IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
2125 LAWRENCE AVENUE WEST
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 2125 Lawrence Avenue West 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 2125 Lawrence Avenue West is
worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for
its cultural heritage value and meets Ontario Regulation 9/06, the provincial
criteria prescribed for municipal designation under the categories of
design/physical, historical/associative, and contextual value.
Description
The City-owned property is in the Weston
neighbourhood on the south side of Lawrence Avenue, in Lions Park, adjacent to
the Humber River. It contains an ice-skating arena building constructed
c.1948-49 of concrete block with rugged-brick and a simulated-stone main
façade.
Statement of Cultural
Heritage Value
The property has design and physical value for
being representative of a 1940s-era ice-skating-arena building type. The
building is plainly finished being primarily constructed of concrete block with
a rugged-brick and simulated stone main façade.
A convex-shaped compass roof shelters the main
(rink) portion of the building.
Characteristic of arena typology, the interior is defined by its
clear-span, unobstructed open space with its heavy-timber, open-truss roof
system, allowing for unimpeded views of the ice. Such ice-skating arena
buildings are now rare in the City of Toronto.
The property has historical value because it has
direct associations with recreational activities in Weston since its opening in
1949. For 77 years the arena has offered activities and programming to the
Weston community including various hockey teams, the Weston Figure Skating
Club, recreational skaters and served as the home to the Weston Minor Hockey
League.
The property is also directly associated with
the theme of community development of Weston in the immediate post-Second World
War era. At the time of the property’s construction, Weston was a separate
community of 8,700 residents. The construction of the arena represented a major
development in the growing community at the time. The property was constructed
by the Weston Lions, a community-service organization, and primarily funded by
local donations and local fund-raising efforts. Much of the work to complete
the area comprised volunteer planning and labour. The property was operated by
the Weston Lions Club continuously since its completion, as the club’s main
community service project, until March 31, 2026.
The property has contextual value because it is
historically linked to its surroundings. The arena occupies part of what was
formerly the Weston Fairgrounds - known as Lions Park since 1945 - and has
historically been a place of recreation in the community. Starting in the late
1890s the fairgrounds became the site of the yearly Weston Fair. Since at least
the first decade of the 1900s, the site has served the recreational needs of
the community and was used extensively for hockey, ice-skating carnivals, marathon
race, cricket, picnics, baseball, football, lacrosse, bicycle meets,
rallies and dances. The property has been the site of ice-skating rinks since
at least 1908, and perhaps earlier.
Heritage Attributes
Design and Physical Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the design and physical value of the
property:
·
the long, rectangular
form of the arena with its two-storey front, extended height rink and
one-storey side extensions
·
the convex-shaped
compass roof
·
the exterior finishes
of the two-storey frontispiece with rugged brick cladding; its fenestration
with steel-sash windows and central entrance
·
the exposed concrete
block materials of the other exterior walls
·
the interior layout
and features of the lobby comprising its ticket windows and canteen stand and
open foyer
·
the interior layout
and features of the skating rink's comprising its clear-span, unobstructed open
space; heavy-timber, open-truss roof system; the oval ice surface area; the
wood bleachers
Historical and Associative Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the historical and associative value of the property:
·
the location of the
arena in Lions Park (historically Weston Fairgrounds)
Contextual Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the contextual value of the
property:
·
the location of the
arena in Lions Park (historically Weston Fairgrounds)
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 August 4, 2026, which is September 3, 2026. 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=2026.CC43.27.
Dated at the City of Toronto on August 4, 2026.
John D. Elvidge
City Clerk