STAFF REPORT

January 3, 2003

To: East York Community Council

From: Joe Halstead, Commissioner Economic Development, Culture and Tourism

Subject: Central Waterfront (Port Lands Industrial Area) – Inclusion on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties Toronto-Danforth - Ward 30

Purpose:

This report recommends the inclusion on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties of five properties in the Port Lands Industrial Area of the Central Waterfront.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

There are no financial implications resulting from the adoption of this report.

Recommendations:

(1) City Council include on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties the following five properties located in the Port Lands Industrial Area of the Central Waterfront:

(i) Cherry Beach Life Saving Station and Change Room (ii) 275 (Dominion Bank Building) (iii) 309 Cherry Street (William McGill and Company Building) (iv) 39 Commissioners Street (Fire Hall No. 30) (v) 400 Commissioners Street (City of Toronto Incinerator); and

(2) the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Background:

The Toronto Preservation Board at its meeting held on November 26, 2002 endorsed the recommendations as noted above. At the request of the property owners, the Toronto - 2 -

Preservation Board deferred consideration of 13 additional properties in the Central Waterfront area for inclusion on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties. Culture Division staff plan to meet with the owners of the 13 properties prior to reporting back to the Toronto Preservation Board.

In June 2002, City Planning, Urban Development Services requested that Culture Division staff take part in a planning study currently underway within the boundaries of the Central Waterfront area. The Central Waterfront is bounded by Coxwell Avenue to the east and Jameson Avenue to the west, encompassing the lands south of . Culture Division staff has completed a heritage assessment of the portions of the Central Waterfront identified as the East Bayfront (east of ) and the Port Lands Industrial Area (south of the Keating Channel). This heritage assessment contributes to the development of a vision for the area as the City proceeds with finalizing the Secondary Plan for the Central Waterfront.

Culture Division staff has identified 18 properties that merit inclusion on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties. The inclusion of the properties on the Inventory of Heritage Properties will allow Culture Division staff to comment on any applications affecting these properties to encourage their retention and integration in a revitalized Central Waterfront.

Comments:

Culture Division staff have prepared a Heritage Properties Survey of properties in the East Bayfront and Port Lands Industrial Area of the Central Waterfront, which is available for viewing from the City Clerk. The Survey contains historical background information, descriptions of the 18 properties identified as having heritage value, and a list of view corridors that merit consideration in the planning process for the area.

The five properties identified in recommendation No. 1 of this report are described as follows:

(i) Cherry Street Life Saving Station and Change Room: The property is identified for architectural, historical and contextual reasons. Dating to 1933, the Cherry Beach Life Saving Station is a rare example of its type along the waterfront and features a bellcast roof with a deck and observation tower. Its wood cladding, roofline and simple openings are repeated on the adjacent women’s change room. The buildings are a significant pair of surviving recreational buildings along the Central Waterfront.

(ii) 275 Cherry Street: The property is identified for architectural and contextual reasons. The branch of the Dominion Bank opened in 1920 and provided financial services to the expanding Port Lands Industrial Area until the 1930s when it was converted to a restaurant. The building displays features of Edwardian Classicism, highlighted by the wood cornice and stone detailing. The Dominion Bank Building anchors the south end of the block between Villiers and Commissioners Street where, at the north end of the block, the former Bank of Montreal Building is identified on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties.

(iii) 309 Cherry Street: The property is identified for architectural and contextual reasons. - 3 -

The building was in place by 1935 and first occupied by William McGill and Company, shippers. The William McGill and Company Building displays elements identified with Art Moderne styling, blending a vertical section (south) with a two-storey horizontal wing with a rounded corner (north) Located on the east side of Cherry Street in the block between Villiers and Commissioners Streets, the William McGill and Company Building is contextually important as part of a group of low-rise buildings that extend along the block anchored by the former bank buildings at either end.

(iv) 39 Commissioners Street: The property is identified for architectural reasons and contextual reasons. Completed in 1928 according to the designs of City Architect J. J. Woolnough, Fire Hall No. 30 is a rare example of a public building constructed in the Port Lands Industrial Area. It now houses the Toronto Fire Fighters Association Local headquarters. The building displays features associated with Edwardian Classicism, highlighted by the stone detailing and the main entrance that is set in a frontispiece with a pediment. The property is located on the south side of Commissioners Street, east of Cherry Street, where Fire Hall No. 30 terminates the vista looking south down Munition Street.

(v) 400 Commissioners Street: The property is identified for architectural and contextual reasons. The City of Toronto completed the incinerator and adjoining complex in 1953. The complex is an excellent example of Modern Classical design, with stone detailing, varied fenestration (including strip windows) and, at the south end, stepped elements that mark the entrance ramps. Filling the block between Logan Avenue (east) and Bouchette Street (west) on the north side of Commissioners Street, the City of Toronto Incinerator complex with its dominating chimney is a prominent visual landmark in the Port Lands Industrial Area.

Conclusions:

It is recommended that City Council include on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties the five properties in the Port Lands Industrial Area of the Central Waterfront that are identified in recommendation No. 1 of this report.

Contact:

Rita Davies Managing Director of Culture Tel: 416-397-5323 Fax: 416-395-0278 E-mail: [email protected]

Joe Halstead Commissioner Economic Development, Culture and Tourism - 4 -

List of Attachments:

Attachment No. 1 (a-c) – Location Maps - Port Lands Industrial Area Attachment No. 2 (a-c) – Photographs – Port Lands Industrial Area