IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF
ONTARIO
94 ISABELLA STREET
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 94 Isabella Street 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 94 Isabella Street 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 subject property at 94 Isabella Street
consists of a house-form building located on the north side of Isabella Street,
west of Jarvis Street. The building measures two-and-a-half storeys with a
raised basement constructed in rusticated stone, red brick at the first storey,
and shingled cladding at the second storey on the south (primary) elevation,
wrapping around to the sides. Set back behind a landscaped lawn with a short
gate, the building lacks a primary entry on the front elevation and is instead
accessed by a door on the west elevation.
The building's design represents the Queen Anne
Revival style. Characterized by an eclectic and picturesque application of
varied historical influences, the style originated in the 1860s in England and
by the 1880s had grown popular within Canadian residential architecture. Key
stylistic components of the subject property's design include the asymmetrical
composition of each of its elevations, the irregular roofline featuring gables
and corbelled brick chimneys, and the varied textures of its material palette.
Along with the adjacent designated properties at
90-92 Isabella Street, and a number of properties in the vicinity along Jarvis
Street, the subject property contributes to a layer of built fabric reflecting the
area's early development for the residences of prominent Torontonians.
The Helen E. McMaster House was listed on the
City of Toronto's Heritage Register in 1981.
Statement of Cultural
Heritage Value
Constructed in 1884-1885, the Helen E. McMaster
House is an intact, representative example of a Queen Anne Revival-style
residence. Characterized by an eclectic and picturesque application of varied
historical influences, the style originated in the 1860s in England and by the
1880s had grown popular within Canadian residential architecture. Key stylistic
components of the subject property's design include the asymmetrical
composition of its elevations, the irregular roofline featuring gables and
corbelled brick chimneys, the varied textures of its material palette, oriel
and bay windows, and details such as wood brackets and bargeboards.
The property demonstrates the work of Edmund
Burke (1850-1919), of the architectural firm of Langley & Burke. Burke was
a prolific and influential architect in Toronto, known for his versatility and
application of new building technologies. Noted for its Queen Anne
Revival-style design and precedential use of shingled cladding, the Helen E.
McMaster House reflects Burke's approach to prominent residential commissions
in the late nineteenth century.
The property is important in maintaining and
supporting the character of the area along Isabella Street and continuing along
Jarvis Street. Representing the popular residential styles of the time,
including Queen Anne Revival style at 94 Isabella Street and at the properties
to the immediate west, these remaining house-form buildings are characterized
by fine architectural detailing and deeper landscaped setbacks, as seen at the
subject property. The property is also visually and historically linked to its
surroundings. Along with the adjacent designated properties at 90-92 Isabella
Street, and a number of properties in the vicinity along Jarvis Street, the
subject property contributes to a layer of built fabric reflecting the area's
early development for the residences of prominent Torontonians.
Heritage Attributes
Design and Physical Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the property at 94 Isabella Street as a
representative example of a Queen Anne Revival-style residence:
·
The scale, form, and
massing of the property as a two-and-a-half-storey house-form building
·
The property's richly
textured material palette, including rusticated stone at the foundation, red
brick at the first storey, and shingled cladding at the second storey on the
south (primary) elevation, wrapping around to the sides
·
The south, west,
east, and north walls with their asymmetrical composition, characteristic of
the Queen Anne Revival style
·
The irregular
roofline featuring gables and corbelled brick chimneys
·
The variety of
fenestration, characteristic of the Queen Anne Revival Style, including a bay
window on the south elevation, dormer windows including gabled dormers on the
south elevation, a curved stained glass window on the east elevation, an oriel
window on the west elevation, and arched transom windows on the west elevation
·
Additional
architectural details including wood brackets and bargeboards, arched brick
around multiple door and window openings, and decorative brick and stone
banding
Historic and Associative Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the property at 94 Isabella Street as a
demonstration of the work of architect Edmund Burke:
·
The scale, form, and
massing of the property as a two-and-a-half-storey house-form building
·
The property's richly
textured material palette, including rusticated stone at the foundation, red
brick at the first storey, and shingled cladding at the second storey on the
south (primary) elevation, wrapping around to the sides
·
The south, west,
east, and north walls with their asymmetrical composition, characteristic of
the Queen Anne Revival style
·
The irregular
roofline featuring gables and corbelled brick chimneys
·
The variety of
fenestration, characteristic of the Queen Anne Revival Style, including a bay
window on the south elevation, dormer windows including gabled dormers on the
south elevation, an oriel window on the west elevation, and arched transom
windows on the west elevation
·
Additional
architectural details including wood brackets and bargeboards, arched brick
around multiple door and window openings, and decorative brick and stone
banding
Contextual Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the property at 94 Isabella Street as an
important part of the area's nineteenth-century residential layer:
·
The property's siting
and orientation on the north side of Isabella Street, west of Jarvis Street
·
The property's deeper
landscaped setback with a gated lawn facing Isabella Street
·
The scale, form, and
massing of the property as a two-and-a-half-storey house-form building
The property's richly textured material palette,
including rusticated stone at the foundation, red brick at the first storey,
and shingled cladding at the second storey on the south (primary) elevation,
wrapping around to the sides
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 December 19, 2022, which is January 18, 2023. 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=2023.CC2.18
Dated at the City of Toronto on December 19,
2022.
John D. Elvidge
City Clerk