Edmond Place - 1495 Queen St West

Edmond Place Alternative Housing

GBCA is the heritage consultant for the current transformation of this property in the heart of the Parkdale neighbourhood. With the help of federal, provincial and municipal funding, the Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) is responsible for the conversion of the derelict building into 29 affordable, self-contained apartments.

The three-storey Edwardian style apartment building was erected in 1912-13, and, along with the matching building on the adjacent corner, was known as the Parkdale Mansions. These buildings stem from a period in Toronto’s history when apartment buildings were introduced into the urban landscape.

The grandeur of the “Mansions” was lost by the latter half of the twentieth century, when the apartment building became a 51-bed rooming house. A tragic fire in 1998 caused major damage and the property remained vacant for many years. In 2005, it was identified by the City of Toronto as a neglected property suitable for development or conversion to supportive and affordable housing, and was subsequently expropriated for this purpose. The property is now owned by the City of Toronto and will be run by PARC on a 50-year lease.

GBCA prepared the necessary heritage reports for municipal approvals, including a Heritage Impact Assessment, which considered a new design prepared by Hilditch Architect (http://www.hilditch-architect.com/). By adding a discrete fourth floor on a new interior structure, which was inserted into the existing shell, the design preserves the key heritage features of the former apartment, while allowing the building to meet all the requirements for modern, accessible housing. Restoration work included brick cleaning and repointing, and the repair and replacement of cast stone. The degradation of one of the bay windows necessitated the complete dismantling and rebuilding, using salvaged materials and new materials that would match the existing.

Tenants moved into the renovated building beginning in January 2011. For more information, go to: http://edmondplace.ca/