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MAY 11 1983
LIRMRV WASHINGTON. o.e. 20410
An Eva.lua t ton of. a ue Resident Lal Str:eet
E .1(. March 982 This project was carried out with the assistance of a grant from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation under the terms of the External Research Program. The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent the official views of the Corporation.
Cana~ Mortgage end Hous,n9 :::o':israti'. r, Societe canadienne d'hypotheques er de icgecn~c:I
Cenedian Ho.sing k.t~.rr ..1 t . .on C<:n re Cen . . ' Ire Genad1en de documen1i1t•cm 111, l'habital1on GENERAL INTRODUCTION
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1 r : HISTORICAL DIVISION OF LAND j t
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City Location
Historical Division of Land Mapping of the Area Palmerston Boulevard is located The historical maps document two blocks west of Bathurst Palmerston Boulevard over a Street close to the central period of time from 1858 to core of the city. It is a pri• 1982. These historical maps marily residential street that can be read as a text and have runs north and south between intrinsic traits. College Street at its southern limit and Bloor Street to the no:x:-th.
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f l °;·i·:· =.'8880000 BO ' l 0lllDDDDDDD BO I DIUIDDDDD D BD I I I D [b~D I D CJ~D [50 DD o~gRooo ~B~ noo' d88 l100DD01 I 19 18 !DD .. ' oor \ 1 . DO DD f oonoooOoo CJ',.o:J DOU DODOO I Local Context
Neighbourhood Context quite different in character, ~ is interrupted and temporarily - i Below College Street, the focused onto a small square ' street is named Palmerston named Palmerston Gardens. This Avenue and changes quite dis• square has been built upon • I tinctly in character to a ty• quite densely and its possible pically narrow and dense work• original purpose of a garden ing class residential street, has not been realized. and is terminated in an undis• tinguished manner. The focus of this research is upon the strip running between North of Bloor Street, the College and Bloor Streets, street is also called Palmer• called Palmerston Boulevard. ston Avenue. This street, again
8 Boulevard Structure _J L
······· ······-· •., ...... • II
II Boulevard Structure Undistinguished at the neigh• bourhood context, the detailed map of its structure however, illustrates a set of clear for• mal implications that suggest earlier aspirations. The position of the square at the north part of the Boulevard and the pronounced break of alignment at Bloor Street pro• vokes speculation; in order to investigate these concerns.in an informed manner, an histor• ical analysis of the formation of the area must be undertaken, which will propose how land was subdivided, in which peri• ods building took place and the physical ramifications of these factors.
9 BLOOR The Conception of the Boulevard
' ~ I I ' ~ I ( - t - 1858 DJ CTI]] [[fil] DIIIJ E 0 (').... §§§§§§§§ Dimensions of Blocks LENNOX ~ Park Lots are alotments of E space, mathematically predeter• >} J ....~ mined by original blocks of the I .... city, used to describe large I parcels of undeveloped land ~§~~~~~~ ~ that were intended for eventu• al subdivision and settlement. E ....~ Park Lots 19 and 20 are 182 me•
I ters wide. These park lots are HARSORO oe- subdivided to contain one ~~~~I~~ ~ street and two blocks on either side. The normal street width E of 20 meters and block depth ~.... of 82 meters is set here. The blocks are then subdivided equally to establish lot depths of 41 meters. When lanes are ULSTER 0 developed, the lot depth be• ::; g CJ comes 38 meters. ...;, ...~Ill ~:I The width of Palmerston Boule• f vard running between Park Lots 19 and 20 is 24 meters, signi• ficantly wider than Euclid and • Markham Streets • Orientation
erz ~41 .. 24 20 ~ e: The primary orientation of Pal• ...... ~ ·~"' ... ~"' •I' .... ~·· merston Boulevard is north/ 104 m - south with cross streets that - run east/west. The orientation of the yet unbuilt houses are COl.LEGE I set, and the lot fixed. 1 ..+-- Park lot 20 , 1 Park lot 19 182 m -+-+- 182 m -+ Lane service is indicated and frontages are set out along the 1858 length of the Boulevard. The variables determining house form and type that have been laid down are: 1. Width of the lbt 2. Position of the lot on the The area of blocks, streets, block (ie. mid-block or and lots that make up the area corner lots) of Palmerston Boulevard as set 3. Position and the location of down in 1858 embody the expla• the lane service. nation for the growth of the Boulevard and the formation of The lot is characteristically the area. long and has its smallest di• ~ension facing the Boulevard.
10 The smallest unit of the first set of lots is 16.28 meters by 38 meters. The built form of the house will orient itself to be perpendicular to the Boulevard and the lane system.
Size of Blocks The Boulevard, as it extends northward, contains diminishing length of blocks. The top three blocks are of basically equal length. The first of these blocks starting at Bloor Street has a lane system that forms a "T" shape, and services lots that front onto both Bloor Street and Palmerston Boulevard. At this stage, the access to the lane is shown emanating from Euclid or Markham Streets and Palmerston. The position and undifferentiation of this lane access treats Palmerston equal• ly to the other streets.
The Appearance of Built Form 1899
The 1899 map shows the first buildings starting to appear on the surrounding streets. The position and relative number of houses suggest an incremental type of growth~ houses appear for the most part sporadically which is an indication of the lack of market control. 1899 Large lots shown in the 1858 map initiate subdivision. The division of original lot sizes indicated in the northern blocks is into three parts. Lanes appear, and disappear in Institutions make an appearance. some cases. Lanes no longer A major church is built at the have ··access from Palmerston. southwest corner of Palmerston In particular, the Palmerston Boulevard and College Street access to the lane previously and the general area gains two noted at Bloor Street is now other churches and a school. closed. By opposition to the narrow lots of the adjoining streets with their haphazard growth and smaller working-class house types, Palmerston's unique character was guaran• teed. The Boulevard emerges as an exclusive enclave for those of wealth and position. The ideal aspect of Palmerston Boulevard, however, suffers an unfo'r tunat.e blow. The shift previously described that oc• ... i I urs in Palmerston Boulevard to Palmerston Avenue at Bloor Street offers an explanation of the inability of the Bou• levard to continue across Bloor Street to the square formed at Palmerston Gardens. The square never materializes as public open space but in• stead is built upon with dense rowhouse type units.
Stabilization 1923
. j The 1923 map of Toronto shows i the primary building stock of . the city built. The map of the Palmerston Boulevard of 1923 demarks the stabilization of the built form. The street is composed of single houses sit• ting in landscaped lots. The far-reaching ramifications of the initial plan of 1858 have been realized. The idea 1923 of one house/one lot extends from the individual level of the lot to form a block; the blocks form the Boulevard, and the Boulevard becomes a unique residential street in the city.
14 The Present 1982
There has been little variation of the built form of the Boule• yard since 1923. The original lot order has been maintained with little or no fluctuations. The new built form that does emerge in this map is the buil• ding up of the lane systems through the construction of coach houses and garages. The nature and potential of the lane system built form has yet to be fully realized and points to a future densification of the street as the residential demands of the city grows.
1982
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15 l HOUSE TYPE ANALYSIS ' •
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.Introduction
This section of the study The next step involves the deals with the analysis of analysis of Houses "C", "D", I ten houses from the Boule• and "E", combining both spa• . ' vard. The analysis is broken tial and temporal concerns into three sections, moving with a specific intention of in groupings of two, three, discovering common properties then five houses. and characteristics. Each of these stages will look The final grouping of five at the houses under discus• houses, "F", "G","H","J", and Siqn within a framework of "K", will then be studied in categories. The first group a more informed manner given of two houses to be analysed the results and propositions offer simple contrasts; the raised by the earlier examples. first contrast is between an unaltered house "A" and a All of the examples have been converted house "B". The ana• set into a common format, to lysis proceeds initially with ease comparison and facilitate the unaltered example, where familiarity with the houses space is first posited. House under study. "A" is spatially described The terminology and method by naming parts, and enumera• used in this work proceeds ting characteristics. The from a simple descriptive leval spatial properties are under• of things to a more advanced stood in categories of description, using more fami• "spaces": liar names and terms. The host of relationships, contradictory 1) External Space names and phenomenon demand 2) Internal Space that these simple relation• ships be described in their 3) Middle Space (between ex• uncorrupted simple terms, keep• ternal and internal) ing these to a minimum to aid in explaining the increased House "B" proceeds with an complexities of usage later on. analysis that follows the same spatial categories but looks The method of work does not at them specifically with attempt a complete causal or "time" and "change" as attri• systematic explanation for ev• butes. Following this, House erything. The examples, there• "B" is studied specifically fore, reflect a small number of for characteristics of chan• the total of one hundred and ges that have taken place sixty houses on the Boulevard. within the house. We then expect to raise propo• sitions that work in a way The comparison between Houses which illustrates principles "A" and "B" documents further of houses: their changing role, analysis and begins to raise and their relationship to the tentative observations. immediate street and city of which they form a dialectical part.
18 Format
Context Site Ground Floor Second Floor Third Floor
Axonometric
1 2
Front Elevation Rear Elevation Hall I Circulation Space
Longitudinal Section Organization Rooms
t I I 3 4
19 Index to House Types
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20 ~ I A B l - Cr D-~ . 11 ~~ . ·~7~ 1 ~
E F G H
Ground Floor Plans
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21 ·- ··-···------
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PALMERSTON BLVO
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Context
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PALMERSTON BLVO
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A A A ~~I... I . 0 I --u--I c I g c i I I i .I o I 19 It I D ! I . I I c I ' I i0I eJJ i .,.__L..;::Ni{rn _...._ __ .... ~~ .. -
E F G H A A LANE i. ~--m- --.-t:JT- oi f ! l I 0 ! I i 0 i i I I E I i _____ i.__ _ _ji _ LANE A A
Site Plans J
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A
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Axonometrics
24 / /
G
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H
25 Buildiqg House "A" Detached City /Street Palmerston Boulevard Time 1908 approximately
This Palmerston house embodies all of those qualities which make up the Boulevard. Its front yard landscaping shades and defines the external space. The porch puts forth the main image of the house to the Boulevard; the body of the building sits behind. It has not been l significantly altered save for a small back addition. The original house is virtually un• altered externally and internally, and is still occupied as a single family residence.
Architect / Builder unknown Lot Size llm x 38m Lot no· 114 Lot Area 418 sq. m. House Size 8.lm x 13.Sm N·FA 240 sq. m. Coach House N·FA No of Stories 2 + attic No-rms- 14 G·F·A 307 sq. m. Coverage 73% Density Type of use Residential (1 unit) Type of construction Brick and stone Location East side, mid-block Access Rear lane access only Sources Measured drawings by E. K. Storey, J. K. Brown City Directory, 1908
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PALMERSTON BLVD I . I I I D ! I I I ~ Ii I.NC ,•· ;_:
sca1e 1 2000 Site Plan scale 1-1000
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Axcnometric sca1e 1 500 Ground Floor Plan scaae 1 200
External Spatial Properties relationship to the Boule• vard, and also forms the The external spatial character back space "D". of the house consists of solids and voids. The house occupies D: Back space; located between a position on a piece of pro• the solid of House C and the perty or lot. back structure E. A: Space of the Boulevard be• E: Back building; located at tween road and face of the the rear of the lot, occu• house. pies a position adjacent to the lane. B. Middle space: between the Boulevard and the House; F, G: Two side spaces, formed contains the Porch. by the house's position on C· The House occupies a forward its lot, and subject to its position on the lot; creates immediate surrounding. the front space A & Bin
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11 11
Key Second Floor Plan scale 1·200 Third Floor Plan 5CaJe I 200 1 PORCH 2 VESTIBULE 3 HALL Internal Spatial Properties 4 OEN 2. Vestibule space: small space 5 LIVING ROOM 6 DINING ROOM The house consists of enclosed that contains two doors, one 7 Kl1CHEN spaces which are interconnected. into the house, the other 8 BATHRCX)M out to the porch. 9 MA.STER B~ These spaces move horizontally 10 BE[)F()OM in a progression from the front n R 29 l· i' ! ( . ' Front · Elevation scate 1:200 Back Elevation scale 1:200 Longitudinal Section scale 1:300 this semi-outdoor,space Back Spaces: the secondary opens onto a stair; faces spaces that face the back of directly onto the back yard. the lot: - ;i The ground floor of the houses s. Secondary Space: interrela• consists of an organization of ted to the primary space; rooms along a major axis; this also entered via hall; win• axis collects both circulation .. . dows bow out at the sides space and rooms horizontally and inflect towards the and vertically. The principal Boulevard. axis extends the length of the house from the front door to 6. Service Space: entered from the back. the hall and secondary This axis orders space in two. space; opens onto the back ways: one, as space formed space "D". separately off of the axis as a destination, and the other, 7. Back Porch Space: entered as space which forms an exten• through the back spaces; sion of the axis itself. 30 GROUND FLOOR SECOl'V FLOOR THIRO FLOOR Hall/ Circulation Space 3 [ J l : ' 2 4 - _...: r Primary and Secondary Rooms ~ l_ f ~-~::- - - .. The spatial organization of 1 ril!mr=+ . . ~ rooms is hierarchical. The 1 -__r-7 ~ ~ principal axis travel through: ... 1) front porch I 2) vestibule space 3) hall space 4) service space 5) back porch Minor axes work in conjunction ~: ...·~= with this major axis, changing direction both horizontally, vertically, and phenomenally, ie. movement on an axis trans• ports itself into visual exten• sions out of windows and open• ings. Organization 31 ·---···------. ·------ On the second and third floors, Middle Space: between external this axis is translated verti• and internal spaces. cally through the stair; move• The house contains two similar ment echoes the ground floor spaces that blend aspects of axis. Rooms located both in the both the internal and external front and back are located a• spaces of the house. These long a hallway. Rooms are con• porch spaces are generally lo• nected to this hallway and are cated at both ends of the axis specific destinations with no of the house, as it contacts further extension of space from the exterior walls. They are o~e room to the next. Each room attached at one side to the acts as an autonomous unit, house and are different with with its own door, window and regard to exterior spaces that particular disposition within they refer to. the house. Internal/External Relationships Spatial extension from the individual rooms is offered The internal rooms, both back decoriously through the win• and front spaces, refer direct• dows to spaces respective to ly to the exterior facades; their adjacencies. windows and openings that char• acterize these rooms are ex• The third floor continues a si• pressed on the exterior. milar o~der of rooms. Access to rooms extend along the hall Movement space; rooms act as destina• tions, with all movement either The hall and circulation spaces parallel or perpendicular to of the house vary in importance this axis. Windows extend and vertically. Circulation and translate this axial movement hall space diminish in size at into a visual movement from the upper floors, and movement inside to outside. All rooms is to each room as a series of destinations rather than one . ~ have windows. sequence. i - j 32 Tentative Observations: 1. The House is organized as a progression of external and internal spaces around an axis. 2. The House creates external space. 3. External progression from street to facade: curb sidewalk bush lawn steps porch facade front door 4. The House creates internal space. s. Internal progression of space is organized perpen• dicular to the street with destination spaces perpen~ dicular to the main circu• lation. 6. The Ground Floor is divided into two distinct areas: a) principle spaces (front spaces) aligned with the street, and entered from the front; b) service spaces (back spaces) aligned with and entered through the back. 7. The House and Lot relate in simple terms of a confirma~ tion of contraries: front space back space interior exterior principle service formal informal These contraries gather em• phasis and are coincident at all middle spaces, ie. porches. 33 ·- ··-·- -- ··--·------ BuildiQ.g House "B" Detached City /Street Palmerston Boulevard, Toronto Time 1908, approximately This house has undergone several transformations since its construction. It is currently a combined use of a professional office and single family home. While the internal changes have been made throughout its life span, the external appearance of the house has not changed. Its original plan was almost iden~ tical to its neighbour's, House "A", though its external architectural language is considerably different. Architect / Builder unknown Lot Size llm x 38m Lot no· 113 Lot Area 418 sq. m. House Size 7.9m x 16.Sm N·F:A 238 sq. m. Coach House N·F-A No of Stories 2 + attic No·rms· 14 G·F·A 314 sq. m. Coverage 75% Density Type of use Office and single family residential Type of construction Brick and stone Location East side, mid-block Access Rear lane access only Sources Measured drawings supplied by Klaus Dunker, Architect City Directory, 1908 34 i i • ! ' 35 ~l!LW A I . --B--I C ! I I. l. I . I. o .I I l ·0I i j i -~ .,_,,, ~t 3 5 sca1• 1:2000 Site Plan scale 1:1000 J. II ~ 7 t;j= ~ Axonometric scale t:eoo Ground Floor Plan House "B" Converted External Spaces: House "A" has been examined Outdoor spaces behave somewhat l exclusively in terms of con• like rooms; elements of the - ! trasting spatial properties. spaces respond temporarily to I House "B" analysis will focus seasonal change. The rooms are on change, the time attribute furnished in the good weather of space, and will look at how by foliage of the trees which space manifests aspects of shade and define individual time. spaces, ar.d mere or less ob• scures the appearance of the Under the same three general upper storeys of the house, so categories of external, inter• that the porch then becomes nal and middle space, the ef• the major identifiable repre• fects of time and change will sentation of the house. be examined. 36 10 a Key Second Floor Plan scale 1:200 Third Floor Plan scale 1:200 1 PORCH 2 VESTIBUl.f 3 HAL.L. 4 OEN The rooms are also furnished age. At the same time, minimal 5 LIVING ROOM by man-made planting and tem• evidence of physical change has 6 DINING ROOM porary shading devices. These been reflected on the exterior 7 KrrCHEN face of the house. 8 BATI-R:X)M rooms are left empty in the 9 MASTER BEtR)()M winter months and the spaces 10 Bel'.MOM which were previously formed Internal Space: n ROOM by trees' foliage now tend to melt into one large collective Internally, very different cor• space. respondences of time can be un• derstood. In light of the spa• Trees also respond in a more tial organization typical of permanent fashion to long per• House "A", House "B" can be iods of time. While the trees understood as a succession of reflect the seasons' acceler• spaces that move along an axis. ated process of change, in Each space then takes.on a spe• overall, gradual ways they are cific role. growing and maturing, then wearing and deteriorating with 37 -·- ·····-·------·- - -· 11111111111 D ID Front Elevation scare 1:200 Back Elevation scaie r.200 Longitudinal Section SCale r.:JOO The Porch as a bridging space Its smallness partially re• between external and internal flects its transitional nature. spaces will be discussed later; Employed only for specific dur• however, at this point, it is ations for coming and going, important to note how it ini• at the vestibule guests are tiates and ties together the greeted and then are intro• external and internal axis, duced shortly to the hall space. from which the vestibule space forms the first in the sequence: The hall space is partially a Porch space for waiting in; a seat Vestibule space is provided around a fireplace Hall space and the stair is located near• Primary space by. From the hall, views of Back spaces the rest of the house are of• fered, and it is here that the Back porch internal house is presented The Vestibule is the first for the first time to a visi• internal space of the house. tor. 38 i . - GROUND FLOOR SECOND FLOOR THIRD FLOOR Hal I/ Circulation Space I • 3 T T 4 Primary and Secondary Rooms {. I I I ! f...... ,I " i I I I I §I I I I Organization 39 ··------···- The primary space and its in• Tentative Observations: ter-related back space act as destination spaces. More time 1. The external spaces of the is spent in these spaces, and house are subject to both are subject to occasional uses, occasional and seasonal use. such as parties and entertain• ing. They then possess the 2. Spaces of the house are used facility of expanding to form at different times of the one large room rather than day for varying intervals. two adjoining xooms , 3. The axis of the house is in• The back service space is more terpreted by two means: time subject to the cycles of food and space. Spatially the preparation and occupies a axis is perceived as an ex• position of great importance tension of space through in the daily habits of the oc• which the house is ordered. cupants. A great deal of time The axis is perceived in is spent in this space. terms of time by the move• ment through, which is sub• The upper floors of the house divided into public and pri• are less public and thus con• vate degrees of penetration. tain the private spaces. Bed• The public realm of the house rooms and their attendant is terminated on the axis at service rooms are used within the hall space, where "wait• a cycle of occupancy. Bedrooms, ing" then occurs; the pri• while used for at least eight vate movement along the axis hours every day, are p.r±vatey· proceeds past the hall, by spaces~and are characterized the primary, secondary, and by the very closed destination back spaces, or alternately nature of their relationship through the vertical route to the axis of house movement. to the private upper floors. Middle Spaces 4. Ground floor spaces are larger and are inter-related I Porches as interval spaces are in order to accomodate ' more flexible to both internal special occasions where and external spaces. As spaces larger spaces are required. which are normally passed through, they can also take on 5. Back service spaces are lo• occasional uses in good weather. cated for reasons of con• The porch is used for a place venience and frequency of to sit and observe the street, trips in and out eo the • I and enjoys the qualities of back exterior space. 1 both the external and internal . rI worlds. 6. Middle spaces are used both intermittently and for ex• tended periods of time, - i subject to weather condi• tions. 40 ~------House 'B' Converted Analysis of Change House "B" Converted Analysis of Change over Time: Analysis of Changes The period of time between the External Change: original construction of the house in 1906 and the present The external parts of the house time has witnessed a wide as originally laid down have classification of changes. The remained virtually untouched. house when first built reflec• The presence of a stair to the ted a specific era and cul• upper apartment appears on the t~re. The architecture was side of the house and a small suited to a form of family porch addition at the rear has structure and was stratified been added. The physical image heirarchically, both internal• of the front elevation of the ly and externally on the Bou• house to the Boulevard seems levard to have remained intact. This beginning idea has changed Internal Change: to accomodate history and growth on the Boulevard, sub• The briginal plan for House "B" ject to the uses it has exper• begins with a strong set of ienced. In this case, the house spaces, axially organized. The has shifted from a single fam• ground floor contains the lar• ily home to a house used by a ger, more public spaces of the physician as a residence and house and respective service office. It then shifted brief• spaces. ly to an apartment house with one rental unit per floor, and The upper floors are somewhat is presently again a profes• smaller with closely gradated sional office and home for an private spaces. architect and family. 41 In the first set of changes, Middle Space: under the ownership of the doctor, the original living The front porch has not changed. space is subdivided into However the rear poch, having small examination rooms. An once been isolated as an exten• exterior stair is introduced sion of the back space, has } to allow private access to grown accretively, by a) ex• the upper apartments; a bath• tending the semi outdoor space, room is shifted to accomodate b) absorb previous outdoor the staili: to the third floor. space, make it indoor space, f and c) add further semi-outdoor A staircase extends up from space, etc. the basement to the ground level at .the back yard. Tentative Observations: Interior changes indicate 1. There is less noticeable minor walls that are opened change on the exterior front up while others are closed, faces~ as growth occurs i.e. doorways. more readily at the back of the house. On the second floor at the back, typical addition of 2. Internal change takes place I walls occur within a designed within a prescribed shell in space. two ways: I In the second plan showing a) By addition: walls are changes, this time as a pro• added, space is subdi• fessional office and home, vided into smaller spaces. I the spaces, instead of being b) By subtraction: walls are I further subdivided, take on removed, space is opened another internal revolution. up to form larger spaces. I back almost to the original layout of large rooms. The 3. There are permanent and less . I doctor's examining rooms are changeable areas of the house: 'I noticeably absent; previously I subdivided spaces have be• a) shell of the house I come open, and, again, door• b) vestibule, hall and cir• ways filled in,·partitions culation spaces I added and removed, doorways c) stairs opened up. d) front porch 4. Porch Spaces: alternatively The most noticeable change respond in both a closed and occurs on the third floor ! where the entire floor has open way to both weather and been opened up to become the exterior spaces that they - one large room. address. ' 42 HOUSE B : as built 1906 ...... 1~ Ground 2nd 3rd First alteration : 1940 L JJ .J Second alteration : 1978 43 ? r I ' Comparison of House Analyses Introduction At this point, a comparison can be made between House "A" as built in 1906, and House "B" as altered in 1978. The empha• HOUSE A sis at this stage of the re• search will be to identify and make observations of change and permanence as they refer to criteria upon which further examples may be classified. The common properties of change between House "A" and "B" occur primarily on the exterior, in the form of "no change". Although House "B" has been intensely altered, no notice• . ! able difference between the ! i houses are apparent on their ;. facades. Their particular house image has been retained and disguises any interior changes. HOUSE B I ) • i' I 44 ------·- - .~. ··-- HOUSE A: as built i906 Ground 2nd 3rd HOUSE B= alteration 1978 .J ...... The relationship that had ear• This change has been primarily lier existed between internal one of useage and naming of space and external representa• spaces. tion ie. windows, doors, open• ings, etc. as references of the As the house has aged, so has rooms they belong to, no l~ng• the generation that once occu• er expresses a clear relation• pied the house. The house has ship. remained the same while the fa• l mily structure has changed. i The internal spatial order so The delicate family framework, clearly indicated in House "A" in conjunction with a cultural• although remaining intact up ly elaborated house form has to the present with little ap• suffered a disjuncture; rooms parent change, has been capa• and spaces no longer refer to a ble of handling change in an lifestyle that once typified the altogether different guise. house's origins. 45 Instead, House "A" has been able At a more detailed level, the to reuse the many rooms as mal• principal and secondary rooms eable spaces such as hobby rooms, in both Houses "A" and "B" de• sewing rooms, spare rooms, etc., monstrate significant traits. that are capable of accomodating the needs of a smaller family. Rooms found in House "A" have remained intact as autonomous House "B", on the other hand, pieces. Each room is enclosed has been changed more actively. with a window, a door, and a The internal workings of the direct relation to the circula• house have shifted, as the usage tion system. has gone through fairly radical transformations. Rooms found in House "B", in particular Room 1, have been The two houses' spatial organi• opened up, reverting closely zation represents two extremes to its original state, although that exist on the Boulevard: the opening to the hall has been one house unaltered, the other increased. significantly changed, both not Room 3 has received a stair, and indicating any visual evidence has thereby reduced its original of this on the Boulevard as ex• area. Room 2 has been opened to pressed by their facades. form an en suite relationship to As will be seen later, these the adjacent room. Room 4 has tendencies of change and ab• been infilled to form smaller sence of change will be looked compartments. at from a collective point of view on the level of the entire Middle spaces in both houses Boulevard, and the Boulevard's adapt change incrementally anc relationship to the city at large. show only a minimal physical evidence of alteration. . ! ! ; "I - JI 46 ROOMS Observations: 1. Both Houses 11 A" and 11 B ·~ i • have accomodated change. 2. Change occurs in three ways: a) Adaptive: The physical space remains the same, 2 but. the use adapts to the room. ie. bedroom becomes study, etc. b) Additive: Existing large rooms are infilled. c) Subtractive: Crowded sub• l divided spaces are opened up within one original room; several rooms are opened up to form one 3 large room within the original shell of the HOUSE A house. Propositions: 1. Large rooms accomodate fur• ther subdivision of space and seems the most frequent mode of change within the original houses. 2. The Room is the basic unit of the house and contains an autonomous authority that mirrors the house in minia• ture: an entrance, an enclosed space, an opening to the out• side. 3. The house must be capable of accomodating changes to avoid HOUSE B being removed completely. 4. Small spaces lend themselves Key more to expansion and adapt less easily to subdivision. House A House 8 1· living room living room 2 · master bedroom master bedroor 3· kitchen kitchen 4· bedroom room 47 BuildiQg House "C" Semi-detached I l City /Street Palmerston Boulevard, Toronto Time 1906 approximately The corner location and double storey porch of clas• sical design give this Palmerston house its distinc• , ' tive quality. The porch enters into the landscape of i the Boulevard and expresses the status of the house. Although semi-detached, the scale and prominence of the porch make s iaconement; for the straightforward character of the house. A further announcement of this comes from the entrance door, and its elaborate detail. The house contains three apartments on three floors; the renovation work has only minimally altered the internal workings of the house. Architect I Builder unknown Lot Size Sm x 38m Lot no· 285 Lot Area 304 sq. m. 260 sq. m. House Size Sm x 20m N·F:A Coach House N·FA 15 No of Stories 2 +attic No-rrns- G·F·A 325 sq. m , Coverage 106% Density Type of use Residential (three units) Type of construction Brick and stone Location Southeast corner Access Side street and rear lane Sources Measured drawings by E. K. Storey, J. K. Brown Ori~inal building permit - ! I I 1r '! .. ! ' 49 c g PA LMERSTCJ-1 8Ll/0 0 o, Context scale 1:2000 Site Plan scate 1: 1000 10 8 10 Axonometric scale 1:500 Ground Floor Plan scale 1:200 This is the first house in the of the building, which have second grouping of houses to greatly reduced the size of the back yard. be analysed. The observations - I and propositions raised in the i earlier analyses of Houses "A" Dispersed planting meant as re• and "B" will be further consi• placements for an original tree dered. At the end of this sec• that has been lost, have not tion, further tentative obser• been able to define the exter• vations and propositions will nal spaces in the manner they be made. have been established along the Boulevard. External Spaces: While there is a basement en• This house, situated on a corner trance off the side, and later lot, is built right up to its additions have placed windows side lot line. Along the length facing the side street, there is of this lot line several addi• little to suggest that the ori• tions have been made to the rear ginal builder was aware of the 50 ! . I ·r.:-i-c;-1 ·------~I : I .. ------·- : i I I 5 ' ' . 10 7 Key Second Floor Plan scale 1:200 Third Floor Plan scaie 1:200 1 PORCH 2 VESTIBULE 3 HALL potential of a corner building. primary and secondary rooms are 4 DEN Upper and lower rooms do not located along the party wall of 5 LIVING ROOM the house. The side facade is 6 O!NING ROOM have any major windows on the 7 KITCHEN side face, and the landscaping made up of small openings for 8 BATHROOM h~s.not enhanced the building's service spaces. This plan would 9 MASTER BEDROOM siting. be improved by being reversed, 10 BEDROOM so that the public rooms re• 11 ROOM The site is served via the rear ceived better siting on the (' lane and also has access to the corner and the service rooms l' were then internalized. I· garage by the side street. Outdoor stairs from the rear of the house provide a secondary The ground floor apartment is means of egress. a two bedroom unit, more or less axially organized, though Internal Spaces: the axis is rather twisted at the back addition. Nevertheless ~"\s noted before, the original the axis.does proceed through ~.,lan of the house takes no ad• the porch to the hall; the pri• vantage of it~ corner site. The mary and secondary spaces open 51 ! • I Front Elevation scare 1:200 Back Bevattn scat• 1:200 Longitudinal Section off of the axis. The axis then ternal spaces to its exterior. shifts to bypass the kitchen The windows on the side street and leads through the secondary are small ones from the bath• space to the opening to the room and the stair landing. back porch and the back bed• rooms. The third floor reacts in a l smiliar fashion, with stair, - ;. I The original stair has been re• bathroom, and kitchen openings I placed by a smaller version on the side facade, and all which leads up to the second major rooms internalized. and third floor apartments, both one bedroom units. The organization of these upper floors is made by an axial hall• The second floor plan in parti- way which is however quite nar• cular demonstrates the failure_ row and entirely internalized. of the house to relate its in- 52 ------~ - Middle Space: Each floor has been given a hack space either as a roof deck or as a small enclosed porch, '!•ri th access back to grade. The front porch, although used at both the ground and second floors seems at odds with both the plan and scale of the house. Its ambi• guity exists both as a component of the Boulevard as a piece in the landscape, and as a porch attached to the house. This porch makes more sense as a piece in the landscape. Tentative Observations: 1. This organization of rooms fails to take into consider• ation the building's siting as a corner house facing onto two streets. 2. The corner house must reor• ganize the position and dis• tribution of rooms to take advantage of its urban po• sition. 3. The porch, in particular the two storey porch, can act as the major signifier of the house. 53 BuildiIJ.g House Type "D" Detached City /street Palmerston Boulevard, Toronto Time 1905 This house presents a charming face to the Boulevard, synunetrically arranged, with a strong protruding porch supported by large columns. This house has experienced a considerable degree of change, and offers a more dif• ficult problem of determining how it might have original• ly looked like. The house contains a ground floor apart• ment with its own entry from the front porch. The upper apartment takes up both second and third floors and has its access from the side. This is also one of the few houses on the Boulevard that includes a garage at the front of the site. Architect I Builder L. Lelici Lot Size 15.2m x 38m Lot no· 131 Lot Area 580 sq. m. House Size 10.9m x 20.4m N·FA 325 sq. m. Coach House N·F~ 16 No of Stories 2 + attic No-rms- G·F·A 407 sq. m. Coverage 70% Density Type of use Residential (2 units) Type of construction Brick and concrete, with frame and cement stucco Location West side, mid-block Access Front drive access, plus rear lane Sources Measured drawings by E. K. Storey, J. K. Brown Original building permit - I 54 r . 55 A Context scaie r.2000 Site Plan scat• 1: 1000 8 11 A.xonometric scale 1:500 Ground Floor Plan scale ·1:200 External Spaces: This is in fact what has oc• curred with House "D". Exter• Like many of the houses on the nally the house has been shif• Boulevard, the siting of the ted to the north part of the house on its lot has a direct large site to produce an ample relationship to how internal sideyard for a driveway. The • I spaces and openings work. form of the roof and position l of gables arranged in all four A house may have been conceived directions establishes the and constructed as an isolated free standing pavilion charac~ building on a large lot near ter of the house. The later a street corner. Since the construction of a large apart• Boulevard was built incremen• ment building directly to the tally, this same isolated house south of the house on the cor• .1 could find itself now surroun• ner lot has overshadowed the ded by building on all of its house and made it appear dark edges. and cramped in retrospect. 56 10 8 10 Key Second Floor Plan scale 1:200 Third Flea Plan sca1e 1:200 1 PORCH 2 VESTIBULE 3 HALL nal disposition of porch and ex• 4 OEN Internal Spaces: ternal axis is terminated visu• 5 LIVING ROOM ally at the fireplace. 6 OlNING ROOM The symmetrical facade as an ex• 7 KITCHEN 8 BATHROOM ternal reference to the order of Movement is shifted across the 9 MASTER BEOA:)QM rooms internally as in House "A", room and runs along the exter• 10 BEDROOM is actively refuted in this 11 ROOM nal face of the building which House "D". While the facade is has a large amount of glazing indeed symmetrical, no such made apparent. This passage symmetrical or ordered spaces feeds into further back spaces appear in the ground floor or and continues to the back open• upper floor plans. ing. The area formed on.the op• posite side of the vestibule The vestibule space as a syntac• contains the servant spaces for tical remnant of a central hall the house. These spaces have plan is flanked by two small north faces and lack the view studies, which face into spaces or openness that the public side of different size and character. possesses. The axis set up from the exter- 57 Front Elevation scare 1:200 Back Elevation scale 1:200 Longitudinal Section scale 1:300 The north side of the house circulation proceeds in a di• contains the only stairs, one rection perpendicular to the of which is entered from the street, serving both the front side and goes directly to the and back spaces. upper apartment, working com• pletely independently of the The front space is composed of ground floor apartment below. two spaces, one large, one small; both are inter-related and lie Instead of an ordered axis of behind a symmetrical external movement as found in Houses disposition of window openings. "A" and "B", this house uses From these rooms access is given the fireplace as a fulcrum to the roof deck over the front around which are organized the porch of the house. spaces of the ground floor. The middle space is entered from The double height hall space at the hall and from the front the top of the tight stair room. It has a window opening at the upper apartment appears to the south. gigantic. From this space, the 58 GROUNDFLkr SECOND FLOOR THIRD FLOOR Hall/ Circulation Space e=i=tr 1 2 Primary and Secondary Rooms J Organization 59 The back spaces continue to Tentative Observations: place both principle and se• condary rooms on the side res• 1. The external symmetrical or• pective to their size and sig• ganization of the facade does nificance. The relative large• not express the relationships ness of the rooms on the side of rooms internally as a ba• of the driveway (south) dis• lanced plan. tinguishes the room as a prin• cipal room, whereas the bathroorr 2. The external position of the and small kitchen are placed house on its lot has at.ranged on the north side and are smal• an open space to extead along ler rooms. two faces of the house to set up optimum light condi• The upper plan of the apartment tions and thereby set up consists of three rooms with heirarchical conditions for ample storage facilities. Their the plan. orientation again reflects the physical sense of the building 3. The disintegration of the as it occupies its lot. Borrowed hall space that was formerly light from the north is drawn part of the house at the through the double height hall ground floor has been sec• space through windows of simi- tionally spliced away at the lar alignment. ground floor. It makes a re• appearance as a two storey Middle spaces: space at the entrance for the second and third storey Middle spaces in this house are apartment, acting as a para• retained primarily on the front dox. of the house. The upper part of the porch extends over the ex• 4. Size and organization of rooms terior stairs and emphasizes with respect to a house's an axis of entry that is signi• orientation on a north/south ficantly opposed internally. street can express elements of good planning and design. s. The ground floor is organized spatially around a central fulcrum, while the upper floors continue to mirror an organization that is a rem• nant of the house's earlier structural order. 61 Buildil}g House "E" detached City /Street Palmerston Boulevard Time 1906 This PalLlerston house is one of the few large houses with a centre hall plan. It occupies a very large lot with a coach house in the rear. The plan organization is effectively laid out with large well-proportioned rooms. On the south side of the house, these rooms deflect their win• dows to take advantage of the orientation and ample side yard. One of the striking features of the house is the glass enclosed porches that mark the various entrances. Architect / Builder J. A. Marvey Lot Size 15.2m x 38m Lot no· 243 Lot Area 580 sq. m. House Size 14. 6m x 9. 7c N·FA 315 sq. m. Coach House 10.4m x 10.9m N·F:A 200 sq. m. No of Stories 2 + attic No-rms- 13 G·F·A 354 sq. m. Coverage 79% . t i' Density ' Type of use Residential (3 units) Type of construction Brick and wood frame Location East side, mid-block Access Front drive and rear lane Sources Measured drawings by E. K. Storey, J. K. Brown Original Building Permit ~ ; . : 62 ------~ - - 63 ------····--·-- MLMEAS'TON ILVD A I . I C ! i g I f I rr.. I I. 0 I· I I I E i olQD I I LANE- .c 9Cale 1 · 1000 6 7 10 Axonometric scale 1 500 Ground Floor Plan scale I· 200 External Spaces: Similar in ways to House "D", this house occupies a large lot. . : The house shifts to the north end of the site and makes a side driveway and ornamental garden space. The alignment of the front of the house is the same as the houses surrounding it. The back of the site is also serviced by a lane and has a 11 coach house located adjacently. Both house and rear coach house sit within a green landscape. Both have similar roofs that are oriented in four directions, although only one refers to the axis of entry. Coach House Lower Plan scale I 200 64 / I / / / ' "r------~ , I 5 I I I I I 3 I r.=~==~ I I • ro I I 10 Key Second Floor Plan scaie 1 200 Third Floor Plan 1 PORCH 2 VESTIBULE Internal Spaces: 3 HALL 4 OEN 5 LIVING ROOM The plan of the house has a cen• 6 DINING ROOM I / tral hall space. The vestibule, 7 KITCHEN I / / is located between two front 8 BAMOJM ------~ ,/ 9 MASTER BE~ , rooms, leads to a truncated / 10 BEOROOM cruciform shaped hall. T.he two 11 ROOM sides of the axis of entry have ---. r-- I 1 stairs, one being the principal I' I stairs and the other for ser• __ _.I vants. The two rooms that are split be• tween the vestibule and the hall ,...-----.., differ in size and characteris• I I I I tics. The large room contains a rounded bay onto the Boulevard and a small projecting oriel window deflecting to the small Coach House Upper Plan scaie 1· 200 side yard. This room contains a fireplace and is entered off H the hall. 65 ------ I - ; ' • r Front - Elevati:J'I scale 1 200 Back Elevatial scale 1 ·200 Longitudinal Section scale 1 300 The smaller room contains a high the hall space acts as a space stained glass window to the that mainly serves other spaces Boulevard (inside the porch) as destinations, this hall space and also has a large projecting arbitrates the three principal . ; bay window to the large side rooms at each extreme edge. It j yard at the driveway. This de• also has the capacity of be• flection to the side of the lot coming a contiguous extension treats the principle space as of the principal rooms in spe• a secondary space. cial occasions, such as parties. The plan, because of its gener• Circulation to the apartments ous width, produces room less on the upper floors is accomo• forced internally, and there• dated by both staircases: the fore better proportioned and spaces have not been subdivided multi-directional. The back to provide separate entry areas. spaces continue this distinct This arrangement of common space idea of each room. at the main hall and stair se• verely compromises the quality Unlike House 11A" and 11B11, where of the ground floor apartment. 66 GROUND FLOOR SECOND FLOOR THIRD FLOOR Hall/ Circulation Space 1 3 2 Primary and S econdary Rooms 4 'lf) lJ Organization 67 ····------ The disposition of the second The coach house sits like a floor apartment's rooms is very pavilion structure, being very much like the ground floor, cubic in volume and with its though the area of the central four directional gables and hall space is much reduced. small belvedere at its peak. Each room is treated as a dis• tinct autonomous unit, and the rooms are very well propor• Middle Spaces: .. tioned and generous in size. Entry into the house takes place The third floor attic apartment on three sides of the house. The is of course much smaller than main entrance porch shows evi~ the lower two floors, and is dence of its original open con• reached by only the servant dition. The infill of glass stair. The window openings of panels have added to the house's the attic apartment are con• adpative response to the cli• tained in the four gables which mate; both layers reinforce one all point in different direc• another. tions. The circulation of this apartment is extremely cramped The side entry porch from the and detracts from the possible driveway, although smaller, spatiousness that this floor contains a stair, and is also could possess. glass enclosed. It sits in a fine narrow strip of landscape. The coach house in the rear has not been renovated and is rented The rear entry is very much like as a garage. The size of the the side entry, again of glass coach house is very close to construction and rising out of the size of the house. As it the back lawn. is now used, there is no re• cognition of its potential as All three spaces project into a two storey home. Its rela• the landscape of the house's tionship to the back garden is surroundings and give noticeable non-existent with its o~ly reference to the ideal "house entrance off the side driveway. in a landscape". 68 HOUSES C, D, & E Observations 1. Organization of rooms should 7. Size and orientation of rooms consider the building's spe• can be planned to optimize a cific siting on its lot, and house's orientation on a its location within the street north/south street. network. 8. Various forms of internal 2. The corner house exhibits spe• organization exist: cial.conditions which should a) Central Hall Plan be reflected within the in• b} Fragmented Axial/Fulcrum ternal organization. Organization c) Major and Minor Axis 3. Both the exterior and inter• Organization ior can have separate iden• 9. The size of the lot has a tities. consequence on the spatial organization of the house, 4. The house's position on its the size and proportion of lot can determine conditions rooms, and their internal of optimum lighting, and set directionality. up heirarchical conditions. 10. The presence of a large buil• 5. Sectional changes affecting ding such as a coach house major elements in the house can change the character of can produce paradoxical re• the back space, and upgrade lationships. the rear lane system. 6. The porch can act as a major 11. A house on a lot can act au• signifier for the house, or tonomously to the lane system. as an independent element in the landscape of the Boule• vard. 69 Propositions .. . ; • j 1. The ideal Palmerston house ' is a mansion that sits in a • I landscape. 2. The concept as it pertains to Palmerston Boulevard is one house on one lot. 3. The idea translated becomes a detached house and garden facing a landscaped Boulevard. This idea is interpreted as a type-example of imitative form. Variables - Level of House (as size and social status decrease) less articulation of entry overall reduction of amenity and size of internal spaces (restricted widths) Variables - Level of Lot in Relationship to the Structure of the Boulevard (as size and social status increase) choice of lot size and ori• entation optional servicing possibi• lity, given the autonomy of the lot that has its own front driveway and rear la~e access. position and location on a choice of block sizes 4. The ideal is fractured and perceivable only in frag• ments as built on the Boule• vard. 5. These built ideas are sub• ject to constant changes of time and space. 70 Buildil}g House "F" City /Street Palmerston Boulevard, Toronto Time 1906 This house is different from most of the houses on the Boulevara. Its third floor attic is not used as floor space because the height of this house is not as high as its neighbours. There is no access to the attic by stair. The front porch of the house has been built in rather decisively, though the structure of the porch is still apparent. The house has been loose• ly divided into a one bedroom ground floor apartment and an upper two bedroom apartment. Because there is not a third floor, the coverage percentage of this house to its lot is far lower than most. Architect I Builder J. A. Marvey Lot Size 12m x 3am Lot no· 302 Lot Area 456m House Size a.am x 19.3m N·FA 200 sq. m. Coach House N·F-A No of Stories 2 + attic No-rms- 13 G·F·A 260 sq. m. Coverage Sa% Density Type of use Residential (2. units) Type of construction Brick and wood frame Location West side, mid-block Access Rear lane only Sources Measured drawings by E. K. Storey, J. K. Brown Original building permit . ' 72 . \ \ \ i; -~· .... ,' . 73 PALMERSTON BLVD A Context sca1e 1:2000 Site Plan scale t: 1000 Axonometric scale 1:500 Ground Floor Plan scale 1:200 External Spaces: Internal Space: In a rather crude manner, the The vestibule, hall space, and front external space has been stair are shared conmton spaces delineated by a chain link for both the ground floor and fence, thus departing quite upper apartments; these spaces radically from the norm of the have not been divided or parti• Boulevard. The axis to the tioned to provide for separate front entrance is also lined circulation to the upper floor. with the chain link fence, as is the walk to the rear of the The ground floor has an almost house. The house's front fa• squarely proportioned primary cade has been replaced with the space whose front window now built in facade of the porch receives only secondary light so that the defensive character because of the porch having of the house is emphasized by been built in. This room also a further barrier placed be• has a side bay window though tween the front door and the the side yard is quite minimal. Boulevard. 74 The secondary room has a large deflecting window on the same side yard. The secondary room is larger than the primary room. Its distinctive public character and its en suite relationship to the primary room make it an awkward choice for its present use as a bedroom. The back spaces, including the kitchen and the back room addi• tion are all small rooms with windows to the back yard. 10 The ~pper floor is an awkward arrangement of rooms as used for an apartment. Originally the upper floor was quite clearly 3 three bedrooms and a bathroom off&§ a central semi-circular hall space directly off the stair. 8 With the addition of the back ' I' room, this arrangement was I I thrown off balance. The back I I I addition demands an en suite I 17 relationship with a room that I I is most properly suited to be a bedroom. In the apartment disposition of rooms, the kitchen is indeed ensuite to the main LJ bedroom, and at the opposite end of the house to the front primary space of the apartment. Middle Spaces: Key Second Floor Plan scale 1 200 1 PORCH The porch, as previously noted, 2 VESTIBUI.£ has been infilled quite solidly 3 HALL 4 OEN though the porch structure is 5 LIVING ROOM still apparent, and the inter~ 6 DINI"" ROOM ior space still retains porch 7 KllCHEN characteristics. Because this 8 BATl-RXlM 9 MA.5TER BEOF«:>OM porch extends across the full 10 BE~ frontage of the house, most 11 ROOM noticeably the front room, the infilling of the porch has ef• fectively blocked up the primary space's front relationship to the Boulevard. In more success• ful examples of infilled porches, the porches only extend over a portion of the house front, that is the front door, vestibule, hall space and stair positions, leaving the front primary space's openings free to the street. 75 ------·------ Buildiqg House "G" Semi-detached City /Street Palmerston Boulevard Time 1907 House "G", located on a corner site, is currently { in the process of being renovated. The renovation ' has divided the houses into two apartments: the lower two bedroom apartment occupies the basement and ground floor, and the upper three bedroom oc• cupies the second and third floors. The access to the house has been radically altered. The tradi• tional front door and porch have been blocked off, and the new "front door" is off• the side street. While this is probably the first built response this house has made to its corner position, it is unfor• tunately now treating the Boulevard as its side yard. Architect / Builder J · H • Stanford Lot Size Sm x 38m Lot no· 322 Lot Area 304 sq. m. House Size 7. 3m x 19. 7m N·FA 200 sq. m. Coach House N·F-A 14 No of Stories 2 +attic No-rms G·F·A 270 sq. m. Coverage 87% Density Type of use Residential (2 units) Type of construction Brick and wood frame Location Southwest corner Access Lane access and side street access Sources Owner's drawings Original building permit 76 External Spaces: The action of moving the entrance has singularly ch~nged all of the outdoor relationships. If the main entrance is at the side, then the house's side is now its "front", but since the house is built right up to its side lot line, the "front" ex• ternal space is non-existent. The side facade of the house, which would now be its "front", has the same problem as House "C" (corner lot) exhibited, with only small openings related to service spaces op•ning onto the side street. This face then is unable to fulfill the "duties" of front space. At the original front of the house, while the main openings remain in their front positions, the axis of progression is ab-. ruptly halted at the Boulevard sidewalk. The porch is converted to a greenhouse addition and there is no entrance of any sort facing the Boulevard. There is access from the side street to the garage which faces the side street. Is this house then converting to a modern su• burban type? The garage and the front door are now at the same grade and at the same face, mak• ing the garage part of the front facade. 77 ; I i oi i ( .• I Q Context sca1e 1: 2000 Site Plan scaie 1:1000 a 8 T D .·I Axonometric scale 1:500 Ground Floor Plan scale 1:200 Internal Spaces: The new entrance is at grade. The "vestibule11 space becomes a half The original organization of the flight of stairs to the main house at the ground floor level floor, a rise that previously has been particularly erased. took place at the outside porch The blocking off of the front steps. The hall/reception space entrance is co-ordinated with is not deemed necessary in this the entire removal of the front open plan. spaces within: the vestibule, The original plan, like House "C", the hall/reception and the stair. make little use of its corner The primary front .space remains site; the large primary and se• in the same position though it condary spaces are located at the has been expanded to an "open party ·wall, and all small ser• plan" concept by the removal of vice spaces are located on the the secondary space and service side street face. space demarcations. The service Private bedroom spaces are lo• space (kitchen) is now located cated in the basement {plan is in a back addition. not shown), down a half-flight TB B B 10 11 Key Second Floor Plan scale 1: 200 Third Floor Plan 1 PORCH 2 VESTIBULE Middle Space: 3 HALL of stairs from the front door. 4 DEN Has this plan then become a mo• 5 LIVING ROOM dern suburban split-level type? This house, with the blocking 6 DINING ROOt.l off of the former main entrance, 7 KITCHEN The upper three bedroom apartment and the conversion of the front 8 BATHROOM 9 MASTER BECROOM is of a more traditional nature. porch to a greenhouse (not yet 10 BEDROOM The lay-out of rooms is orga- built) with no entrance to the 11 ROOM nized about a hall axis. pri- Boulevard, does not possess a mary rooms at the front, ser- middle space any more. There vice spaces at the back, although is no possible location for a the same problem of service spa- porch at the side entrance be- ces on the side face with pri- cause of the lot line location. mary space internalized still The trace of the former porch exists on this floor. The upper is still quite apparent as the apartment has a separate entrance infill of the porch will be of door adjacent to the main floor glass panels, with the original entrance and has a new set of structure of the porch left stairs leading to the second untouched. floor. 79 ·- ·---· ------·-- _,__ ·- BuildiQg House "H" Semi-detached City /Street Palmerston Boulevard, Toronto Time 1906 House "H" is a semi-detached house that is divided into three apartments on three floors. The indivi• dual planting of the front yard tends to "detach" the house from its adjacent partner because of the defining nature of the vegetation. The house is one of the few that does not have either back lane ac• I cess or a front drive. Though it is a modest example of a Palmerston house, the building nevertheless I maintains the necessary elements in order to fulfill its function as a part of the collective Boulevard. I It is also one of the few houses that has not built a back addition. I Architect I Builder A. B. Stroud I Lot Size Sm x 4lm Lot no· 124 Lot Area 328 sq. m. I House Size 7.2m x 16m N·FA 213 sq. m. I Coach House N·FA + I No of Stories 2 attic No-rms- 13 G·F·A 273 sq. m. I Coverage 83% I Density Type of use Residential (3 units) I Type of construction Brick and stone I Location East side, mid-block Access No access by vehicle Sources Measured drawings by E. K. Storey, J. K. Brown Original building permit. SQ External Spaces: Intern-:ll Spaces: The house possesses a well plan• This house is an example of the ted front yard at the house problem that occurs when the edges. The "overgrown" bushes stair is placed opposite to the places the building in a more vestibule and hall space on the country-like setting, and also other side of the house. When gives the house a more detached faced with the problem of ver• quality. The side yard leaves tical subdivision of floors, it just enough room for a path to is impossible to separate the the back spaces. stair and hall for upper floor access without isolating the Because the house does not have primary front room of the ground a back lane, or a shed or garage, floor apartment. Thus, the front and has not made any back add• hall from which the primary and itions, the back external space secondary rooms open must be seems very long in comparison shared by the two upper apart• to other house lots, though ments. This arrangement seri• the narrowness of the lot does ously compromises the circula• not allow much sun penetration. tion of the ground floor. There 81 - - ·------ ~--wA PALMERSTON BLVO I I i i j D j i ' i PDIJO ----L..-..i i _ 0 Context scale 1:2000 Site Plan scale 1:1000 . ' / / i / Axonometric scale 1:500 Ground Floor Plan sca1e 1:200 is, in effect, no private space the stair and also serve the for this apartment. front entrance, primary and secondary spaces. The secondary space of the ori• ginal house plan is now a back The upper apartments are fairly bedroom, although its large o• standard: the second floor one• pening to the front hall and its bedroom apartment has a very architecturally public character narrow hallway to connect the tend to make it an unsuitable front primary space with the choice for a bedroom. back kitchen and bedroom. This is a function of the lesser The size of the hall is consi- width of the house, and aggra• derable. In fact, it seems a bit vated by the design of the stair. oversized for the area of house The stair is a scissor stair that it serves. This is due agairwhich eats up much of the width to the poor location of stairs. of the centre of the house; a The hall must stretch over to more typical straight run would 82 ------5 8 3 10 7 --·---r-•-r------.----•---1 10 7 I I --.,' I---' Key Second Floor Plan scale 1:200 Third Floor Plan scare 1:200 1 PORCH 2 VESTIBULE 3 HALL have eased the circulation prob- Middle Spaces: 4 DEN lem. 5 LIVING ROOM 6 DINING ROOM The porch of House "H" plays an 7 KITCHEN The attic floor, while reducec invaluable role in lending the 8 BATHROOM in area, has a more generous 9 MASTER BEDROOM smaller house an air of wealth 10 BEDROOM central hall space connecting and dignity. It also separates 11 AOOM the front and back. This hall itself from the adjacent house seems to recall a more pavilion to promote a detached quality like aspect of the house because and leaves the front room free of its square proportion and for light. equal openings on each wall, even though the side "wings" do not exist. This larger hall is made possible by the fact that at the third floor, the second stair landing is not nec• essary. 83 ·------·- -··- ·- -·- BuildiM House "J" Semi-detached City /Street Palmerston Boulevard, Toronto Time 1906 House "J" is a large semi-detached type that has been subdivided vertically to form three apartments on three floors, all two bedroom units. The apartments are all spacious with a common front entry through the porch. The coverage percentage is quite high because of a large back addition. This addition has facilitated ~he arrange• ments of the three apartments so that they tend to pre• serve traditional house spaces, ie. vestibule, hall/re• ception, primary and secondary spaces. Although this house is semi-detached, its width and the fact that its facade is entirely different from the house that it ad• joins seems to give the house a distinctly detached perception. Architect I Builder J. H.' Stanford Lot Size lOm x 38m Lot no· 134 Lot Area 380 sq. m. House Size 8.6m x 19.Sm N·FA 325 sq. m. Coach House N·FA No of Stories 2 +attic No-rms- 1.6 G·F·A 390 sq. m. Coverage 103% Density Type of use Residential (3 units) Type of construction Brick and stone Location West side, mid-block Access Back lane only Sources Measured drawings by E. K. Storey, J. K. Brown Original building permit 84 The house's width, while aiding External Sp9ces: the internal workings of the House "J" possess a traditional plan, makes its side yard only set of exterior elements that wide enough for a small side• form a progression to the front walk to the rear yard, which is facade. ie. the large tree shad- itself rather diminished be• ing the house and the plantings cause of the back addition and at the porch frame the entrance the garage. to the house. Bushes planted at side lot lines tend to con• Internal Space: tribute to the autonomous na• ture of this house, making it Fundamental to the facility with appear more as a detached type which this semi-detached house than the semi-detached that it has been subdivided is the dis• is. The planting at the side position of the elements vest• yards however, takes away from ibule, Hall, and Stair. Be• the quality of the collective cause they are placed in an ef• "lawn" of the Boulevard. ficient manner on a common side 85 -· -·- -.--·-·------·-··--- .. --- L. C§ I O I A s ~BLVD Context scale 1:2000 Site Plan scale 1 : 1000 4 I I I I I I I - ' 10 10 ___ JI I !- Axonometric scale 1: 500 Ground Floor Plan scale 1: :zoo of the house, the rest of the The rooms themselves are all of plan area on all floors is generous proportion and well• free to be used as required. disposed. I At the Ground Floor, the addi• . j' tion of two bedrooms at the The vestibule retains its tra• back space allows the remaining ditional role for the three se• ~round floor spaces to perform parate apartments. In this space . ! in much the same manner as the the axis leading in from the original. Boulevard is devided: one to the Ground Floor apartment and the A strong major axis is main• other vertically through the tained after a slight shift from stair hall. the vestibule to the hall. The primary space opens off~ the The second floor organization major axis and the secondary maintains a spatial relation• space is an extension of the ship of primary spaces at the axis, which ends in the back front with the secondary rear bedrooms. space, service space, private back spaces at the bedroom, and 86 ~~---····-- s 6 3 ,, 3 2 Key Second Floor Plan scale 1:200 Third Floor Plan scale 1:200 1 PORCH 2 \IESTI BULE 3 HALL out to the deck, all organized i:!iddle Space: 4 OEN about an essentially straight 5 LIVING ROOM The porch performs.an important 6 DINING ROOM axis. The addition of the back transitional role in the gath• 7 KITCHEN bedroom necessitates the parti• ering of the three separate 8 BATI-IROOM tioning at the kitchen to pro• 9 MASTER BEDROOM units together into one entrance. 10 BEDROOM vide a secondary axis, the ser• The porch again reinforces t~e 11 ROOM vice hall, which runs by the autonomous nature of the semi• kitchen and dining spaces to the detached house by its physical bathroom. separation and different facade from that of the adjoining The third floor is organized house's porch. about a single axis, with a Where a house has been subdivi• large primary space at the front ded to form several units, the secondary space, service space, porch can act as a necessary and back private space, ending extension of the vestibule space in the opening to the rear and also performs the role of stairway. "public" space within the mul• tiple dwelling. 87 .. -·- - ··--··------·-·---·--·--·-··-····-··- BuildiIJ.g House "K" Detached City /Street Palmerston Boulevard, Toronto Time 1906 This Palmerston house has been converted so that it lI presently contains two 2-bedroom flats, 3 separate I rooms, and one bachelor apartment. Through a two storey back addition, the house has increased its gross floor area substantially and has a very high i GFA/lot area percentage. The house is quite wide • l and leaves little side yard space, although there are side deflecting windows at both sides of the house. Even though there are now six rental units compared to the original family use, the renovation work performed is, in fact, minimal. Architect / Builder J. A. Marvey 294 Lot Size llm x 38m Lot no· Lot Area 418 sq. m. sq. m. House Size lOm x 17.Sm N·FA 268 Coach House N·FA 16 No of Stories 2 + attic No-rms- G·F·A 395 sq. m. Coverage 94% Density Type of use Residential (6 units} Type of construction Brick and stone Location East side, mid-block Access Back lane only Sources Measured drawings by E. K. Storey, J. K. Brown Original building permit . ) I 1 88 External Space: grees of public and private This lot is somewhat of a de• realms which is the norm in parture from the norm in its other houses has been discarded demarcation of exterior space. at this house for the above The presence of a two foot reasons, and therefore does height wall separates clearly not contribute much to the the public sidewalk from the collective image of the Boule• front external space. vard. The tree in front of the house Internal Space: in full foliage obscures most of the house; since the· porch The renovation of the house has has been virtually removed, been simply carried out by there does not appear to be blocking and locking doors. The any specific representation of original ground floor hall the house to the Boulevard. space has been taken over by a bedroom by locking the doors The progression of varying de- off of the vestibule space and 89 ------·----- PALMERSTON BlVO - i scale I: 1000 11 _/ . l i \ / Axonometric scale 1:500 Ground Floor Plan scale 1:200 the stair hall. This has com• tioned as: vestibule to hall pelled the small vestibule to space to primary space (as des• contain the compressed usage tination) to secondary space ... of both waiting/reception and to service space, has been , the entry space. erased and now is funneled through a narrow hallway to the The position of the stairs, stairs. that is, on the opposite side of the house, forces the reno• The stairs, once a minor axis vation to isolate the original of the original house, is now primary front room from the the stronger axis as the main remainder of the house; this circulation space within the front room now forms one rental multiple dwelling units. unit. The larger 2-bedroom unit The upper floor changes are formed by original back spaces again accomplished by locking is thus not able to have a original doors. The second floor street face. is subdivided into 2 separate The original axis of the house, rooms (2 rental units) and one which formerly would have func- bachelor unit with shared bath- 90 10 3 8 10 10 Key Second Floor Plan scale 1: 200 Third Floor Plan scale 1:200 1 PORCH 2 VESTIBULE 3 HALL room. The circulation of the original state or to be reno• 4 DEN second floor has not changed vated further. The original 5 LIVING ROOM staircase is intact, though bad• 6 DINING ROOM from the original, because what 7 KITCHEN were once four separate bedrooms ly cramped, and the disposition 8 BATHROOM have been left spatially intact. of rooms seems largely the same 9 MASTER BEDROOM as the original version of the 10 BEDROOM The third floor/attic circula• 11 ROOM tion duplicates the second floor house. with the addition of a locked Middle Space: door at the head of the stairs to distinguish the third floor The upper structure of the or• as a separate 2-bedroom unit. iginal porch has been removed. While the original lower struc• ·while the expedient method of ture of the porch still retains renovation by blocking and lock• a transitional role, it has ing doors is not particularly lost most of the qualities that attractive, it has a possible porches enjoy, that is, the am• advantage of being relatively biguous relationship as both an simple to convert back to its external and internal space. 91 Corner House to take advantage of the open side to the side street. The examples studied so far have The frontal bay window, so com• included an array of houses, two mon an element on typical Pal• of which are located on corners. merston houses, is taken around This further example is also a the corner to offer a multi-fa• corner house, but unlike the cated window opening, while the previous examples, makes a very porch maintains its frontal re• strong reference to its siting. lationship to the Boulevard. The service and entrance se• The house accomodates both quences common to the earlier streets and sits in a landscaped examples is shifted here to al• lawn that travels around the low the public rooms of the house corner. 92 .... ~ ···~ ,,.;,;. ,."""' _ ::'.'"'.- .. ,.·~i ...... ,:~ .. t•::.tt~-marM · · :GM• · rwr•~ ..... ···· George Weston House surrounded in a landscape, its entrance oriented to the Bou• This, the largest house on the levard. The entrance is com• Boulevard, has a central hall posed of highly detailed doors plan. It also has probably the and elaborate windows with the largest coach house on the porch that symbolizes the lane. The house sits centrally house's status on the Boulevard. on two lots, on the east side Although it is not exactly a in the middle of a small block. pavilion type villa in a land• scape, approachable from all The physical location and arch• four sides, the formation of itectural characteristics of the four gables on the four this house make it "ideal" in sides of the roof suggests many ways. The mansion sits fragments of its ideal aspira• tions. 93 I., Suburban House Huddled between gigantic mono• house te.stif ies to a specific liths to each side, this subur• vision appropriate to its own banhouse has built on the com• time. bined lots of two adjoining The elements of the Boulevard properties. The suburban tri• recover this meagre house into plex, complete with its enclo• its larger order and point to sing hedge, metal porch and an absence of such elements in aluminum door, with the ground the suburbs. floor sunken below grade, has Criteria relevant to the suburbs been absorbed into the Boule• might be sought from the Palmer• vard. ston house. Its ability to ac• The juxtaposition that results comodate change, and family between this suburban house and size, and its collective quality the typical Palmerston house of creating a public landscape has rather surprising things to are qualities that could equally I' say about both. Externally, each be applied to the suburbs. 94 ------· The uniqueness of Palmerston Boulevard's built form emerges f~om a multiplication and re• petition of simple principles that unite and give individu• ality to the houses. Mere alignment of houses set back a common distance from the Boule• vard on both sides enable the houses to individually and col• lectively make the space of the Boulevard. i _I This forward position of the solitary house on its lot em• phasizes the Boulevard side as a front space and creates a back space. The ten house ex• amples studied verify these propositions. The aggregate of houses that constitute the Boulevard make the front space in a positive manner. The back space lacks the precise definition that alignment produces. The overall sense of the Boulevard works in two ways in the realm of movement. Movement that takes places pa• rallel to the Boulevard, be it vehicular or pedestrian, exper• iences the collective aspect of the Boulevard. Although the houses are mostly detached, this separateness is overcome in the collective street, and the houses put forward a strong wall of building to the Boulevard. The combined influence of jut• ting bay windows, angular gab• les and individual facades give the wall a distinct richness. Movement perpendicular to the Boulevard brings the individual - l aspects of the house into play. The overall mass of the house, its proportion, its facade, its singular features, make it re• cognizable and unique amongst other houses. The highly ela• borate roof and roof gables define the house tops clearly and strongly. 96 97 - ··- -·- - .. _ CD crno 1 1 noo ~.__.CJ Do D CTJcrnOIBoodJtfJaooroooaoo o 00089 Li -» Palmerston Boulevard . Built Form The plan illustrating built form on the Boulevard demon• fil-- strates many of the conditions 0 i found along the Boulevard: the individual house, and its rela• III: tionship to its lot, the size and position of rooms and the methods with which spaces be• J. tween houses are dealt with ir- s, ·1~;· internally and externally. . ~ Houses are raised several feet . \ '\l'J' i above ground which gives the basement light and ventilation. The difference in height is dealt with externally by the porch space and outside steps. The ground floor facade usually . ..,,4 consists of a projecting bay ~.·.;,·'~.: window of the primary front -.~...... space, and a fairly elaborate "'. porch that shelters the front. entrance and a smaller window to the vestibule or hall space. The second floor has alternat• ing punched and bay windows. Bay windows are either continu• ations of the ground floor bay window or occur symmetrically above the porch. The second floor bay reflects the largest room of the second floor, either the master bedroom or the pri• mary front space of an upper apartment. 98 ·W00'11 I ! Ul ...... I I I Ill ..... (l/ ..., 0 0 ' u ...... , 0 ..., >.Ul QJ QJ QJ 0 c: (!I (l/ ..c:;·nc: C: :>, Ill ..c:; 'O ..... 0 ..., 'O c: ..., .... I ... (!I 0 E1 Ul 0 0.C:""<·.;.Q (!I c ..... (!I 0 ...... (!I ... Ill QJ 0 (l/ (l/ s: ::> ... Ul ... 1.<..c:; Ill :i: 0 Ill Ul ...... -i ·r-1 UJ oi c: ...... • ,... ·.-f C:·rl~ .... Ill.-< E1..., .... 0 Ill (!I.-< ...... 'O c: tJ'tl Ill Ul .... (!I (!I QJ QJ .... [ ..., o (!I o ... c: Ul Ill .. (!I Ul Ill c 0 . ..; .C -&-I H . 4-1 0 0 ..... c: Ul U) ·r-i 'O \.1-4 (l/ QJ Ill·.; ..... r-1 r-1 Q) 0 ..... c E1 c: O' Ill· ... u 0 .0 .... (!I ...... c:; 0 c: >Ill ... Ill ..... 0 tJ ... Ul Ill..-< O'..C: (!I 'O (!I 0,0,0, u ~ 0 r-1 ...... (!I ... O' (!I 0, (!I ...... 0 (l/ QJ s: ..c:; 0 c: ..c:; ::> I I I I ( l : I I I -- r---.\ r----_.., r--, r--..., !"'1.._ _J 1 __ J . • !.._ _; • .... -·-,·--r---' r ~~--·--'I ,_.., , \.-.---,,-.. ,.-.---r ~ . I : ' : ~ I : : I : I . ' I . ~ ( ' I . '. ' ' . ' I I 1 I I ' I ... 1tjjl"'pt'I :*-··1r·1,! ··-i·1, I _J ~ .I D=- b • I i ...) I J •4· ~[ 1J, 1r::fi . 1=:1 ~~ JI 1:::L j' .J- -1' ~ i I;J i -·. I .: I J_J ! li..:r-t J i LJ i. I "" .J · · II. [] .I I. . I. I. I·~~--'.- • I J I i I i i i I . · Ii I! ----]' j . I! I! Jtl~_:il ._1 t .. .I I JC Plan · Built Form I ·I ·I J I I , , 100 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / ./ I / l / / / / / / 1 / / l 1 I I I Axonometric scale 1:500 I I I I I I 101 - ·- - ··------ 1 I I Street Elevation I -1 I Back Elevation I I I Side Elevation I I I Cross· Street Elevation The front elevations are para• The many sideyard conditions I doxically diverse and yet si• that occur have direct impli• milar. Each house is uniquely cations on the plan and its different from the next by rea• elements (ie. doors, windows, l son of its architectural lan• disposition of rooms). Tight guage, yet the elements are ty• sideyard spaces between houses pologically alike so that all produce bay windows that look the differences are able to be only to the Boulevard and the 1 read collectively; house to back yard. The middle panel is lot, lot to block and block to either solid or is a window of the Boulevard. opague or stained glass. The I house with a larger lot and The side elevations of mid-block consequently larger sideyards types are generally made up of extends bay windows that maxi• I irregularly placed small open• mize light and view in all three ings in a field of brick. There directions, thereby charging the are usually small bays in both sideyard with more importance; hall spaces or stairs and at this is also reflected in the I the primary and secondary rooms. size and disposition of rooms. 102 I D o· 4 D D 0 'I n l j J D DD Lane Elevation Rear elevations are very irre• gularly composed of rather I larger openings from service spaces {kitchen, bathrooms) and back porches either open or in• j filled at the ground level. The second floor exhibits bed• room windows, usually symmetri• cal and terminates with a gable :1 at the third floor. However, because most houses have built back room additions, I the rear facades are usually haphazardly composed. Where houses have been converted, the I back roofs of additions are used as decks for upper apart• ments. I As has been noted previously, the Boulevard face shows minimal external changes from the ori• I ginal street facade, the bulk of change having occurred at the rear yards. I The individual elements of doors and windows take on a new sig• nificance at night, when the I brick field of the house disap• pears and the openings are seen as abstract pieces on a dark wall. At night, the windows and I the porch compose the image of I the house on to the Boulevard. I 103 The first inhabitants of Pal• the Boulevard. Individual and merston Boulevard were not able collective ~spects of the land• to enjoy the fruits of their scape come together to give farsightedness. The rows of meaning and character to the trees planted by them seventy street. years ago, have grown to majes• tic size and have given the At the individual level of the Boulevard a grandeur that it house, the greenery of the did not have when it was first landscape sets the house apart built. The Boulevard in all on its particular lot. The probability looks far better Boulevard consists of lines of ,, now than it did when first set• trees, lawns, bushes, and smal• , tled. ler landscape elements, the Each yard of the houses contri• most notable being the cast butes to the overall temper of iron street lamps. 105 l' I I I Landscape J The elements of the landscape are: trees lamps I lawns steps bushes flowers J porch steps The elements also include the J porch which is discussed later. I Movement with respect to these elements work to define and I give qualities to both the Boulevard and the respective houses. The trees and street lamps define the space of the I Boulevard as a passage. When movement occurs perpendicular to the Boulevard towards a J house entrance, the landscape elements work to punctuate entrances and mark edges in a ., different way. This change in direction that allows the ele• ments of the Boulevard to work alternately in unison and in• j dependently has many subtle nuances that at the detailed level of a series of houses explains for instance the I cumulative nature of the lawns of the Boulevard. I I 106 I '100111 I I I I [ I I I l'- 0,... . - --···------ ,,t :-.., .I ,I I I I ·l ) I )J· l I J J I Plan · Landscape I Typical of a set of conditions walks, but an illusion of one found along the Boulevard, these long green carpet. houses as drawn emphasize the 1 role the landscape plays in the The edge which delimits the conception of the house in a public sidewalk is carefully landscape. controlled by means of curbs to most :Lawns. Along with the J The front space of the lawn presence of street lamps, the particular to each house is strong order of trees and small slightly raised above the level curb walls give strpng defini• ~I of the sidewalk by a few steps. tion and qualities to this This slight difference allows edge. the sidewalk extension to the I porch to descend slightly into The houses with larger lots the grass of the lawn; thus,· draw in the lawns of the Boule• a view across the lawns tends vard to wrap around its side• .I not to include the individual yards into the b~ck space of I 108 J J J ,I,' I I I Axonometric the house. The back yards, vide alternative lighting con• 1. unlike the collective appear• ditions for the Boulevard. By Ii ance of the front, become high• day, the trees provide both ly personalized spaces, that shade and cooler temperatures. can include any type of garden. They create a large ~aulted I Very different from the front hall much higher than the garden, the back spaces usually houses themselves when one have fruit trees, small vege• moves parallel to the Boule• table gardens or simply yards vard. By night, the trees va• I for relaxation. The private nish and are superceded by the enclosed garden in the back light provided by the street is the opposite of the public lamps, windows, and porch I and open character of the lights. The volume of the Boulevard side of the house. Boulevard then is defined by the height of the street lamps. I One of the principle roles that the vegetation plays is to pro- I 109 ------····-- - ·- -·- l I I . J Elevation · Winter I I ·. J ··q -··n i I I : ! ; _I I On a larger seasonal level, the act like small temples in the trees shed their foliage in the landscape of the Boulevard. winter months and increase bhe · 1 penetration of limited winter While the highly ordered aspect light into the rooms of the of the trees act to define and houses. In winter, the promi• punctuate the Boulevard at the nence of the wall of the houses level of the ground, a view out ·1 ·comes into the foreground, with of the upper gabled windows the porches and gables thrust conjures an image of a bucolic furthest forward. They thereby country landscape, with frag• bear the representative aspect ments of a large forest that I of the house. The opposite oc• a~e still perceivable. As an curs in the spring and summer image of a very different king months when the foliage, now for a treed boulevard in the I obscuring the heights of the city, the image of a large fo• houses behind, tends to make rest in all directions is an the once pronounced gables echo• of the ideal of an iso• disappear. The porches under• lated building in an open land• I neath the canopy of the trees scape. 110· I .I f I ] Elevation · Summer J I I I I I Gates to the Boulevard There are two sets of gates lo• villa never materializes at the cated at both entrances to the end of the Boulevard. A change I Boulevard, at College Street of direction perpendicular to and Bloor Street. They distin• the alle of trees causes a shift guish the enclave of the Boule• in space and creates a provo• vard. The landscape, in con• cative juxtaposition. I junction with the gates, gives the impression of an approach The alle approach and final to a large estate. The trees destination are ironically sta• I act as an alle· to endorse the ted at any house on the Boule• notion of approach that ideal• vard. The ideal is substituted ly culminates with a villa at for the typical yet character• I the end. Like the fragmented· istically human Palmerston ideals of the Boulevard, the house. I I 111 I I I I I I l J I THE PORCH- trimmed at its edges by rail• I ings, all being independent of the house behind. ·1 The porch is a prologue between The openness of the porch mod• internal and external spaces erates the seasonal changes. and thereby takes on special The introduction of glass en• importance in the landscape closures or less permanent sun l and built form of the Boulevard. shades reflect the f:Eagiii:ty dependent on the house and its Raised above the level of the owner. I Boulevard, the porch has al• ternating qualities of an open The appearance of the porch and and closed nature. The roof is its relationship to the house built as a pediment supported behind are directly related to I by oversized columns that sit a desire to portray an image of on a lar~e base. The base is social position. I 112 J ·~ " " • &' :.-~:~,,., •. -:.., ~~r;. :~";;, "-;:~,~·\ J i j I 1 I I The size and ornateness of the on the Boulevard with porches porch can either coexist as an set well forward with open I independent part of the house, sides, allows uninterrupted having a completely different interconnected views over great character, or alternately, it lengths of space. When glanced I can usurp the house behind it suddenly when leaving or enter• completely, :..as in the case of ing a house, this view lends a some double height porches. dramatic theatrical sense to the street. I The porch functions as a quasi• As a symbol, the porch is an i• public outdoor space at the deal fragment of earlier times. ground level and when it- appears The porch metaphorically and I as a balcony on the second physically refers to a temple floor. The alignment of houses in a landscape. I I 113 STRUCTURAL CONCEPTS I I I · I I ) I I I ·1 ·1 I I I 114 I Introduction The previous sections have ten• J ded to observe the phenomenon J of Palmerston Boulevard in fac• tual ways that document and ob• serve criteria. Tentative ob• servations have been made and l propositions put forward. This section collects these observa• tions and restates them in a j more detailed manner. The clas• sifications of information are not intended as definitive ca• tegories of statements, as much l as they refer to areas of re• search that are pertinent to Palmerston Boulevard, while at I the same time can serve to ini• tiate further research beyon~ the scope of this study. I I i I I I I I 115 .J I .J L . ..l L , r . , r I .J L I z-; ~ 'T 1··:~::·.·· .. ~= ··::: ~ ·I :: ...... ~ ...l :.:.:.~ 1 r ; r . ..II~ , r Blocks and Lots J L .l L , r . .. 1 r I I · 1 Park Lot Park Lot 20 19 I House Form an~ Structure .I I ·1 1 I I I 116 I that fronted onto Palmerston, House Form an::i Structure Euclid, and Markham Streets, illustrated the partial indif• As the Historical Section deal• ference the structure had to ing with the subdivision of land any ·street. The only departure has pointed out, the area of at this time was the four meter Palmerston Boulevarc. came into difference of greater width on being as a result of the exten• Palmerston. sion of the Park Lot system fro~ the city expanding westward. The lot, as the smallest _unit, was numbered and identified, The width of each park lot al• and already had a relationship ready contained the mathematics to the form of the house that l which set down the structure would eventually be built. The implicit in the size cf lots length/width relationshi~ set and blocks. The basic units of the shortest dimension along J this system operate around the the Boulevard as frontage and making of: at the back face of the rear lane. 1. streets; 2. blocks containing lots that The lot is set perpendicular in early stages are numbered to both the Boulevard and the and equally spaced; lane system. The unit of the 3. lots of certain width; and lot was to be repeated along 4. the lane/service system to the length of the Boulevard. the Boulevard. The orientation of the Boule• These were all to be the agents vard, north/south, sets the that could accomodate variables. position of the lots. The fron• The similarities that existed at tages face either east or west, this early stage between the depending on what side of the equally sized blocks and lots street the lot is situated. J I I I I I I I 117 J L 1 I I ~1 I I r·------·-·1 I Ideal House ! i L--·-·-·j l ! I I . i-.-. _J double lot --- I ------~£r.L ~--·- J ) { .. - -::..:- = --i:.:.:_ ·-· I Lot no· 126 I I One House One Lot I ·1 ] I I I 118 ~- I One House, One Lot lot's width, the greater flexi• bility the built form will have. The idea that emerges from this structure is "one house on one This major attribute is demon• lot". The complex subdivisions strated by the internal organ• that take place later on, and ization of houses that sit on their attendant house forms wider lots. The presence of (semi-detached or detached) the centre hall plan, and the never entirely fill up the disposition of rooms to take block, and form a solid wall. the most advantage of all lo• Stasis occurs when all of the cal lot conditions and orien• lots have one house on them. tations bear witness to the flexibility of manipulation The house form that results is of the variables. set perpendicular to the Bou• levard and to the Boulevard's Tne relationship, therefore, north/south orientation. Ad• that exists between the house joining conditions were deter• form, its respective lot, and mined to a certain extent by particular orientation tends the location of the lot (ie. to reinstate the north/south mid-block or corner locations). grid as a system that, with a good plan, can maximize opti• i The house form is autonomous mum conditions by internal and is dialectically connected plan modifications. to the form of the Boulevard. The house illustrated is exam• J ple "E" showing a strong rela• tionship to its driveway empha• The Ideal House & Ideal Lot sized by the order of rooms and large amounts of glass openings The structural system set down facing onto it. offers variables that are sub• ject to varying degrees of so~ The optimum location for the I cial status and wealth. The house on the block would be: physical capacity of the lot to absorb and exploit variables is 1. A small block, in a I reflected primarily in the 2. Mid-block location, with a lot's width. The greater the 3. Large house on a double lot. I I I I 119 -- ····-·------·-- ·-·- l I I I h~~~~------~ I ~! ~--·-- I ·-·-·1 ' c ~p~lm~~!on J . I I'O. .I r-·-·-·-·-·-~ b ) o-·-d a . Concepts of Growth t--·-·-·--- I Concepts of Growth house types; "a" and "b" are Palmerston examples, and "c" I Implicit in the first concept is taken from Euclid Avenue. of land division and parcelling In examples "b" and "c", the is an idea of the future growth. original house form has been extended into the external The Palmerston lot is charac• spaces of the lot. Growth takes teristically long and narrow. places primarily as additions The narrowness is a traditional at the rear of the lot. Ange-Saxon inheritance, illus• trated by the medieval example Example "a", however, seems to of Worcester, England. Unlike illustrate no physical changes I the Worcester example, though, in the manner of enlargements. the block never -fills up com• Like House "A" studied earlier, pletely. change takes place by the me• thod of adaption. Rooms are I Examples "a", "b", and "c" il• simply used differently without lustrate a range of detached making any physical changes. I 120 I ,..--- 1 l .-..r--..l t I I I I !... . ,... __ I J r-' '-- :g~~;j;i;J g··:·:·:::.<.· --.~~ - Q) .w . l substituted · · · 1 . . • ~ 1 1 euclid --rl I ~~J.~ c renovated··· J I palmerston ! ., l n, ,--·1 b IL ·-·-·-·-·-_J . l I ! as is··· l o·-[j a Concepts of Growth L.---·--·-·- I The controlled growth of Pal• lot size while Markham and Eu• merston lots through incremen• clid increasingly have inten• tal sale contrasts strongly sified the subdivision of lots. I with the discordant lot char• The original unit of one lot acteristics of Euclid and Mark• has in some cases been subdi• ham. The numbering system that vided into three lots. describes the lots tells pa~ti• 1 ally how the street grew. In The range of changes that have Palmerston's case, the street taken place on the Boulevard grew lot by lot; and block by operate individually at differ• I block northwards. ent times and in different ways, some of which are: The blocks and their respective lots show a substantial change 1. additions I between when first laid out 2. subtractions and the present. The size of 3. renovations Palmerston lots are wider than 4. new useage I the adjoining lots on Markham 5. no change Street and Euclid Avenue. Pal• 6. complete substitutions merston has maintained a large I 121 ·------ PalmerstonBoulevard Euclid1 Markham mid·blockdetached cornerdetached mid · btockdetached cornerdetached I r. h J ---i--rr-·- 1-----!o ___ r-1·-- I I I i[jiI I . I 0I! I I i i f I . Ol I I I I . I I I . I I . I I I I I I I I I i I ! I . I I i I i ____ J_ID __ j_I __ I i .1...- · -J I .+- 12m -+ L 1om-+ i-9m~ .Lam.+ I I I i ------Original Concept------ ~ '- I ,...__ / r-·-1--· I I I . I I --~:- i l i ! ICJ I ! ·{ I I I i ~--d---, . I I I } i ------Growth& Change,------The selected neighbourhooQ ex• The lot depth is the same for I amples are taken from Palmer• all of the examples. The orien• ston Boulevard, Markham Street, tation is perpendicular to the and Euclid Avenue. The exam• street and all houses are lo• ·1 ples are used to contrast: cated on the west side of a street with lane service. 1. the original concept and the present state, under Lot Width growth and change. Palmerston has both detached 2. Positions on the lot and semi-detached examples of a) mid-block, and houses. The difference in char- ' b) corner location. acter on the level of the three 3. Detached and semi-detached separate streets, between hou• types. ses is attributable to the lot widths. Palmerston is more ge• I 4. Widths of lots. nerous in the spacing between houses because of this greater width. I 122 I PalmerstonBoulevard EuclidI Markham mid·block semi cornersemi mid·blocksemi cornersemi ( / ·-1 .. 1·-·1 r.:;-;: r-·- . I ~:a;-·-· ~1I . . ITli- I · I :cp I I I I I . . I I I Irt I I I I I I I I . I l I I I I I I . · I I i ! I I . I I I . . I I i L.... ___ j I I . I . i. I I ---·'--·LI ~--L-. t---"-·...i...- J_ __ I I I +1om + 1om+ +sm +em~ .+fi~.5m+ Tsm+srr+ I . I OriginalConcept------I -·-,-·r-·;r·-- r:·1·::;-r·-·- 1 . I I J I i ~...__.I I I ! J I I i : I ~-d'~ __ uJJ,__1 ~ I Growth& Change------ Aspects in uhis respect show pears on the Euclid and Markham marked differences which start examples is an acute shortage ' of space. This is a result of I to explain the complex notions of growth and change. In the the physical restraints of the wider Palmerston detached house lot width and its correspond• examples, growth occurs mostly ing effect of the internal spa• I at the back. The examples cho• ces. This tightness, in con• sen reflect an extreme condi• junction with the overall chan• tion of this extension. The ges of occupancy and densifi• J corner example reflects the cation of the area, tends to norm more closely; growth or produce a burst of extension change occurs internally in the and additions. I Palmerston house and makes li• mited appearances externally. This demand for more space, as One of the explanations for an assumed requirement applies the external growth that ap- to all of the examples studied I and is a reflection on the or• iginal concept. I 123, The original concept of one This idea is elaborated further house/one lot is still in the in House Example "K" where it process of being tested by the was noted that a single family } I complex demands unforeseen and house was radically altered in unpredictable that are made on use to become a container for the house and its lot. six rental units, by an absol• ute minimum of physical inter• I The study proposes to look at vention. Here, the doors had the foresight of this concep• locks put on them and the au• tion laid down almost one hun• tonomous rooms became rental dred and thirty years earlier units. I under two principle categories: The Euclid and Markham examples 1. imperceptible change are less able to accomodate im• · I 2. visible change perceptible change because of the original narrowness of the Imperceptible Change: room. The circulation system is originally too tight to com• I This type of change is defined fortably take on new demands, as "changes made through acco• and the rooms are generally too modation of new usages without small to change from a bedroom I any physical alterations." to a semi-public room. This is not to say, of course, that Imperceptible change is depen• it is not being done, but that I dent on the spatial properties where it is done, very poor and architectural elements of units are the result. the individual room. If the J room is designed originally as The Palmerston rooms are pieces a generous and autonomous unit unto themselves and are far within a larger organization more capable of handling this (ie. an enclosure with an en• type of change. J trance to the major axis of circulation, a window, and of ample proportion), then it will Visibile Change: have the facility to remain the I same physically while taking Visible change in the Palmerston on a new name and usage. house takes shape internally in I In the case of House "A" on various forms. Palmerston Boulevard, the house The more common type of subdi• is still a single family resi• vision occuring is where the dence. The use of the rooms house's three floors are con• I has changed, however, and bed• verted to three apartments. rooms become studies without Examples of this type of reno• . J any need to alter the rooms vation are shown in Houses "C", physically. "E", "H" and "J". Crucial to J I I I 124 I these conversions is the ar• The elements that do show some rangement of the ground floor changes are : elements of vestibule, hall/re• ception and staircase. Under 1) The Porch: optimum conditions these pieces The porch is often infilled can separate themselves from to provide more shelter. _ the body of the ground floor These enclosures are done in cleanly to provide access and a number of ways. Some are entries to self-contained upper very solid and attempt to units. Example "J" is the best pull the porch back into the example of a good arrangement main body of the house by.use of those elements. Examples of heavy building materials "E" and "H" typifies the result framing small openings. of an unfavourable disposition Others put up glass panels of the hall space and stair set inside of the original where a front room is cut off porch structure so that the from the rest of the ground porch is still able to func• floor apartment. tion as a distinctly separ• ate representative piece of The conversion of each floor the house. to a self contained unit is also dependent on the capabili• 2) Details: ty of the rooms on the upper small details show evidence floors to take on a new heir• of subdivision by such things archy of a primary, secondary, as a row of doorbells and and back/private sequence of often times a discreetly spaces, where originally only placed second door. private bedroom spaces were located. For any renovation work affect• Observations: ing the internal order of the house, certain elements are subjected most to the changes, 1. The original concept of one and thus must be quite flexibly house/one lot is able to conceived of. These elements sustain both internal and external changes. are: l) hall spaces 2) rooms: affected by 2. The position of the houses, both subdivision mid-block or corner, have enlargement different characteristics. 3) additional circula- Internal/external relation• tion space - ships of both types can be designed to maximize their Externally, it is most impor• location in the urban struc• tant to point out that the in• ture. ternal renovations, either radical or minimal, show prac• 3. Detached and semi-detached tically no evidence on the houses, subject to the var• front facade of the house. The iables of lot width, are original conception of one capable of growth and house/one lot is preserved. change. 125 ~ ------~------· Concepts of Infrastructure: too tight to allow front vehi• cular access and thereby make The infrastructure and cross the rear lane indispensable to streets that service Palmerston the house. I Boulevard work in varying rela• tionships to block lengths, lot Example "b": has all of the widths, and house types. same characteristics of exam• I ple "a" with respect to the A lane system can extend as house and lot, but has no lane long as the block that it ser• service, and thereby no option I vices; on a very long block, for car access at all. When such as the block running be• this condition is multiplied, tween Ulster and College the demands of street parking Streets, the lane still func• is aggravated and usually re• ·I tions, though it is probably sults in sub-standar~ amenity. heavily used and a bit more awkward than lanes in short Example "c": represents the blocks. other end of the spectrum. Its I lot is far wider and allows the Large lots of greater width can provision of an independent afford to be ambivalent to the front driveway. This example has l presence of a service lane. As no rear lane, so that the po• in Houses "D" and "E", the sition of the house may have greater lot width results in been dictated by the necessity I the provision of a front drive of laying out a vehicular ac• access. House "D" chooses to cess. have only a pedestrian gate to the lane, while House "E" has Example "d": shows the same I taken the option of two means house with lane access, the of access both from the Boule• optimum condition on the Bou• vard and the back lane. levard. The same internal re• I lationships resulting from The four examples of Houses "a", more generous conditions ex• "b", "c", and "d" illustrate a ternally provides an alternate range of conditions typical of access combined with a back the entire Boulevard. lane to the site. Example "a": illustrates a The presence of the lane sys• I small house with lane service. tem in conjunction with appro• The lane access gives alterna• priate lot width and house tive pedestrian access to the forms become important as a back spaces of the house in ad• coefficient of both service I dition to the vehicular access. and amenity. The sideyards in th~s case are I 126 I rs. · r-· L L-::--·-·-·-·- a r·-·-.·-·-·---, - !L] ! b j' L-. -·-· -·-·--- 1 I -CD ~ en- ED-·TI D i,______j j ::; u c :i ...a: "' "':I I l E N co II I Cf) g::r-·I= I I d ... ? I 127 - ·-- ···------ I I l ! J L J I I ·I I r ' U) I -~ . ·-ca I -U) I ·:., wellesley ~ r I Concepts of Infrastructure I I I ·1 I I I 128 I , A further comparison of the far reaching ramifications of a lane system on the quality and character of an area can be demonstrated by examples from other areas of the city. The long block with an "I" formed lane is an example of maximum lane service to max• mum number served. (Parliament Street example) The lower example of a "T" shaped service lane gives lane J service to all three blocks. In Palmerston's example, all lane access points are reached I from surrounding streets, never from Palmerston. This tends to add to the "special" nature of I Palmerston in the neighbour• hood. The large block shown (Jarvis 1 example) that flanks Jarvis and Wellesley Streets is com• posed of mansions built on I large lots. It shows the lane service to the rear, opening off Wellesley and Sherbourne I Streets. The presence of lane service, its location and size, have an I important bearing on the struc• ture and character of an area. I I I I I I 129 15 T i I 2.2m 4.0 r·-·-1 I "m I I n I I! 1·Ti' . ' ID I ~ -- . L--·-·..J 1 2 6 .f Street I I I ~ ~ I 1 _..Jrr· _.__ ..... ~-- 2 I I I 3 5 Lot width and Type (Graph ) I The graphs above chart a set of to break away from tight site relationships that relate lot restrictions is illustrated. I width to house type. The exam• The room evolves into an auto• ples have been selected from nomous piece within the house the Toronto area, and document organization, with a clear re• ·I various extremes. The chart lationship to the lot and to does not suggest that a certain its orientation on a north/ width of lot will guarantee a south street grid. particular house type, but that ·J the width is the major determi• The elements of rooms that vary nant of house form. with lot width and house type are: I From the extreme condition of l) size and proportion of the Sydenham house at the far rooms; left, to the mansion of Jarvis 2) location of windows and I Street on the far right, (site doors; and plans above, ground floor plans 3) position and orientation below), the room's pro~ens~ty of rooms. I 130 I Street ·-·- -·-·-~-·-·-.~--·-·-·-·---·---· ·~·] I f.LL. I 6 _l 10a 9 J j Lot width and type (Graph) } 1 1' s" residence sydenham st· 1934 l 2 Monteith st· 3 Euclid 4 Markham .l 5 Palmerston 6 Suburban 7 Indian road 8 High Park btvd 9 Palmerston 10 Palmerston weston residence 10a Palmerston house E 11 St George 12 Jarvis 131 ~---·-········ I ru I I ~c:=-- - o~ I _____,I I i ij I I I I I I ., ] I I I Indian Road 132 ( 1 J Comparative Urban Streets The City, viewed from a stand• point of growth and change, contains areas that are mor• phologically different. While new areas of the city are be~ ing extended, other older parts are simultaneously dying, or are being renovated. The parts of the city, although intercon• nected, may not be changing at I the same time. Therefore, the absence of external change that characterizes Palmerston I Boulevard can be contrasted to other parts of the city that were once like Palmerston, but experienced change in a more l accelerated fashion. Not only does this phenomenon operate at the level of streets but I also at city to city scales. Comparative analysis at the street to street scale offers I insights into future changes, and can form a base for making better informed judgements when I implications of new patterns are proposed. I Indian Road: Indian Road, built later than Palmerston, has essentially the I same house type, with a com• parably strong pattern along its length. Yet, unlike Pal• merston's continuity of simi• lar houses, Indian Road's col• lection of houses does not pro• duce the same effect. The pub• I lic spaee of the Road has few• er formal qualities and lacks the delicate balance sustained I by the trees and built form on Palmerston. The bend of Indian Road together with its house sizes and spacing in conjunc• I tion with intersecting streets, breaks the potential continui• ty along its length. I I 133 I St. George Street St. George Street is instruc• tive in demonstrating change St. George Street, extending through major substitution that I from Bloor Street to Davenport still maintains a major rem• Road, has undergone many chan• nant of the original character ges. Formerly a residential and concept. north/south street with large I lots and mansions, the street High Park Boulevard: has been compelled to make substantial alterations. The High Park Boulevard, more bou• I street has absorbed a much levard-like than Indian Road, heavier traffic load, a result exhibits many similarities to partly of its location in the Palmerston. Being much wider overall pattern of the city than Palmerston, with houses I streets and its original width set well back from the street which has allowed it to acco• line, the space of the boule• modate double la~es. vard is given greater signifi• I cance. Like Palmerston, High The houses have undergone large Park Boulevard begins and ends scale substitutions. The houses with a set of gates which en• and lots, although larger than hances the street and sets it I the more typical ones in the apart from the surrounding city, have been amalgamated or neighbourhood. In addition, assembled in varying degrees. the boulevard ends its axis at I The sizes of the original lots a major park of the city (High have accomodated many substitu• Park) and thus possesses a qua• tions. Sometimes two original lity that Palmerston Boulevard lots were assembled to build a may have once aspired to, but I large apartment building, while could never have. other lots were assembled to to replace the houses with a The buildings along High Park -I completely different type of Boulevard are bigger than the building of an institutional Palmerston examples, and the character. Through these chan• intersections of st~eets are I ges, however, the concept of articulated far more elaborate• one building on one lot has ly by the corner lots and their been maintained, albeit on a houses. new level. J I ] I I I 134 I . ~I ~ .... ;.• ' . . ~I j J .J J l I I I ... I c::::J r•I 'LJI 1 I c:::)I I I: I ~J I I II ..•I I bJi I I~:.'.....__• __ L__.~I _Ja}I i I . ... I St. George Street I 135 I Looking at one street in one detailed investigation of the city, and studying the houses house through the course of that make up that street, does the ten examples has raised a not necessarily lead to all large number of issues that l embracive generalizations. should be further developed This research accepts its li• as criteria upon which a com• mitations as a tentative be• parative basis can be founded I ginning approach to understand• to better judge houses that ing the house and its role in are being built today. the city. These criteria are in fact I Nevertheless, the scope of this principles of design that can research, focusing as it does refer to larger contemporary specifically on the nature of aspects of the house and its Palmerston Boulevard, initiates local structure. The implica• more detailed investiqations tion of new patterns of growth . to take place, dealing with the in the city and in the suburbs J relationships between built has not been properly evaluated. form and landscape, the rela• _ This study begins to suggest tionships between houses and tools to be used as means to their lots, and the structure design and evaluate. I of lots to a street. On a more detailed level, the analysis of the houses suggests ) These are all simple princi• several practical means by ples, but simple as they may which large houses can be made be, the paucity of quality of to contain smaller houses, modern residential development while still preserving a high I points to a severe lack of com• level of public and private prehension of these relation• amenity. ships, by professionals who are planning and designing houses Palmerston Boulevard's unique I and streets in the city and contribution is its endurance suburbs. through significant densifica• tion. Understanding architec• I The Palmerston house that has turally how this is achieved formed the basis of this re• can illuminate some of the search is a phenomenon in that problems posed by the need for it has observed change while higher densities in cities, I Undergoing change itself. The and the desire to maintain their scale and texture. I 1 1 I I I 138 I l j I I I 1 I I I i I Credits Photography: James Brown, E. K. Storey I Research: Dawn Brown, Kevin Smith, James Brown, E. K. Storey Drawings: Denise Martel, James Brown, E. K. Storey I I I 139