STAFF REPORT ACTION REQUIRED Intention to Designate Under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act – 30 Bond Street
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STAFF REPORT ACTION REQUIRED Intention to Designate under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act – 30 Bond Street Date: August 21, 2013 Toronto Preservation Board To: Toronto and East York Community Council From: Acting Director, Urban Design, City Planning Division Wards: Toronto Centre-Rosedale – Ward 27 Reference P:\2013\Cluster B\PLN\HPS\TEYCC\October 17 2013\teHPS27 Number: SUMMARY This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 30 Bond Street under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value. The entrance wing (east) of the E-wing of St. Michael's Hospital is included in the Reasons for Designation. The property at 30 Bond Street, specifically the E-wing dating to 1937, was listed on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties in January 1985. St. Michael's Hospital has submitted a development application to alter the hospital campus, including the infill of the landscaped courtyards along Bond Street flanking the E-wing. RECOMMENDATIONS The City Planning Division recommends that 1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 30 Bond Street (E- wing, St. Michael's Hospital) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. 2. If there are no objections to the designation in accordance with Section 29(6) of the Ontario Heritage Act, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. Action Report – Intention to Designate – 30 Bond Street 1 3. If there are objections in accordance with Section 29(7) of the Ontario Heritage Act, City Council direct the City Clerk to refer the designation to the Conservation Review Board. 4. If the designation is referred to the Conservation Review Board, City Council authorize the City Solicitor and appropriate staff to attend any hearing held by the Conservation Review Board in support of Council's decision on the designation of the property. Financial Impact There are no financial implications resulting from the adoption of this report. ISSUE BACKGROUND A planning application for St. Michael's Hospital proposes to infill the landscaped open courtyards on Bond Street flanking the E-wing with one-storey additions to provide a new accessible entrance and an expansion of the existing emergency room. Because of the heritage status of the E-wing, it is important that the values and attributes on the exterior and interior of the building be identified and preserved. Following consultation with the owner's representatives, the Statement of Significance (Reasons for Designation) found in Attachment No. 3 indicates that the cultural heritage values and attributes of the property at 30 Bond Street are found exclusively on the entrance wing (east part) of the E-wing, St. Michael's Hospital. COMMENTS A location map (Attachment No. 1) and photographs (Attachment No. 2) are attached. Staff have completed the attached Heritage Property Research and Evaluation Report (Attachment No. 4) and determined that the property at 30 Bond Street (E-wing, St. Michael's Hospital) meets Ontario Regulation 9/06, the criteria prescribed for municipal designation. The property at 30 Bond Street is worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value, and meets the criteria for municipal designation prescribed by the Province of Ontario under all three categories of design, associative and contextual values. The east portion of the E-wing of St. Michael's Hospital has cultural heritage value as an excellent example of Art Deco styling with a high degree of craftsmanship applied to both the exterior and interior of an institutional building. Associated with architect W. L. Somerville who collaborated with the significant Canadian sculptor, Frances Loring on the distinctive sculpted figure of St. Michael that marks the east facade, the E-wing of St. Michael's Hospital is historically and visually related to its surroundings in the institutional neighbourhood along Bond Street near Yonge and Queen Streets where it stands as a local landmark. Action Report – Intention to Designate – 30 Bond Street 2 The Statement of Significance (Attachment No. 3) comprises the Reasons for Designation, which is the Public Notice of Intention to Designate and will be advertised on the City of Toronto's web site in accordance with the City of Toronto Act provisions and served on the property owners and on the Ontario Heritage Trust according to the provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act. CONTACT Mary L. MacDonald, Acting Manager Heritage Preservation Services Tel: 416-338-1079; Fax: 416-392-1973 E-mail: [email protected] SIGNATURE ____________________________ James Parakh Acting Director, Urban Design City Planning Division ATTACHMENTS Attachment No. 1 – Location Map Attachment No. 2 – Photographs Attachment No. 3 –Statement of Significance (Reasons for Designation) Attachment No. 4 – Heritage Property Research and Evaluation Report Action Report – Intention to Designate – 30 Bond Street 3 LOCATION MAP: 30 BOND STREET ATTACHMENT NO. 1 This location map is for information purposes only; the exact boundaries of the property are not shown The arrow marks the location of the site Action Report – Intention to Designate – 30 Bond Street 4 PHOTOGRAPHS: 30 BOND STREET ATTACHMENT NO. 2 East façade of the E-wing, St. Michael's Hospital (above) and interior entrance lobby in the east part of the E-wing (below) (Heritage Preservation Services, July 2013) Action Report – Intention to Designate – 30 Bond Street 5 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: 30 BOND STREET ATTACHMENT NO. 3 E-wing, St. Michael’s Hospital Description The property at 30 Bond Street is worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage values, and it meets the criteria for municipal designation prescribed by the Province of Ontario under all three categories of design, associative and contextual values. Located on the west side of Bond Street, south of Shuter Street, the E-wing (1937) of St. Michael’s Hospital is an eight-storey L-shaped building, with heritage features found on the exterior and interior of the entrance wing (east). The property was listed on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties in 1984. Statement of Cultural Heritage Value The E-wing entrance wing at St. Michael's Hospital is valued as a rare hospital building in Toronto designed in the Art Deco style with a high degree of craftsmanship inside and out. Its design is particularly distinguished by the religious iconography on the exterior, with the giant cross motif created by the extended two-sided bay window intersecting with the stone band at the roofline, the incised crosses in the window surrounds on the chapel, and the niche over the entrance to the Bond Street lobby with the distinctive sculpted figure of St. Michael, patron saint of both the hospital and the neighbouring Cathedral. In the entrance wing (east) of the E-wing, the ground-floor vestibule, lobby and corridor west of the lobby, and the chapel above the lobby display well-crafted interiors with the original materials and details. Historically, the E-wing of St. Michael's Hospital is an integral part of the medical complex that is significant in Toronto for its deep-rooted and long-standing associations in the city. Founded in response to a health crisis in 1892, the hospital grew to become a cornerstone of medical care in the downtown core and beyond. During its more than a century of service as a research and teaching hospital, St. Michael's has introduced innumerable advances in medicine at this location. Among its achievements are the first blood transfusion in Canada (1917), the first successful Canadian heart transplant (1968), the first muscle transplant in North America (1973) and the first sciatic nerve transplant in the world (1988). St. Michael's Hospital also oversaw the first live-donor kidney retrieval in Ontario and opened the first haemodialysis centre in Toronto. Working in partnership with local social service agencies, the hospital has specialized in the provision of compassionate care for the homeless and disadvantaged in downtown Toronto. The E-wing stands as the ceremonial and historical face of St. Michael's Hospital where all these initiatives occurred. The E-wing for St. Michael's Hospital has cultural heritage value as the first documented institutional work in Toronto by architect W. L. Somerville, who collaborated with the significant Canadian sculptor Frances Loring on the entrance sculpture of S. Michael on Action Report – Intention to Designate – 30 Bond Street 6 the east wing of the E-wing. The success of this project led to their joint commission for the famous Lion Monument (1939) that marked the east entrance to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) between Toronto and Niagara Falls. The E-wing of St. Michael's Hospital is valued contextually because it is visually and historically linked to its surroundings on Bond Street. Placed midway in the block between Queen and Shuter Streets on the site where the hospital was founded, the entrance wing (east) of the E-wing forms part of a significant institutional enclave of recognized heritage properties that includes Metropolitan United Church on the east and St. Michael's Cathedral to the north. The entrance wing (east) of the E-wing of St. Michael's Hospital, with its presence on Bond Street, the distinctive Art Deco styling, and dramatic sculpture,