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Living in History

January 29, 2011

My condo is in a building that was designated a heritage property by the city of Toronto on July 8, 1998.
Heritage Toronto Plaque
Heritage Toronto Plaque
The following is excerpted from a City of Toronto report (May 25, 1998) recommending the heritage designation for the building.

The property is identified for architectural reasons. The apartments were constructed in 1928 according to the designs of Toronto architects Kaplan and Sprachman. W. Pidgeon and Sons Limited were both the developers and the contractors for the project. Albert E. Pidgeon, a member of the firm, occupied a unit.

The apartments are designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, identified by the red clay tile roofs, curvilinear gable, round-arched openings, and stone details imitating adobe stucco. The I-shaped three-storey plan is covered by a hipped tiled roof with gables on the south face and double chimneys on the east, south and west ends. The principal (south) facade is symmetrically organized in three parts. The centre section contains the main entrance at ground level. A projecting entrance porch has a red tile roof supported on brick piers. A round-arched stone-clad opening contains a single wood door with multi-paned sash and arched sidelights with single panes. Iron light fixtures in the shape of griffins holding globe lights are placed on either side of the entrance. A two-storey round-arched window opening over the entrance lights the interior stairwell. Pairs of rectangular windows are separated by a spandrel and surmounted by an arched transom with leaded glass. On either side of the entrance bay, each of the three stories has single flat-headed windows with brick lintels and extended stone sills. The centre of the wall is topped by a curved gable with corbelled brick and stone coping. The end sections of the south wall have flat-headed window openings, organized in pairs and threes and linked by continuous sills. Trios of round-arched window openings mark the third storey. Above, the gable ends of the roof have stone corbels and brackets. The end walls of the south wing are devoid of openings. The north extension of the building has red brick cladding and regularly spaced fenestration. On the interior, the entrance hall with its ceramic tile floor and the wood staircase are important features.

The property is set on landscaped grounds on a tree-lined street. It is a well-designed example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style and a visible feature amid the mainly single residential buildings in the North Toronto neighbourhood.
My building
My Building
A Google search of the architectural firm who designed the building will find that they were noted theater architects who designed between 70 and 80 percent of all movie theaters in Canada between 1919 and the 1950's including the Eglinton Theater which is located not far from my building. It opened on April 15, 1936 with a screening of 'King of Burlesque'.
The Eglinton Grand
The Eglinton Grand Image Source: Torontoist.com

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