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The owner of a vacant church building at the northeast corner of St Clair Avenue West and Wychwood Avenue in Toronto's Hillcreat Village area has proposed an eight-storey residential replacement building. Designed by KC AU Architect Inc., the brick and glass-clad development would contain a total of 29 condominiums located above 250 m² of retail space.
The site at 155 Wychwood Avenue is currently occupied by the 1937-built Wychwood-Davenport Presbyterian Church, which has sat vacant for several years. The property was listed on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register in 2008. City Council stated its intention to designate the property in 2013.
The mid-rise project would demolish the church and add nine one-bedroom units, 15 two-bedroom units, and five three-bedroom units to the property. Residences are supplemented by 121.3 m² of indoor and outdoor amenity spaces.
Three retail bays facing St. Clair Avenue West are also proposed, with access to 22 vehicular spaces provided at the rear off Theo Aben Lane. There are 29 residential bicycle spaces and five commercial bicycle spaces planned.
A Heritage Impact Assessment performed by ERA Architects says the property "possesses limited design, associative, and contextual value, which may meet the criteria for designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act." ERA however did not recommend designation in the report, stating that "its contribution to the community has diminished with the departure of the congregation and inability to reuse the church building." ERA concludes that "the site's value as a contribution to the community would be better served through a thoughtful replacement building that is able to meet the community's desires and needs."
The history of the site would instead be commemorated through a strategy to be outlined in a future interpretation plan. Part of the commemoration will likely include the conservation and showcasing of a time capsule within the existing building's cornerstone, which contains documents and newspapers from 1937.
A previous redevelopment plan dating back to 2014 from now-defunct developer Stanton Renaissance looked to install a nine-storey, 53-unit residential building on the site, with a portion of the church retained.
Additional information and images can be found in our Database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment below.
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| Related Companies: | Counterpoint Engineering, Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, RAW Design |
