IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
1151 WESTON ROAD
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 1151 Weston Road 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
The property at 1151 Weston Road (Mount Dennis Bank of Nova Scotia) is located at the northeast corner of Weston Road and Eglinton Avenue, in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood. The
property contains a 1949 limestone-clad one-storey bank building fronting onto
Weston Road with stucco clad rear wing, and 1981-82 one-storey stucco-clad
addition extension to the south.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
Design and Physical Value
The property at 1151 Weston Road has design and
physical value as a representative example of a post World War II branch bank
building. Unlike earlier branch banks, which dominated their surroundings as a
means of expressing their importance, post-War branch banks were frequently
understated. Emphasizing openness and accessibility, their designs reflected
the changing role of banks, which offered a wider range of products and
services to a more diverse clientele. Often single storied, their designs combined
the simplicity of form and clean lines of the Modernist Style with traditional
materials such as brick and stone and Classical elements. This is evidenced in
the property's low rectangular massing with flat roof, large window openings
and front entrance framed in stainless steel, asymmetrical principal elevation,
and limestone cladding, cornice and bas-relief carved panels. In October 1950,
the property was one of the fourteen branch banks in Canada selected by the
Journal of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada representing the social
and architectural changes after the Second World War.
The property also has design value for its high
degree of craftsmanship and artistic merit. This is evidenced in the building's
balance of Modernist and Classical elements including extensive window glazing
and entrance vestibule framed in stainless steel, limestone cladding, and
finely executed bas relief carved stone panels.
Historical and Associative Value
The property at 1151 Weston Road has value for
its association with the Bank of Nova Scotia, which has served the Mount Dennis
community since 1913 and has continuously operated from the property since its
construction in 1949.
The property also has historical value for its
contribution to an understanding of the historical development and evolution of
Mount Dennis as an independent community where the property, like many bank
buildings, occupies a prominent location at the centre of the community.
Contextual Value
The property at 1151 Weston Road is important in
defining, supporting, and maintaining the small-town commercial main street
character of Weston Road between Eglinton Avenue West and Oxford Avenue, which
forms the centre of Mount Dennis' downtown.
Constructed for the Bank of Nova Scotia at the
centre of the commercial area of Mount Dennis, the property at 1151 Weston Road
is functionally and historically linked to its surroundings. Prominently
located at the northeast corner of Weston Road and Eglinton Avenue West, the
property has served as a local landmark since its construction in 1949.
Heritage Attributes
Design or Physical Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the design and physical value of the
Property:
·
The scale, form, and
massing of the structure, with its rectangular plan, one-storey height, and
flat roof
·
The ashlar faced
limestone cladding, parapet, and overhanging cornice featuring raked white
mortar joints
·
The symmetrically
placed fenestration on the north elevation with window lights featuring
stainless-steel frames with muntin and mullions featuring decorative square
plates at their intersections
·
The asymmetrically
placed fenestration on the principal (west) elevation with window lights
featuring stainless-steel frames with muntin and mullions featuring decorative
square plates at their intersections and an offset glass and stainless-steel
double entrance with vestibule and projecting roof
·
The principal (west)
elevation's three carved limestone bas relief panels featuring the emblems from
the Bank of Nova Scotia’s Coat of Arms: the Bluenose
Schooner, the codfish, and the wheat and plow
·
The orientation of
the structure at the northeast corner of Weston Road and Eglinton Avenue West
with the principal (west) elevation set parallel to Weston Road
Historical and Associative Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the historical and associative value of the
Property:
·
The three carved
limestone bas relief panels featuring the emblems from the Bank of Nova
Scotia’s Coat of Arms: the Bluenose Schooner, the
codfish, and the wheat and plow
·
The location of the
structure at the northeast corner of Weston Road and Eglinton Avenue West with
the principal (west) elevation with entrance facing Weston Road
Contextual Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the contextual value of the
Property:
·
The scale, form, and
massing of the structure with its rectangular plan, one-storey height, and flat
roof
·
The ashlar faced
limestone cladding, parapet, and overhanging cornice featuring raked white
mortar joints
·
The asymmetrically
placed fenestration on the principal (west) elevation with window lights
featuring stainless-steel frames with muntin and mullions featuring decorative
square plates at their intersections and an offset glass and stainless-steel
double entrance with vestibule and projecting roof
·
The principal (west)
elevation's three carved limestone bas relief panels featuring the emblems from
the Bank of Nova Scotia’s Coat of Arms: the Bluenose
Schooner, the codfish, and the wheat and plow
·
The orientation of
the structure with the principal (west) elevation fronting onto Weston Road.
NOTE: The rear wing of the 1949 building and the
1981-82 extension to the south are not considered 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.PH24.8.
Dated at the City of Toronto on October 10, 2025.
John D. Elvidge
City Clerk