IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
374 AND 374 A YONGE 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 374 and 374 A Yonge
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 374 and 374 A Yonge 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 midblock on the west side of Yonge
Street, between Gerrard and Walton Streets, the properties at 374 and 374 A
Yonge Street comprises a two-and-one-half storey, Second Empire-style,
commercial and residential mixed-use building constructed in 1862. The property
located at 347 Yonge Street comprises the southerly portion of the building,
while 374 A Yonge Street comprises the northerly portion.
The properties at 374 and 374 A Yonge Street
were identified for its potential cultural heritage value and listed on the
City of Toronto's Heritage Register in 1990.
Statement of Cultural
Heritage Value
The building at 374 and 374 A Yonge Street has
design value for being a rare, unique and early surviving example of Second
Empire-style architecture in Toronto. Displaying characteristic features of the
Second Empire style - particularly with its prominent mansard roof - the
building's conservative, halting design also represents a transition from the
commonly employed Georgian style. While the chaste façade above the storefronts
with unadorned, flat window heads and plain brickwork reflects a lingering
Georgian aesthetic, other elements which contribute to its predominant Second
Empire appearance include the distinctive dormers with ornate mouldings, the
bracketed cornice with corbelled roofline frieze and the two-over-two window
sashes.
The property also has contextual value as it
contains a two-and-one-half-storey, mixed-use, Second Empire-style brick
building dating from 1862 which contributes to and supports the late-nineteenth
and early-twentieth century character of this historic portion of Yonge Street.
At the time that the subject site was constructed, Gerrard Street marked the
limit of concentrated development and was very sparse on the west side of Yonge
Street until the vicinity of Bloor Street, the city's northerly limit. Buildings
such as the subject property represent the earliest phase of substantial and
permanent development on this part of Yonge Street and thereby provides an
understanding of the development, evolution, and main street character of Yonge
Street in the latter half of the 19th century.
The physical form, materials and stylistic
appearance of the building, combined with its historic commercial and
residential use visually and historically link the building to its Yonge Street
context. The property lies in close
proximity to numerous sites on Yonge Street which are designated or listed on
the City of Toronto's heritage register.
Heritage Attributes
Design and Physical
Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the building comprising 374 and 374 A Yonge
Street as a rare and unique early example of Second Empire-style design from
the early 1860s:
·
The scale, form and
massing of the building as a two-and-one-half storey mixed use residential and
commercial building
·
The mansard roof with
distinctive dormers comprising ornate bracketed cornice mouldings and rounded
windows
·
The wooden roofline
cornice comprising outer metal brackets with paired brackets underneath, and
the corbelled brick frieze
·
The plain brickwork
of the main façade's second storey
·
The symmetrical
fenestration of the main façade's second storey comprising flat headed windows
with stone lintels and sills
·
The extant
two-over-two wooden sash windows of the second storey and dormer windows
·
The ground floor storefront
presence comprising two storefronts
Contextual Value
The following heritage attribute contributes to
the cultural heritage value of the properties at 374 and 374 A Yonge 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 building at 374 and 374 A Yonge Street on the
West side of Yonge Street between Gerrard and Walton Streets
·
The scale, form, and
massing of the property as a two-and-one-half-storey, mixed-use commercial and
residential building
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.CC5.40
Dated at the City of Toronto on April 5, 2023.
John D. Elvidge
City Clerk