A couple of critical items were dealt with at April's Toronto Preservation Board meeting last week. In both cases, the Board voted to support the staff recommendation to refuse approval to demolish or significantly alter designated buildings. Detailed staff reports can be found on the city website at:

www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2009/pb/decisions/2009-04-23-pb23-dd.htm

In the first case, that of 10 and 14 Prince Arthur Avenue, the staff recommendation was to refuse an application to construct an 8-storey building within the East Annex Heritage Conservation District which would have incorporated the designated building at number 10 and demolished 14 Prince Arthur.

The decision followed arguments by the project's architect that the designated house is in extremely bad condition, and that the design of the project is worthy of approval. Councillor Vaughan countered that this is a heritage issue, not a planning issue, and is another case where Heritage Conservation District (HCD) status status has to be respected, as the buildings fall within the East Annex HCD. The argument that the project is well-designed is not the issue, he argued. It is the location within the HCD which makes the scale and massing of the project inappropriate, and the fact that other developers would come forward to do similar projects in other HCDs were this to be successful.

After listening to arguments on either side of the debate, the Board decided to support the staff recommendation.

The other item of importance was the request by the Toronto Catholic District School Board to demolish O'Connor House, the former home of Senator Frank O'Connor. (This issue was particularly interesting for Heritage Toronto as the O'Connor Irish Heritage House, a not-for-profit organization that was formed in 2005 to create an Irish cultural and education centre on the site, was the recipient of a Community Heritage Award from the Heritage Toronto Awards last year).

School Board representatives noted that the site was costing them money to maintain and that the money they receive from the Province was for education and not for upkeep of heritage buildings. Chair of the O'Connor Society, Dennis Timbrell, said that they had been negotiating with the School Board for a lease, that they have raised money in the community, and that they may be eligible for a grant through the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure program. The Society has offered to pay for all the costs of the repairs.

Local Councillors Michael Thompson and Denzil Minnan-Wong both spoke with passion about the importance of heritage to the city, and how important it is that this building be preserved.

The staff recommendation was supported unanimously by the Preservation Board.

Both items now continue to Community Council.

Photo: O'Connor House