Dominion Foundry site spared from demolition
A downtown Toronto heritage site has been spared from the wrecking ball.
The City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario announced earlier this month that they have reached an agreement in principle to save the provincially-owned Dominion Foundry Complex—a former industrial complex of four heritage buildings known as the Foundry Buildings located at 153-185 Eastern Ave—from demolition.
The buildings site on a parcel of land owned by the province and which was to be sold to a developer who intended to redevelop the site for a mixed-unit property. Demolition of the site began earlier this year, but was halted when the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association launched a court application to stop the work. Through those proceedings, a court order was obtained that prohibited further demolition of the site.
On August 20, the province released a Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report and Heritage Impact Assessment document. The report includes its vision of redevelopment of the property, and indicates that the complex's Cleaning Room and the two Machine Shops buildings will be preserved, while the Warehouse and Office buildings will be demolished. The two-storey high brick wall along Palace Street will also be retained.
Going forward, the city and the province both say they are committed to ensuring that any future purchasers of the property respect the vision for its redevelopment. In the event that the property becomes privately owned, the city has the option to designate it under the Ontario Heritage Act, as well as having the future owner enter into a Heritage Easement Agreement (identifying elements of the buildings that must be retained and what changes and types of development may be allowed), as a condition of future planning approvals.
“I want to thank the local community, city staff and the province for working together to come to a much better outcome for the future of the Dominion Foundry Complex,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory. “The province has committed to conserving the cultural heritage value of the property and has taken into account feedback from the community and the City of Toronto. This path forward has ensured the outcome that I always had hoped could be achieved here — we ensure more affordable housing is built and at the same time address community concerns around heritage and public consultation.”
Featured image: Proposed rendering of the Dominion Foundry site. (Core Architects)