IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
522 UNIVERSITY 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 522 University 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 522 University Avenue is worthy
of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its
cultural value and meets Regulation 9/06, the provincial criteria prescribed
for municipal designation under the categories of design/physical, historical/
associative and contextual value.
Description
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The building is also distinguished by the high quality precast concrete
mix employed, with fine limestone aggregate, and smooth finish which resembles
stone. The individual T-shaped precast concrete panels were formed as a single,
sculptural, modular unit, which was designed to clad the structure and create
the deep returns around the punched windows.
The National Life Building further demonstrates design/physical value
through its unique construction method. Original drawings indicate that the
prefabricated precast panels were temporarily supported (in sections), while
the building’s concrete superstructure was cast in place and permanent anchors
were installed. This unorthodox construction method has resulted in a very
high-quality building envelope. This distinctive and complex design is
characteristic of the versatility of precast concrete as a building material,
and of the range of buildings associated with this material and construction
method during the Modern period in Toronto.
The building was purpose-built for the National Life Assurance Company
of Canada (NLACC) to replace their Beaux-Arts style building that occupied the
same site since 1930. The NLACC is a Toronto-based company founded in 1899 and
whose first offices stood at the corner of Toronto Street and Adelaide Street
East until the company relocated to the prestigious University Avenue Precinct
in 1930, as would numerous
other significant corporate institutions like Canada Life at 330
University Avenue, the Bank of Canada at 250 University Avenue and Sun Life at
200 University Avenue, the latter company's headquarters also designed by John
C. Parkin. The NLACC, established in Toronto in 1899 and a subsidiary of Industrial
Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. since
1988, has occupied the subject property at the southwest corner of University
Avenue and Elm Street for nearly 95 years.
The National Life Building demonstrates the work of Toronto architect John
C. Parkin, who has been described as one of Canada’s most important modernist
architects. Having begun his career with the architectural firm of John B.
Parkin Associates,
one of Canada's leading Modernist and most prolific firms of the 1950s
and 1960s that contributed many significant buildings to Toronto during that
period, the property at
522 University Avenue represents a fine example of John C. Parkin's
portfolio as an executive architect following the elder Parkin's departure.
While the subject property was under construction in 1972, John C. Parkin was
appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada for his services to architecture,
urban planning, industrial design and the arts. In 1979, the Royal
Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) awarded him its Gold Medal.
The subject property also demonstrates the work of notable Toronto-based
concrete manufacturer, Beer Precast. Their well-known projects include Toronto
City Hall with Parkin Associates and Viljo Revell at 100 Queen Street West
(1959-1964) and the Medical Sciences Buildings at 1 King’s College Circle
(1969).
Contextually, the National Life Building is valued for its role in
defining, maintaining and supporting the character of the University Avenue
Precinct, one of Toronto's major streets and a significant ceremonial avenue
that is home to a collection of significant buildings associated with important
corporate institutions in Toronto's history and constructed during the
twentieth century following the adoption of the University Avenue By-law (1931)
that established guidelines directing the scale, materials and appearance of
commercial and institutional buildings along the ceremonial boulevard leading
to Queen's Park. The by-law regulations with respect to setbacks, design and
appearance are reflected in both the design of - and the views framed by - the
monumental colonnade.
The subject property is physically, historically and visually linked
with its surroundings where it contributes to the group of custom-designed
buildings characterizing University Avenue, including the Canada Life Building
(1931), 330 University Avenue, the Bank of Canada Building (1958), 250
University Avenue, the Maclean-Hunter Building (1961), 481 University Avenue,
the Sun Life Assurance Company Building also designed by John C. Parkin (1961),
200 University Avenue, and the Metro Toronto Court House (1966), 361 University
Avenue, which are all recognized heritage properties in the city.
Heritage Attributes
Design or Physical Value
Attributes that contribute to the value of the
property at 522 University Avenue as a fine example of Monumental Modernism
include:
·
The rectilinear
massing of the building with its symmetrical window openings on all four
elevations
·
The materiality of
the external wall and colonnade cladding with the high quality precast concrete
mix employed, with fine limestone aggregate, and smooth finish which resembles
stone
·
The uniform
arrangement and design of individual precast concrete panels from the third to
fifteenth storeys on each elevation
·
The scale and
proportions of the tower window openings on all four elevations
·
The tapered, precast
concrete-clad perimeter columns extending from the first through second storeys
·
The recessed
position, and use of transparent glass at the ground and second storeys, with
the second storey cantilevered over the ground storey at the east, north, and west
elevations
·
At the ground storey
of the north elevation fronting onto Elm Street, the centred section of granite
wall cladding
·
The coffered/waffle
concrete ceiling under the second storey of the exterior podium and its
continuation into the entrance lobby creating a blurring or fluidity of
interior and exterior space
·
The continuous open
ground floor plane extending from the exterior terrace into the interior
entrance lobby
·
The entrance lobby
interior, with its double-height volume facing the east elevation and its
mirrored walls and creating an extended perception of the depth of space
Contextual Value
Attributes that contribute to the contextual
value of the property at 522 University Avenue as helping to define, maintain
and support the character of the University Avenue Precinct:
N.B. the one-storey podium with a second-storey addition at the south
end of the property is not considered a heritage attribute.
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:
Registrar 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 (30) days of July 2, 2024, which is August 1, 2024. 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=2024.PH13.12
Dated at the City of Toronto on July 2, 2024.
John D. Elvidge
City Clerk