Public Notice

IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT

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

CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO

2125 LAWRENCE AVENUE 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 2125 Lawrence Avenue 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 2125 Lawrence Avenue 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 City-owned property is in the Weston neighbourhood on the south side of Lawrence Avenue, in Lions Park, adjacent to the Humber River. It contains an ice-skating arena building constructed c.1948-49 of concrete block with rugged-brick and a simulated-stone main façade.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value

The property has design and physical value for being representative of a 1940s-era ice-skating-arena building type. The building is plainly finished being primarily constructed of concrete block with a rugged-brick and simulated stone main façade. 

A convex-shaped compass roof shelters the main (rink) portion of the building.  Characteristic of arena typology, the interior is defined by its clear-span, unobstructed open space with its heavy-timber, open-truss roof system, allowing for unimpeded views of the ice. Such ice-skating arena buildings are now rare in the City of Toronto.

The property has historical value because it has direct associations with recreational activities in Weston since its opening in 1949. For 77 years the arena has offered activities and programming to the Weston community including various hockey teams, the Weston Figure Skating Club, recreational skaters and served as the home to the Weston Minor Hockey League. 

The property is also directly associated with the theme of community development of Weston in the immediate post-Second World War era. At the time of the property’s construction, Weston was a separate community of 8,700 residents. The construction of the arena represented a major development in the growing community at the time. The property was constructed by the Weston Lions, a community-service organization, and primarily funded by local donations and local fund-raising efforts. Much of the work to complete the area comprised volunteer planning and labour. The property was operated by the Weston Lions Club continuously since its completion, as the club’s main community service project, until March 31, 2026.

The property has contextual value because it is historically linked to its surroundings. The arena occupies part of what was formerly the Weston Fairgrounds - known as Lions Park since 1945 - and has historically been a place of recreation in the community. Starting in the late 1890s the fairgrounds became the site of the yearly Weston Fair. Since at least the first decade of the 1900s, the site has served the recreational needs of the community and was used extensively for hockey, ice-skating carnivals, marathon race, cricket, picnics, baseball, football, lacrosse, bicycle meets, rallies and dances. The property has been the site of ice-skating rinks since at least 1908, and perhaps earlier.

Heritage Attributes

Design and Physical Value

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

property:

• the long, rectangular form of the arena with its two-storey front, extended height rink and one-storey side extensions 
• the convex-shaped compass roof 
• the exterior finishes of the two-storey frontispiece with rugged brick cladding; its fenestration with steel-sash windows and central entrance
• the exposed concrete block materials of the other exterior walls
• the interior layout and features of the lobby comprising its ticket windows and canteen stand and open foyer
• the interior layout and features of the skating rink's comprising its clear-span, unobstructed open space; heavy-timber, open-truss roof system; the oval ice surface area; the wood bleachers 

Historical and Associative Value

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

• the location of the arena in Lions Park (historically Weston Fairgrounds)

Contextual Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the contextual value of the 

property:

• the location of the arena in Lions Park (historically Weston Fairgrounds)

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 August 4, 2026, which is September 3, 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.CC43.27.