February 26th, 2008

The Things We Lost in the Fire

By Gary Miedema // 6 Comments

Looking east on Queen Street from Bathurst Street, 1924. The three- storey and two-storey buildings on the right were destroyed in the fire.

Media coverage of the fire on Queen West noted the historic nature of the buildings, and the considerable loss of the built fabric of Queen Street West. The loss of the personal contents of those buildings is nothing short of tragic, and downright scary. The loss of the buildings themselves is less personal -- but significant, nonetheless, to our public space.

As far as city tax assessment records tell, all of the destroyed buildings were over 130 years old. When the three-storey buildings housing Duke's and Suspect Video were built in 1875-6, the row of two-storey shops to the east was already there. All were constructed in a simple Italianate commercial style -- common to many old commercial streets in this province, and one that we have grown to cherish for its human scale and charm. They were defined (even more so in their final moments after the fire) by their tall window openings, decoratively crowned with slight brick arches, regularly repeating above the shops on the main floor below. Overhanging cornices capped the roof-lines, giving a sense of finish to the buildings, and a sense of shelter to the pedestrians below.

As most of the media outlets picked up, the buildings' value went beyond their architecture. It was also attached to their history of occupancy -- to the human story behind them, and the human usage of the spaces within. The focus on the history of Duke's made that important point clear. When these buildings were constructed in the 1860s and 1870s, Queen Street was still in the process of build-up. Part of the Military Reserve around Fort York (and therefore restricted from development) until the mid-1830s, the south-east corner of Bathurst and Queen Streets was still the site of some barracks and an “artillery ground” in 1858. A decade later, local residential development had just reached the critical mass necessary to support continuous rows of shops along this stretch of Queen.

Southeast corner of Bathurst and Queen from Boulton's Atlas of 1858 (Toronto Public Library)

When that critical mass was reached, Torontonians with enough cash-in-hand to speculate on real-estate bought the lots, built buildings, then rented or sold them. The Suspect building, for example, was built for John H. Swan, owner of a “Juvenile Clothing and Ladies Outfitting and Baby Linen” shop on King Street. Swan rented his building to Frederick Cooper's Dry Goods/furniture shop, and to William Lumber's Grocery shop. By 1885, those two had been replaced by Hosier's furniture store, and a restaurant owned by Mrs. M.A. Gipson. By 1914, they were both occupied by James Smith's restaurant. And the story goes on.

Likewise, Duke's former building was constructed in 1875-6 for George Faulkner, owner of a “boot and shoe” store on King Street. The half of the building at #623 was eventually purchased by J. Carolan for his “Flour and Feed” shop. Carolan's shop was still there roughly when Duke's began.

With the loss of those ordinary but lovely heritage buildings, we lost a touchstone, in brick and wood and decorative plaster, of the people that have given them life.

But the buildings' heritage value was broader yet. As many have noted, the lost buildings were all recently designated under the Ontario Heritage Act as part of the Queen Street West Heritage Conservation District. As with all buildings in heritage conservation districts, they were protected by law not just for their individual historical merit, but for their contribution to the historic streetscape. In their setback from the street, their 2-3 storey height, their dense, 4-7 meter wide shop fronts running continuously along the street, their recessed shop doors -- these buildings maintained and enhanced a streetscape that was warm, vital, and historic. As Councillor Adam Vaughan said, their loss, indeed, "punches a hole in the heart of Queen Street.”

Their heritage designation, however, goes some way to protecting the future of their building sites. Heritage Conservation Districts such as that on Queen West don't just protect old buildings -- they protect the character of a streetscape. Like the Home Depot down the road, in other words, developers of these once again vacant lots will need to work with clear legal guidelines regulating new construction in the area. While the Italianate buildings of George Faulkner and John Swan are gone, new buildings will have to respect the general character of the street they helped to shape over 130 years ago.

At least, that's if the legislation holds.

photo by Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, series 0071, item 3458)

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