IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
572 AND 574 SHERBOURNE 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 572 and 574 Sherbourne
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 properties at 572 and 574 Sherbourne Street
are worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act
for their cultural heritage value, and meet Ontario Regulation 9/06, the
provincial criteria prescribed for municipal designation, under the categories
of design/physical and contextual value.
Description
The properties at 572 and 574 Sherbourne Street
form the central unit of a continuous row of five grand rowhouses constructed
between 1888 and 1889 for City of Toronto Alderman and speculator Edward Hewitt
at the southwest corner of Sherbourne and Linden Streets. Together, these two
house-from structures read as a pair of grand semi-detached residences. Rising
three-storeys over a raised basement, the red brick structures feature a design
combining elements of both the Richardson Romanesque and Queen Anne Revival
styles with an asymmetrical massing and complicated rooflines. Both properties
share architectural elements including recessed main entrances framed by
rounded-arch entryways; flatheaded, rounded arch, and three-pointed arch
fenestration; decorative brickwork; and stained-glass transoms. The recessed
entrance at 572 Sherbourne Street is surmounted by a second storey balcony,
while the entrance at 574 Sherbourne Street is located within a tall
three-storey tower with pyramidal roof.
The properties are physically connected to the
adjacent properties to the north (576 Sherbourne Street) and south (570
Sherbourne) by brick "tails" that are deeply recessed between the
main entryways and contain a single light at the first and second storeys of
each property.
Both properties were listed on the City's
Heritage Register (then Inventory of Heritage Properties) on August 18, 1976.
Statement of Cultural
Heritage Value
Design or Physical Value
The properties at 572 and 574 Sherbourne Street,
as part of a continuous row of five rowhouses connected by a recessed
"tails" near their rear or west end, are a rare example of a pair of
late-nineteenth century rowhouses designed to appear like the neighbouring
grand homes along Sherbourne Street. Utilizing a vocabulary of shared
architectural elements, the two properties read as a pair of grand
semi-detached residences.
The properties are representative examples of
late-Victorian residential architecture, combining elements of both the Queen
Anne Revival and Richardson Romanesque styles. This is evident in the
asymmetrical composition of their principal (east) elevations, and their shared
defining architectural elements, including recessed main entrances framed by
round-arched brick entryways, decorative brickwork, and fenestration.
Contextual Value
The subject properties at 572 and 574 Sherbourne
Street are important in defining, supporting, and maintaining the predominant
late-nineteenth century residential character of the surrounding area bounded
by Sherbourne, Selby, Huntley, and Isabella Streets where an eclectic mix of
then-fashionable Victorian-era architectural styles continue to define the
streetscape today.
The properties are physically, functionally,
visually, and historically linked to their surroundings both as a part of a
continuous row of five grand rowhouses and to nearby structures in the
surrounding area which developed in the same period. The properties anchor the
southwest corner of Sherbourne and Linden Street, and along with the James
Cooper Mansion on the northwest corner, frame the intersection of Sherbourne
and Linden Streets.
Heritage Attributes
Design or Physical Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the properties at 572 and 574 Sherbourne Street
as rare and representative examples of late-nineteenth century rowhouses
designed to appear like the neighbouring grand homes along Sherbourne Street:
·
The properties scale,
form, and massing
·
Red brick cladding
with stone and wood trim
·
Hipped roof with
large, shed dormer and cross gable on the principal (east) elevation
·
North and south
elevations with deeply recessed brick "tails" connecting to the
adjacent properties to the north (576 Sherbourne) and south (570 Sherbourne)
·
Three-storey square
tower surmounted by a two-tiered pyramidal roof with recessed main entrance
framed by a rounded-arch brick entryway at 574 Sherbourne Street
·
Recessed entrance
framed by a rounded-arch entryway surmounted by a second-storey balcony with ornate
wooden screen and balustrade at 572 Sherbourne Street
·
Fenestration of
principal (east) elevation including rounded arch, three-centred arch, and
flatheaded openings
·
Decorative brickwork
including:
·
Drip mouldings
·
Stringcourses
delineating the storeys
·
Scrolled brick window
aprons
·
Basketweave spandrel
above the three-centred first storey arch window opening at 574 Sherbourne
Street
·
Rusticated stonework
sills and basement level
Contextual Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the properties at 576 Sherbourne Street and 37
Linden Street as character-defining structures within a historic residential
area:
·
The properties siting
and orientation on the west side of Sherbourne Street
·
The properties scale,
form, and massing as part of a row of five large late-nineteenth century
rowhouses
·
The properties
legibility as a pair of grand semi-detached residential structures
·
The material palette
typical of Victorian Era buildings, including red brick with stone and wood detailing
·
Hipped roofline with
prominent cross gable, shed dormer, and three-storey tower on principal (east) 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: RegistrarCCO@toronto.ca within thirty days of November 14, 2023, which is December 14, 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.PH7.12
Dated at the City of Toronto on November 14,
2023.
John D. Elvidge
for City Clerk