Item - 2025.PB34.4

The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that:

1.  City Council state its intention to designate the property at 81 Isabella Street (including entrance address 83 Isabella Street) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 81 Isabella Street (Reasons for Designation) included as Attachment 1 to the report (July 4, 2025) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

2.  If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bills in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

That the Toronto Preservation Board:

1. Requested the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning to consider the inclusion of the decorative leaded windows in the list of the property's heritage attributes; and

2. Requested the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning to further examine Phyllis Webb and Dr. Ethel Chapman in the history of 81 Isabella Street.

Claire Forward, Heritage Planner, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning gave a presentation on 81 Isabella Street - Notice of Intention to Designate a Property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the property

at 81 Isabella Street (including entrance address 83 Isabella Street) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value according to the Statement of Significance, which includes a description of heritage attributes, found in Attachment 1.

The subject property at 81 Isabella Street is located on the south side of Isabella Street between Church Street and Jarvis Street in the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood. A location map and current photograph of the heritage property is found in Attachment 2.

The property at 81 Isabella Street contains a two-storey apartment building with raised basement constructed in 1927, known as the Merlan Apartments. It was designed by the architect Norman Alexander Armstrong in the Period Revival style with Edwardian influences. The Merlan Apartments represents one of Armstrong's first designs in the multi-residential walk-up apartment typology. He subsequently designed the Mayfair Apartments (1928), the Haddon Hall Apartments (1928), and the St. Edmunds Apartments (1929-1930) and several notable single-family residences and commercial properties that are designated under the Ontario Heritage Act or are included on the heritage registers in municipalities located in southern Ontario such as Oakville, Oshawa, Brampton, Brantford and London.

81 Isabella Street was listed on the City's Heritage Register on December 17, 2024.

Staff have determined that the property at 81 Isabella Street has cultural heritage value. 81 Isabella Street meets 4 of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets 2 or more of the 9 criteria.

The City received a Zoning By-law Amendment Application on June 6, 2025 related to the proposed redevelopment of the subject property which also includes the property at 81 Isabella Street. The proposed development would retain a portion of the main façades on the existing listed building at 81 Isabella Street and add the new construction of a sixty-nine (69)-storey tower building with a 3-storey base with lobby, amenity and rental offices at-grade, and residential rental units above.

A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) is required for all development applications that affect listed and designated properties to determine how a heritage property is proposed to be conserved. An HIA, prepared by GBCA dated June 2, 2025, has been submitted. 

Designation enables City Council to review proposed alterations or demolitions to the property and enforce heritage property standards and maintenance.