chorley park
The Saga of Chorley Park
How we lost one of our greatest architectural treasures
By Jamie Bradburn
Visitors to Chorley Park in northeast Rosedale may notice a cul-de-sac off Douglas Drive that seems out of place with the surrounding greenery and the serenity of local residents enjoying a rest on a bench. Beside this road is a plaque commemorating the tumultuous history of the building that once occupied much of the grounds. The half-century saga of Chorley Park saw the main building go from a magnificent manor for government dignitaries to a crumbling ruin deemed too expensive to maintain. Along the way the site was embroiled in government scandals, war efforts, schemes to find a lasting function, and the city's unending and ultimately successful effort to buy the property for its current use.
Chorley Park, residence of Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, 1923. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 79
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Chorley Park was the fourth in a series of Government Houses, the official residence of the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario. Built between 1911 and 1915 by provincial architect Francis R. Heakes in French Renaissance style, it was as opulent as the castles in the Loire Valley of France. Surrounded by gardens and terraces, the building could be seen from the Don Valley and sat on 14 acres of secluded and undeveloped land in Toronto's Rosedale neighbourhood.
During the great depression, Ontario's Premier Mitchell Hepburn objected to the high maintenance expenses of the site and vowed to close it down once the Lieutenant-Governor left office. The building was closed in 1937 after 22 years of use. The city auctioned off much of the historical treasures from Chorley Hall. The building was used in coming years by the military, Red Cross, RCMP, and as a refugee camp. As the heritage building crumbled throughout the years, the city decided to demolish it in 1960 to create parkland.
Research by Olena Sullivan