Notice of intention to designate

303 George Street (Frank Beecroft Houses)
Take notice that Toronto City Council intends to designate the lands and buildings known municipally as 303 George Street (Frank Beecroft Houses) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Reasons for Designation

Description
The property at 303 George Street 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 categories of design and contextual values. Located on the east side of George Street between Dundas Street East and Gerrard Street East, the property contains a pair of 2½-storey semi-detached house form buildings (1911) that were constructed by Frank Beecroft, a contractor.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The semi-detached house form buildings at 303 George Street have design value as representative examples of residential structures dating to the pre-World War I era that were designed to complement in scale and setback their neighbours on the east side of George Street. The sombre red brickwork, symmetry and classical influences are typical of the popular Edwardian Classical style of this period.

Contextually, the property now known as 303 George Street is historically linked to its surroundings in the neighbourhood adjoining Sherbourne Street where the former 'park lot' acquired by the prominent Allan family was subdivided for residential developments beginning in the mid 1800s. The surviving pair of semi-detached house form buildings contributes to the streetscape of extant 19th- and early-20th century residential buildings that includes the Thomas Meredith House at 305 George Street, which is designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Heritage Attributes
The heritage attributes of the property at 303 George Street are:

• The scale, form and massing of the pair of 2½-storey semi-detached house form buildings
• The materials, with brick cladding, and brick, stone and wood trim
• The gable roof with a firebreak (south), end chimneys (north and south) and, on the west slope, the pair of hipped dormers
• On the principal (west) façades, the symmetrically-placed flat-headed door and window openings with lintels, and the oriel window in the second storey of the left (north) unit that is typical of Edwardian Classicism
• The exposed north wall that is viewed from George Street.

The wing that extends eastward from the rear (east) wall of the building at 303 George Street is not identified as a heritage attribute in the Reasons for Designation.

Further information respecting the proposed designation is available for viewing from the City Clerk's Office.

Notice of an objection to the proposed designation may be served on the City Clerk, Attention: Rosalind Dyers, Administrator, Toronto and East York Community Council, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, 2nd floor, West, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2N2, within thirty days of May 7, 2012, which is June 6, 2012. The notice must set out the reason(s) for the objection, and all relevant facts.

Dated at Toronto this 7th day of May, 2012.

Ulli S. Watkiss
City Clerk