[2] 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.

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.

O'Keefe lived at 137 Bond Street until his death on the night of September 30, 1913, in his second-floor bedroom.

Lyons and Son Realty Limited sent a letter to Ryerson principal Howard H. Kerr offering the premises at Bond and Gould for $85,000.

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.