IN THE MATTER
OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990,
CHAPTER 0.18 AND
CITY OF
TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
15 DUNCAN STREET AND 158 PEARL STREET
NOTICE OF
INTENTION TO DESIGNATE
Take notice that Toronto City Council intends
to designate the lands and buildings known municipally as 15 Duncan Street and
158 Pearl Street under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.
15 DUNCAN
STREET
Reasons for
Designation
The property at 15 Duncan Street is worthy
of designation under Part IV, Section 29
of the Ontario Heritage Act or its cultural heritage value, and meets Ontario
Regulation 9/06, the provincial criteria prescribed for municipal designation
under all three categories of design, associative and contextual value.
Description
The property at 15 Duncan Street is located on
the northeast corner of Pearl Street, and contains a three-storey factory
building that was constructed in 1903 according to the designs of the Toronto
architectural firm of Gregg and Gregg.
The Canada Printing Ink Company commissioned the building, which it
occupied for over half a century.
The property at 15 Duncan Street was included
on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register in 2016. In October 2017, Council designated the
King-Spadina Heritage Conservation District (HCD) under Part V of the Ontario
Heritage Act by By-law 1111-2017, which was amended by By-law 1241-2017. In 2018, the HCD was under appeal. The King-Spadina HCD Plan (2016) identifies
15 Duncan Street as a contributing heritage property.
Statement of
Cultural Heritage Value
The property at 15 Duncan Street has design
value as a well-crafted example of an early 20th century factory in the
King-Spadina neighbourhood, which was designed with features of Edwardian
Classicism, the most popular style for most building types during this
era. The design is distinguished by its
symmetry and the classical embellishments that are identified with the style,
and particularly by the arcades of round arches on the principal (west) and the
south elevations on Duncan and Pearl streets, respectively.
The cultural heritage value of 15 Duncan is
also through its half-century association with the Canada Printing Ink Company,
which was internationally recognized for its development of inks for
newspapers, magazines and other print media.
In its manufacturing complex in King-Spadina, the company produced
specialty inks and developed new technologies, which included the Maxichrom
System (the forerunner to the Mix-and-Match System of the 1970s) where any
colour could be matched using 12 basic inks.
The Canada Printing Ink Building is valued for
its contributions to the development and evolution of the King-Spadina
neighbourhood in the early 20th century when the area changed from an
institutional enclave adjoined by residential subdivisions to Toronto's new
manufacturing district after the Great Fire of 1904. The Canada Printing Ink Building was one of
the first buildings completed on the former Upper Canada College lands
following the redevelopment of the campus for industrial uses.
The historical value of the property at 15
Duncan Street is also through its connection with the Toronto architectural
firm of Gregg and Gregg, which designed the Canada Printing Ink Building prior
to the dissolution of the partnership.
While W. R. (William Rufus) Gregg and his younger brother, A. R. (Alfred
Holden) Gregg led successful architectural practices alone and with other
architects, during the period from 1893 to 1904 when they worked together the
pair is credited with several factories in the King-Spadina neighbourhood,
including the Eclipse Whitewear Building (1903) at King Street West and John
Street, the White Swan Mills Building at 158 Pearl Street, and the subject
building.
Contextually, the value of the property at 15
Duncan Street is through its support for the historical character of the
King-Spadina neighbourhood where it is part of an important collection of
former factories and warehouses that changed the area from its origins as an
institutional and residential district to Toronto's manufacturing centre after
the Great Fire of 1904. The Canada
Printing Ink Building is historically and visually linked to its setting where,
with the adjoining White Swan Mills Building (1903) at 158 Pearl Street and the
Southam Press Building (1908) at 19 Duncan Street, it is part of the surviving
trio of early 20th century industrial buildings that anchor the northeast
corner of Duncan and Pearl streets, south of Adelaide Street West.
Heritage
Attributes
The heritage attributes of the Canada Printing
Ink Building at 15 Duncan Street are:
·
The
placement, setback and orientation of the building on the northeast corner of
Duncan and Pearl streets
·
The
scale, form and massing of the three-storey building above the raised base with
the window openings
·
The
materials, with the red brick cladding and the brick stone and wood detailing
·
The
roofline, with the extended eaves
·
The
organization of the principal (west) elevation on Duncan Street into 10 bays
and the south elevation along Pearl Street into seven bays
·
The
classical arrangement of the principal (west) and south elevations, with the
base, the two-storey arcades and, above the stone cornice, the attic
·
The
fenestration, with the segmental-arched openings in the base, first and third
stories (as well as the pair of diminutive openings above the west entrance),
the round-arched openings in the second storey, and the brick and stone trim
·
The
west entrance, which is placed in the fifth bay from the south end and has been
altered
· On the principal (west) elevation, the two northernmost bays that have been altered to reflect the design of the original building.
158 PEARL STREET
Reasons for
Designation
The property at 158 Pearl Street (which
includes the address at 154 Pearl 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 all three categories of design, associative and contextual value.
Description
The property at 158 Pearl Street is located on
the north side of the street, east of Duncan Street, and contains a
three-storey factory building that was constructed in 1903 according to the
designs of the Toronto architectural firm of Gregg and Gregg. The original occupant, White Swan Mills,
producers of flour, cereals and spices, remained in this location for 25 years,
followed by the stationery department of the Canadian Bank of Commerce
(forerunner to today's Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, or CIBC) for over 30
years.
The property at 158 Pearl Street was included
on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register in 2016. In October 2017, Council designated the
King-Spadina Heritage Conservation District (HCD) under Part V of the Ontario Heritage
Act by By-law 1111-2017, which was amended by By-law 1241-2017. In 2018, the HCD was under appeal. The King-Spadina HCD Plan (2016) identifies
158 Pearl Street as a contributing heritage property.
Statement of
Cultural Heritage Value
The property at 158 Pearl Street has design
value as a well-crafted example of an early 20th century factory in the
King-Spadina neighbourhood, which was designed with features of Edwardian
Classicism, the most popular style for most building types during this era. The design of the White Swan Mills Building is
distinguished by its symmetry and the classical embellishments that are
identified with the style, and particularly by the semi-arched pediments that
mark either end of the principal (south) elevation.
The White Swan Mills Building is also valued
for its contributions to the development and evolution of the King-Spadina
neighbourhood in the early 20th century when the area changed from an
institutional enclave adjoined by residential subdivisions to Toronto's new
manufacturing district after the Great Fire of 1904. The White Swan Mills Building was one of the
first buildings completed on the former Upper Canada College lands following
the redevelopment of the campus for industrial uses.
The historical value of the property at 158
Pearl Street is also through its connection with the Toronto architectural firm
of Gregg and Gregg, which designed the White Swan Mills Building prior to the
dissolution of the partnership. While W.
R. (William Rufus) Gregg and his younger brother, A. R. (Alfred Holden) Gregg
led successful architectural practices alone and with other architects, during
the period from 1893 to 1904 when they worked together the pair is credited
with several factories in the King-Spadina neighbourhood, including the Eclipse
Whitewear Building at King Street West and John Street, the Canada Printing Ink
Building at 15 Duncan Street on the northeast corner of Pearl Street, and the
subject building.
Contextually, the value of the property at 158
Pearl Street is through its support for the historical character of the
King-Spadina neighbourhood where it is part of an important collection of
former factories and warehouses that changed the area from its origins as an
institutional and residential district to Toronto's manufacturing centre after
the Great Fire of 1904. The White Swan
Mills Building is historically and visually linked to its setting where, with
the adjoining Canada Print Ink Company Building (1903) at 15 Duncan Street and
the Southam Press Building (1908) at 19 Duncan Street, it is part of the
surviving trio of early 20th century industrial buildings that anchor the
northeast corner of Duncan and Pearl streets, south of Adelaide Street West.
Heritage
Attributes
The heritage attributes of the White Swan Mills
Building on the property at 158 Pearl Street are:
·
The
placement, setback and orientation of the building on the north side of Pearl
Street, east of Duncan Street
·
The
scale, form and massing of the three-storey building above the raised base with
the window openings
·
The
materials, with the red brick cladding and the brick, stone and wood detailing
·
The
roofline, which is anchored at the east and west ends of the principal (south)
elevation by segmental-arched pediments
·
The
organization of the principal (south) elevation into seven bays by brick
pilasters that extend to a stone band course
·
Between
the pilasters on the principal (south) elevation, the pairs of flat-headed
window openings with stone lintels and sills
·
The
principal (south) entrance, which is placed in the first (ground) floor in the
westernmost bay in a round-arched surround (the entrance was relocated from the
centre bay)
·
The
east side elevation of the original building, which is viewed from Pearl Street
and continues the cladding, fenestration and detailing from the principal
(south) elevation
The rear (north) elevation has been
altered. The northeast addition, which
was completed in the early 1980s, is not identified as a heritage
attribute.
Notice of an objection to the proposed
designations may be served on the City Clerk, Attention: Ellen Devlin, Administrator, Toronto and East
York Community Council, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, 2nd floor,
Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2N2, within thirty days of March 19, 2019, which is April
18, 2019. The notice of objection must set out the reason(s) for the objection,
and all relevant facts.
Dated at Toronto this 19th day of March,
2019
Ulli S. Watkiss
City Clerk