STAFF REPORT ACTION REQUIRED

Intention to Designate under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act – 211 Laird Drive

Date: February 7, 2012

Toronto Preservation Board To: North York Community Council

From: Acting Director, Policy & Research, City Planning Division

Wards: Don Valley West – Ward 26

Reference P:\2012\Cluster B\PLN\HPS\NYCC\March 20 2012\nyHPS13 Number:

SUMMARY

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 211 Laird Drive (Pease Foundry Company Building) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. City Council listed the property on the City of Inventory of Heritage Properties on January 27, 2010.

Located on the southeast corner of Laird Drive and Vanderhoof Avenue, staff have researched and assessed the property and determined that it meets the provincial criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. The restoration of the site for commercial uses was completed in 2011, and the property owners have agreed to its designation.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The City Planning Division recommends that:

1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 211 Laird Drive 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 bills in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

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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.

DECISION HISTORY City Council listed the property at 211 Laird Drive on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties on January 27, 2010.

ISSUE BACKGROUND The property at 211 Laird Drive contains the building known historically as the Pease Foundry Company Building that has been restored recently. As part of the development process, the owners agreed to the designation of the site under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

COMMENTS A location map (Attachment No. 1) and photograph (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 211 Laird Drive meets Ontario Regulation 9/06, the criteria prescribed for municipal designation.

The property at 211 Laird Drive 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 the three categories of design, associative and contextual values. Located on the southeast corner of Laird Drive and Vanderhoof Avenue, the Pease Foundry Company Building (1950) is a representative example of a mid 20th century industrial building in the Art Moderne style based on the designs of Toronto architect Earle C. Morgan that contributes to an understanding of the development of the planned community of where it supports the historical character of the industrial corridor along Laird Drive.

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The Reasons for Designation (Statement of Significance), found in Attachment No. 3 are 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

______Kerri A. Voumvakis, Acting Director Policy and Research City Planning Division

ATTACHMENTS Attachment No. 1 – Location Map Attachment No. 2 – Photographs Attachment No. 3 – Reasons for Designation (Statement of Significance) Attachment No. 4 – Heritage Property Research and Evaluation Report

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LOCATION MAP: 211 LAIRD DRIVE 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 on the southeast corner of Laird Drive and Vanderhoof Avenue

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PHOTOGRAPHS: 211 LAIRD DRIVE ATTACHMENT NO. 2

Northwest corner (above) and west and south facades (below) of the Pease Foundry Company Building at 211 Laird Drive

(Heritage Preservation Services, January 2012)

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REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: 211 LAIRD DRIVE ATTACHMENT NO. 3 (STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE) Page 1 of 2

Pease Foundry Company Building

Description

The property at 211 Laird Drive 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 the three categories of design, associative and contextual values. Located on the southeast corner of Laird Drive and Vanderhoof Avenue and one block south of East, the showroom, office and warehouse complex (1950) was commissioned by the Pease Foundry Company, manufacturers of heating and plumbing supplies.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value

The Pease Foundry Company Building has design value as a representative example of a mid 20th century industrial building designed with features of the Art Moderne style. The complex exemplifies the Art Moderne in its stepped plan combining single- and two- storey sections that balance horizontal and vertical elements while combining solids and voids, the distinctive square windows on the north wall and, in particular, the office section with a rounded corner overlooking the intersection of Laird Drive with Vanderhoof Avenue.

Historically, the Pease Foundry Company Building is linked to the planned community of Leaside, especially the ongoing development of its industrial core. After the Canadian Northern Railway commissioned the famous landscape architect Frederick G. Todd to lay out a model town, the distinct sector for manufacturing was the first area to be developed in the era following World War I, with additional companies choosing Leaside after the completion of the Leaside- Viaduct (Leaside Bridge, 1927) improved access to the community. The Pease Foundry Company was among those to establish facilities for display, administration and shipping with a prominent site on Laird Drive, Leaside’s business thoroughfare. With its industrial base, Leaside thrived as an independent municipality until 1967 when it became part of the Borough of East York.

The Pease Foundry Company Building is associated historically with the practice of Toronto architect Earle C. Morgan (1903-1972) who prepared the plans for the complex. He was a partner with Gordon S. Adamson in the firm of Adamson and Morgan from 1934 until the partnership was dissolved in 1946. Practicing alone, Morgan accepted a variety of commissions for residential, commercial, recreational and industrial buildings, including the Pease Foundry Company Building. As his career progressed, Morgan became perhaps best known for the projects he designed for his brother-in-law, the

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211 Laird Drive Page 2 of 2 famous Canadian businessman and philanthropist, E. P. Taylor. Of these, the most recognized is Toronto’s O’Keefe Centre (completed in 1960 and currently known as the Sony Centre), which received funding from Taylor’s O’Keefe Brewing Company and was designed by Morgan in conjunction with Toronto architects Page and Steele.

In its context, the property at 211 Laird Drive is historically linked to its surroundings in the area of Leaside planned for industrial use where the Pease Foundry Company Building is an important surviving reminder of the appearance of this area by the mid 20th century. The Pease Foundry Company Building is placed north of #150 Laird Drive, the office building for Durant Motors that is also identified with Leaside’s industrial evolution and recognized on the City of Toronto’s heritage inventory.

Heritage Attributes

The heritage attributes of the Pease Foundry Company Building are:

The scale, form and massing The flat rooflines covering the different sections of the building The materials, with yellow brick cladding and brick, stone, glass and metal trim The design of the west and north facades, with the single-storey section with the rounded northwest corner and the two-storey section that rises behind (south and east) The fenestration, with continuous floor-to-ceiling window openings on the single- storey northwest section, the flat-headed window openings on the two-storey section, and the distinctive trio of small square window openings on the two- storey north wall The glazed entrances (west and north) that are raised at either end of the rounded northwest section and protected by the projecting canopy The detailing, with the stone surrounds marking some of the window openings, and the brick band course on the single-storey (northwest) section The placement of the building on a corner lot overlooking Laird Drive and Vanderhoof Avenue

The elevations on the east (rear) and south (overlooking a laneway) are less visible and no specific attributes are identified on them.

ATTACHMENT NO. 4

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HERITAGE PROPERTY RESEARCH AND EVALUATION REPORT

PEASE FOUNDRY COMPANY BUILDING 211 LAIRD DRIVE, TORONTO

Prepared by:

Heritage Preservation Services City Planning Division City of Toronto

January 2012

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1. DESCRIPTION

Above: Pease Foundry Company Building, 1950, north entrance (Canadian Architectural Archives, #50999-1); Cover: North (left) and west (right) facades (Heritage Preservation Services, January 2012)

211 Laird Drive: Pease Foundry Company Building ADDRESS 211 Laird Drive (southeast corner of Laird Drive & Vanderhoof Avenue) WARD 26 (Don Valley West) LEGAL DESCRIPTION Plan 2755, Part Block E NEIGHBOURHOOD/COMMUNITY Leaside HISTORICAL NAME Pease Foundry Company Building CONSTRUCTION DATE 1950 ORIGINAL OWNER Pease Foundry Company ORIGINAL USE Commercial CURRENT USE* Commercial * This does not refer to permitted use(s) as defined by the Zoning By-law ARCHITECT/BUILDER/DESIGNER Earle C. Morgan, architect DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION/MATERIALS Brick cladding with brick, stone, metal and glass detailing ARCHITECTURAL STYLE Art Moderne ADDITIONS/ALTERATIONS No significant alterations1 CRITERIA Design/Physical, Historical/Associative & Contextual HERITAGE STATUS City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties RECORDER Heritage Preservation Services: Kathryn Anderson REPORT DATE January 2012

1 The restoration of the building for the owners, Sadot Incorporated, was completed in 2011

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2. BACKGROUND

This research and evaluation report describes the history, architecture and context of the property at 211 Laird Drive, and applies evaluation criteria to determine whether it merits designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. The conclusions of the research and evaluation are found in Section 4 (Summary).

i. HISTORICAL TIMELINE

Key Date Historical Event 1932 York Land Company files Plan 2755, subdividing the lands south of Eglinton Avenue East & east of Laird Drive in Leaside 1942 York Land Company conveys the west part of Block E to Canadian Aircraft Instruments & Accessories 1949 The Pease Foundry Company purchases the west half of Block E for $35,000 and mortgages the site for $150,0002 1950 Archival photographs showing the newly completed building are dated 1950 1951 The City Directory and the tax assessment rolls for Leaside record the Pease Foundry Company at 211 Laird Drive 1951 Mar The office building and warehouse are illustrated in the Journal of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada 1969 The Pease Foundry Company sells the site to Toronto Camera Centres Limited, which retains it until 1986 2010 The property at 211 Laird Drive is listed on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties

ii. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Leaside

The property at 211 Laird Drive is located in the former Town of Leaside. The origins of the community date to the early 19th century when members of the Lea family emigrated from Pennsylvania and acquired acreage in York Township southeast of the intersection of present-day Eglinton Avenue East and Bayview Avenue. When acquiring a portion of William Lea’s property for a repair facility and station, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company received permission to name the junction “Leaside.”

In 1912, a competing railway company, the Canadian Northern, assembled a 1000-acre tract of land in Leaside (Image 2) where the noted landscape designer Frederick Todd was commissioned to lay out a model community with separate sectors devoted to industry and housing (Goad’s Atlas updated to 1923 reflects aspects of Todd’s plan and is attached as Image 3). The area bounded by present-day Laird Drive, Parkhurst Boulevard, Leslie Street and the railway tracks was reserved for industry.3 Leaside was incorporated as a town in 1913 when the Canada Wire and Cable Company became the

2 Building permits do not survive for Leaside 3 To promote Laird Drive as Leaside’s principal ‘business street,’ the roadway was widened in 1925

Staff report for action – Intention to Designate – 211 Laird Drive 10 first industry to open on Laird Drive, the community’s industrial corridor. Further development was interrupted by World War I when Leaside was a leader in munitions production and the training of airmen. Following the conflict, Durant Motors of Canada Limited (later Dominion Motors) opened a car manufacturing plant in the community.

The completion in 1927 of the Leaside-East York Viaduct (Leaside Bridge) across the provided better access between Leaside and the City of Toronto, and this progress was accompanied by improvements in public transportation to bring workers to the town. Leaside’s industrial sector flourished even during the Great Depression of the 1930s, partially the result of the aggressive marketing of the community by the town council. During this period, the Lincoln Electric Company of Canada (producer of motors), Tremco Limited (an American subsidiary), APCO Industries (chemicals specialists), and E. S. And A. Robinson (Canada) Limited (which designed and manufactured packaging materials) were among the companies to occupy facilities in the community. The continuing build-up of the industrial area after World War II was important to the identity of Leaside as an independent municipality prior to its amalgamation with East York as the Borough of East York in 1967.

Pease Foundry Company

Although the industrial lands along Laird Drive were surveyed in the early 20th century, part of the acreage south of Eglinton Avenue East and between Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street was subdivided again under Plan 2755 in 1932. The site at the southeast corner of Laird Drive and Vanderhoof Avenue remained undeveloped following its acquisition by Canadian Aircraft Instruments and Accessories in 1942. Seven years later, the Pease Foundry Company Limited, manufacturers of heating and plumbing supplies, acquired the west half of Block E for $35,000. With the mortgaging of the site for $150,000, the company authorized the construction of an office building and warehouse that was in place before March 1951 when it was illustrated in the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Journal. The Pease Foundry Company retained the site until 1969. The property was included on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties in 2010 and, the following year, the restoration of the premises was completed.

Earle C. Morgan, Architect

The Pease Foundry Company Building was designed by Toronto architect Earle C. Morgan (1903-1972). A graduate of the University of Toronto’s Department of Architecture, Morgan continued his training in New York City where he worked for a series of architectural firms, among them York and Sawyer.4 Morgan completed a post- graduate program in Toronto in 1932, two years before forming a partnership with Gordon S. Adamson that endured until 1946. While Morgan’s “early work was for residential projects in a conservative Georgian Revival style...by 1945 he had become an

4 During Morgan’s tenure, York and Sawyer worked in consultation with the Toronto firm of Darling and Pearson on the landmark Canadian Bank of Commerce’s headquarters at 25 King Street West (now part of Commerce Court), a property that is designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act

Staff report for action – Intention to Designate – 211 Laird Drive 11 advocate of the modernist style”, including the office building and plant he designed in 1947 for the Standard Chemical Company in Leaside.5 During this period when Morgan prepared the plans for the Pease Foundry Company Building, he embarked on a series of projects for his brother-in-law, Toronto businessman and philanthropist E. P. Taylor, including the latter’s “Windfields” Estate on Bayview Avenue. Morgan is also recognized for his association with the O’Keefe Centre (dated 1960 and most recently known as the Sony Centre), the performing arts facility where he worked in conjunction with the notable architect Peter Dickinson, chief designer at the firm of Page and Steele.

iii. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION

The Pease Foundry Company Building is illustrated in a series of archival photographs from the collection of the Canadian Architectural Archives that are reproduced in Sections 1 and 6 of this report, as well as the current photographs found on the cover and attached as Images 6 to 9.

The small-scale facility that incorporated offices, a showroom and warehouse was designed in the Art Moderne style that was introduced during the 1930s and remained popular through the World War II era. Art Moderne buildings featured “sweeping horizontality, rounded corners and long continuous bands of windows”, elements that were inspired by industrial design and represented the movement toward Modernism and a rejection of historicism in architecture.6

The Pease Foundry Company Building displays an asymmetrical plan that combines a single-storey showroom with a rounded northwest corner and a two-storey office block and warehouse that rises behind it. The yellow brick cladding is trimmed with brick, stone, glass and metal, with stone surrounds on some of the window openings and a brick band course on the corner portion. The fenestration mixes continuous floor-to-ceiling window openings on the single-storey northwest section with flat-headed window openings in the second floor, as well as a distinctive trio of small square openings on the north wall. Glazed entrances on the west and north facades are raised and protected by the projecting aluminum canopy. No particular heritage attributes are identified on the south elevation (which remains partially concealed by the neighbouring building) or the rear (east) wall.

iv. CONTEXT

The property at 211 Laird Drive is located on the southeast corner of Vanderhoof Avenue, one extended block south of Eglinton Avenue East. With this prominent location, the Pease Foundry Company Building assists in marking the north entrance to the industrial sector of Leaside. Further south near McRae Drive, the Durant Motors Office Building (1928) at 150 Laird Drive represents the first phase of industrial development in community and is recognized on the City’s heritage inventory.

5 Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, unpaged 6 Blumenson, 198

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Anchoring the northeast corner of Laird and Esandar Drives, the CNR Eastern Locomotive Shop (c. 1941) at #85 Laird was later incorporated into the E. S. and A. Robinson (Canada) Limited' manufacturing complex and was recently designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

3. EVALUATION CHECKLIST

The following evaluation applies Ontario Regulation 9/06 made under the Ontario Heritage Act: Criteria for Determining Cultural Heritage Value or Interest. While the criteria are prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, the City of Toronto uses it when assessing properties for inclusion on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties. The evaluation table is marked “N/A” if the criterion is “not applicable” to the property or X if it is applicable, with explanatory text below.

Design or Physical Value i. rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type, expression, X material or construction method ii. displays high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit N/A iii. demonstrates high degree of scientific or technical achievement N/A

Representative and Early Example – The Pease Foundry Company Building has design value as a representative example of a mid 20th century industrial building with features of the Art Moderne style. The complex exemplifies the Art Moderne in its stepped plan combining single- and two-storey sections that balance horizontal and vertical elements while combining solids and voids, the distinctive square windows on the north wall, and the curved office section with a rounded corner overlooking the intersection of Laird Drive with Vanderhoof Avenue.

Historical or Associative Value i. direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person, activity, organization or N/A institution that is significant to a community ii. yields, or has the potential to yield, information that contributes to an X understanding of a community or culture iii. demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist, builder, X designer or theorist who is significant to a community

Community - Historically, the Pease Foundry Company Building is linked to the planned community of Leaside, particularly the ongoing development of its industrial core. After Leaside was laid out as a model community, the distinct industrial sector was the first area to be developed in the era following World War I, and additional companies opened facilities in the community after the opening of the Leaside Bridge (1927). The Pease Foundry Company was among those commissioning a building for the display and shipping of its products from a prominent site on Laird Drive, Leaside’s business

Staff report for action – Intention to Designate – 211 Laird Drive 13 thoroughfare. With its industrial base, Leaside thrived as an independent municipality until 1967 when it became part of the Borough of East York.

Architect - The Pease Foundry Company Building is associated historically with the practice of Toronto architect Earle C. Morgan (1903-1972) who prepared the plans for the complex. Morgan designed the building after he embarked on a solo career, a period when he gained recognition for projects completed for his brother-in-law, the famous Canadian businessman and philanthropist E. P. Taylor.

Contextual Value i. important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area N/A ii. physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its surroundings X iii. landmark N/A

Surrounding – In its context, the Pease Foundry Company Building is historically linked to its surroundings on Laird Drive in Leaside as the street developed as the community’s primary industrial corridor. Many of the original industrial complexes and commercial warehouses were replaced over time, leaving the Pease Foundry Company Building as an important surviving reminder of the appearance of the area by the mid 20th century. On the opposite side of Laird Drive, the office building for Durant Motors at #150 Laird is also identified with Leaside’s industrial evolution and recognized on the City of Toronto’s heritage inventory.

4. SUMMARY

Following research and evaluation according to Regulation 9/06, it has been determined that the property at 211 Laird Drive has design, associative and contextual values. The Pease Foundry Company Building is a representative example of a mid 20th century industrial building designed in the Art Moderne style according to the designs of Toronto architect Earle C. Morgan that contributes to an understanding of the development of the planned community of Leaside where it supports the historical character of the industrial corridor along Laird Drive.

5. SOURCES

Archival Sources

Abstract Indices of Deeds, Plan 2755, Block E Assessment Rolls, Town of Leaside, 1949-1951 City of Toronto Directories, 1949-1951 Goad’s Atlas, 1910 revised to 1912 Local History Collection, Leaside Branch, Toronto Public Library Map, The Toronto World, June 24, 1912 Photographs, Pease Foundry Company Building, 1950, Canadian Architectural Archives, Images 50920-1, 50920-1, 50920-1C, 50999-1 and 50999-2

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Secondary Sources

Blumenson, John, Ontario Architecture, 1990 “Earle C. Morgan,” entry in Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800- 1950, http://www.dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/architects/view/1493 Maitland, Leslie, Jacqueline Hucker and Shannon Ricketts, A Guide to Canadian Architectural Styles, 1992 "Pease Foundry Company Building," Journal, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (March 1951), 74 Pitfield, Jane, ed., Leaside, 1999

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6. IMAGES: arrows mark the location of the property at 211 Laird Drive

1. City of Toronto Property Data Map: showing the property at 211 Laird Drive on the southeast corner of Vanderhoof Avenue

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2. Map from "The Toronto World," June 24, 1912: with an excerpt showing the Canadian Northern Railway's lands in Leaside as the location of its model community (Local History Collection, Leaside Public Library)

3. Goad’s Atlas, 1912 revised to 1923: showing the future location of the Pease Foundry Company Building, prior to the re-subdivision of the area under Plan 2755

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4. Archival Photograph, Pease Foundry Company Building, 1950: showing the rounded northwest corner (Canadian Architectural Archives, #50920-1c)

5. Archival Photograph, Pease Foundry Company Building, 1950: showing the north façade (Canadian Architectural Archives, #50920-2)

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6. Photograph, Pease Foundry Company Building: showing the northwest corner (Heritage Preservation Services, January 2012)

7. Photograph, Pease Foundry Company Building: showing the west (left) and south (right) elevations (Heritage Preservation Services, January 2012)

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8. Photograph, Pease Foundry Company Building: showing the west (right) and north (left) facades (Heritage Preservation Services, January 2012)

9. Photograph, Pease Foundry Company Building: showing the north (right) and east (left) elevations (Heritage Preservation Services, January 2012)

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