Public Notice

IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT

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

CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO

664, 666, 668, 670, 672 (INCLUDING STRUCTURE ADDRESS AT 674) 676, 678 AND 680 (INCLUDING ENTRANCE ADDRESS AT 682) 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 664, 666, 668, 670, 672 (including structure address at 674) 676, 678 and 680 (including entrance address at 682) 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 properties at 664, 666, 668, 670, 672 (including structure address at 674), 676, 678 and 680 (including entrance address at 682) Yonge Street are worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for their cultural heritage value, and meet Ontario Regulation 9/06, the provincial criteria prescribed for municipal designation, under the categories of design/physical value, historical/associative value and contextual value.

Description

The properties at 664, 666, 668, 670, 672 (including structure address at 674), 676, 678 and 680 (including entrance address at 682) Yonge Street are located on the west side of Yonge Street, in the block between Irwin Avenue and St Mary Street. They comprise a row of ten mixed‐use buildings constructed in 1883, and retain their original scale, form, and massing as 2-1/2-storey buildings designed in the Second Empire style. These properties are 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 properties were included on the City of Toronto's Inventory of Heritage Properties (now the Heritage Register) in 1974 and are identified as contributing properties in the Historic Yonge Street Heritage Conservation District, adopted by City Council in 2016 and currently under appeal.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value

Constructed as a row of ten stores in 1883, the properties at 664-680 Yonge Street have cultural heritage value as a representative example of the fine-grained mixed-use/commercial building typology that emerged along Yonge Street, north of College Street, in the late 19th century and persisted until the mid-20th century. They are notable for their atypical scale, form, and massing, which is larger in comparison to other 2-1/2 storey buildings in the area. The properties display many characteristics of the Second Empire style, including a multi-sloped roof, dormer windows, and prominent window hoods, and maintain a high degree of integrity, both as individual properties and as a row.

The row of properties at 664-680 Yonge Street displays a high degree of artistic merit, achieved through the unique application of the Second Empire style, including details such as a gambrel roof with trim board, ornamented fire wall parapets, and elaborate dormer windows with gable roofs and projecting cornices. The design of each bay is repeated across the length of the row, establishing a consistent rhythm of smaller storefront units. The artistry in the design is complemented by the skilled carpentry work displayed by the dormers, brackets, and other woodwork. The result is a grand and highly refined composition.

The properties demonstrate the work of E.J. Lennox, one of Toronto's most significant architects. Lennox partnered with William Frederick McCaw for five years before establishing his own practice in 1881, and the row of ten stores for the Scottish Ontario and Manitoba Land Company (1883) are among his earlier solo commissions. The properties at 664-680 Yonge Street are a rare example of commercial row buildings in his portfolio but exemplify the same attention to detail that characterises his work. Over the course of his career, Lennox skillfully applied a variety of architectural styles to his projects, including Second Empire, Neo-Classical and Beaux-Arts, but he is best known for his use of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, as demonstrated by his designs for Old City Hall (1899), and the West Wing of the Ontario Legislative Building (1909).

Contextually, the properties at 664-680 Yonge Street have cultural heritage value for maintaining and supporting the historic main street character of Yonge Street, south of Bloor Street. Situated on the west side of Yonge Street on the block between Irwin Avenue and St Mary Street, the scale, form and massing of the subject properties contribute to the low-rise streetwall condition found on this portion of Yonge Street and are consistent with the rhythm produced by fine-grained storefronts along the streetwall. The properties comprise an intact row of 10 storefront bays sharing a uniform architectural treatment, a typology that is found in a high concentration along this portion of Yonge Street, particularly on the west side of the street. The buildings' Second Empire style is one of several predominant architectural styles in the area.

The properties at 664-680 Yonge Street are functionally, visually and physically linked to Yonge Street, Toronto's "Main Street", as commercial buildings housing the services, amenities, and employment opportunities necessary to support daily life in neighbouring residential areas. The Scottish Ontario and Manitoba Land Company purchased the large development block and subdivided it, constructing both the subject properties on Yonge Street and a row of 10 dwellings fronting onto St Nicholas Street the same year. The properties are 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 properties at 664-680 Yonge Street as a fine example of a mixed-use/commercial building typology from the late-19th century designed in a Second Empire style:

• The placement, setback and orientation of the row of buildings on the west side of Yonge Street between Irwin Avenue and St Mary Street
• The rectangular plan, scale, form and massing of the 2-1/2-storey buildings
• The materials, including the brick cladding and stone and wood detailing
• The gambrel slate roofs with the projecting cornice that spans the full width of all ten elevations
• The brick parapet firewalls at the roof (with a bracket form at base and top) and the projecting brick pilasters at the wall, which divide the collection of ten buildings into 5 sections each comprising two commercial units
• The principal Yonge Street (east) elevations of each bay comprising a storefront on the ground (first) floor, two flat-headed window openings on the second floor, and a large dormer window inset with a pair of window openings
• The wood details on the dormers, including the brackets, window frames, cornice, and pediment framing
• The projecting brick string courses and prominent hood moulds with brackets accenting the flat-headed openings on the second storey
• Ground floor storefronts featuring an increased proportion of glazing compared to the upper stories (the storefronts have been modified)
• Recessed entrances providing at-grade access from the street to the ground floor and upper floors of the buildings

Historical and Associative Value

The following heritage attribute contributes to the cultural heritage value of the properties at 664-680 Yonge Street as early and rare examples of main street commercial properties designed by notable architect E.J. Lennox:

• The placement, setback and orientation of the building on the west side of Yonge Street between Irwin Avenue and St Mary Street
• The use of the Second Empire style, which Lennox employed frequently during the foundational years of his career while in partnership with William Frederick McCaw and his early solo practice

Contextual Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the cultural heritage value of the properties at 664-680 Yonge Street as supporting and maintaining the character of this portion of Yonge Street, and as being historically, functionally, and visually linked to their surroundings:

• The placement, setback and orientation of the row of buildings on the west side of Yonge Street between Irwin Avenue and St Mary Street
• The scale of the buildings, which is consistent with the 2-4 storey streetwall height along this portion of Yonge Street
• The materials of the buildings, which are consistent with the brick, stone, and wood detailing found along this portion of Yonge Street
• The use of the Second Empire style, which is one of several predominant architectural styles on this portion of Yonge Street
• The recessed entrance doorways of the ground floor units, which are consistent with the storefronts 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.PH5.15