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Evocative Images of Lost Toronto

This week at Council Joe Cressy has tabled a motion about the Ossington Fire Hall. (MM9.37) This reads:

Recommendations​
Councillor Joe Cressy, seconded by Councillor Mike Layton, recommends that:

1. City Council request the General Manager, Real Estate Services to work with Toronto Fire Services and Toronto City Archives to conduct a thorough search for the clock previously located at Fire Hall No. 9 at 16 Ossington Avenue.

2. City Council request the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, and direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the General Manager, Transportation Services to explore opportunities to revitalize the land at 18 Ossington Avenue as public space, in collaboration with plans to revitalize the space at 16 Ossington Avenue, in consultation with the Ward Councillor.​

Summary​
Preserving our City's heritage, and finding creative ways to enhance our public space, are both of critical importance as we continue to build our City and our communities for future generations. In so many of our downtown communities, we continue our work to find creative ways to both preserve the past, while creatively building for the future.

Located on the west side of Ossington Avenue, in the first block north of Queen Street, the building at 16 Ossington Avenue was constructed in 1878 as a fire hall. Originally known as Fire Hall No. 9, the City of Toronto commissioned new fire halls in tandem with the expansion of the City, numbering the facilities in order of their appearance. Fire Hall No. 9 was decommissioned in the late 1960s, and it is the oldest intact fire hall in the former City of Toronto. The building is now leased to the University Health Network, and provides critical support for community members, and the City as a whole. Archival photographs of the building depict a clock on top of the hose-drying tower, but it is not known what year the clock was removed.

At the same time, the Toronto Parking Authority operates a small Green P parking lot directly adjacent at 18 Ossington Avenue. With significant constraints on available space in this area of the City, and a growing residential and business community along Ossington, finding creative ways to expand and revitalize public space has become an increasing priority for stakeholders across the community.

An important neighbourhood landmark, local neighbours, the local Business Improvement Association, and other stakeholders have come together with the goal of restoring the original clock tower at 16 Ossington Avenue, and working together to expand the public realm in the immediate area. Unfortunately, community efforts to locate the original clock have not yet been successful. Working together to ensure we explore all possible avenues to locate the clock, as we continue to move forward to revitalize the space, is critical.

Here are two Archives pieces on the Fire Station and its clock - photo is 1958.

1958.jpg
fire-hall.jpg
 
The 1907 plan is not an as-built for the actual fire hall. The building next door is the old Ossington Police Station which is now a daycare. I bet it has pretty secure time-out rooms in the basement.

I know a retired architect who attended UofT. For his architects degree they made him draw up plans for an existing building. He chose the College Street Fire Hall. His project was OK but he got the dimensions wrong on the tower. But they filed his plans away. When the College Street Fire Hall burned down, they pulled his plans out of storage and rebuilt the fire hall using them. The 'restored' building now includes his mistake on the tower dimensions.
 
Indeed, that plan does match the other Ossington firehall that used to be just north of Bloor, where the subway entrance is now. I think the drawing was mislabeled in the archives.
Imagine if the tower had been preserved as part of the subway station.

pictures-r-3751.jpg
 
DSC said:
This week at Council Joe Cressy has tabled a motion about the Ossington Fire Hall. (MM9.37) This reads:

Recommendations​
Councillor Joe Cressy, seconded by Councillor Mike Layton, recommends that:

1. City Council request the General Manager, Real Estate Services to work with Toronto Fire Services and Toronto City Archives to conduct a thorough search for the clock previously located at Fire Hall No. 9 at 16 Ossington Avenue.

2. City Council request the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, and direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the General Manager, Transportation Services to explore opportunities to revitalize the land at 18 Ossington Avenue as public space, in collaboration with plans to revitalize the space at 16 Ossington Avenue, in consultation with the Ward Councillor.​

Summary​
Preserving our City's heritage, and finding creative ways to enhance our public space, are both of critical importance as we continue to build our City and our communities for future generations. In so many of our downtown communities, we continue our work to find creative ways to both preserve the past, while creatively building for the future.

Located on the west side of Ossington Avenue, in the first block north of Queen Street, the building at 16 Ossington Avenue was constructed in 1878 as a fire hall. Originally known as Fire Hall No. 9, the City of Toronto commissioned new fire halls in tandem with the expansion of the City, numbering the facilities in order of their appearance. Fire Hall No. 9 was decommissioned in the late 1960s, and it is the oldest intact fire hall in the former City of Toronto. The building is now leased to the University Health Network, and provides critical support for community members, and the City as a whole. Archival photographs of the building depict a clock on top of the hose-drying tower, but it is not known what year the clock was removed.

At the same time, the Toronto Parking Authority operates a small Green P parking lot directly adjacent at 18 Ossington Avenue. With significant constraints on available space in this area of the City, and a growing residential and business community along Ossington, finding creative ways to expand and revitalize public space has become an increasing priority for stakeholders across the community.

An important neighbourhood landmark, local neighbours, the local Business Improvement Association, and other stakeholders have come together with the goal of restoring the original clock tower at 16 Ossington Avenue, and working together to expand the public realm in the immediate area. Unfortunately, community efforts to locate the original clock have not yet been successful. Working together to ensure we explore all possible avenues to locate the clock, as we continue to move forward to revitalize the space, is critical.

Here are two Archives pieces on the Fire Station and its clock - photo is 1958.

View attachment 194979View attachment 194980​
Click to expand...
Street sign in photo says Queen St W. I think the architectural plan is for Ossington & Bloor.
 
"HOT" real estate sales in Scarborough, 1982.........TPL
Eighteen houses went up for sale yesterday on McClure Cres., Scarborough --for $600,000 each. It was the latest attempt by homeowners to get the government to take action over the 4,000 tons of radioactive soil in their backyards.
Hot real estate sales-Malvern 1982 TPL.jpg


McClure Crescent, southwest of Neilson Road and Sheppard Avenue East. Milner Road is in the background (1985)............TPL
aerial McClure Cres. 1985.jpg
 
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