9 -11 Market Place was built at the same time as number one next door in 1890 and was built for Stratford dentist Alfred Aherns. His office was located on the second floor while the Canadian Express company was located on the first floor. It was later the home of other bus lines.
Dr. Ahrens' daughter, Cora Bell Ahrens, a noted pianist, pedagogue and teacher, gave piano lessons in another room on the second floor in her early years as a music teacher in Stratford. With Leon Vera and Avram Pratz she played in a trio which accompanied silent movies at Stratford's Theatre Albert, later the Avon Theatre.
Cora was also an itinerant music teacher in the schools of Perth County in the 1930s. She was an innovator, and to encourage and nurture an interest in music in the schools across the county, she introduced rhythm bands. She had several music theory and harmony books published. Earlier, in 1926, she joined William B. Rothwell and Margaret Stevenson Grant in co-founding the Perth County Music Teachers' Federation. She also lectured in pedagogy at the University of Western Ontario, the University of Toronto, and McGill University, conducted summer workshops in piano pedagogy in most major Canadian cities, and taught privately in Stratford.
After Dr. Ahrens retired, other dentists and doctors had their practices in this building which Cora owned until her death in 1964.
Cora B. Ahrens
Ahrens Drive was named for Cora and 0n July 1, 2016, she was honoured by the city with a Bronze Star, which was placed near the city hall.
* See Market Place for more of its history