IN THE MATTER
OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990,
CHAPTER 0.18 AND
CITY OF
TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
363-365 367, 381 AND 385-391 YONGE STREET
NOTICE
OF INTENTION TO DESIGNATE
Take notice that Toronto City Council intends
to designate the lands and buildings known municipally as 363-365, 367, 381 and
385-389 Yonge Street under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.
363-365 Yonge Street
Richard S. Williams Block
Reasons for
Designation
The property at 363-365 Yonge Street (Richard S.
Williams Block) 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
Located on the east side of Yonge Street
between Gould and Gerrard Streets, the Richard S. Williams Block (1890) is a
four-storey commercial building. The property was included on the City of
Toronto's Heritage Register in 1974.
Statement of
Cultural Heritage Value
The Richard S. Williams Block has design value
as a fine representative and rare example in Toronto of a late-nineteenth
century Victorian commercial building eclectically designed in the Richardsonian
Romanesque style with Moorish Revival details. The composition and detailing of
the principal (west) elevation on Yonge Street, with its rusticated stone and
red brick cladding combined with horseshoe arches, key and diaper patterns and
decorative terracotta, display a high degree of artistic merit. In recognition
of its architectural significance, the building was amongst some of the
earliest included on the City of Toronto's Inventory of Heritage Properties
(now known as the Heritage Register) in March 1974.
The Richard S. Williams Block has historic
value for its association with the architects, A. R. Denison and G. W. King.
Concurrent with construction of the Richard S. Williams Block, the design
partnership of Denison & King produced two other known similarly eclectic
Victorian buildings in the city that, together, represent a rare collection
blending eastern design influences with contemporary western revival
architectural styles. These include the Comstock Building at Victoria and Lombard
Streets and the Athenaeum Club on Church Street, both of which are designated
properties under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Situated on the east side of Yonge Street
between Gould Street and Gerrard Street East, the Richard S. Williams Block has
contextual value as it supports and maintains the late-nineteenth century
commercial building character that defines much of the historic built form of
downtown Yonge Street as it developed as Toronto's 'main street'. As one of a number of heritage properties on
both sides of this block of Yonge Street, the Richard S. Williams Block is
physically, functionally, visually and historically linked to its
surroundings.
Heritage
Attributes
The heritage attributes of the Richard S.
Williams Block are:
·
The
setback, placement and orientation of the building on the east side of Yonge
Street between Gould Street and Gerrard Street East
·
The
scale, form and massing of the four-storey commercial building built on a
rectangular plan with a flat roof
·
The
principal (west) elevation with its red brick, stone and terracotta cladding
·
The
pressed metal cornice with its dentilled detailing at the roofline on the
principal (west) elevation
·
The
organization of openings and detailing on the principal (west) elevation,
divided vertically into three identical bays
·
The
pattern and decorative detailing of the wood window mullions in the fixed glass
panes on the principal (west) elevation at the second floor
·
The red
brick details including the decorative frieze in a (diamond) diaper pattern
below the roofline, the raised horizontal string courses in the spandrels above
the horseshoe arches at the fourth floor, the brick voussoirs of the
horseshoe-arched openings and the three identical key pattern designs repeated
in the spandrel areas between the third and fourth-floor openings
·
The
stone details including the rusticated sandstone cladding of the four piers at
the first floor level surmounted by their elaborately carved capitals, the four
smooth capitals and rusticated lintel below the third floor, the smooth headers
above the third-floor openings, the smooth sills and the imposts of the
horseshoe arched openings at the fourth floor
The terracotta details including
the dentilled cornice with four decorative lion heads below the third floor,
the three decorative tile borders framing the third and fourth-floor window
openings and their respective cornices.
367 Yonge Street
Reasons for
Designation
The property at 367 Yonge Street is worthy of
inclusion on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register and 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, associative and contextual
value.
Description
The property at 367 Yonge Street contains a
three-storey building with retail at the ground floor and residential above.
The building was constructed by 1869 of solid brick construction with brick cladding
(currently covered with stucco on the west elevation). The property is located on the east side of
Yonge Street between Gould Street and Gerrard Street East.
Statement of
Cultural Heritage Value
The property at 367 Yonge Street has design
value as a representative example of a mid-nineteenth century commercial and
residential building that blends elements of the Georgian and Greek Revival
styles. The principal (west) elevation's symmetrically-arranged, flat-headed
openings with their segmental-arched headers surmounted by scroll corbels and
stone sills below are further enlivened by a corbelled brick Greek key pattern
frieze below the decorative wood-bracketed roofline.
The building has historic value as it is
associated with the earliest development of this portion of Yonge Street in the
mid-nineteenth century. Along with the two attached buildings directly north of
the subject property, this three-storey group represents the tallest and
earliest solid brick construction on this block of Yonge Street that otherwise
contained only one or two-storey wood frame buildings before 1870.
Situated on the east side of Yonge Street,
between Gould Street and Gerrard Street East and directly adjacent to the
Richard S. Williams Block at 363-365 Yonge Street, the property at 367 Yonge
Street has contextual value as it maintains the low-rise commercial and
residential building character that defined the historic built form of the area
in the second half of the nineteenth century. It is physically, functionally, visually
and historically linked to its surroundings.
Heritage
Attributes
The heritage attributes of the property at 367
Yonge Street are:
·
The
setback, placement and orientation of the building on the east side of Yonge
Street between Gould Street and Gerrard Street East
·
The
scale, form and massing of the three-storey commercial and residential building
built on a rectangular plan with a pitched roof and brick chimney with its
corbelled brick crown at the north end
· The principal (west) elevation with its buff brick, stone and wood cladding
·
The
bracketed wood fascia and soffit at the roofline and decorative corbelled brick
frieze directly below
·
The
symmetrical arrangement of flat-headed openings on the second and third floors
of the principal (west) elevation
·
The
stone detailing including the window sills and segmental-arched headers above
the second and third floor openings with their scroll-shaped corbel brackets
·
On the
principal (west) elevation, the pattern of divisions of windows with a transom
light in the first floor window, and for the second and third floor windows, as
shown in the original architect's drawings, the double-hung sash featuring two
lights over one
Note: the stucco currently covering the brick
cladding on the principal (west) elevation is not considered a heritage
attribute
381 Yonge Street
Yonge Street Mission Building
Reasons for
Designation
The property at 381 Yonge Street (Yonge Street
Mission Building) is worthy of inclusion on the City of Toronto's Heritage
Register and 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 381 Yonge Street contains the
Yonge Street Mission, an institutional building located on the east side of
Yonge Street south of Gerrard Street East. Originally constructed in 1904, the
Yonge Street Mission is a two-storey structure with a pitched roof including
five skylights along the ridgeline. The principal (west) elevation was
completely rebuilt to the designs of Mathers & Haldenby, architects, in
1953.
Statement of
Cultural Heritage Value
The Yonge Street Mission Building has design
value as a fine representative of a low-rise, mid-twentieth century
institutional building whose Stripped Classicism is indicative of the work of
the prominent Toronto architectural firm, Mathers & Haldenby. The style
defines a transitional moment in Toronto architecture immediately following
WWII that was expressed as a blending of Neo-Classicism and Modernism. At the
Yonge Street Mission Building, traditional limestone cladding and details
maintain a classical monumentality on the principal (west) elevation while the
strong verticality of the openings and their minimalist detailing harken toward
Modernist curtain wall construction and its associated aesthetic.
The property at 381 Yonge Street has historic
value for its association with the history of the Yonge Street Mission founded
in 1896 and the organization's operation at the subject location since 1904
(then owned by the Hon. Samuel Hume Blake), providing charitable services and
social programs to vulnerable residents in Toronto. Since 1979, the Mission's
Evergreen Centre has focused these efforts on the needs of street youth.
The current building is valued for its
association with the architectural firm of Mathers & Haldenby, who designed
many prominent mid-century structures across the city including the iconic
Imperial Oil Building at 111 St. Clair Avenue West, which is recognized on the
City’s Heritage Register.
Situated on the east side of Yonge Street south
of Gerrard Street East and abutting the corner property at 385-391 Yonge
Street, the Yonge Street Mission has contextual value as it maintains the
low-rise building character that defined the historic built form of the area
from the mid-nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century.
The Yonge Street Mission is also valued as a
long-time local landmark institution on Yonge Street, south of Gerrard. This
charitable organization has provided assistance to Toronto's most vulnerable
residents since its founding in 1896 and has operated continuously from 381
Yonge Street since 1904. The Yonge Street Mission is an important institution
in the social history of the city that has been physically, functionally,
visually and historically linked to its surroundings for the past 115 years.
Heritage
Attributes
The heritage attributes of the Yonge Street
Mission Building are:
·
The
setback, placement and orientation of the building on the east side of Yonge
Street south of Gerrard Street East
·
The
scale, form and massing of the two-storey building with its flat roof behind a
gabled parapet on the principal (west) elevation and pitched roof with five
skylights over the auditorium (which are part of the Yonge Street Mission
building's earlier 1904 design by the architectural firm, G. M. Miller &
Co. and appear in the original architectural drawings).
·
The
principal (west) elevation with its Indiana limestone cladding
·
The
bracketed wood soffit at the roofline on the principal (west) elevation
·
The
arrangement of the fenestration on the upper floor of the principal (west)
elevation with the three evenly-spaced rectangular openings with stone headers,
surrounds and profiled mullions in a three-over-three-over-three pattern
centrally and two-over-two-over-two near the north and south ends
·
The
carvings in their centred position in the limestone entablature on the
principal (west) elevation including the lighthouse emblem, architectural
lettering reading "Yonge Street Mission" and two equal-sided crosses
385-391 Yonge Street (including 3 Gerrard
Street East)
Gerrard Building
Reasons for
Designation
The Gerrard Building 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
Located on the southeast corner of Yonge Street
and Gerrard Street East, the Gerrard Building (1924) is a three-storey
commercial and office building. The
property was included on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register in 1990.
Statement of
Cultural Heritage Value
The Gerrard Building has design value as a fine
representative, and rare example along Yonge Street, of the Modern Gothic style
adapted to a commercial building. It is distinguished by its contemporary
updating of a historical style with its sleek sandstone cladding and tripartite
division of window openings in a variation of the Chicago Style along with
stylized octagonal piers and wall buttresses.
The Gerrard Building has historic value for its
association with the prolific architects, Sproatt & Rolph, and is
recognized amongst the numerous fine commercial buildings the firm designed in
Toronto during the early-twentieth century including the Royal York Hotel on
Front Street. The site is also associated with The Forum, a grand High
Victorian commercial block that formerly anchored this corner and contributes
to an understanding of the evolution of the intersection at Yonge and Gerrard
Streets.
Situated prominently on the southeast corner of
Yonge Street and Gerrard Street East the Gerrard Building has contextual value
as it anchors and maintains the low-rise commercial building character that
defined the historic built form of the area from the mid-nineteenth century through
the mid-twentieth century. With its position on a corner lot and grand
presence, the Gerrard Building stands as a reminder of the grandeur of Yonge
Street as it developed in the early twentieth century.
Heritage
Attributes
The heritage attributes of the Gerrard Building
are:
·
The
setback, placement and orientation of the building on the southeast corner of
Yonge Street and Gerrard Street East
·
The
scale, form and massing of the three-storey commercial and office building
built on a rectangular plan with a flat roof
·
On the
Yonge Street (west) and Gerrard Street East (north) elevations, the sandstone
cladding with stone trim
·
On the
Yonge Street (west) elevation, the location and stone detailing of the entry at
the south end of the building
·
The
organization of the flat-headed openings and their detailing on the Yonge
Street (west) and Gerrard Street East (north) elevations, which are divided
vertically into four bays and six bays, respectively
·
The
arrangement of the fenestration in the upper floors on the west and north
elevations including its tripartite division by secondary piers, and with the
central opening containing
· Above each window pane on the second and third floors of the west and north elevations, the transom lights (currently opaque spandrels) with their four-over-four arrangement (as seen in the original architectural drawings and 1950 archival photographs)
·
On the
west and north elevations, the stone detailing including the octagonal piers
with their faux compound piers and pointed finials at the first floor, and the
decorative carved stone band surmounted by a continuous stone cornice directly
above the third floor openings.3.
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 April 2, 2019,
which is May 2, 2019. The notice of objection must set out the reason(s) for the
objection, and all relevant facts.
Dated at Toronto this 2nd day of April,
2019
Ulli S. Watkiss
City Clerk