Public Notice

IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT

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

CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO

401 KING STREET WEST

(INCLUDING ENTRANCE ADDRESSES OF

407 AND 409 KING 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 401 King Street West (including entrance addresses of 407 and 409 King 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 401 King Street West (including entrance addresses at 407 and 409 King Street West) is worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural value and meets Regulation 9/06, the provincial criteria prescribed for municipal designation.

Description

The property at 401 King Street West (including entrance addresses at 407 and 409 King Street West) is located in the Wellington Place neighbourhood. Situated on the south side of King Street West, east of Spadina Avenue, the property was constructed in two phases and comprises a four-storey building designed by G. W. Gouinlock completed in 1904, with a six-storey addition constructed on the two adjacent lots to the west in 1913, attributed to William Steele & Sons. The building is the former warehouse and headquarters of Warwick Bros. & Rutter Ltd., a printing and bookbinding company.

401 King Street West is identified as a contributing property in the King-Spadina Heritage Conservation District Plan.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value

Design and Physical Value

The property at 401 King Street West has cultural heritage value as a representative example of a merchants' warehouse. The brick exterior walls and regular rhythm of window openings on the north (primary) elevation are characteristic of the building type. The design of the building is distinguished by its classical embellishments that are associated with Edwardian architecture, including the keystones above the windows, the sandstone door surround on the principal elevation, and the prominent cornice on the six-storey addition to the original warehouse, which wraps onto the east and west elevations.

Historical and Associative Value

The property has value for its associations with Warwick Bros. & Rutter Ltd., Canada's most prolific publisher of postcards during the early 20th century's "golden age" of postcards. The company was among the first Canadian businesses to print colour picture postcards locally, rather than importing them from abroad. Warwick Bros. & Rutter Ltd. constructed the property at 401 King Street West in 1904 to serve as its main offices and warehouse and expanded the premises in 1913 following the success of the business.

The property yields information about Toronto's Great Fire of 1904, a significant event that destroyed much of the city's original warehousing district at Front and Bay Streets, and the corresponding growth of the King-Spadina area. Following the loss of its factory and warehouse on Front Street West due to the fire, Warwick Bros. & Rutter Ltd. was one of several companies that relocated to the King-Spadina area, contributing to the area's development and evolution as a manufacturing district.

The subject property has value for its association with Toronto architect G. W. (George Wallace) Gouinlock, who designed the original four-storey structure at 401 King Street West. While Gouinlock is best remembered as the winner of an international competition to design the tallest building in the British Empire (Temple Building, 1895) and as the official architect for the Canadian National Exhibition (1906-1912), he accepted commissions for all types of buildings, including a number of warehouses and factories following the Great Fire of 1904. Another notable commission includes the Birkbeck Building (1910, a National Historic Site and current headquarters of the Ontario Heritage Trust) on Adelaide Street East. Many of the buildings in his body of work reflect the use of Beaux-Arts, Edwardian Classicism, and other classically inspired styles.

The 6-storey addition to the warehouse, which is credited to William Steele & Sons on the 1913 building permit, features materials and detailing consistent with Gouinlock's original design.

Contextual Value

Contextually, the subject property at 401 King Street West supports and maintains the historic character of the King-Spadina area, where it contributes to the important collection of former warehouses and factories that transformed the area from its origins as an institutional and residential enclave into one of Toronto’s major manufacturing sectors in the early 20th century.

Heritage Attributes

Design and Physical Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the cultural heritage value of the property at 401 King Street West as a representative example of an early twentieth-century warehouse with features associated with Edwardian architecture:

·         The scale, form, and massing of the building comprising its rectangular plan with two volumes generally equal in width, one at 4-storeys and the other at 6-storeys, each with flat roofs

·         The placement of the building on the lot, with no setback from King Street West

·         The material palette, including the predominant use of brick and sandstone

·         The regular rhythm and proportion of piers, reflecting the building's structural grid

·         The use of non-combustible materials, including the exterior brick walls

·         The regular rhythm and proportion of window openings, which differ between the original four-storey building and the 1913 addition

·         The features associated with Edwardian architecture, including:

·         The ground floor elements that create a distinct base for the building, including the raised stone bases at each structural pier, basement window openings with metal grilles, brick detailing within the bulkheads, and large display window openings with transom lights separated by classical column details

·         The slightly elevated entrance with elaborate sandstone surround on the principal elevation

·         The signage band and pressed metal cornice with an egg-and-dart motif above the ground-floor level

·         The sandstone detailing around the window openings on the principal (north) elevation, including the sills, keystones, and voussoirs

·         The prominent cornice on the primary elevation of the 6-storey wing, with a short return onto the east and west elevations

·         The symmetrical composition of the primary (north) elevation of the 1904 structure and the 1913 addition

Historical and Associative Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the cultural heritage value of the property at 401 King Street West as reflecting the work of G. W. Gouinlock:

·         The architectural details that reflect classically inspired composition and detailing

Contextual Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the cultural heritage value of the property at 401 King Street West as maintaining and supporting the industrial character of the King-Spadina area:

·         The scale, form, and massing of the 4- and 6-storey warehouse

·         The zero-setback condition and orientation of the structure on the south side of King Street West near Spadina Avenue

·         The use of red brick masonry with stone detailing on the primary elevation

·         The stone detailing around door and window openings, including sills, voussoirs, and keystones

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: Administrator, 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.PH28.12. 

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