Notice of intention to designate, City of Toronto, Province of Ontario

570 King Street West: Toronto Silver Plate Building

Take notice that Toronto City Council intends to designate the lands and buildings known municipally as 570 King Street West under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Reasons for Designation

Description:
The property at 570 King Street West is worthy of designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value or interest, and meets the criteria for designation prescribed by the Province of Ontario under the three categories of design or physical value, historical value and contextual value. Located on the north side of King Street West, east of Portland Street, the building was constructed in 1882 for the Toronto Silver Plate Company. The property was included on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties in 2005.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value:
The cultural heritage value of the Toronto Silver Plate Building is related to its design or physical value as a representative example of a late 19th century industrial building, which is distinguished from other factories in the area by its design. The rectangular plan is aligned on the site so that the long south wall is parallel to King Street West, while the gable roof with a central gable peak and a ventilator is an unusual feature on an industrial building in the area.

The cultural heritage value of the Toronto Silver Plate Building also relates to its historical value as one of the earliest surviving factory complexes in the King-Spadina neighbourhood. The neighbouring Gurney Stove Factory (1872) at 500 and 520 King Street West is the only identified industrial building in the area that predates the construction of the Toronto Silver Plate Building and is recognized on the City's Inventory of Heritage Properties.

The cultural heritage value of the Toronto Silver Plate Building is also connected to its contextual value as it defines, maintains and supports the industrial appearance and character of the King-Spadina neighbourhood. Its construction in the late 19th century preceded the development of the area as the City's manufacturing centre after the Great Fire of 1904.

Heritage Attributes:
TThe heritage attributes of the Toronto Silver Plate Building related to its cultural heritage value as a representative example of a late 19th century industrial building are found on the exterior walls and roof, with attention focused on the principal (south) façade and the side (east and west) walls of the original (south) building, consisting of:

• The red brick cladding with brick and stone trim
• The 3½ storey rectangular-shaped plan, oriented so that the long south wall forms the principal façade
• The gable roof with brick end chimneys (the chimneys have been altered)
• The brick and wood-clad base of the central roof ventilator (the hipped roof ventilator, shown in historical images, has been removed)
• The organization of the south façade into 11 bays with a central three-bay frontispiece beneath a gable that contains a trio of round-arched window openings
• The fenestration on the south façade, where segmental-arched window openings with brick voussoirs are placed in the lower two stories, and flat-headed window openings with lintels and sills are positioned in the third floor
• The side (east and west) elevations, where the shape of the fenestration is continued from the south façade (the west wall is partially concealed by the neighbouring building)
• The Reasons for Designation do not include the single-storey flat-roofed addition on the south façade, the rear (north) wall, or the rear (north) attachments to the original building

The Reasons for Designation, including a description of the heritage attributes of the property, are available for viewing from the City Clerk's Department or from Heritage Preservation Services, Policy and Research Section, City Planning Division, City of Toronto.

Notice of an objection to the proposed designation may be served on the City Clerk, Attention: Christine Archibald, Administrator, Toronto and East York Community Council, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, 12th floor, Toronto, ON, M5H 2N2, within thirty days of the 16th of July, 2007, which is August 15th, 2007. The notice must set out the reason(s) for the objection, and all relevant facts.

Dated at Toronto this 16th day of July, 2007.

Ulli S. Watkiss
City Clerk