerr offering the premises at Bond and Gould for $85,000. Kerr struck a deal at $80,000, a stark contrast from its $6,000 value in 1880 or the $677,000 price-tag for a summer 2004 renovation.[4] In time for the fall semester of 1964, Ryerson opened “The Bond Street Annex” along with other new residencies on Church Street and Oakham House, then known as Kerr Hall. Time saw the demolition of the Church Street residencies, and Oakham House was shut down as a residence for lack of fire code compliance. From 1963 through to the construction of Pitman Hall in 1991, O’Keefe was Ryerson’s only official residence space.[5] 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of O'Keefe House as a Ryerson residence.

In 2018, with the opening of the new HOEM residence on Jarvis Street, Ryerson announced that the building would no longer house students from the 2018-19 academic year. Instead, the building will be used by the university for non-residential purposes.[2]

Ryerson grads Louis Gonsalves and Ted Brock were paired together as the first house supervisors. Gonsalves resided at Bond House with his wife Christine and house cat Heathcliff, marking the beginning of a long and sometimes tumultuous relationship between residents and the animal kingdom.

There have been innumerable traditions at O'Keefe since its inception as a residence in 1964, however there have been a few prominent traditions that have lasted for many years. The Wine & Cheese Semi Formal, Food Olympics, Fort Building, End of the Year Formal, Alumni v. Frosh Football, Tour Du O'Keefe, Volunteering with the Ronald McDonald House, The Fred Victor Centre Dinner and many traditions.

O'Keefe is known for being a tight-knit community of residents upholding decades old traditions. Additionally participation in intramural athletics has been a prominent part of O'Keefe's heritage, winning the Ryerson Athletics Centre, Residence Challenge award 10 consecutive years in a row since its creation. The O'Keefe House Alumni Association continues to grow, with the primary objective to preserve O'Keefe's heritage and strengthen the ties between O'Keefe Alumni. In 2008 the Alumni Association celebrated the 45th O'Keefe House Anniversary and in fall 2013 will celebrate the 50th O'Keefe House Anniversary.

O'Keefe House is now run by Ryerson Student Housing Services. Typically there are two Dons (designated Residence Advisor and Academic Link) and five seniors who serve to run the house. The seniors are often first year residents selected to return to the house serving first as R.O.C. members (Ryerson Orientation Crew) and then continuing to assist with in-house events throughout the year. A Graduate Advisor (GA) also lives in the house, working to plan events in all of Ryerson's residences.

• http://www.okeefehouse.com/index.php
  
• http://www.ryerson.ca/studentservices/housing/resaccommodations/okeefehouse/
  
• http://www.ryersonstudenthousing.blogspot.com/
  
• https://twitter.com/okeefebrewers
  
• http://www.ryerson.ca/news/news/General_Public/20121130_okeefe.html