IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
221 STERLING ROAD
(INCLUDING ENTRANCES AT 225 AND
227 STERLING ROAD)
NOTICE OF INTENTION TO DESIGNATE
THE PROPERTY
TAKE NOTICE that Council for the
City of Toronto intends to designate the property, including the lands,
buildings and structures thereon known municipally as 221 Sterling Road,
including entrances at 225 and 227 Sterling Road, under Part IV, Section 29 of
the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.O.18, as amended, as a property of
cultural heritage value or interest.
Reasons for Designation
The property at 221 Sterling Road is worthy of
designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its
cultural heritage value, and meets Ontario Regulation 9/06, the provincial
criteria prescribed for municipal designation, under the categories of
design/physical value, historical/associative value, and contextual value.
Description
The property at 221 Sterling Road comprises a
complex of adjoining one- and two-storey brick structures, constructed
incrementally in c.1914-1918, c.1924-1939, and c.1954-1965. Located on the east
side of Sterling Road, the property is set back at an angle from the street,
oriented instead in parallel with the railway tracks to the east. The complex
runs generally north-south on an irregularly shaped lot, which is defined by
Merchant Lane to the north, and alleyways to the east and south. Because the
building evolved in an unplanned way through a series of additions to suit the
requirements of various occupants, boundaries between the building's components
are not always legible within the building's flexible interior spaces. Typical
of industrial architecture, its exterior is generally utilitarian in nature and
relatively unadorned. The property features multiple entrances, on all
elevations, and its unique footprint creates exterior opportunities for social
connection, particularly in the eastern alleyway, where communal spaces are
bordered by a retaining wall.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The property at 221 Sterling Road is a rare and
unique example of a former industrial complex that evolved to accommodate
various manufacturing uses, and later gained prominence for its adaptive reuse
as an incubator of arts and culture. Originally part of a site developed
alongside the Grand Trunk Railway tracks for the Fairbanks-Morse Canadian
Manufacturing Company Ltd., the property was constructed incrementally with an
original portion from pre-World War I, interwar additions in c.1924-1939, and
postwar additions in c.1954-1965. It served a variety of industrial uses
through the mid- to late-twentieth century, and has since continued to evolve
as a hub of cultural activities, housing a number of creative organizations and
performance spaces. The property's gradual construction and adaptation produced
an unusual, rambling complex with an interior that allows for reconfiguration
to suit tenants' needs, and an exterior that creates moments of social
connection. The building's physical value is expressed through industrial
characteristics that facilitate adaptive reuse for live-work studios and light
industrial cultural businesses.
The property reflects the history of industrial
development along Sterling Road within the lower Junction Triangle and Brockton
Village areas, and contributes to a concentration of former industrial
buildings, many of which now have cultural functions. It originated as part of
lands developed by the Fairbanks-Morse Canadian Manufacturing Company Ltd.
adjacent to the Grand Trunk Railway line. This company played an important role
in the industrial development of the area through their development of a large
manufacturing complex, including the subject property. Needs arising from
Canada's involvement in the First World War meant that by the late 1910s, the
Canadian Fairbanks-Morse Company, like other plants in Toronto, received a
munitions contract and manufactured explosive shells during this period. In
addition to the theme of industrial development, the property reflects the
theme of promotion of arts and culture through adaptive reuse of industrial
buildings; this theme is especially significant to the local community. Few
such examples of formerly industrial, live-work complexes remain extant in
Toronto.
The property is important in maintaining and
supporting the character of Sterling Road as a former industrial streetscape,
which has evolved as an area known for supporting arts and culture. In
particular, it is linked to the adjacent property at 213 Sterling Road, which
was also associated with the Canadian Fairbanks-Morse Company, and with which
it stands in architectural dialogue. The only building of its kind on Sterling
Road that continues to house a live-work community, 221 Sterling Road relates
to surrounding industrial properties on Sterling Road that have been adaptively
reused for the purposes of arts and culture.
Heritage Attributes
Design and Physical Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the property at 221 Sterling Road as an evolved
manufacturing complex that has been adaptively reused to support the arts:
·
Scale, form, and
massing of the property's original portion (dating to c.1914-1918), located at
the building's southwest corner
·
Scale, form, and
massing of the property's early eastern and northern additions (dating to
c.1924-1939)
·
Throughout the
complex, features that represent the property's industrial origins and later
facilitated its adaptive reuse, including:
·
An industrial
material palette with primarily red brick and concrete on both the exterior and
interior
·
Original window
openings and operable windows
·
Original door
openings, including some that include double doors and some that include garage
doors
·
18'-to-20' ceilings
in many units, some of which include exposed structural beams
Historic and Associative Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the property at 221 Sterling Road as reflecting
the history of industrial development and arts-related adaptive reuse along
Sterling Road:
·
The property's siting
and orientation, accessed via Sterling Road but situated in parallel with the
railway tracks to the east
·
Original window
openings and operable windows
·
Original door
openings, including some that include double doors and some that include garage
doors
·
An industrial material
palette with primarily red brick and concrete on both the exterior and interior
·
18'-to-20' ceilings
in many units, some of which include exposed structural beams
·
Generally large-scale
interior spaces with flexible configurations
·
Skylights in many hallways
and units, some of which are original
·
Exterior communal
spaces as points of connection, including in the eastern (rear) alley, which is
set apart by a grade change and a retaining wall
·
Original rail lines
that remain visible in the floors and hallways of units
Contextual Value
The following heritage attribute contributes to
the cultural heritage value of the property at 221 Sterling Road as one of a
concentration of former industrial buildings, many of which now have cultural
functions:
·
The property's siting
and orientation, accessed via Sterling Road but situated in parallel with the
railway tracks to the east
·
The property's visual
and spatial relationships to the adjacent property at 213 Sterling Road,
particularly via visibility and public access to the alleyway formed between
the north elevation of 213 Sterling Road and the south elevation of 221
Sterling Road
Notice of Objection to the Notice of Intention to Designate
Notice of an objection to the Notice of
Intention to Designate the Property may be served on the City Clerk, Attention:
Administrator, Secretariat, City Clerk's Office, Toronto City Hall, 2nd Floor
West, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2N2.; Email: hertpb@toronto.ca within thirty days of May 17, 2022, which is June 16, 2022. The notice
of objection to the Notice of Intention to Designate the Property must set out
the reason(s) for the objection and all relevant facts.
Getting Additional Information:
Further information in respect of the Notice of
Intention to Designate the Property is available from the City of Toronto at:
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.PH33.17
Dated at the City of Toronto on May 17, 2022.
John D. Elvidge
City Clerk