IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
667 KING STREET WEST
(INCLUDING ENTRANCE AT 92
BATHURST 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 667 King Street West (including
entrance address at 92 Bathurst 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
Description
Located at the southwest corner of King Street
West and Bathurst Street, the property at 667 King Street West, known as the
Wheatsheaf Tavern, contains a 2½-storey former inn and tavern on a rectangular
plan that is fashioned in Second Empire style details. A Pre-Confederation
building that was constructed in 1849, the property is a rare surviving example
of an early-19th century hotel and bar that has been in operation at the same
location for over 150 years. The Wheatsheaf Tavern continues to be
the oldest bar in Toronto and serves as a neighbourhood landmark.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The subject property has additional design and physical value as it
displays a high degree of craftsmanship through its Second Empire style details
that were restored in 1995/6.
The property at 667 King Street West is valued
for its association with the Wheatsheaf Tavern, a business that has continued
to serve the community in this location for over 150 years. Well before
Confederation, the Wheatsheaf Tavern functioned as an inn and tavern for men in
the community and served stagecoach travellers, soldiers, railway men,
students, and sports fans. A beloved establishment in the community, the
Wheatsheaf Tavern continues to welcome live music and sports lovers through its
doors today.
Contextually, the Wheatsheaf Tavern is important
in defining, maintaining, and supporting the historic character of the West
Queen West neighbourhood today and is physically, visually, and historically
linked to its surroundings. Located at and oriented with a primary entrance to
face the southwest corner of King Street West and Bathurst Street, the
Wheatsheaf Tavern holds a prominent position on the street and is located in an area that was largely developed by the end
of the 19th century. Most of these original properties along King Street West
between Bathurst and Tecumseth streets have been redeveloped, so the Wheatsheaf
Tavern is a rare surviving remnant dating to that century of construction
activity. The Wheatsheaf Tavern is also located immediately west of the
boundary of the King Spadina Heritage Conservation District, which is in force,
and is surrounded by numerous properties east of Bathurst Street that are
listed or designated on the City's Heritage Register. The subject property once
sat facing the Canadian Biscuit Co. building (later Bank of Montreal) at 665
King Street West at the southeast corner and the Toronto Dominion Bank building
at 668 King Street West the northeast corner, however, the latter has been
demolished and the former is only being partially retained (Figure 17, Figure
18). The property at the northwest corner of King Street West and Bathurst
Street was also redeveloped after 1978. The subject property at 667 King Street
west is the only remaining intact historic structure at this intersection and
is amongst the rare few Pre-Confederation buildings that continues in operation
today.
A Pre-Confederation building in operation for
over 150 years at the same location at the corner of King Street West and
Bathurst Street, the Wheatsheaf Tavern continues to be the oldest bar in
Toronto and serves as a neighbourhood landmark.
Heritage Attributes
Design and Physical Value
Attributes that contribute to the cultural
heritage value of the property at 667 King Street West as a rare surviving
Pre-Confederation example of the of the hotels that came to define the City of
Toronto during the mid-19th century with Second Empire style details and
displaying a high degree of craftsmanship:
·
The placement,
setback, and orientation of the structure at the corner of King Street West and
Bathurst Street where it has been located since 1849
·
The 2½-storey scale,
rectangular form, and massing
·
The materials,
including the red and buff brick
·
The mansard roof with
round-headed arched dormer windows with ornamental scrollwork in their wooden
surrounds
·
The wooden brackets
at the eaves
·
The ornamented
pediment above the second storey
·
The truncated corner
tower with an entrance in the first storey
·
The regularly spaced
flat-headed window openings with sills and brick voussoirs in the second storey
·
The flat-headed
window openings with sills in the first storey
·
The brick pilasters
that are set below a frieze and cornice in the first storey
·
The chimney that
appears in the elevation fronting Bathurst Street.
Historical and Associative Value
Attributes that contribute to the cultural
heritage value of the property at 667 King Street West as being associated with
the Wheatsheaf Tavern, which has continued to serve the community in this
location for over 150 years:
·
The placement,
setback, and orientation of the structure at the corner of King Street West and
Bathurst Street where it has been located since 1849
·
The 2½-storey scale,
rectangular form, and massing
Contextual Value
Attributes that contribute to the cultural
heritage value of the Wheatsheaf Tavern as defining, maintaining, and
supporting the historic character of the West Queen West neighbourhood today
and being physically, visually, and historically linked to its surroundings:
·
The placement,
setback, and orientation of the structure at the corner of King Street West and
Bathurst Street where it has been located since 1849
·
The 2½-storey scale,
rectangular form, and massing
·
The materials,
including the red and buff brick
·
The mansard roof with
round-headed arched dormer windows with ornamental scrollwork in their wooden
surrounds
·
The truncated corner
tower with an entrance in the first storey
·
The chimney that
appears in the elevation fronting Bathurst Street
Attributes that contribute to the cultural
heritage value of the property at 667 King Street West as being a neighbourhood
landmark:
·
The placement,
setback, and orientation of the structure at the corner of King Street West and
Bathurst Street where it has been located since 1849
·
The 2½-storey scale,
rectangular form, and massing
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 March 31, 2025, which is April 30, 2025. 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=2025.PH19.5.
Dated at the City of Toronto on March 31, 2025.
John D. Elvidge
City Clerk