WAG John White Building

The John White Building

The building in which the Woodstock Art Gallery resides was named after Lieutenant Colonel John White, a Scottish business entrepreneur.

Immigrating to Woodstock in 1860, White opened his first dry goods store with his brother George on the corner of Dundas and Riddell streets. After George’s retirement, the John White & Co. dry goods store expanded and moved to 447 Dundas St.. In the following years White purchased two more buildings, now spanning 445 to 449 Dundas St.

In addition to employing 125 individuals, the store incorporated in 1904, becoming John White Co. Ltd. With major renovations in 1913, the three separate buildings became a singular modern department store which included an additional fourth floor, an elevator, and a pneumatic tube system. The building was the first business in Woodstock to be outfitted with electric lighting.

For the following 40 years, John White Co. Ltd. would see the transfer of the company president to the next three generations of the White family. The firm celebrated its 100th anniversary of operation in Woodstock in 1960. Although the store was sold to Walkers in 1961, the legacy of John White remains as the building and the alley lane located behind it retain his name.

In 2009, the building was purchased by the City of Woodstock and following major renovations, the Woodstock Art Gallery opened its doors in 2011.

Ten Years in the Building

In 2021, the exhibition Ten Years in the Building brought together artifacts from the past into the gallery space, chronicling key milestones of the hundred-year history of the John White Co. Ltd. A collaborative project, this exhibition included historical items from the Woodstock Museum and the Oxford County Archives. Ten Years in the Building was on display in the main floor pocket gallery from August 3, 2021 – January 22, 2022. 

Curator Talk: The History of the John White Building