Public Notice

IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT

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

CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO

53 STRACHAN AVENUE

(ENTRANCE ADDRESSES 715, 801, 805, 805A AND

805B WELLINGTON 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 53 Strachan Avenue (entrance addresses 715, 801, 805, 805A and 805B Wellington 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 53 Strachan Avenue 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 subject property at 53 Strachan Avenue is located at the southern edge of the West Queen West neighbourhood on the southeast corner of Wellington Street West and Strachan Avenue, directly north of the Metrolinx West Subdivision rail corridor. The property contains Strachan House, a large scale, brick, 3-storey factory building constructed in 1888 and enlarged between 1899 and 1901; the Maple Green Building, a 2-storey brick stable constructed in 1901; and the South Stanley Extension Park.

The subject property at 53 Strachan Avenue was identified as having potential heritage value as part of a heritage survey conducted through the South Niagara Planning Strategy which was adopted by Council in August 2014 and was included on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register on December 17, 2024.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value

Strachan House has design and physical value as a representative example of a late-19th century factory building. The property's large scale, organized into 21 bays along Wellington Street West and 5 bays along Strachan Avenue, heavy rectangular massing, and thick masonry walls featuring brick piers and segmental arched openings, are characteristic of this typology. Constructed in 1888, it is one of the earliest examples of this typology in the area. Along with the Wellington Destructor at 677 Wellington Street West and the Part IV designated National Casket Company Factories at 89-109 Niagara Street to the east, Strachan House is one of the few remaining large scale industrial buildings that once lined the railway corridor between Bathurst Street and Dufferin Street.

Strachan House has historical value for its direct association with the development of the area between Bathurst Street and Dufferin Street along the railway corridors into one of Toronto's most significant industrial areas from the late-19th to mid-20th centuries. This is reflected in its large scale, heavy 3-storey massing, and large scale painted signage reflecting its use as the John B. Smith & Sons planing mill and offices from 1888 until 1967.

The property has historical value as it yields information about the land and its relationship to Fort York along the western side of Garrison Creek, a portion of the Ordinance Reserve, and the conveyance of the property to the City of Toronto in 1858.

Strachan House also has historical value as it yields information about the industrial development of the surrounding area. Along with the Wellington Destructor at 677 Wellington Street West and the Part IV designated National Casket Company Factories at 89-109 Niagara Street to the east, and Liberty Village to the south, the property formed part of one of Toronto's most significant industrial areas.

Strachan House has further value for its direct association with Homes First (formerly Homes First Society), which has been providing supportive housing to vulnerable people in Toronto since 1983. After leasing the former John B. Smith & Sons planing mill in 1989, Homes First converted the building into Strachan House in 1996. Representing an innovative approach to the creation of supportive housing pioneered in its earlier StreetCity project, the design of Strachan House involved the collaboration and direct participation of individuals experiencing homelessness.

Strachan House also has value for its association with Levitt Goodman Architects (now LGA Architectural Partners). Founded in 1989 by Janna Levitt and Dean Goodman, LGA Architectural Partners is widely recognized for its community-minded approach to design. This is evidenced in Strachan House's adaptive reuse, which was designed in collaboration with residents, incorporating interior features such as a town square and main street. Along with the Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Architecture for Strachan House (1999), the practice has also been awarded the RAIC Award of Excellence for Innovation in Architecture for 25 Leonard Avenue (2007), a social housing building; and the OAA Design Excellence Awards for the Toronto Public Library Scarborough Civic Centre Branch (2016) and Eva's Phoenix (2017), which provides long-term shelter, education and skills training to youth aged 16-24. 

The property has contextual value because it is physically, functionally and historically linked to its surroundings. Strachan House was constructed between 1888 and 1901 as a planing mill for the John B. Smith & Sons where its location alongside the rail corridor provided access to the company's sawmill and timber rights in northern Ontario.

Heritage Attributes

Design and Physical

The following heritage attributes contribute to the design and physical value of Strachan House:    

·         The scale, form, and massing of the structure with its rectangular plan, three-storey height and flat roof.

·         The brick and beam construction featuring heavy timber floor and roof framing.

·         The structures situation at the southeast corner of Wellington Street West and Strachan Avenue.

·         The principal (north and west) elevations, organized into bays featuring segmental arch openings with brick voussoirs framed by full height brick piers terminating at a stepped brick parapet with brick corbelling.

·         The projecting three-sided bay windows the first storey on the westernmost bay of the north elevation and northernmost bay of the west elevation.

·         The east elevation, organized into bays featuring segmental arch openings with brick voussoirs framed by full height brick piers.

·         The north elevation's painted signs for “blinds”, “boxes”, “flooring” and other goods between the first and second storeys.

·         The south elevation's painted signs, including “John B. Smith & Sons” lettering in both black and white, that extend across the entire elevation between the second and third storeys.

Historical and Associative

The following heritage attributes contribute to the historical and associative value of Strachan House:

·         The scale, form, and massing of the structure with its rectangular plan, three-storey height and flat roof.

·         The brick and beam construction featuring heavy timber floor and roof framing.

·         The structures situation at the southeast corner of Wellington Street West and Strachan Avenue.

·         The principal (north and west) elevations, organized into bays featuring segmental arch openings with brick voussoirs framed by full height brick piers terminating at a stepped brick parapet with brick corbelling.

·         The projecting three-sided bay windows the first storey on the westernmost bay of the north elevation and northernmost bay of the west elevation.

·         The east elevation, organized into bays featuring segmental arch openings with brick voussoirs framed by full height brick piers.

·         The north elevation's painted signs for “blinds”, “boxes”, “flooring” and other goods between the first and second storeys.

·         The south elevation's painted signs, including “John B. Smith & Sons” lettering in both black and white, that extend across the entire elevation between the second and third storeys.

·         The interior 'Town Square' with its full height interior atrium with staircase, balconies and 1888 brick smokestack with iron doors.

Contextual

The following heritage attributes contribute to the contextual value of Strachan House:    

·         The scale, form, and massing of the structure with its rectangular plan, three-storey height and flat roof.

·         The brick and beam construction featuring heavy timber floor and roof framing.

·         The structures situation at the southeast corner of Wellington Street West and Strachan Avenue.

·         The principal (north and west) elevations, organized into bays featuring segmental arch openings with brick voussoirs framed by full height brick piers terminating at a stepped brick parapet with brick corbelling.

·         The projecting three-sided bay windows the first storey on the westernmost bay of the north elevation and northernmost bay of the west elevation.

·         The east elevation, organized into bays featuring segmental arch openings with brick voussoirs framed by full height brick piers.

·         The north elevation's painted signs for “blinds”, “boxes”, “flooring” and other goods between the first and second storeys.

·         The south elevation's painted signs, including “John B. Smith & Sons” lettering in both black and white, that extend across the entire elevation between the second and third storeys.

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 March 31, 2026, which is April 30, 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.PH28.11. 

Dated at the City of Toronto on March 31, 2026.