Cultural Heritage Landscape of Leaside Cultural Heritage Landscape of Leaside What is Leaside’s cultural heritage landscape and how did it evolve? Leaside is a thriving midtown suburb of Toronto, Ontario, Canada situated just to the west and north of the Don River. Leaside’s distinctive cultural heritage landscape evolved from the overlaying of the following: the natural and pre-settlement landscape, the agricultural settlement landscape, the mod- el town designed in 1912 by Frederick Todd, the ensuing residential develop- ment of the late 1920s to the 1950s, and its contemporary development Pre-settlement Landscape The Leaside area was affected by a series of ancient Ice Ages, which covered cover: Aerial orthographic photo of Leaside, 1942 above: Courtyard, Garden Court Apartments the land with a succession of glaciers and large lakes. The last of the melting glaciers created a very large “Lake Ontario” called Lake Iroquois. The north- Acknowledgements ern shore of Lake Iroquois ran along a line just north of present day Eglinton The support of the North York Community Preservation Panel and the Toronto Preservation Avenue. Later the lake receded and the plateau-like Leaside lands emerged Board, and the financial assistance of the City of Toronto Special Heritage Community Event Fund in producing the booklet, are gratefully acknowledged. high and dry. Thanks also to The Cultural Landscape Foundation for the opportunity to share the cultural heritage landscape of Leaside. The Agricultural Settlement Landscape The first survey of the Colonial settlement grid placed a series of large rectangular lots running east–west bounded by concession roads running north–south. The land lots of the future Leaside were owned and cultivated by a few farm families, interrupted only by small vernacular laneways con- necting to Yonge Street. Three “stranded” farmhouses of early settlers (John Lea Jr., James Lea, and Thomas Elgie), which were originally located in relation to their farms, and to the lanes, today present as being misplaced on their current lots (which are based on Todd’s town plan). Text Credits: Photo Credits: Paddy Duncan Goldsmith Borgal & Company Ltd Architects Geoff Kettel Paddy Duncan Connor Turnbull Christopher Graham Agnes Vermes Geoff Kettel Connor Turnbull Map credits: Kim Auchinachie Design and Printing Goldsmith Borgal & Company Ltd Architects Alvin Ng, Dragon Snap Design John Naulls Bruce Thornton, GM Thornton and Son References and Sources Jane Pitfield, Leaside, Dundurn Press, 1999 Paul Dilse, “An Illustrated History of Milestones in the Development of Leaside,” manuscript produced for the Leaside Property Owners’ Association, November 2014 Leaside 100 Committee, “The Layers of Leaside” Exhibit, April 2013 Settlement Map c.1912 Leaside Property Owners’ Association, Leaside Heritage Conservation District Nomination, November 2013 (John Naulls) Todd’s Designed Landscape Todd’s Designed Landscape Eight years after the launch of the world’s first garden city at Letchworth, American-born Todd (1876-1948), who had apprenticed as a landscape England, the Montreal landscape architect Frederick Gage Todd laid out the architect in the firm of Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot in Brookline, Massachu- Town of Leaside – one of three model new towns laid out on garden city setts before setting up practice in Montreal in 1900, set aside a large block principles for the Canadian Northern Railway (the railway company’s other of land in the town’s southeast quadrant for the railway terminal and two model towns were Port Mann on the Fraser River near Vancouver and industry. He laid out the greater part of the town with curvilinear streets, in the Town of Mount Royal on the north side of Montreal’s famous mountain). contrast to the pre-existing York Township grid surveyed between 1791 and In 1912, the York Land Company, a land holding company for the Canadian 1798. Most residential streets were 66 feet wide, intended for local traffic. Northern Railway, assembled 1,025 acres of farmland at Leaside Junction. Four thoroughfares for collecting and moving through traffic – one as wide Sale of house and industrial lots in the model new town was meant to pay as 110 feet – were at the top of the street hierarchy. Three long mid-block for construction of a new Canadian Northern Railway terminal at Leaside through lanes and two other quite short mid-block lanes were accommo- Junction. dated in the plan, and curvilinear lanes accessed and bounded a few small public gardens distributed through the plan. The plan with its curving streets created a variety of house lots. Todd and his client were influenced by many of the principles of the garden city movement: the acquisition of a large agricultural estate served by rail for development of a new town; the restriction of the size of the town to an area that would permit it to function as a self-contained community; the re- tention of the ownership of the land by a company or trust so as to maintain the principles on which the town was established; and the planning of the land and the development of roads, streets, sanitary services and recreation spaces so as to provide good conditions for both industrial and residential occupation. Todd’s 1912 plan for Leaside was not perfectly realized, but many of the features he gave it survived the 15-year delay in the town’s residential development and are still present. The gently arcing streets and the diagonal course of McRae Drive and Millwood Road still distinguish the community. Todd’s small parks were eliminated – Heather Gardens exists in name only – but the Town Council compensated by buying up lots for three public parks. Trace Manes in South Leaside serves as the green centre of the community. Town of Leaside Municipal Plan, 1913 – later parks (John Naulls) Trace Manes Park (Christopher Graham photo) CulturalCultural Heritage Heritage Landscape Landscape of Leasideof Leaside Walking Walking Tour Tour Cultural Heritage Landscape of Leaside Walking Tour EGLINTONEGLINTON AVE E AVE E EGLINTON AVE E LAIRD DR LAIRD DR WalkWalk LAIRD DR 1. Housing1. Housing Types Types I I Walk 2. Pocket2. Po Parkcket ParkI I 2. 2. 1. Housing Types I . BAYVIEW AVE BAYVIEW AVE BAYVIEW 3. Public3. Public civic spacecivic space S S S S E E HA HA R R RR RR N C N C ON ON MERO MERO D D 13. 13. 2. Pocket Park I CA CA 3.2. 3. R 4. R 4. 4. Leaside4. Leaside origins origins . BAYVIEW AVE BAYVIEW 3. Public civic space S S E HA R RR 5. Housing5. Housing Types Types II II N C ON RO D 13. CAME FIELD AVE FIELD AVE R 4. 4. Leaside origins 1. 1. 3. 6. Green6. Green Core Core MILLWO MILLWO OD RD OD RD 5. 5. 5. Housing Types II D D 7. Boul7. evBoulardsevards R R FIELD AVE A A N N N 1. N 6. 6. 6. Green Core A A 8. Talbot8. Ta Apartmentslbot Apartments H 10. 10. MILLW H OOD RD 5. D 7. Boulevards R 12. 12. A 9. Pocket9. Po Parkcket ParkII II N N BESSBOROUGH DR BESSBOROUGH DR 6. R R A 8. Talbot Apartments D D 10. H D D 10. Ga10.rd enGa rdCourten Court Apartments Apartments N N 7. 7. A A L L MCRAE DRMCRAE DR R R 12. 9. Pocket Park II D D E E R R H H Y Y T T BESSBOROUGH DR E E S S U U R M M S S RU RU D ExtendedExtended Walk Wa lk D 10. Garden Court Apartments N 7. A D D L 9. 9.MCRAE DR R R R RIE RIED E IRD IRD R H A A EY T 11. Crestvi11. Crestview Apartmentsew Apartments MS U RU S Extended Walk 12. Lea12. House Lea House (c.1909) (c.1909) 9. RD IE DR AIR 13. Fo11.13.rmer CrestviFo rmerLeasideew Leaside Apartments 8. 8. Municipal12. Lea Municipal House Building Building(c.1909) (1949) (1949) Fo13. rmer Fo Former rmerPerrem Leaside Pe rremand and 8. MOORE AVEMOORE AVE Knight MunicipalKnight General General Building Store Sto (1922) (1949)re (1922) LEACRESTLEACREST RD RD Former Perrem and MOORE AVE 11. 11. Knight General Store (1922) LEACREST RD 11. Church Church Cemeta Cemetary ry School School Wa lking Wa Tolkingur ToRouteur Route Church Cemetary School Walking To ur Route LeasideLeaside Credits:Credits: Map cr Mapeated cr byeated Kim by Auchinachi Kim Auchinachie, Connore, Connor Turnbull Turnbull and Geoff and GeoffKettel Ke©2015.ttel ©2015. MattersMatters Leaside Credits: Map created by Kim Auchinachie, Connor Turnbull and Geoff Kettel ©2015. Matters Two-storey semi-detached Agnes Macphail residence on Millwood Road In addition to single-detached and semi-detached houses, three “garden” apartment complexes – two on Bayview Avenue within the town proper, and another along Leacrest Road just to the south of the town limits were developed; The Garden Court Apartments (1477 Bayview Avenue); the Kelvin Grove, Strathavon, and Glen-Leven, the three blocks forming the Aerial from c.1928 of Laird and McRae showing first homes and Canada Wire and Cable buildings Talbot Apartments (1325-1365 Bayview Avenue), and Crestview Apartments The Developed Residential Landscape (Leacrest/Mallory area). Despite the clarity of the plan, the major part of Leaside’s residential development was initially delayed. Within the first five years the Canada Wire and Cable Company built factories in the industrial section to the east and built homes for their workers nearby. These homes, along with the settler farmhouses and barns, a grocery store and the train station were the earliest elements of the town. Other industry followed, but residential build- ing was sporadic during the interwar years. When conditions for residential development became favourable, Leaside’s Crestview Apartments developed landscape grew rapidly, and was even sustained through the Great Appropriately suited to the town’s garden-city origins, the collection of gar- Depression.