ATTACHMENT NO. 5 HERITAGE PROPERTY RESEARCH AND EVALUATION REPORT THE GRANGE AND GRANGE PARK 317 DUNDAS STREET WEST, TORONTO Prepared by: Heritage Preservation Services City Planning Division City of Toronto March 2015 1. DESCRIPTION Above: Howland Sketch of The Grange, 1887 (source: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 232. Series 778); Cover: The Grange and Grange Park looking north from John Street (Heritage Preservation Services, 2015) 317 Dundas Street West: The Grange and Grange Park ADDRESS 317 Dundas Street West (south end of property adjoining Beverley Street to the west ) WARD 20 (Trinity-Spadina) LEGAL DESCRIPTION Park Lot 13, part NEIGHBOURHOOD/COMMUNITY Grange HISTORICAL NAME The Grange and Grange Park CONSTRUCTION DATE 1817-1820 ORIGINAL OWNER D'Arcy Boulton, Jr., lawyer and merchant ORIGINAL USE Residential CURRENT USE* Institutional and Public * This does not refer to permitted use(s) as defined by the Zoning By-law ARCHITECT/BUILDER/DESIGNER See Section 2 DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION/MATERIALS Brick cladding with brick, stone, wood and glass detailing ARCHITECTURAL STYLE Neoclassical ADDITIONS/ALTERATIONS See Section 2 CRITERIA Design/Physical, Historical/Associative and Contextual HERITAGE STATUS Designated under Part IV, Section 29, Ontario Heritage Act by By-law 1991-0130 RECORDER Heritage Preservation Services: Kathryn Anderson REPORT DATE March 2015 2. BACKGROUND This research and evaluation report describes the history, architecture and context of the portion of the property at 317 Dundas Street West containing The Grange and Grange Park, which was designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in 1991 by former City of Toronto By-law No. 1991-0130. The report includes an evaluation of the property according to Ontario Regulation 9/06, the criteria for municipal designation prescribed by the Province of Ontario following the 2005 amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act. The conclusions of the research and evaluation are found in Section 4 (Summary). i. HISTORICAL TIMELINE Key Date Historical Event 1793 Park Lot 13 is patented to Robert Gray, and transferred to his executor in 1835 1808 D’Arcy Boulton, Jr. purchases Park Lot 13 and marries Sarah Ann Robinson 1817 The foundations of Boulton's house are laid, with the residence completed by 18201 c. 1840 A watercolour of The Grange by architect Henry Bowyer Lane illustrates the house in a landscaped setting 1842 Cane’s topographical plan shows The Grange with its uniquely shaped carriageway, landscaping and alignment with John Street, as well as the first west wing 1844 William Henry Boulton, D’Arcy’s second son, wins four prizes at the inaugural show of the Toronto Horticultural Society 1846 D'Arcy's widow inherits the property where she continues to reside with her son, William Henry and his bride, Harriette Elizabeth Mann Dixon2 1858 Boulton’s Atlas labels the area behind (north of) the house “Grange property” and the property in front (south) of the house as “St. George’s Square” where a gate house is shown at the south entrance to the site at John Street and Grange Road 1860 Walnut and elm trees are planted on the lawn to commemorate the visit to The Grange of the Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII) 1860s An early archival photograph shows the vines covering the south elevation of The Grange, as well as the domed conservatory at the east end of the house and the original wood portico protecting the south entry 1874 William Henry Boulton dies 1875 Harriette marries English scholar, Goldwin Smith 1876 A bird’s eye illustration shows the residential development in the Grange neighbourhood 1884 The first Goad’s Atlas portraying the neighbourhood shows The Grange and its open space bounded by Grange Road (south), McCaul Street (east) and Beverley Street (west), with residential buildings along the north end of the site (present-day Dundas Street West) 1885 An archival photograph shows the second west wing added for Smith’s library, 1 Lumsden (29) suggests that Boulton designed The Grange himself, although (unlike his compatriot, Dr. William Warren Baldwin of "Spadina") he is not described as an amateur architect in historical accounts 2 As part of her marriage settlement, the seven‐acre property with The Grange was deeded to Harriette the new greenhouse attached to the east end of the house, and the stone portico replicating the original entry porch 1900 The Grange is featured in an article in The Canadian Architect and Builder, which includes a landscape plan 1909 Harriette Smith dies, followed by her husband the next year 1911 The Grange and its lands are donated to the Art Museum of Toronto (forerunner to today's Art Gallery of Ontario), followed by an agreement with the municipality to manage the grounds as Grange Park 1913 The Grange is formally reopened in 1913 as exhibit space for the art museum3 1918 The Grange remains part of the renamed Art Gallery of Toronto4 1920 The Ontario College of Art moves from The Grange to a purpose-built school next door 1965 The Grange remains part of the renamed Art Gallery of Ontario 1967 Restoration of The Grange as a historic house museum begins 1970 The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada designates The Grange a National Historic Site (with a commemorative plaque dedicated in 1984) 1975 Goldwin Smith is designated a person of national historic significance by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, with a commemorative plaque installed in Grange Park in 1984 1991 The City of Toronto designates the property at 317 Dundas Street West (The Grange and Grange Park) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act by By-law 130-91 2005 The City of Toronto enters into a heritage easement agreement with the Art Gallery of Ontario, which protects the Grange, including the interiors 2013 The City of Toronto's Official Plan Amendment to adopt new Heritage and Public Realm Policies identifies The Grange and Grange Park among the Prominent and Heritage Buildings, Structures and Landscapes in the schedule of views ii. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Grange: Boulton Family The Grange and its setting, Grange Park are located on part of Park Lot 13, which was one of the 100-acre allotments granted to associates of the provincial government after the founding of the Town of York (Toronto) in 1793 (Image 2). Extending from present- day Queen to Bloor Streets, east of Spadina Avenue, Park Lot 13 was awarded to Robert Gray, but the acreage remained undeveloped when his executor conveyed it in 1808 to D’Arcy Boulton, Jr. (1785-1846), the son of a prominent politician identified with the "Family Compact."5 Boulton was a solicitor, merchant and realtor whose purchase of the 3 Art Gallery of Ontario: selected works, 16 4 The first purpose‐built wing was completed north of The Grange in 1918, followed by a new entrance block on Dundas Street West in 1925 and memorial galleries financed by the T. Eaton Company in the 1930s. At the end of the 20th century, Stages I‐III dated to 1974, 1977 and 1993. In 2008, the Transformation AGO Project was unveiled, followed by the Weston Family Learning Centre 5 The term referred to the small group of powerful men who controlled political, business, judicial and religious life in Upper Canada (Ontario) in the first half of the 19th century park lot coincided with his marriage to Sarah Anne Robinson (1785-1863).6 Boulton’s impressive country house was built in 1817-1820 and named “The Grange.” The residence was surrounded by expansive grounds designed for the private enjoyment and horticultural pursuits of the family. Twenty years after The Grange was completed, the house and its park-like setting were pictured in a water colour (Image 3). At the same time, Cane’s plan of 1842 showed the position and orientation of The Grange, with outbuildings to the rear (north) that were adjoined by gardens and the orchard (Image 4). More significantly, the image illustrated the carriageway or driveway, with the unusual semi-elliptical shape that has been described as unique in Toronto.7 The drive outlined an open area with trees as well as a north/south pathway that aligned with John Street to the south, providing The Grange with a distant view of Toronto harbour and placing the property as the northerly terminus of John Street. Cane also showed the first west wing, which was among the alterations made to The Grange in the 1840s. The addition of a domed conservatory at the east end of the house was accompanied by extensive renovations to the interior.8 After the death of D’Arcy Boulton, Jr. in 1846, his widow remained at The Grange where she resided with her second son and heir, William Henry Boulton (1812-75) and his new wife, Harriette Dixon (1825-1909). An attorney, William Henry entered municipal politics in the 1830s, leading to four terms as the Mayor of Toronto. He evidently “lent dignity to the office of mayor by his family prestige and by his impressive residence known as the “Grange” where he entertained the governor general, Lord Elgin…”9 William Henry was elected to the provincial assembly in the mid 19th century, and his interest in horticulture undoubtedly influenced his championing of Toronto as a permanent home for the annual provincial agricultural exhibition (forerunner to the Canadian National Exhibition). Land records indicate that the Boulton family began selling off portions of Park Lot 13 as early as the 1820s, and the first residential subdivisions were depicted on maps and atlases by the mid 19th century (including Image 5). With the reduction in size of the property and the introduction of city streets that included present-day Grange Road, a gate house was placed near the new south entrance to the property on John Street, which was depicted on Boulton’s Atlas of 1858, along with additions to the conservatories (Image 6).