Old Toronto Houses

by Cruickshank, Tom

• ISBN13: 9781554073825
• ISBN10: 1554073820
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-08-15
• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd

Summary

A guided tour of the city's most interesting homes.Urban skyscrapers and suburban sprawl identify Toronto as a typical modern city. Yet there exists another, hidden Toronto a place of quiet tree-lined streets, graceful houses and appealing neighborhoods rich in character.Old Toronto Houses is illustrated with brilliant color photographs that explore the signature styles of Toronto's urban architecture. It opens with Henry Scadding's rough-hewn log house built in 1794, then progresses through the city's landmark styles: Georgian, Regency, Gothic, Victorian, Greek Revival, Dutch Colonial and Art Deco. The book then chronicles the houses of 10 distinct Toronto neighborhoods, including laborers' cottages in Cabbagetown, Yorkville's Second Empire terraces, and St. George Street's Romanesque mansions. Many of these older homes have been beautifully restored inside and out, preserving their original character. Each one is an example of a time in Toronto's richly diverse history.A new chapter explores Toronto's ever-expanding boundaries and illustrates the houses located in what is now known as the Greater Toronto Area -- in locations including Etobicoke, Scarborough, Thornhill, Richmond Hill and Oakville.Featuring over 250 houses and over 400 color photographs, this book offers a loving look at how old houses add beauty and grace to a modern city.

Author Biography

Tom Cruickshank is the author of five books on architectural heritage, as well as Living the Country Dream. He edits Harrowsmith Country Life magazine, and lives on a hobby farm in Port Hope, Ontario.

With over 60 books to his credit, including Canadian Churches: An Architectural History and Old Canadian Cemeteries, John de Visser is one of Canada's most accomplished photographers. A member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators. He lives in Cobourg, Ontario.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Map of Toronto 1915

Signature Styles

The Georgian Town 1793-1837

TheOldest Houses in Toronto

FormalGeorgian Neo-classical

FarmhouseGeorgians

AdobeBrick

LaterGeorgians

RegencyCottages

The Confederation Years 1837-1867

Pre-confederation Terraces

PicturesqueFarmhouses

Mid-Victorian Estates

Gothic

Italianate

OntarioFarmhouses

High-Victorian Toronto 1867-1901

SecondEmpire

High-Victorian Terraces

Bay-n-Gable

AnnexStyle

Romanesque

ShingleStyle

City and Suburbs 1901-1939

StockbrockerGeorgians

GreekRevival Revival

Bungalows

DutchGambrels

Four-Squares

Avant-Garde

EnglishCottage

Neighbourhoods

Neighbourhoods Map

Yorkville

Cabbagetown

Parkdale

TheAnnex

Rosedale

WychwoodPark

HighPark and The Junction

TheBeaches

ForestHill

KingswayPark

BayviewHeights

The City Expands

Glossary

Sources

Bibliography

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Introduction"York is just emerging from the woods, but bids fair to be a flourishing town." John Bennett, writing about the settlement of York in 1801.Little could Bennett, or anyone else, have realized the extent to which his prophecy would come true. In 1834, York was renamed Toronto and, with a population of over nine thousand, the woods were already a distant memory.Almost from the day it was settled, the city on the north shore of Lake Ontario was by far the largest in the province. Every twenty years or so, the population would at least double, and by the 1880s Toronto had emerged as a contender among the great cities of eastern North America. It passed the two hundred thousand mark at the close of the nineteenth century and continued apace into the twentieth. When Metropolitan Toronto (an administrative partnership between the city and its suburbs) was established in 1953, the population stood at just over one million. By 1985, it had surpassed Montreal as the largest city in Canada. Today, with suburbs and city amalgamated under a single umbrella government, every square foot of available land has been developed; beyond its official borders, the suburbs show no sign of slowing down. According to the 2001 census, over four million people call the greater Toronto area home.In the wake of so much progress, perhaps it is a surprise to learn that Toronto is not one enormous suburb huddled around a random collection of harbourside skyscrapers, as a glance down from an incoming airplane might suggest. Although it has no historic precinct to rival Old Montreal, the city is nevertheless rich in heritage character. The trouble is, old Toronto isn't always easy to find and an exploration of its treasures requires a detour beyond the major thoroughfares. But in several downtown neighbourhoods, the old city still shines. There, the automobile hasn't quite taken over; the streets move at a pedestrian pace, with chestnut trees providing a welcome canopy, and the architecture can be stunning.At first glance, it's the stained-glass windows and gingerbread gables that catch the eye, but upon further scrutiny, old Toronto houses are blessed with certain aesthetic qualities that go a long way toward creating a pleasant urban environment. Rarely taller than two-and-a-half or three storeys, they are built to a scale and density that never intimidates, and there is enough variety that they are never boring. There are plenty of verandahs to encourage neighbourly interaction. These architectural characteristics, although never mandated by city politicians or planners, deserve the credit for the vitality so evident in Toronto's older residential streets. In particular, four neighbourhoods -- Cabbagetown, Rosedale, the Annex and Wychwood Park -- stand out as exemplary urban oases in which heritage character reigns supreme.No matter in which neighbourhood they are found and no matter what their age, the common denominator among Toronto's older homes is the pervasive ochre hue of old clay brick. Brick has traditionally been the building medium of choice in the city, even in the York years. A brickworks was in operation as early as 1800. At least one historian, Jacob Spelt, has suggested that the availability of such a good building material may have helped to attract the gentry and thus secure Toronto's future growth.The city stands on acre upon acre of clay soil, so it's no surprise that the first brick factory was soon joined by dozens of others, producing both red brick and the less frequently found yellow (historically called "buff"). Not only was brick widely available, it was also popular because it performed well in the event of fire. In fact, it was required by law in large quarters of the city. But among hist