Public Notice

IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT

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

CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO

1497 QUEEN STREET WEST

(ENTRANCE ADDRESSES 1499 AND 1497A QUEEN STREET 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 1497 Queen Street West (entrance addresses 1499 and 1497A Queen Street 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 1497 Queen Street 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 property at 1497 Queen Street West is located on the south side of Queen Street West, mid-block between Dowling and Beaty Avenues, west of Jameson Avenue, in the South Parkdale neighbourhood. It contains a three-storey commercial block constructed between 1924 and 1926.

The subject property was identified as having cultural heritage value through the Queen Street West Planning Study (2020) and was included on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register in December 2020.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value

The property at 1497 Queen Street West has design and physical value as a representative example of an early-20th century main street commercial block. Its wide, three-storey rectangular massing, featuring multiple at-grade storefront openings and unified architectural expression that incorporate Edwardian Classical elements are hallmarks of this typology in Parkdale.

The property has value for its direct association with the Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre (PARC), which has been continuously providing supportive programming to members of the Parkdale community from the property since its opening in 1980.

The property has historical value because it yields, or has the potential to yield, information that contributes to an understanding of the historical development of Parkdale at the beginning of the 20th century, when the area transitioned from an independent town into a distinct community within the City of Toronto. The property operated as bowling lanes and a billiard room for 55 years from its opening in 1925 until 1980.

The property has contextual value as it is important in defining, maintaining, and supporting the early 20th-century main street character of Queen Street West between Fuller Avenue and Beaty Avenue. Along with the adjacent Part IV designated properties at 194 Dowling Avenue and 1501 Queen Street West (which together form a symmetrical, mirrored pair), the property contributes to a collection of early-20th-century structures on the south side of Queen Street West between Dowling Avenue and Beaty Avenue. Constructed during the urbanization of Parkdale in the early-20th century as a main street commercial block, the property is physically, functionally, and historically linked to its surroundings.

Heritage Attributes

Design and Physical

The following heritage attributes contribute to the design and physical value of the property at 1497 Queen Street West:

• The scale, form, and massing of the structure with its rectangular plan, three-storey height, and flat roof
• The principal (north) elevation, featuring six equal, rhythmically arranged bays framed by seven two-storey pilasters, each featuring a large storefront opening at the first storey, paired rounded-arched window openings at the second storey, and a single wide window opening at the third storey.
• The principal (north) elevation's red brick cladding including pilasters, soldier course at the first storey, voussoirs at the second storey, and parapet
• The principal (north) elevation's decorative stonework detailing including the pilaster bases and capstones, keystones, windowsills, stringcourse at the second storey, flattened cornice at the third storey, and parapet coping

Contextual 

The following heritage attributes contribute to the contextual value of the property at 1497 Queen Street West:

• The scale, form, and massing of the structure with its rectangular plan, three-storey height, and flat roof
• The principal elevation's red brick cladding, stone detailing, and six full-height storefront openings at the first storey
• The siting and orientation of the structure on the south side of Queen Street West, mid-block between Dowling Avenue and Beaty Avenue, reinforcing the early 20th-century main street commercial character and contributing to the symmetrical, mirrored composition formed by the adjacent corner buildings. 

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 February 4, 2026, which is March 6, 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.PH27.16.