In the Matter of the Ontario Heritage Act
R.S.O. 1990, Chapter 0.18 and
City of Toronto, Province of Ontario
64 WOODLAWN AVENUE WEST
NOTICE OF INTENTION TO DESIGNATE
Take notice that Toronto City Council intends to designate the lands and building known municipally as 64 Woodlawn Avenue West under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Reasons for Designation
Caldecott House
The property at 64 Woodlawn Avenue West is worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value, and meets Ontario Regulation 9/06, the provincial criteria prescribed for municipal designation under all three categories of design, associative and contextual value.
Description
The property at 64 Woodlawn Avenue West contains a 2½-storey detached house form building that is located on the north side of the street, west of Yonge Street and south of St. Clair Avenue West. It was developed on a subdivision of the former “Woodlawn” estate along Walker and Woodlawn avenues, which was annexed by the City of Toronto in 1888. The dwelling at 64 Woodlawn Avenue West was constructed in 1906 for Toronto businessman, Stapleton Caldecott and his wife, Emma Arnold Caldecott according to the designs of the notable Toronto architect, Eden Smith. For over 50 years, the site was owned by James H. Swan, whose family had acquired other allotments on Woodlawn Avenue West in the early 20th century.
Statement of Significance
The property at 64 Woodlawn Avenue West is valued for its design as a fine representative example of an early 20th century house form building designed in the Period Revival style influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement as interpreted by architect Eden Smith. It is distinguished by its asymmetrical plan with the projecting bays, the complicated roofline with the gables and the distinctive canted chimneys, and the decorative wood strapwork.
The associative value of the Caldecott House is through its identification with Toronto architect Eden Smith, who designed the dwelling. The English-born architect is noted for his distinctive designs influenced by the Arts and Crafts ideals of William Morris and his circle. In Toronto, following his high-profile commission for St. Thomas’s Church (1892) on Huron Street, Smith focused on designing houses in high-end neighbourhoods and enclaves throughout the city, among them Wychwood Park, the neighbourhood inspired by North American artists’ colonies, which was amongst the first Heritage Conservation Districts in Toronto.
The property at 64 Woodlawn Avenue West is also valued for its association with its original owner, Robert Stapleton Pitt Caldecott (1836-1907), who commissioned the house. Caldecott was a highly regarded businessman who served as the president of the Toronto Board of Trade and was considered an expert in international trade.
Contextually, the Caldecott House is valued for its contribution to the character of the area, which originated as William Hume Blake’s 19th-century “Woodlawn” estate and was developed afterward as an upscale residential enclave that was annexed by the City of Toronto in 1888. The property at 64 Woodlawn Avenue West is also historically, visually and physically linked to its setting where, with its neighbours to the west, the Caldecott House is set back from the street line on a slight rise of land.
Heritage Attributes
The heritage attributes of the Caldecott House at 64 Woodlawn Avenue West are:
• The setback, placement and orientation of the building on the north side of the street
• The scale, form and massing of the 2½-storey house form building
• The cross-gable roof with the gable on the south slope, the canted brick corner chimneys, and the gabled wall dormer (south)
• The materials, with the brick cladding and the brick, stone and wood detailing (the brickwork has been painted), including the wood strapwork in the gables
• The principal (south) elevation, with the main entrance, which is set in a flat-headed surround with sidelights under an open gable-roofed porch between single- and two-storey bay windows
• The side elevations (east and west), which are viewed from Woodlawn Avenue West, including the two-storey bay window on the east wall
Note: the rear (north) wing and the detached garage (1929) at the south end of the property are not identified as heritage attributes.
Notice of an objection to the proposed designation may be served on the City Clerk, Attention: Ellen Devlin, Administrator, Toronto and East York Community Council, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, 2nd floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2N2, within thirty days of April 3, 2018, which is May 3, 2018. The notice of objection must set out the reason(s) for the objection, and all relevant facts.
Dated at Toronto this 3rd day of April, 2018
Ulli S. Watkiss
City Clerk