IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF
ONTARIO
46 SPADINA AVENUE
(INLCLUDING ENTRANCE ADDRESSES AT
40, 44 AND 50 SPADINA AVENUE)
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 46 Spadina Avenue 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 46 Spadina Avenue (including the
addresses at 40, 44, and 50 Spadina Avenue) 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 46 Spadina Avenue comprises a
four-storey factory building that was constructed in 1907 and designed by the
Toronto architectural firm of Horwood and Burke. Commissioned by Business
Systems Limited, which manufactured business stationery and operated a business
training school, the property served as the company's headquarters and factory
for over half a century. In the late 20th century, the property was among the
properties in the King-Spadina neighbourhood that became associated with the
clothing manufacturing industry in Toronto′s Fashion District.
Representing the Edwardian Classical style, the
property features red brick cladding with brick and stone detailing. The
principal (east) elevation is symmetrically organized into 11 bays, with
frontispieces in the slightly projecting centre and outer bays. Two entrances,
at the north and south ends of the principal elevation, are set in Gibbs
surrounds with stone quoins. Fenestration on the principal elevation includes
flat-headed openings in the base and upper stories, and round-arched openings
in the first (ground) storey. Additional details include window detailing with
voussoirs and keystones, brick banding and quoins, brick corbelling above the
first (ground) storey, and a stone name plate reading "Systems
Building" above the north entrance.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The property at 46 Spadina Avenue 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 all building types during this era. The
Systems Building is particularly distinguished by its elaborate classical
detailing that includes the frontispieces with quoins and the twin entrances on
the principal (east) elevation.
The Systems Building is valued for its
contributions to the development and evolution of the King-Spadina
neighbourhood in the early 20th century. During this period, the area changed
from an institutional enclave adjoined by residential subdivisions to Toronto's
new manufacturing district after the Great Fire of 1904. The property at 46
Spadina Avenue is especially linked to the historical transition of
King-Spadina, as Business Systems Limited established its company in one of the
former high-end residences that marked the initial development along the street
before replacing it with the large-scale warehouse, a building typology that
was indicative of the industrial character of the community after 1900.
The historical value of the property at 46
Spadina Avenue is also through its connection with the architectural practice
of Burke and Horwood. As the successor to the firm founded by his uncle, Henry
Langley, Edmund Burke formed a partnership with John Horwood in 1894, and the
pair received immediate recognition as the designers of the Robert Simpson
Store as the first Chicago-style building in Toronto. Although Horwood and
White designed many residential, institutional, and industrial buildings in the
city, they accepted few documented commissions in King-Spadina, including the Systems
Building and the neighbouring Samuel, Benjamin and Company Building on the
southwest corner of King and Spadina, which is included on the City of
Toronto′s Heritage Register.
With respect to contextual value, the property
at 46 Spadina Avenue supports the historical character of the King-Spadina
neighbourhood, where it contributes to an important concentration of former
factories and warehouses. These buildings reflect the area's shift from its
origins as an institutional and residential district to Toronto's manufacturing
centre after the Great Fire of 1904. The Systems Building is historically and
visually linked to its setting on Spadina Avenue, south of King Street West,
where other large-scale warehouses on Spadina, King, and Wellington streets are
among the neighbouring properties that are included on the City's Heritage
Register. In particular, it complements the building at the north end of the
block, 425 King Street West, with which it shares a material palette and
architectural vocabulary.
Heritage Attributes
Design and Physical Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the property at 46 Spadina Avenue as a
representative example of an Edwardian Classical-style industrial headquarters
and warehouse:
·
The scale, form, and
massing of the property as a four-storey warehouse above a raised base with
window openings
·
The flat roofline,
which is extended at the south end by a penthouse and has brick chimneys on the
west end and southwest corner
·
The material palette
of brick cladding with brick and stone detailing, including brick banding and
quoins, brick corbelling above the first (ground) storey, masonry at the
basement level, and stone quoins in Gibbs surrounds
·
The symmetrical
organization of the principal (east) elevation into 11 bays, with the
frontispieces in the slightly projecting centre and outer bays
·
The two entrances at
the north and south ends of the principal (east) elevation, which are set in
Gibbs surrounds with stone quoins
·
The fenestration on
the principal (east) elevation, with the flat-headed openings in the base and
upper stories, and the round-arched openings in the first (ground) storey,
including the oversized opening in the third bay from the north end and the
diminutive round-arched opening in the north frontispiece
·
On the principal
(east) elevation, the window detailing with the voussoirs and keystones, and
the quoins on the diminutive openings in the centre and north frontispieces
·
The north (side)
elevation, which continues the decorative brick quoins, banding and quoins from
the principal (east) elevation, and has segmental-arched and flat-headed window
openings with brick and stone trim
·
The south (side)
elevation, with the flat-headed openings
·
On the rear (west)
wall, the brick quoins and the segmental-arched and flat-headed openings with
the brick and stone trim
·
The name plate
reading "Systems Building" above the north entrance
Historic and Associative Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the property at 46 Spadina Avenue as associated
with the evolution of the King-Spadina neighbourhood, and an example of the
work of Burke and Horwood:
·
The placement,
setback, and orientation of the building on the west side of Spadina Avenue
between Wellington Street West and King Street West
·
The name plate
reading "Systems Building" above the north entrance
Contextual Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the property at 46 Spadina Avenue as supporting
the historical character of the King-Spadina neighbourhood:
·
The placement,
setback, and orientation of the building on the west side of Spadina Avenue
between Wellington Street West and King Street West
·
The scale, form, and
massing of the property as a four-storey warehouse above a raised base with
window openings
The materials, with the brick cladding and the
brick and stone detailing, including the brick banding and quoins, and the
brick corbelling above the first (ground) storey
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 to 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 February 14, 2023, which is March 16, 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:
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2023.PH1.5
Dated at the City of Toronto on February 14, 2023.
John D. Elvidge
City Clerk