Public Notice

IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT

R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND

CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO

645 YONGE 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 645 Yonge 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 645 Yonge Street 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 value and contextual value.

Description

The property at 645 Yonge Street is located on the east side of Yonge Street, in the block between Isabella Street and Charles Street East and contains a mixed‐use brick building constructed in c.1887. It retains its original scale, form, and massing as a 3-storey building designed in the Italianate style and features extensive brick detailing. The property is part of a cohesive grouping of built heritage resources that provide a distinct sense of place and represent Toronto's 1860s-1950s architecture, a period when historic Yonge's commercial main street character was established and flourished.

The property was listed on the City of Toronto Heritage Register on March 10, 2016 and is identified as a contributing property in the Historic Yonge Street Heritage Conservation District, adopted by City Council in 2016 and currently under appeal.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value

The property at 645 Yonge Street has design and physical value as a representative example of the Italianate style, which is evident in its extensive brick detailing and prominent cornice supported by brackets. The 3-storey property also has design and physical value as a representative example of a Main Street Commercial Row building constructed during a significant period of development along Yonge Street.

Contextually, the property has cultural heritage value for maintaining and supporting the historic main street character of Yonge Street, south of Bloor Street. Situated on the east side of the block between Isabella Street and Charles Street East, the subject property's scale, form and massing contribute to the low-rise streetwall condition found on this portion of Yonge Street. The design of the property is consistent with the rhythm produced by fine-grained storefronts along the streetscape, and the building's Italianate style is one of several predominant architectural styles in the area.

The property at 645 Yonge Street is functionally, visually and physically linked to Yonge Street, Toronto's "Main Street", as a commercial building housing the services, amenities, and employment opportunities necessary to support daily life in neighbouring residential areas. As a mixed-use building, the property is also historically linked to the metamorphosis of Yonge Street into Toronto's main commercial corridor.

Heritage Attributes

Design and Physical Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the cultural heritage value of the property at 645 Yonge Street as a representative example of a Main Street Commercial Row building designed in the Italianate style:

• The placement, setback and orientation of the building on the east side of Yonge Street between Isabella Street and Charles Street East
• The scale, form and massing of the 3-storey building
• The material palette, with the brick cladding and brick details (the brickwork has been painted)
• The flat roofline with the cornice supported by decorative brackets and brickwork
• On the principal (west) elevation, the composition of the façade in two bays of asymmetrical width with a pilaster at the south corner of the building, which is indicative the property was originally part of a larger row of buildings
• The segmental-arched window openings in the second and third stories
• The decorative brickwork accenting the window openings, including brick hood moulds, sills, aprons, and dogtooth string courses
• A ground floor storefront featuring an increased proportion of glazing compared to the upper stories
• Entrances providing at-grade access from the street to the ground floor and upper floors of the building

Contextual Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the cultural heritage value of the property at 645 Yonge Street as supporting and maintaining the character of this portion of Yonge Street, and as being historically, functionally, and visually linked to its surroundings:

• The placement, setback and orientation of the building on the east side of Yonge Street between Isabella Street and Charles Street East
• The scale of the building, which is consistent with the 2-4 storey streetwall height and rhythm of narrow storefronts along this portion of Yonge Street
• The recessed entrance area, which is consistent with the storefronts along this portion of Yonge Street
• The materials of the building's façade, which are consistent with the brick, stone, and wood detailing found along this portion of Yonge Street
• The higher percentage of glazing on the ground floor façade along Yonge Street relative to upper floors, which serves the purpose of indicating retail use at-grade that can be accessed directly from Yonge Street and residential and/or commercial uses in upper floors

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 days of July 25, 2023, which is August 24, 2023. 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=2023.PH5.13