IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
336 JARVIS 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 336 Jarvis 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 336 Jarvis Street 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.
Description
The property at 336 Jarvis Street is located on
the west side of Jarvis Street, north of Carlton Street, within the Upper
Jarvis neighbourhood. Constructed in 1863, the property contains a
single-family dwelling that comprises the south end of a collection of five
abutting Victorian era house-form buildings. 336 Jarvis Street contains a
two-and-a-half storey structure with a raised parlour floor and was designed in
the Georgian architectural style with subsequent alterations in the Second
Empire architectural style. The subject property was constructed for
single-family occupancy, however, was subsequently modified for a rooming house
and later apartments.
The property was included on the Heritage
Register in June 1973.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
Design and Physical Value
The property at 336 Jarvis Street has design and
physical value as a representative example of the Second Empire architectural
style and was originally constructed in the Georgian architectural style as one
unit of an eight part rowhouse, which included 326 Jarvis Street to 334 Jarvis
Street (demolished), and 338 and 340 Jarvis Street to the north. The Second
Empire architectural style was popular in Toronto through the 1860s and into
the 1870s, and was applied to institutional and government buildings, detached
villas, and rowhouses for those of moderate income, whereas the Georgian
architectural style was more common for rowhouses constructed through the 1850s
and 1860s. Features representative of the Second Empire architectural style
include the mansard roof, and the use of classically derived ornamentation.
Elements of the structure’s original Georgian architectural style include the
flat-headed window openings, and the splayed stone lintels.
Historical and Associative Value
The property at 336 Jarvis Street has historical
and associative value due to its direct association with the artist and
educator Frederic Bell-Smith, who resided at the subject property from
1890 until his death in 1923. Frederic Bell-Smith’s career and reputation in
Toronto was established by the time he and his family moved into the house, however
it would be during his tenure at the subject property that he developed an
international reputation owing to his production of a series of paintings
depicting the events surrounding the death of Prime Minister Sir John Sparrow
David Thompson at Windsor Castle. Bell-Smith’s rare invitation to
paint Queen Victoria as part of the series was a significant event and
contributed to his prestige and reputation. Bell-Smith subsequently
co-found the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto (1908) and served as the president
of the Ontario Society of Artists from 1905 to 1908. The lower level of 336
Jarvis Street served as his personal studio, where he hosted artists and
students, and
served as a gathering space for friends and
admirers following his death in 1923. His personal artwork remained on display
at the subject property following his death as it remained in the
Bell-Smith family’s ownership.
Contextual Value
Contextually, the property at 336 Jarvis Street
is functionally and historically linked to the adjacent properties at 338, 340,
342 and 344 Jarvis Street, which collectively form a collection of 19th century
housing on the west side of Jarvis Street north of Carlton Street. A generally
consistent setback and raised parlour floors, along with a common scale, form
and massing, contribute to the block frontage’s historic context. Visually, the
subject property at 336 Jarvis Street is linked to 19th century housing within
the
block frontage of Jarvis Street between Carlton
Street and Maitland Street and is situated in an area with a concentration of
properties built during the mid- to late Victorian period and that have been
designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
The property at 336 Jarvis Street is important
in maintaining and supporting the character of the Upper Jarvis neighbourhood,
comprised of a collection of 19th century house form buildings, the former
Havergal College at 354 Jarvis Street, mid-to-late 20th and early 21st century
multi-unit housing. Collectively, these properties reflect the evolution of
Upper Jarvis from a subdivision of private homes located on a landscaped avenue
to a high-density residential and institutional arterial corridor within downtown
Toronto. The subject property marks the southernmost component of this
collection north of Carlton Street and contains one of the earliest extant
structures within the Upper Jarvis neighbourhood.
Heritage Attributes
Design and Physical Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the property at 336 Jarvis Street being a
representative example of a house-form building designed in the Georgian
architectural style with later renovations in the Second Empire style:
·
The scale, form and
massing of the subject property, containing a two-and-a-half storey house form
building with a raised parlour floor set-back from the sidewalk
·
The mansard roof,
with protruding flat roofed pedimented dormer window above the entrance bay
·
The yellow brick
primary (east) facade with stone details
·
The flat-headed
window openings with splayed stone lintels
·
The raised parlour
floor and the partially above grade lower level, which historically provided
access to the working spaces of the house
Contextual Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the cultural heritage value of the property at 336 Jarvis Street being
visually, functionally and historically linked to its
surroundings and for maintaining and supporting
the character of the Upper Jarvis neighbourhood:
·
The placement,
setback and orientation of the structure on the west side of Jarvis Street
north of Carlton Street
·
The two-and-a-half
storey scale of the primary (east) façade
Note: the existing stairs leading to the primary entrance are not identified
as heritage attributes.
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 October 10, 2025, which is November 10, 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.PH24.11
Dated at the City of Toronto on October 10, 2025.
John D. Elvidge
City Clerk