IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT

R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND

CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO

191 COLLEGE 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 191 College 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 191 College 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 and contextual value.

Description

Located on the southwest corner of Beverley Street, the property at 191 College Street contains a pair of semi-detached house form buildings that were first constructed in c.1886-1887 and later converted for mixed residential and commercial uses.

The property at 191 College Street was identified for its potential cultural heritage value in the College Street Official Plan Amendment adopted by the City of Toronto in 2017, and listed on the Heritage Register in 2018.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value

The property at 191 College Street has design value as a surviving example of a late-19th century semi-detached house form typology on College Street, west of McCaul Street, whose design is typical of the Bay-and-Gable style with its 2-1/2-storey form and massing organized as a mirrored pair of two buildings, each with two vertically-oriented bays on the primary elevation. The Bay-and-Gable style draws from popular architectural styles of the Victorian era, including the Italianate and Gothic Revival, which are evident in the surviving decorative brickwork and cross gables with wood detailing. 191 College Street anchors the east end of a trio of semi-detached house form buildings that were constructed together, and is further distinguished by the architectural detailing of its east elevation, facing Henry Street.

The property at 191 College Street holds a direct association with the Royal Canadian Institute, who occupied the building for over thirty years beginning in the 1950s. The RCI was founded in 1849 and has been a significant leader in promoting scientific discourse within Canada and internationally, through publications, lectures and events for both the academic community and the general public. Since the early 20th century, the RCI has maintained a close relationship with the University of Toronto, including the physical location of their headquarters.

Contextually, the property at 191 College Street is valued for its role in defining, supporting and maintaining the historical character of College Street, west of McCaul Street, which originally developed as a residential neighbourhood. With the property's later conversion for mixed commercial and residential uses, the semi-detached house form buildings reflect the ongoing evolution of the thoroughfare, which has been shaped in part by the close proximity to the University of Toronto.

The buildings at 191 College Street are historically, visually and physically linked to their setting in the block on the south side of the street where they are part of a series of complementary late-19th century house form buildings adjoining both sides of the intersection with Henry Street.

Heritage Attributes

Design and Physical Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the cultural heritage value of the property at 191 College Street as a representative example of semi-detached house form buildings in the Bay-and-Gable style from the late-19th century:

· The setback, placement and orientation of the buildings on the southwest corner of College Street and Henry Street

· The scale, form and massing of the 2½-storey buildings on raised bases

· The gable roofs, with the front portion having a ridgeline parallel to College Street and the rear portion having a ridgeline perpendicular to College Street

· The materials, with the red brick cladding and wood, brick and stone detailing

· The rough-faced cut-stone bases on the street-facing elevations

· The principal (north) elevations, which are organized as mirror images of each other and comprise:

· Raised entrances flanked by full height angled bays with cross gables that feature wood detailing (partially covered) including decorative gable screens, spindlework friezes and eave brackets

· A single gabled dormer with a decorative spindlework frieze and brackets on the north roof slope fronting College Street

· Flat-headed window openings, with stone sills and brick voussoirs, label mouldings, and band courses

· The secondary (east) elevation facing Henry Street, which features:

· A full-height angled bay with a cross gabled roof, wood eave brackets and a diamond-shaped terracotta medallion comprising four tiles with a floral motif

· Flat-headed window openings and brick detailing that matches the north elevation

· The west side elevation, which is viewed from College Street

Historical and Associative Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the cultural heritage value of the property at 191 College Street for its association with the Royal Canadian Institute:

· The placement, setback and orientation of the buildings on the south side of College Street, across from the University of Toronto's main campus

Contextual Value

The following heritage attribute contributes to the cultural heritage value of the property at 191 College Street as defining, supporting and maintaining the historic character of the area and being historically, visually, functionally and physically linked to its setting:

· The placement, setback and orientation of the buildings on the south side of College Street, where they are part of a contiguous row of similar properties flanking both sides of Henry Street

· The scale, form and massing of the 2½-storey property

· The property's material palette, consisting of brick with wood and stone detailing

· The subject property's architectural detailing in the Bay-and-Gable style, one of the predominant styles of residential buildings in the immediate neighbourhood

Note: No heritage attributes are identified on the rear (south) elevation

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 April 5, 2023, which is May 5, 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.PH2.13

Dated at the City of Toronto on April 5, 2023.

John D. Elvidge

City Clerk