June 22, 1999

To:North York Community Council

From:Joe Halstead, Commissioner Economic Development, Culture & Tourism

Subject:Proposed Heritage Designation of the Michael Shepard House ,101 Senlac Road, Lot 17, Concession 1WYS - Under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (R.S.O. 1990) - Ward 10 - North York Centre

Purpose:

The North York Heritage Committee/Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, at its meeting of June 8, 1999, has recommended that the Michael Shepard House be designated as having architectural and historical significance in accordance with part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (R.S.O. 1990). This report is placed before the North York Community Council for its consideration and forwarding to Toronto City Council in accordance with the recommendations of the North York Heritage Committee/Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee.

Funding Sources, Financial Implication and Impact Statement:

Not applicable.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)Council for the City of Toronto approve the designation of the Michael Shepard House, 101 Senlac Road, Lot 17, Concession 1WYS - Ward 10, as a property of historical and architectural significance under part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (R.S.O. 1990) and in accordance with the recommendation of the North York Heritage Committee/Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee; and

(2)the appropriate staff be directed to do all things necessary to give effect thereto.

Background:

The North York Heritage Committee/Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, at its meeting held June 8, 1999, recommended that the Michael Shepard House, 101 Senlac Road, be designated as having architectural and historical significance in the North York community, City of Toronto.

Built in 1859, the Michael Shepard House is constructed in the Georgian Survival style and assumes great significance in connection with the Shepard family that settled in the historic community of Lansing at the beginning of the 19^th century. The house is also significant in association with Michael Shepard, who supported William Lyon Mackenzie's Radical Reform party and participated in the Rebellion of 1837.

Architecturally, the massing of the house takes the form of a two storey main block with a one-and-a-half storey kitchen wing positioned at the west rear. Incorporating a generous sense of proportion and a pleasing symmetry, the three-ranked facade of the Michael Shepard House is generally considered to be less common among Georgian buildings in the region.

Discussion:

The Michael Shepard House has been recommended by the North York Heritage Committee/Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee for designation under part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (R.S.O. 1990) on architectural and historical grounds.

When considered against the "Guidelines for the Evaluation of Heritage Properties", adopted by the former North York City Council in 1996, the Michael Shepard House clearly qualifies for designation under the Ontario Heritage Act. A copy of the assessment is attached as Appendix 'A'.

The "Reasons for Designation" which identify the significant historical aspects and architectural features of the Michael Shepard House and which are proposed for the designation are attached as Appendix 'B'.

The Owner, The Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries, has consented to the designation of the property with conditions relating to the issuing of development permits. The conditions have now been satisfied with the approval of all development applications by the Planning and Building Divisions, and the designation can now proceed. A copy of the letter from The Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries, addressed to the Economic Development, Culture and Tourism Department, is attached as Appendix 'C'.

Conclusion:

The Michael Shepard House is part of the unique and special heritage of the North York community and the City of Toronto. The property clearly qualifies for designation under the Ontario Heritage Act on both architectural and historical grounds.

Contact Name:

Beth Hanna

Culture Division

392-5225

Joe Halstead,

Commissioner Economic Development, Culture & Tourism

Economic Development, Culture & Tourism DepartmentAPPENDIX 'A'

Heritage Section/Culture Division - North York

Heritage Property Evaluation

Based on the "Guidelines for Evaluating Heritage Properties",

adopted by North York City Council - February 1996.

StyleNotable, Rare, Unique or Early Example of An Architectural Style, Type or Convention.

The Michael Shepard House is constructed as a Late Georgian, or alternatively labelled, Georgian Survival building. It also shows the influence of other buildings styles which appeared in Ontario during the 19^th century such as the NeoClassical and picturesque styles. The Georgian style prevailed throughout the years of 1784 - 1860 in Ontario. It is primarily recognized by ordered facade arrangements, based on prescribed rules of geometry, symmetry and proportion. Facade elements, such as windows, are usually distributed in a formal manner in order to achieve an equal balance of parts on either side of a central doorway, or frontispiece.

The NeoClassical style (which appeared in the United States as the American Federal Style and in Britain as the Adam Style) appeared in Ontario between the years 1800 - 1860. In general, the style carries a lighter and more refined appearance than its Georgian counterpart. The influence of NeoClassical architecture on the Michael Shepard House manifests itself at several key points: the windows are multi-pane sash with large apertures and thin glazing bars; gable ends feature quarter-round apertures and eave returns, and the entrance of the house once featured a transom spanning a single door and two sidelights on either side.

ConstructionNotable, Rare, Unique or Early Example of A Particular Material or Method of Construction.

The construction of the Michael Shepard House is fairly typical of 19^th century brick buildings in Ontario. Although concealed behind contemporary materials, the basement is constructed from fieldstone foundations and the exterior walls are composed of loadbearing masonry measuring 4 wythes in thickness. The only original framing left within the structure is located within the floors, some of the partitions at the second storey level and within the roof.

ArchitectDesigned or Built by An Architect or Builder Who Has Made A Significant Contribution To The Community, Province or Nation.

Unknown, but similarities to the Jacob and Sarah Stong House (1854) and other houses in the area indicate that the construction of the Michael Shepard house was probably based on stock plans and/or 19^th century pattern books.

DesignAttractive or Unique Because of Its Overall Excellence, Artistic Merit or Uniqueness of Design, Composition, Craftsmanship or Details.

The massing of the Michael Shepard House takes the form of a two-storey, rectangular block with a one-and-a-half storey kitchen wing positioned at the west rear. Both the house and its kitchen wing feature Cedar shake, gable configured roofs of modest pitch. Incorporating a generous sense of proportion and a pleasing symmetry, the three-ranked facade of the Michael Shepard House is generally considered to be less common among Georgian buildings in the region. All elevations incorporate symmetrically placed, multi-pane, six-over-six, sash windows with thin, NeoClassically influenced glazing bars.

Significant features of the house include: the wooden roof eaves (consisting of over-extended boxed soffit/fascia, frieze board and mouldings) articulated by curvilinear brackets on all elevations inclusive of cornice/eave returns; the paired double-stack chimney flues at the gable ends which feature corbeled and chamferred brick detailing; the prostyle wooden portico (not an original element, but an alteration worthy of preserving) with distyle (paired) Tuscan columns supporting a generous entablature; and the paired, NeoClassically styled, quarter-round apertures located within the attic storey of the gable ends (concealed by wooden louvered vents). The use of dichromatic brickwork on the exterior is a significant feature of the Michael Shepard House. On all elevations, buff coloured brick plays an important role in highlighting structural elements such as jack-arched lintels, belt courses, corner quoins, friezes, and the plinth. Although concealed by contemporary building materials, the basement of the Michael Shepard House is constructed from fieldstone foundations.

SiteOccupies Its Original Site.

The Michael Shepard House occupies its original site.

AlterationsRetains Most of Its Original Materials and Design Features; Has Had Little Alteration.

Having survived for more than 140 years, the Michael Shepard House is remarkably intact from the exterior. There has been some alteration of exteriors, i.e. the original front entrance was modified with the addition of contemporary doors and a wooden portico. Also, the original wooden sills have been replaced with brick sills. The window shutters are not original elements and are purely decorative, although they are appropriate to the size of the window openings. There has also been some inappropriate repointing of exterior walls (i.e. kitchen wing west wall) with cementitious mortars.

Conversely, the kitchen wing has been modified several times during the course of its life with the reconfiguration of its windows - first to allow for conversion of the wing into a two-car garage in the 1940s and then adaptation into washroom facilities and support spaces. The most recent changes occurred in 1993 when the interior of the ground floor was radically altered and the kitchen wing was renovated to contain new washrooms, a large hall, display area and offices above.

ConditionGood Structural Condition

Not determined.

AgeComparatively Old Within The Context of The Area.

The Michael Shepard House was built in 1859, at a time period when many farmers in Upper Canada improved their barns and upgraded to larger houses. Buildings of similar construction date in the area include: the David Gibson House (1851); Joseph Shepard I House/Dempsey Brothers Store (1860) and the Joseph Shepard II House (1835).

Other building types in the North York Commercial Centre area consist of commercial, recreational, cultural and residential buildings, most of which were constructed in the last quarter of this century.

Person(s)Associated With A Person Who Made A Significant Contribution To The Community, Province or Nation.

As a resident of Lansing, Michael Shepard was involved in farming and the operation of the family's milling business. He also operated his own mill at Oriole prior to building his Georgian home on Lot 17, Concession 1WYS in 1859.

EventAssociated With An Event or Movement of Local, Provincial or National Significance.

The historical significance of this former residence is derived in part from Michael Shepard's participation in the Rebellion of 1837 and his escape from a Kingston penitentiary. Michael Shepard's father, Joseph Shepard Sr., was a close friend and supporter of William Lyon Mackenzie, who led the radical wing of the Reform Party. After Joseph's death in 1837, Michael and his three brothers - Thomas, Joseph Jr., and Jacob, supported Mackenzie and the Reform Party's endeavors to seize the City of Toronto.

At the time of the Rebellion, Michael along with his brother Thomas and other men were sent to attack Tory troops who had been guarding the Don Bridge on King Street, Toronto. After confrontation there, they fled to avoid capture, but were found at Silverthorne's farm near the Humber River and then incarcerated in a Toronto Jail. Without receiving any trial, Michael and Thomas were sent to Kingston to await exile to Van Dieman's land in Australia, but managed to escape with other Reform Radicals from the penitentiary. They eventually crossed the American border where they were received by anti-British Americans and then safely escorted to Lewiston. After spending three years in the United States, Michael and Thomas Shepard learned that they had been pardoned by the Canadian government. Subsequently, they returned to Canada in 1843 to rejoin their families.

CommunityAssociated With The History or Development of An Area. (This Would Include Early

Development Structures Such As Farm And Village Houses or Churches).

In terms of community development, the Michael Shepard House is implicitly connected to the historical community of Lansing which was centred at today's Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue, and to a lesser degree the community of Willowdale which was located at the cross-roads of today's Park Home Avenue and Yonge Street.

In addition to operating farms in the area, the Shepard family also owned a number of mills which supplied lumber and flour locally and to places across Canada. In 1824, Thomas Shepard built the Golden Lion Inn on the south-west corner of Yonge & Sheppard. Several decades later, Joseph Shepard II constructed a large 2-1/2 storey Georgian style building on the north-west corner of that same intersection. This structure, which combined mercantile and residential uses, became the focus of the Lansing community during the 19^th century. Throughout the 20^th century, it earned the reputation of being North York's most famous hardware store. This building was the Dempsey Brothers Store which operated until the late 1980s. The store has since been relocated from its original site and forms a part of a public park on Beecroft Road. In 1996, it was restored and rehabilitated for use as a public archival facility by the former City of North York.

Another structure which stills stands as a reminder of the Shepard family legacy was built in 1835 and is located at No. 90 Burndale Avenue. This residence is the earliest of the family homes to survive and was built by Joseph Shepard Sr.

ContextAble To Illustrate Broad Patterns of Cultural, Social, Political, Military, Economic or Agricultural History.

The Michael Shepard House, in addition to other 19^th century houses that survive in the area, is symbolic of North York's rural heritage and early settlement. The house, with its original barn(s)[demolished], outbuildings and agricultural lands were typical in the way that large farms were developed and cultivated during the 19^th to mid-20th century. See also "Community Development".

ArchaeologySite Is Known or Thought To Be The Location of Archaeological Remains.

Unknown. However, because the property has been largely undeveloped, it may contain archaeological resources related to the occupation of the Shepard family, i.e. artifacts related to cultivation and farming of the lands.

ContinuityContributes To The Continuity or Character of The Street or Neighbourhood.

The Michael Shepard House is remotely located from other buildings (i.e. commercial, cultural and recreational) that make up the North York Commercial Centre . The house is also at some distance from nearby residential buildings developed as subdivision housing between the years 1920 - 1950.

LandmarkA Prominent or Conspicuous Structure That Has Visual or Sentimental Value for The Community.

Standing near the centre of the York Cemetery property, the Michael Shepard House is symbolic of the rural heritage of the North York and occupies a prominent position on the York Cemetery lands. At one time, the house faced Yonge Street, but urban intensification and development of the area has altered its visibility from Yonge Street.

SettingContributes To The Identity of A Community or Landscape.

The Michael Shepard House is elevated on a raised site and is greatly enhanced by open space on its east, south and north sides. The house together with its lands (now developed as open space/cemetery use) provide an important understanding of the original farm property and considerable insight into the rural character of the area.

EVALUATED BY:_________________________________________________________________________________Steven Bell

Architectural Historian

June 1, 1999

G:\GB\20\AGENDA\JULY15\SHEP.HSE

Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Department

Heritage Section/Culture Division - North York

Reasons for Designation

( Long Form)

Michael Shepard House ~ Lansing

101 Senlac Road

LOT 17, CONCESSION 1 WYS

NORTH YORK CENTRE - WARD 10

Toronto, Ontario

The Michael Shepard House is recommended for Designation under part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (R.S.O. 1990) for architectural and historical reasons.

The Michael Shepard House stands as one of three domestic structures that survive from the legacy of the Shepard family. An enterprising family, the Shepards settled in the historic village of Lansing at the beginning of the 19^th century and helped to foster its economic and industrial growth by establishing a number of farms, mills and mercantile businesses in the area.

Michael Shepard acquired the north-half of the farm property known as Lot 17, Concession 1 West of Yonge Street in 1837 from his father Joseph Shepard. He then purchased the south-half of the lot in 1855. With his wife Margaret, he built a two-storey, Georgian brick dwelling in 1859 which originally faced Yonge Street. Together, they resided in the house with their four children. Michael Shepard lived in the house until his death in 1876.

In 1916, the property was purchased by the Trustees of The Toronto General Burying Grounds for the purpose of developing a cemetery. The home of Michael and Margaret Shepard continued to be used as a private residence until 1948, when the Trustees of the Toronto General Burying Grounds officially opened the York Cemetery and ran its administration from the house. Today, the building continues to function as administrative offices under the organization's new name - The Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries.

The historical significance of this former residence is derived in part from Michael Shepard's participation in the Rebellion of 1837 and his escape from a Kingston penitentiary. Michael Shepard's father, Joseph Shepard Sr., was a close friend and significant supporter of William Lyon Mackenzie, who led the radical wing of the Reform Party. After Joseph's death in 1837, Michael and his three brothers - Thomas, Joseph Jr., and Jacob, supported Mackenzie and the Reform Party's endeavors to seize the City of Toronto.

At the time of the Rebellion, Michael along with his brother Thomas and other men were sent to attack Tory troops who had been guarding the Don Bridge on King Street, Toronto. After confrontation there, they fled to avoid capture, but were found at Silverthorne's farm near the Humber River and then incarcerated in a Toronto Jail. Without receiving any trial, Michael and Thomas were sent to Kingston to await exile to Van Dieman's land in Australia, but managed to escape with other Reform Radicals from the penitentiary. They eventually crossed the American border where they were received by anti-British Americans and then safely escorted to Lewiston. After spending three years in the United States, Michael and Thomas Shepard learned that they had been pardoned by the Canadian government. Subsequently, they returned to Canada in 1843 to rejoin their families.

Architecturally, the Michael Shepard House is fashioned in the Georgian Survival Style and to a lesser degree is inspired by the NeoClassical and picturesque architectural styles which appeared in Ontario during the 19th century. Its massing takes the form of a two-storey, rectangular block with a one-and-a-half storey kitchen wing positioned at the west rear. Both the house and its kitchen wing feature Cedar shake, gable configured roofs of modest pitch. Incorporating a generous sense of proportion and a pleasing symmetry, the three-ranked facade of the Michael Shepard House is generally considered to be less common among Georgian buildings in the region. All elevations incorporate symmetrically placed, multi-pane, six-over-six, sash windows with thin, NeoClassically influenced glazing bars.

Significant features of the house include: the wooden roof eaves (consisting of over-extended boxed soffits/fascia, frieze board and mouldings) articulated by curvilinear brackets on all elevations inclusive of cornice/eave returns; the paired double-stack chimney flues at the gable ends which feature corbeled and chamferred brick detailing; the prostyle wooden portico with distyle Tuscan columns supporting a generous entablature; and the paired, NeoClassically styled, quarter-round apertures located within the attic storey of the gable ends (concealed by wooden louvered vents). The use of dichromatic brickwork on the exterior is a significant feature of the Michael Shepard House. On all elevations, buff coloured brick plays an important role in highlighting structural elements such as jack-arched lintels, belt courses, corner quoins, friezes, and the plinth. Characteristic of Georgian style houses in Ontario, the front (east) elevation features Flemish bond brickwork with Common bond used on all other facades. Although concealed by contemporary building materials, the basement of the Michael Shepard House is constructed from fieldstone foundations. Interior elements and spaces are not covered by the 'Reasons for Designation'.

The Michael Shepard House is elevated on a raised site and is greatly enhanced by open space on its east, south and north sides. The house together with its lands (now developed as open space/cemetery use) provide an important understanding of the original farm property and considerable insight into the rural character of the area.