TORONTO
September 1, 1999
To:City of Toronto Community Council
From:Managing Director, Toronto Historical Board
Subject:Designation Under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act - - 395, 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue (William
Thompson House, William Smith House and Robert Smith House)
Purpose:
This report recommends that the properties at 395 Brunswick Avenue (William Thompson House), 397 Brunswick Avenue
(William Smith House) and 399 Brunswick Avenue (Robert Smith House) be designated for architectural reasons under
Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act and that permission be granted to enter into Heritage Easement Agreements with the
property owners.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
Not applicable.
Recommendations:
- That City Council state its intention to designate the property at 395 Brunswick Avenue (William Thompson House) for
architectural reasons under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
2.That City Council state its intention to designate the property at 397 Brunswick Avenue (William Smith House) for
architectural reasons under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
3.That City Council state its intention to designate the property at 399 Brunswick Avenue (Robert Smith House) for
architectural reasons under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
4. That authority be granted for the execution of Heritage Easement Agreements under Section 37 of the Ontario Heritage
Act with the owners of 395, 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue using substantially the form of easement agreement prepared
by the City Solicitor, subject to such amendments as may be deemed necessary by the City Solicitor in consultation with
Heritage Toronto (Toronto Historical Board).
5.That the owners be requested to provide Heritage Toronto (Toronto Historical Board) with two (2) copies of the
required photographs of 395, 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue for inclusion in the easement agreements.
6. That a detailed restoration plan be prepared for each building by a restoration architect to the satisfaction of the
Managing Director of Heritage Toronto prior to making application for any building permit.
7.That the owner agree to post a letter of credit in an amount and form satisfactory to the Managing Director, in
consultation with the City Solicitor, prior to making application for any building permit.
8. That the appropriate officials be authorized to take whatever action is necessary to give effect hereto.
Background:
At its meeting of June 28, 1999, the Board of Heritage Toronto had before it the attached report recommending the
designation of the properties at 395 Brunswick Avenue (William Thompson House), 397 Brunswick Avenue (William
Smith House) and 399 Brunswick Avenue (Robert Smith House) under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The owners
have agreed to the designation of the properties and have agreed to enter into Heritage Easement Agreements.
Comments:
Short Statement of Reasons for Designation
William Thompson House
395 Brunswick Avenue
The property at 395 Brunswick Avenue is designated for architectural reasons. The house was constructed in 1900
according to the designs of the Toronto architectural firm of Bond and Smith for William R. Thompson, manager of the
Toronto Brewing and Malting Company.
The William Thompson House is designed in the Period Revival style based on English medieval architecture. Constructed
of brick with brick, stone and wood detailing, the house rises 2½-stories beneath a jerkin-head roof with a firebreak wall,
chimney, dormers and Classically trimmed window openings. On the narrow rectangular plan, the principal (west) façade
has a first-floor bay window and second-storey tripartite window opening, a recessed entrance porch with Tudor-arch
openings, corner buttress and wood door, and a single-storey open porch with a hip roof and wood detailing. The south
wall displays a three-part lancet window containing stained glass, a single-storey bay window, and flat-headed window
openings. The north wall is blank. The 2-storey rear addition is not included in the Reasons for Designation.
On the interior, the ceiling mouldings and fireplace in the first-floor parlour (west), and the fireplace in the second-floor
bedroom (southwest) are important features. No other interior elements are included in the Reasons for Designation.
The William Thompson House is located on the east side of Brunswick Avenue, north of Lowther Avenue. The house is a
good example of Period Revival design executed by an important Toronto architectural firm. With its setback on a
landscaped lot, the property is an important feature of Brunswick Avenue in the West Annex neighbourhood.
Short Statement of Reasons for Designation
William and Robert Smith Houses
397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue
The properties at 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue are designated for architectural reasons. The identical houses were
constructed in 1902 according to the designs of the Toronto architectural firm of G. M. Miller and Company for brothers
and lumber merchants William and Robert Smith.
Designed in the Queen Anne style, William and Robert Smith Houses are identical buildings. Constructed of red brick and
trimmed with brick, stone and wood, each structure features an irregularly-shaped plan covered by a cross-gable roof with a
brick chimney and, in each gable, shingled cladding. A wall dormer with a gable roof, shingle cladding and brackets
extends from the south slope. On the principal (west) facade, the two-storey bay window with a gable roof and brackets,
the wood door with a glass insert and stained glass transom, the oval window and flat-headed window openings are
important features. The Robert Smith House retains its Classically-designed verandah. On both houses, the long south wall
has a two-storey bay window incorporating a stained glass window, projecting centre wall and flat-headed window
openings. On the north wall, there are flat-headed window openings, one of which contains stained glass, as well as a
monumental segmental-headed stained glass window with a transom. The 2-storey south and 3-storey rear (east) additions
on #397, the bridge connecting #397 with a neighbouring building, and the 2-storey rear (east) addition on #399 are not
included in the Reasons for Designation.
The Robert Smith House retains important interior features. On the first floor, the entrance hall has an elaborate wood
staircase, and the front (west) and rear (east) parlours display a plaster ceiling with mouldings (west room), panelled wood
wainscotting, wood door and window surrounds, and a double fireplace with wood detailing. On the second floor, the
fireplace in the front (west) bedroom is identified. No other interior elements are included in the Reasons for Designation.
The properties at 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue located on the east side of Brunswick Avenue, north of Lowther Avenue.
With their setback and landscaped setting, the William and Robert Smith Houses are important features on Brunswick
Avenue in the West Annex neighbourhood.
Conclusion:
Heritage Toronto recommends that City Council designate the properties at 395 Brunswick Avenue (William Thompson
House), 397 Brunswick Avenue (William Smith House), and 399 Brunswick Avenue (Robert Smith House) for
architectural reasons under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Contact Name:
Ms. Kathryn Anderson
Preservation Officer, Historical Preservation Division, Toronto Historical Board
Tel: 392-6827, ext. 239
Fax: 392-6834
George Waters,
Acting Managing Director
(g:\report\1999\cc99\cc99013.thb)
copy:
Councillor John Adams, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Suite A14, Toronto, M5H 2N2
Councillor Ila Bossons, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Suite A17, Toronto,
M5H 2N2
HERITAGE TORONTO
To:Chair and Members, Toronto Historical BoardJune 20, 1999
Subject:395-403 Brunswick Avenue - Site Plan Approval Application # 398109 and Rezoning Application 199007
From:Managing Director, Heritage Toronto (thb99024.hpd)
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the Board approve this Site Plan application and Rezoning subject to the following conditions:
1. That the owner agree to the designation of the properties at 395, 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue pursuant to Part IV of
the Ontario Heritage Act to be of architectural and historical value.
2. That the owner agree to enter into Heritage Easement Agreements with the City of Toronto to preserve these historic
buildings in perpetuity.
3. That a detailed restoration plan be prepared for each building by a restoration architect to the satisfaction of the
Managing Director of Heritage Toronto prior to making application for any building permit.
4.That the owner agree to post a letter of credit in an amount and form satisfactory to the Managing Director, in
consultation with the City Solicitor, prior to making application for any building permit.
5. That the appropriate officials be authorized to take whatever action is necessary to give effect hereto.
COMMENTS
1.Background:
A report describing the history of each property, their status as listed properties, and recommended designation (consistent
with Recommendation 1) will be included separately on a future Board meeting's agenda.
The owner of the properties as it appears on Deed is Brunswick Court Inc., c/o Gabor + Popper Architects Inc. George
Popper of the firm is the architect for this project.
2.Discussion:
The proposal site of approximately one acre contains four house-form buildings. Two of the buildings, 397 and 399
Brunswick Avenue, are listed on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties, (July 2, 1974). The building
located at 395 Brunswick Avenue will be recommended for inclusion. The building at 401 Brunswick Avenue is not
recommended for inclusion. The property had been owned for approximately 60 years by the Church Army of Canada. The
Church made several alterations and additions to the buildings.
The proposed development calls for the retention and restoration of the 395, 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue. An
appropriate townhouse residential infill project is proposed at the rear of the property, separate from the retained buildings.
A two storey aluminium clad addition attached to 397 Brunswick Avenue is to be demolished. A road from Brunswick
Avenue into the rear of the property will provide access to the new townhouses.
Many of the large and mature trees will be preserved on the site with additional trees planted as part of the landscaping
design. An elm tree located at 399 Brunswick Avenue will be removed. The applicant's arborist has identified this tree to
be in poor condition. Furthermore, the tree's root system is embedded into the foundation of porch and would make
restoration of the porch impossible without its removal.
Staff has met with the applicant and is satisfied that the development will benefit the historic buildings on the site. Once
restored, these buildings may contain either single family or multi-family residential. The building at 403 Brunswick
Avenue will be demolished and replaced with a house-form, 6 unit townhouse building with massing that complements the
existing streetscape.
Staff support this proposal subject to the conditions contained in the recommendations.
George Waters,
Managing Director
MW
cc.Mr. George Popper, Gabor + Popper Architects Inc.,
Mr. Bruce McCormick, Planner, Urban Planning and Development Services
HERITAGE TORONTO
Heritage Property Report
William Thompson House
395 Brunswick Avenue
August 1999
Heritage Property Report
William Thompson House
395 Brunswick Avenue
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Basic Building Data
Historical Background
1. West Annex
2.395 Brunswick Avenue
Architectural Description
Context
Summary
Sources Consulted
Attachments:
IShort Statement of Reasons for Designation
IILocation Map
IIIPhotographs
HERITAGE TORONTO
Heritage Property Report
Basic Building Data:
Address:395 Brunswick Avenue (east side of Brunswick Avenue, north of Lowther Avenue)
Ward:23 (Midtown)
Current Name: not applicable
Historical Name: William Thompson House
Construction Date:1900
Architect: Bond and Smith
Contractor/Builder: John E. Webb
Additions/Alterations:dates unknown, 2-storey rear (east) addition; enclosed bridge between #395 and 397 Brunswick
Original Owner:William Thompson, brewery manager
Original Use:residential (single family dwelling)
Current Use*:not applicable
Heritage Category: Neighbourhood Heritage Property (Category C)
Recording Date: August 1999
Recorder:HPD:KA
* this does not refer to permitted use(s) as defined in the Zoning By-law
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
1.Neighbourhood:
When the Town of York was established in 1793, the land north of present-day Bloor Street and west of the Don River was
divided into a series of Park Lots that Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe awarded to government officials. Lot 25,
located east of Bathurst Street, was granted to John McGill who established a country estate named "Davenport" on the
acreage. In 1821, the property was acquired by Joseph Wells (1773-1853), a retired British officer who divided the site into
three allotments that were distributed among his heirs. Beginning in 1862, the Wells lands were further subdivided.
Building lots were laid out around three north-south streets originally named for members of the Wells family but later
renamed Albany, Howland and Brunswick. The annexation of the area by the City of Toronto in 1888 coincided with the
extension of streetcar service along Bloor Street West. The neighbourhood is now identified as the West Annex.
2.395 Brunswick Avenue:
With its proximity to the central core of the city, the West Annex neighbourhood attracted prominent residents, including
Robert Y. Eaton, president of the T. Eaton Company, who lived at 383 Brunswick Avenue. Landowners commissioned the
pre-eminent Toronto architects of the period to design their residences.
William R. Thompson, the owner of the property at 395 Brunswick Avenue, engaged the Toronto architectural firm of
Bond and Smith to prepare plans for the site. This commission was among the earliest accepted by Sanford Fleming Smith
(1873-1943) and Charles Herbert Acton Bond (1869-1924) following the formation of their partnership in 1899. Smith
apprenticed with Toronto architects Strickland and Symon before receiving additional training in New York City. English
architect Acton Bond immigrated to Canada in 1888 where he was associated with the Toronto firms of Langley and Burke
and Darling and Pearson. Relocating to New York City, Bond spent six years working and studying at Columbia
University. Bond and Smith designed numerous houses and commercial buildings and, as consulting architects for the
Niagara Power Company, supervised the construction of a powerhouse and office complex in Niagara Falls. The
Consumers' Gas Company's Station A at 296 Front Street East (1898) is among the firm's Toronto projects identified on
the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties. The partnership was dissolved in 1919.
In July 1900, the architects received a building permit to construct the house at 395 Brunswick Avenue. Thompson,
manager of the Toronto Brewing and Malting Company on Simcoe Street, resided on-site until 1915. In the mid-1940s, the
property was acquired by the Church Army in Canada who operated a training centre in the adjoining house at #397
Brunswick. The organization retained the property until 1998.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
The William Thompson House is designed with features inspired by the Period Revival style that gained popularity in
North America at the turn of the 20th century. Drawing on elements from English medieval architecture, the style is
"marked by a striking combination of Medieval forms with Classical elements reflecting the Elizabethan and Jacobean
periods when Renaissance features began to "modernize" the Gothic" (Blumenson, 156). While based on historical
precedents, the overall composition offered a new simplicity in architecture after the excesses of late-19th century design.
The William Thompson House is constructed of brick and trimmed with brick voussoirs, stone sills and wood detailing.
The long narrow rectangular plan rises 2½ stories and is covered by a steeply-pitched jerkin-head roof with extended eaves.
On the north side, a firebreak wall is topped by a brick chimney. Segmental-headed dormers with Classical detailing are
positioned on the west and rear (east) slopes, and a flat-headed tripartite window opening with an entablature is found on
the south side.
The principal (west) façade is organized into two bays in the first floor, with a tripartite window opening in the second
storey. A single-storey bay window with brackets is positioned beside a recessed entrance porch with Tudor-arched
openings on the south face and a corner buttress. A single-leaf wood door marks the entry. An open single-storey porch
with a hip roof, Tudor arches and wood detailing protects the southwest corner of the building. On the south wall of the
house, a single-storey bay window is placed next to three narrow lancet windows with stained glass and a continuous sill.
Single and double flat-headed window openings mark the second storey. The north wall is blank. The 2-storey rear (east)
addition with a pedestrian bridge connecting #395 and 397 Brunswick are not included in the Reasons for Designation.
Significant interior elements are the Classically-inspired ceiling mouldings and fireplace in the front (west) parlour on the
main floor, and a similarly-detailed fireplace with a metal grate in the south-west bedroom on the second floor. No other
interior elements are identified in the Reasons for Designation.
CONTEXT:
The property at 395 Brunswick Avenue is located on the east side of Brunswick Avenue, north of Lowther Avenue, in a
predominantly residential streetscape. The adjoining houses to the north at 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue date to 1902
and are included on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties. On the south, the large property at 385
Brunswick Avenue contains the Loretto Abbey private school. The south portion of the school was completed in 1915,
while the north wing replaced a former house at 393 Brunswick Avenue. The William Thompson House shares its setback
on a tree-lined street with the neighbouring properties along both sides of Brunswick Avenue.
SUMMARY:
The property at 395 Brunswick Avenue is identified for architectural reasons. The William Thompson House is an early
example of the work of the important Toronto architects Bond and Smith. The Period Revival design draws on English
medieval precedents and has surviving interior features.
Located on the east side of Brunswick Avenue, north of Lowther Avenue, the William Thompson House shares its setback
and landscaped setting with the adjoining properties. It forms part of the Brunswick Avenue streetscape in the West Annex
neighbourhood.
Sources Consulted:
Arthur, Eric. Toronto. No Mean City. 3rd ed. Rev. by Stephen A. Otto. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1986.
Assessment Rolls, City of Toronto, 1900-1910.
Blumenson, John. Ontario Architecture. Toronto: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1990.
Building Permit #64, 5 July 1900.
City of Toronto Directories, 1900 ff.
Lundell, Liz. The Estates of Old Toronto. Erin, Ont.: Boston Mills Press, 1997.
McHugh, Patricia. Toronto Architecture. A City Guide. 2nd ed. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1989.
Kathryn Anderson
August 1999
APPENDIX I
Short Statement of Reasons for Designation
William Thompson House
395 Brunswick Avenue
The property at 395 Brunswick Avenue is designated for architectural reasons. The house was constructed in 1900
according to the designs of the Toronto architectural firm of Bond and Smith for William R. Thompson, manager of the
Toronto Brewing and Malting Company.
The William Thompson House is designed in the Period Revival style based on English medieval architecture. Constructed
of brick with brick, stone and wood detailing, the house rises 2½-stories beneath a jerkin-head roof with a firebreak wall,
chimney, dormers and Classically trimmed window openings. On the narrow rectangular plan, the principal (west) façade
has a first-floor bay window and second-storey tripartite window opening, a recessed entrance porch with Tudor-arch
openings, corner buttress and wood door, and a single-storey open porch with a hip roof and wood detailing. The south
wall displays a three-part lancet window containing stained glass, a single-storey bay window, and flat-headed window
openings. The north wall is blank. The 2-storey rear addition is not included in the Reasons for Designation.
On the interior, the ceiling mouldings and fireplace in the first-floor parlour (west), and the fireplace in the second-floor
bedroom (southwest) are important features. No other interior elements are included in the Reasons for Designation.
The William Thompson House is located on the east side of Brunswick Avenue, north of Lowther Avenue. The house is a
good example of Period Revival design executed by an important Toronto architectural firm. With its setback on a
landscaped lot, the property is an important feature of Brunswick Avenue in the West Annex neighbourhood.
HERITAGE TORONTO
Heritage Property Report
William and Robert Smith Houses
397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue
August 1999
Heritage Property Report
William and Robert Smith Houses
397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Basic Building Data
Historical Background
1.West Annex
2.397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue
Architectural Description
1.Exteriors: 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue
- Interior: 399 Brunswick Avenue
Context
Summary
Sources Consulted
Attachments:
IShort Statement of Reasons for Designation
IILocation Map
IIIPhotographs
HERITAGE TORONTO
Heritage Property Report
Basic Building Data:
Address:397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue (east side of Brunswick Avenue, north of Lowther Avenue)
Ward:23 (Midtown)
Current Name: not applicable
Historical Name:#397: William Smith House
#399: Robert Smith House
Construction Date:1902
Architect:G. M. Miller and Company
Contractor/Builder:Thompson Brothers
Additions/Alterations:#397: dates unknown, window sash replaced in 2-storey bay window; verandah removed and
replaced by canopy; window opening altered on south wall; 2-storey enclosed addition on south wall; entry added on north
wall; 3-storey rear (east) addition; enclosed bridge between #395 and 397 Brunswick
#399: dates unknown, verandah partially enclosed and balcony replaced; 2-storey rear (east) addition
Original Owner:#397: William Smith, lumber merchant
#399: Robert Smith, lumber merchant
Original Use:residential (single family dwellings)
Current Use*:not applicable
Heritage Category: Notable Heritage Properties (Category B)
Recording Date: August 1999
Recorder:HPD:KA
* this does not refer to permitted use(s) as defined in the Zoning By-law
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
- Neighbourhood:
When the Town of York was established in 1793, the land north of present-day Bloor Street and west of the Don River
was divided into a series of Park Lots that Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe awarded to government officials. Lot
25, located east of Bathurst Street, was granted to John McGill who established a country estate named "Davenport" on the
acreage. In 1821, the property was acquired by Joseph Wells (1773-1853), a retired British officer who divided the site into
three allotments that were distributed among his heirs. Beginning in 1862, the Wells lands were further subdivided.
Building lots were laid out around three north-south streets originally named for members of the Wells family but later
renamed Albany, Howland and Brunswick. The annexation of the area by the City of Toronto in 1888 coincided with the
extension of streetcar service along Bloor Street West. The neighbourhood is now identified as the West Annex.
2.397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue:
With its proximity to the central core of the city, the West Annex neighbourhood attracted prominent residents, including
Robert Y. Eaton, president of the T. Eaton Company, who lived at 383 Brunswick Avenue. Landowners commissioned the
pre-eminent Toronto architects of the period to design their residences.
William and Robert Smith, the owners of the adjoining properties at #397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue, engaged the
Toronto architectural firm of G. M. Miller and Company to prepare plans for the lots.
In solo practice since 1886, George M. Miller (1854-1933) was a noted Toronto architect whose commissions included the
Gladstone Hotel (1889-1890) at 1204 Queen Street West, Havergal Ladies College (1898) at 354 Jarvis Street, City Dairy
(1900) and Stables (1909) at 563 Spadina Crescent, and Wycliffe College Chapel (1911) at 5 Hoskin Avenue. His work for
the prominent Massey family included modifications to the Hart Massey House at 515 Jarvis Street (1900), plans for the
Lillian Massey Household Sciences Building at the University of Toronto (1908-1912), and consultant for Massey Hall at
15 Shuter Street (1894). All of the above-noted properties are listed on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage
Properties.
In 1902, identical houses were completed at 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue for William and Robert Smith, brothers and
partners in the family's lumber business. William Smith resided at #397 until his death in 1924; his widow, Charlotte,
retained the site until 1931. The following year, the property was occupied by the Sun Diet Sanatorium, renamed the
Health Service Sanatorium in 1933. The house stood vacant until 1937 when the Church Army in Canada began an
occupancy that lasted until 1998. Robert Smith remained at 399 Brunswick Avenue until 1939 when the property was
acquired by the Church Army. The properties at 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue were included on the City of Toronto
Inventory of Heritage Properties in 1974.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
- Exteriors: 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue
The William and Robert Smith Houses display features of the Queen Anne style of the late 19th century. Inspired by 16th
and 17th century prototypes, the style was created in Britain by architect Richard Norman Shaw (1831-1923) and his
associates. Medieval features, especially asymmetrical plans, projecting wings, varied window types and complicated
rooflines, were mixed with Classical motifs using a variety of cladding materials.
The William and Robert Smith Houses are identical in plan, construction and design features. Constructed of red brick and
trimmed with brick voussoirs, stone sills and wood surrounds, each building is covered by a cross-gable roof with a brick
chimney and, in each gable, shingled cladding. A wall dormer with a gable roof, shingle cladding and brackets extends
from the south slope.
The principal (west) facade is organized into two bays. On the right, a two-storey bay window has flat-headed window
openings with brick voussoirs and stone sills. The bay window is surmounted by a bracketed gable containing a
Classically-detailed two-part window opening and shingled cladding. Left of the bay window, the principal entrance is
elevated in the first floor. It contains a wood door with a glass insert and a stained glass transom and is placed beside an
oval window with brick voussoirs. A single flat-headed window opening is positioned above the entry. The Robert Smith
House retains its wood verandah with Classical columns, architrave and wood detailing which extends across the principal
(west) facade and along part of the south wall (where it is currently enclosed). On the William Smith House, a canopy with
brackets protects the entrance.
The long south wall has a two-storey bay window incorporating a stained glass window, a projecting centre wall and
flat-headed window openings. The pattern of fenestration continues on the north wall with the addition of a small
stained-glass window lighting the interior hall and a monumental segmental-headed opening with a large stained glass
window and transom. The 2-storey south and 3-storey rear (east) additions on #397, an enclosed bridge connecting #397
with a neighbouring building (#395) at the second-storey level, and the 2-storey rear (east) south addition on #399 are not
included in the Reasons for Designation.
2.Interiors: 399 Brunswick Avenue
The Robert Smith House retains important interior elements. On the first floor, the long entrance hall features an elaborate
staircase with wood panelling, stairs, turned balusters, moulded handrails and carved newel posts. The entrance hall leads
into a double parlour divided by a wall with two archways and a double fireplace with carved wood surrounds, dentilled
mantles, and mirrors. The fireplace in the front (south) parlour is more intricately detailed and features a marble surround
and tiled floor. Its counterpart in the rear (north) parlour has a metal insert and grate. In the south parlour, the plaster
ceiling and mouldings are important features. Both rooms have panelled wood wainscotting and wood door and window
surrounds. Another fireplace is found in the front (south) bedroom on the second floor. No other interior elements are
included in the Reasons for Designation.
CONTEXT:
The William and Robert Smith Houses are located on the east side of Brunswick Avenue, north of Lowther Avenue. The
houses share their setback and landscaped setting with the adjoining property at 395 Brunswick Avenue (William
Thompson House). In the predominantly residential streetscape between Bloor Street West and Wells Street, the
semi-detached houses at 324-326 and 416-418 Brunswick Avenue are listed on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage
Properties.
SUMMARY:
The properties at 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue are identified for architectural reasons. The William and Robert Smith
Houses are identical residences designed for two brothers by the important Toronto architectural firm of G. M. Miller and
Company. The buildings display features identified with the Queen Anne style popularized at the end of the 19th century.
The Robert Smith House at 399 Brunswick Avenue has significant surviving interior elements. With their setback on
landscaped lots, the properties make an important contribution to the Brunswick Avenue streetscape in the West Annex
neighbourhood.
Sources Consulted:
Arthur, Eric. Toronto. No Mean City. 3rd ed. Rev. by Stephen A. Otto. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1986.
Assessment Rolls, City of Toronto, 1900-1910.
Blumenson, John. Ontario Architecture. Toronto: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1990.
Building Permits #140 and #141, 16 December 1901.
City of Toronto Directories, 1900 ff.
Lundell, Liz. The Estates of Old Toronto. Erin, Ont.: Boston Mills Press, 1997.
McHugh, Patricia. Toronto Architecture. A City Guide. 2nd ed. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1989.
Kathryn Anderson
August 1999
APPENDIX I
Short Statement of Reasons for Designation
William and Robert Smith Houses
397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue
The properties at 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue are designated for architectural reasons. The identical houses were
constructed in 1902 according to the designs of the Toronto architectural firm of G. M. Miller and Company for brothers
and lumber merchants William and Robert Smith.
Designed in the Queen Anne style, William and Robert Smith Houses are identical buildings. Constructed of red brick and
trimmed with brick, stone and wood, each structure features an irregularly-shaped plan covered by a cross-gable roof with a
brick chimney and, in each gable, shingled cladding. A wall dormer with a gable roof, shingle cladding and brackets
extends from the south slope. On the principal (west) facade, the two-storey bay window with a gable roof and brackets,
the wood door with a glass insert and stained glass transom, the oval window and flat-headed window openings are
important features. The Robert Smith House retains its Classically-designed verandah. On both houses, the long south wall
has a two-storey bay window incorporating a stained glass window, projecting centre wall and flat-headed window
openings. On the north wall, there are flat-headed window openings, one of which contains stained glass, as well as a
monumental segmental-headed stained glass window with a transom. The 2-storey south and 3-storey rear (east) additions
on #397, the bridge connecting #397 with a neighbouring building, and the 2-storey rear (east) addition on #399 are not
included in the Reasons for Designation.
The Robert Smith House retains important interior features. On the first floor, the entrance hall has an elaborate wood
staircase, and the front (west) and rear (east) parlours display a plaster ceiling with mouldings (west room), panelled wood
wainscotting, wood door and window surrounds, and a double fireplace with wood detailing. On the second floor, the
fireplace in the front (west) bedroom is identified. No other interior elements are included in the Reasons for Designation.
The properties at 397 and 399 Brunswick Avenue located on the east side of Brunswick Avenue, north of Lowther Avenue.
With their setback and landscaped setting, the William and Robert Smith Houses are important features on Brunswick
Avenue in the West Annex neighbourhood.
