Badgerow – Formerly Franklin Street. It was renamed after George Washington Badgerow (1841 – 1892), an Ontario lawyer and politician who represented York East in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1879 to 1886 as a Liberal member. The family, originally “Bergereau”, were early settlers in Markham and strong supporters of the rebels in 1837. Disgruntled, some joined the Markham Gang of outlaws.

 

 

We think of the Edwardian period as the time when King Edward VII, Victoria’s son reigned. That is the period from 1901 to 1910. For Riverdale Gardens, this is the period when Albert Wagstaff and others opened brick yards along Greenwood near the railway tracks. William Prust, Riverdale Garden’s founder, retired from his positions in Haliburton during this period and moved to Greenwood Avenue in Toronto. Let’s be clear, I love this neighbourhood and it is very different from anything else in our area. Some of the words to describe these Edwardian homes are quite technical and, if you don’t know them, don’t worry, I didn’t either — at least when I began researching many years ago. I have added a section at the end with definitions of the various technical terms used.

 

But Edwardian architecture, including the house style that dominates Riverdale Gardens, began earlier in the dying years of Queen Victoria’s reign. The change from the Victorian architecture of the 1890’s to the new style was dramatic. In the earlier Victorian period there were many more varieties of house design. The Edwardian era featured simpler designs and fewer styles, chiefly the Edwardian Classic house and the Arts and Crafts bungalow, both of which are found in Riverdale Gardens.

While technically the Edwardian architectural period coincided with the end of World War One in 1918. But Edwardian houses continued to be built in Riverdale Gardens up until the end of the 1920s, no doubt because William Prust himself preferred this style.

At the beginning of Edwardian era, most of the East End was still not subdivided. The Hastings and Ashbridges farms had not been sold to developers and the Toronto Golf Club’s course from Coxwell to East Toronto was in operation until 1912. Gerrard Street from Greenwood to Main was not opened until 1912.

Greenwood Avenue was widened in 1909. Gerrard and Greenwood was a major streetcar junction with Greenwood cars going north-south to Danforth and Queen and Gerrard cars going east-west.

We may chuckle now, but it is important, I think, to remember that the architects and builders, be it 1917 or 2017 consider their work “modern” and “state-of-the art”, but certain periods featured such dramatic technological and social change that they stand out.

With the advent of cheap hydro-electricity after 1907, industry was expanding along key East End streets, particularly Carlaw, Eastern and, to a lesser extent, Coxwell Avenue. Virtually the only industry on Greenwood in this period was brick making. These new plants provided employment for managers, foremen, and skilled tradesmen such as lithographers and engravers who followed their employers from downtown to the East End. Toronto’s growing middle class embraced change, including electricity, the expansion of public transit, and the new architectural styles.

The middle class begin to move farther away from downtown to new “streetcar” subdivisions such as Riverdale Gardens. This accelerated in the 1920s as the automobile became cheaper and more accessible, offering another transportation option. In the “The Roaring Twenties”, Gerrard Street and Greenwood Avenue were built up all the way from the Don to Main Street and from Queen past the Danforth. As the population of Toronto boomed, real estate along Gerrard also boomed.

The Edwardian era featured apartment buildings built with plumbing and electricity, such as Albert Wagstaff’s Vera Apartments at Wagstaff Drive and Greenwood Avenue. Wagstaff build it as a modern building, in the latest style, and as a practical investment allowing his managers and foremen to live right next to their workplace. He may even have subsidized some of the rents, but this remains to be documented. Wagstaff built a number of apartment buildings in the East End, but apartment buildings were very controversial at the time. They were often and unfairly labelled “tenements” with all the associations to over-crowding, unsanitary conditions and poverty. The new type of apartment building pioneered in Toronto by Wagstaff and others made these buildings socially acceptable and even fashionable.

Prust was careful to include shops in Riverdale Gardens. Shopfronts were simpler than their Victorian predecessors. Glazing now featured broad panes of plate glass instead of the smaller-paned windows. Although merchants could buy machine-made plate glass from as early as 1800, it was very expensive and did not come into common use until later and only became relatively common by the 1890s. These show windows featured fresh fruit or vegetables, hardware, shoes or other merchandise.

The Isaac Price house at 216 Greenwood stands out both because of its size and its style and would have been considered slightly old-fashioned by many even when it was built. The Queen Anne house featured asymmetrical; textured surfaces; classical ornamentation; often towers/turrets; wraparound porches; balconies; art glass; and high brick chimneys. The Isaac Price house is a more restrained rendering of the Queen Anne style and includes some Arts and Crafts elements. It might better be considered a “vernacular style”, but does feature a vertical orientation, asymmetrical massing, projecting gables, and contrasting materials, particularly brick and wood. Of course, the brick it featured was Isaac Price’s own high-quality face brick, virtually identical to his brother’s “John Price Red”.

Most of us see Edwardian Classic houses each and every day and don’t think much about them. But they, and Prust’s guiding hand, are what makes Riverdale Gardens unique and beautiful. So let’s take a second of many more long looks at the houses and neighbourhood of Riverdale Gardens.

 

The typical Edwardian house of Toronto’s suburbs has a gable front, three or four bedrooms upstairs, and a big front porch. Most have lots of windows, often with Indiana lime stone sills, and a smooth brick walls on a high cement or field stone foundation. The wide porch usually was painted white and has clustered columns.

Many Edwardian houses are basically rectangular brick buildings with classical elements drawn on the architectural vocabulary of “classical” Greece and Rome. (Personally, I would like to see more homes today build on the not-so-classical vocabulary of the wigwam but is another story.)

Many have modified Doric columns. The architrave is usually quite plain. The cornice maybe exaggerated and with dentil blocks. The window surrounds are large but not ornate. Some area owners have retained the original windows with storm windows added, preserving the original design. The front door is important and many Riverdale Gardens home showcase the front door with the house’s most prominent Edwardian features.

Many verandas span the whole front façade and have a simple pediment over the staircase, as in this example above. Above the smooth tapered Doric columns, a plain architrave supports the porch. Under the soffit of the roof, a plain frieze board would have repeated the design of the architrave, subtly unifying the building while referring to the classical ideals that were so much a part of the middle-class education of the day.

Examples of original Edwardian Art Nouveau or Arts and Crafts art glass still survive to grace Riverdale Gardens. Some owners such as those who own the house in this photo have preserved their art glass, and, incidentally, improved the value of their house.

This Edwardian house features the clean lines and solid massing of the Edwardian style but also presents some Arts and Crafts elements. The gable has half-timbered effects. The simple brown and white painting of the timber is, as with many Edwardian touches, restrained and subtle compared to Victorian paint schemes.

This is a typical Edwardian verandah with Doric colonettes on brick posts. The stairs are wide and simple, welcoming, and there is lots of room for the wicker chairs they loved so much.

Some Edwardian homes sometimes have half-timbered exteriors, in what has sometimes been jokingly referred to as “Tudorbethean” or a fabricated mixture of Tudor and Elizabethan architecture. Sometimes the fill between the timbers is stucco and occasionally “pebbledash”.

I think of the Edwardian houses or Riverdale Gardens as neatly-wrapped presents. They look good, really good, on the outside and you just can’t wait to get into them. And what is inside them is treasure. Prust’s lay-out of the streets and houses and his insistence on “trees, trees, trees, if you please”, add to this feel that characterizes Riverdale Gardens. But, like a wrapped present, there are goodies on the inside.

The front door of an Edwardian house made a statement. It was panelled and sometimes incorporated Masonic symbols or images and stained glass. Walk through the front door of these Edwardian homes and you found paintings (albeit reproductions or prints), sparkling tileworks, stained glass and decorative features inspired by both the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements. To get an idea of the fashionable home interior of the early 1920s and the clothing of the men and women who lived when most of Riverdale Gardens was built, one of the best places to look is the Eaton’s catalogue. These are from the Eaton’s Fall and Winter catalogue of 1920 to 1921.

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Prust houses often had piping for gas lighting, stoves and fireplaces, but all had electricity. This was one of those revolutionary technological changes we take for granted until a transformer somewhere on the grid goes down and the lights go out. As electric lights brightened interiors, those interiors opened up, creating a very different interior from the larger hall to the bigger rooms, with larger windows and taller ceilings. The living-room replaced the parlour. Simple replaced the fussy. Light colours replaced the dark colour schemes of the Victorian interior.

This was a new vision of the living space: light-filled, with open, airy rooms, considered far more healthy especially at a time when the “white plaque”, tuberculosis (TB), killed so many. Incidentally, this term is not a reference to race, but to the ashy paleness of those eaten up or consumed by “consumption”, another term for TB.

Women had more say in how homes were designed. These Edwardian houses and their Arts and Crafts contemporaries featured the first built-in kitchen cabinets, the first built in kitchen sinks and stoves, as well as bedrooms with a closet in every room, even though those closets seem small to us today. Servants no longer looked after the middle class and these houses were made easier to clean – especially with the electric vacuum cleaner.

The floors would be dark, polished wood as would be the staircases, posts and banisters. Persian-style rugs broke up the expanses of bare floor with splashes of colour and texture. Walls were often white downstairs, but wallpaper was frequently used in the bedrooms. Walls could be white when they were lit by electricity. Gaslight, oil lamps and candles made walls sooty and dark Victorian paint and wallpaper concealed this. Now wallpaper was softer and easier on the eye than Victorian wall paper. It often featured delicate floral patterns in pastel shades.

Many homeowners in Riverdale Gardens have renovated their Edwardian homes with extensions, skylights and additional windows, very much in the spirit of the original design with its emphasis on light, airy space. Riverdale Gardens is a very attractive location, part of Leslieville with its very desirable “location, location, location”. Properties gain both aesthetically and in value when homeowners understand more about the Edwardian nature of their houses. These gracious understated houses were built with the highest quality materials and workmanship especially when someone William Prust controlled the development of the subdivision. The bricks were the best, usually Price bricks. The timber was the highest quality, old-growth pine for framing and quarter-sawn oak, American chestnut or other fine wood for floors, interior moldings, doors and windows. These houses, detached, duplexes, triplexes and a few terraces, if lovingly maintained, will last for centuries, long after hastily-constructed condos will be nothing but dust and rust.

Even the roads of Riverdale Gardens were better maintained that Greenwood and even Gerrard. The brick wagons with their heavy loads cut deep ruts into Greenwood Avenue. To avoid the bog, motorists detoured through Riverdale Gardens. This went on for at least a decade, but probably more. At the time that Prust Avenue was built, Alton Avenue did not extend all the way to Gerrard but stopped before the steep drop-off that was the north face of the clay pit where Greenwood Park is today.

The traffic, even when not befuddled [or inebriated] was not welcome.

For more info about the Edwardian house see:

http://www.ontarioarchitecture.com/Edwardian.htm

 

 

Some terms defined:

 

Architecture: The art of designing and building according to the rules regulated by nature and taste.

Architrave: The lintel or flat horizontal member which spans the space between columns; in classical architecture, the lowest member of an entablature.

Aspect: The direction in which a building faces.

Balcony: A projection from a wall of a building. It is usually placed before windows or openings.

Balloon framing a method of wood framing (begun in the 19th century) where the exterior walls are continuous from foundation to roof plate, and all the framing members are secured with nails.

Baluster: Any of the singular posts of a railing, one of a series of uprights, often vase-shaped, used to support a handrail.

Balustrade: the low wall made up of a series of balusters and railings, a row of columns supporting a railing.

Bargeboard: fancy, wooden ornately carved scrollwork, attached to and hanging down under the eaves of the projecting edge of a gable roof

Base: The architectural element on which a column or pier rests. See also column, pier. Other parts of columns and piers: abacus or impost block, capital, shaft.

Baseboard (skirting board): interior finish trim hiding the wall and floor junction.

Bay Window: A window forming a bay or recess in a room or an alcove projecting from an outside wall and having its own windows and foundation.

Bay: A unit of interior space in a building, marked off by architectural divisions; sections of a building, usually counted by windows and doors dividing the house vertically.

Bond: the pattern in which bricks are laid, either to enhance strength or for design.

Bracket: historically, a support element used under eaves or other overhangs. In Edwardian architecture, exaggerated brackets used under wide eaves are decorative rather than functional. A projection from the face of a wall.

Builders: trained as apprentices with master builders who were themselves usually carpenters or masons.

Bungalow: The Arts and Crafts bungalow in its purest form didn’t work for cold climates like Toronto, Detroit or Chicago. So, designers reconfigured the bungalow, creating a new style of bungalow that was raised on a stone or concrete foundation with a basement and the most modern furnace available. Nevertheless, they built in elements that emphasized the horizontal vs. vertical even when, as in our neighbourhood, the bungalow was perched half-way up a hill. This new bungalow, sometimes called a “semi-bungalow”, was usually a storey and a half with a dormer, not a full two stories.  Although small by today’s standards, often between 800 and 1200 square feet, they were considered spacious at the time. The typical six-room house had two or three bedrooms, one bathroom, a livingroom that flowed into the dining room, kitchen, and a full basement. It often had a second floor with additional space, but was usually only a storey and a half. It had large porches covered by the overhanging roof and eaves and supported by generous columns. Columns were designed in such a way as to break up the vertical line using groups of columns, a column split into two parts (a bigger base with a small pedestal on top) or so-called elephant columns that were wedge-shaped, narrow at the top and widened like an inverted elephant’s trunk at the ground. By 1923, there was a building boom across Toronto as prosperity had returning following the brief depression of 1919. The area along Gerrard filled in with rows of brick bungalows, detached, duplexes and triplexes. Riverdale Gardens is exceptional in being mostly Edwardian villas with only a few bungalows.

Capital: top part of a column, decorative element that divides a column or pier from the masonry which it supports.

Cladding: exterior surface material that provides the weather protection for a building.

Classical Orders: Doric  (earliest and simplest) Doric columns usually have no  base; the shaft is thick and broadly fluted, the capital is plain. Ionic (second) Ionic columns are usually slender, with fluted shafts, and prominent volutes on the capital.   Corinthian (latest and most ornate Order) Corinthian columns are slender, usually fluted, with capitals elaborately carved with acanthus leaves.

Colonnade: Series of columns set at regular intervals or a row of columns which support horizontal members, called an architrave, rather than arches.

Column: Cylindrical support consisting of base, shaft and capital.

Coping: a cap or covering on top of a wall, either flat or sloping, to shed water.

Cornice: The top section of the entablature; a horizontal molding projecting along the top of a building or wall.

Course:  a continuous horizontal row of brick or stone in a wall.

Crenulations or battlement: A parapet with alternating openings (embrasures) and raised sections (merlons), often used on castle walls and towers for defense purposes.

Decorative Wooden Trim: Most homes include a street-facing gable decorated with wood trim such as brackets, patterned millwork, bargeboards, or shingling; this decoration is also occasionally used on the porch gable.

Dentils:  small, oblong blocks spaced in a band to decorate a cornice.

Doors and Windows: Front facades of homes in this district are typically wide, which allows architectural elements like windows and doors to also be wider.

Doric: The oldest architectural style of ancient Greece; characterized by simplicity of form; fluted, heavy columns and simple capitals.

Dormer:  an upright window projecting from the sloping roof of a building; also the roofed structure housing such a window.

Early roads: Queen Street was the baseline (with the land beneath it becoming known as the “broken front”).  Surveyors ran their lines north from Queen Street with the Danforth eventually becoming the first concession.  Farms were oriented north-south along Queen Street in 200 acre lots.  Villages sprang up at the toll gates along the road — Norway at the Woodbine toll gate; Leslieville at Leslie Street and Don Mount (later renamed Riverside) at Mill Road (Broadview).

Vernacular style:  many houses exhibited a mixture of several styles. Many Edwardian architects and builders borrowed elements from different styles, particularly Neo-classical, Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts, to create their own designs.

Elevation: one of the external faces of a building; an architectural drawing (to scale) of a building façade.

Ell: an addition or wing to a house that shapes it like an “L” or a “T”.

Entablature: A horizontal superstructure supported by columns and composed of architrave, frieze and cornice.

Façade:  the faces of a building, often identified by the cardinal direction (N,S,E,W) which it faces.

Fascia: a plain horizontal band; a fascia board will cover the joint between the wall and the projecting eaves.

Floor plan or ground plan: Horizontal cross-section of a building as the building would look at ground level. A ground plan shows the basic outlined shape of a building and, usually, the outlines of other interior and exterior features. The main floor and upper floor plans (if any) are always included. In addition, depending upon the scope of the survey, plans at the following levels may be required: foundation plan, reflected ceiling plans (crawl space, main and upper floors), attic joist plan, rafter plan and roof plan.

Foundation wall, beam, column, footing: Many of the homes of settlers sat directly on the ground. Masonry walls were used for footings from c. 1850 – 1900. Poured concrete foundations were new in the late 19th century and those with Portland cement, harder and more durable, in the 20^th century.

Foyer: The entrance hall.

Framework, walls, floors: Wooden structural frame and light cladding. Clad in brick, stucco or wood.

Frieze: the horizontal band forming the middle section of the entablature; usually decorated with sculpture.

Gable: The end wall of a building, the top of which conforms to the slope of the roof.

Gambrel:  a ridged roof with two different slopes on each side of the ridge, the lower slope having a steeper pitch (sometimes called a Dutch roof).

Glazing:  the glass in a window.

Grand Trunk Railway (GTR):  This railway was proposed in 1851 as the main trunk line through the United Province of Canada. It was formally incorporated in 1852 to build a railway from Toronto to Montreal. In 1856 the GTR reached the banks of the Don River in Toronto. The GTR became part of the Canadian National Railway (CN) and now GO Trains roar along it.

Half-timbering:  wall construction in which spaces between wooden timber framing are filled with brick, stone, or other material; used decoratively in 20th century houses.

Head:  the top of the frame of a window or door.

Header:  the end of the brick seen in a brick course.

Industrialization There were a considerable number of highly organized and specialized plants located in the East End. These larger manufacturers were successful, and, with their state-of-the-art machinery mass produced goods, that outcompeted smaller factories. Many, like Palmolive or Wrigleys, were branch plants owned by American corporations who had to build here in Canada because tariff walls imposed high duties on American-made goods.

Jamb: A vertical element of a doorway or window frame.

Jerkinhead:  a gable roof with a hipped end

Joist:  horizontal structural members to which the boards of a floor or the lath for a ceiling are nailed.

Light (lite)  : small panes of window set into an individual sash.

Lintel: A flat horizontal beam which spans the space between two supports.

Lozenge: A diamond shape.

Masonry:  work done by masons, including brick, stone, or concrete block.

Massing:  the expression of interior volume as form.

Mortar:  a material used in the plastic state and troweled into place to harden; used to consolidate brick, stone, and concrete block work.

Newel:  the principal post in a banister at the foot of a staircase and at the corners of landings.

Parging (pargeting): to coat with plaster, particularly foundation walls and rough masonry (see stucco).

Pediment: a triangular section, or gable end, often used above doors and windows or at porch entrances.

Pier: An upright support, generally square, rectangular, or composite.

Pitch: the degree of slope of a roof, usually given in the form of a ratio, such as 6:12.

Porch: a roofed exterior space on the outside of a building.

Portal: Any doorway or entrance but especially one that is large and imposing.

Portland cement: a high-strength material (commercially dating to 1824) used as a component of concrete and modern hard mortars.

Quoins:  rectangles of stone or wood used to accentuate and decorate the corner of a building

Rafter: framing member supporting the roof.

Repointing: removal of old mortar from joints of masonry construction and filling in with new mortar.

Return: the part of a pattern that continues around a corner.

Ridge: the [top] line of intersection of the opposite sides of a sloping roof.

Riser:  the vertical face of a step.

Riverside Missionary Church In 1902 this building was erected as a Primitive Methodist Church on the site of an earlier Church at 466 King Street West, at the corner of Bright Street and King Street.

Roofs: Gable, hipped (mansard included) and flat roofs.

Rusticated block:  concrete block formed to replicate rough stone.

Sash:  the moveable framework holding the glass in a window or door.

Shaft: The structural member which serves as the main support of a column or pier. The shaft is between the capital and the base.

Shingles:  thin pieces of wood used in overlapping rows to cover roofs and exterior walls of houses; can be cut in decorative shapes.

Sidelights:  windows at either side of a door; often in conjunction with a transom above door and sidelights.

Siding:  the exterior wall covering of a structure. German  : common 19th century wood siding pattern, with a combination of concave curve and flat profile novelty  : general term for 19th century wood siding with a decorative profile.

Sill:  the horizontal water-shedding element at the bottom of a window or door frame.

Site Plan: The site plan shows the legal boundaries; the topographical features, including contours, vegetation, trees, roads, walks, fences and other man-made features; and the buildings. If the grid system is employed, the baseline of the grid, including its true bearing and tie-in dimensions to permanent features, is indicated as well as the level reference datum. Included with the site plan is the location plan, which is a map enabling one to find the property with reference to main roads, towns or natural features.

Soffit: The underside of an arch, opening, or projecting architectural element.

Springer: The lowest voussoir on each side of an arch. It is where the vertical support for the arch terminates and the curve of the arch begins.

Stained Glass Windows and Transoms: Stained glass decoration is sometimes found used in homes, especially in large, arched windows in the front of the house, and in transoms over the front doors.

Streetscape: the combined visual image from all of the physical elements found on both sides of a street, including the property up to the building front   Riverside Garden has a distinct, identifiable streetscape. Repetition of design features such as roof and porch trim, and gable shapes, create a sense of unity and rhythm as they are repeated throughout Riverdale Gardens. This gives an overall character, a sense of community, visually to Riverdale Gardens and, of course, those who live there give the rest to that very tangible sense of community.

Stretcher: the long side of a brick when laid horizontally.

Stringcourse: A continuous projecting horizontal band set in the surface of a wall and usually molded.

Studs:  the upright framing members for a wall.

Transom window:  a window above a door; commonly hinged for separate operation.

Tread:  the horizontal surface of a step (see riser).

Trim:  the framing of features on a façade which may be of a different color, material, or design than the adjacent wall surface.

Turret:  a little tower, set at an angle to the main wall; often at a corner and projecting above a building.

Veranda or verandah: a roofed, open gallery or porch; a large covered porch extending along one or more sides of a building and designed for outdoor living. Verandahs and porches provided shade for the home and offered a sheltered place to sit, especially during warm summer evenings. They also gave homeowners a place to observe and interact with their neighbours. Porches were initially made of wood, which could warp, leak or rot if improperly constructed. By the 1910s, porches were constructed from concrete and brick. As the world became less rural, demand for porches declined; cars stirred up dust and people became more private, spending their spare time indoors with their families and televisions. Most pre-1914 homes in the East End were designed to have some sort of covering for the front door entrance, whether it is a front porch, verandah, or a small overhang. Homes built during the 1920s feature porches that are integrated into the roofline. Porches include a variety of features, including columns, spindles, and handrails.

Verge board: bargeboard.

Vernacular: used to describe buildings with little or no stylistic pretension, or those which may reflect an interpretation of high-style architecture of the day.

Villa: In Roman architecture, the land-owner’s residence or farmstead on his country estate; in Renaissance architecture, a country house; in early 20th-century Toronto, a detached house usually two or more storeys.

Voussoir: One of the wedge-shaped stones used in constructing an arch.

 

 

 

345 Carlaw Avenue sits on a site by a lost creek, probably fished by the Mississauga and other First Nations for millennia. In the nineteenth century it was farmland and then market gardens, and then brick yard. Then in the early 20^th Century Carlaw Avenue became the industrial heartland of Toronto’s East End and the quiet country lane changed forever.

One of the firms that made its name on Carlaw was the Roden Bros. Ltd. Thomas and Frank came to Canada in 1879 and established a silversmith business in Montreal. They branched out into cutting glass as well. At the time, Roden had a sterling reputation (pun intended) and became:

a household name with prestigious esteem amongst the affluent of Ontario.[1]

Thomas and Frank Roden came to Toronto and founded Roden Brothers in 1891. Their first factory was at 99 ½ King Street West near York Street.[2] They turned out a wide range of silver hollowware and flatware in traditional English styles such as Stratford, Queens, and Louis XV.  Roden Bros. Ltd. was incorporated in 1912. That year they purchased the 165 by 400 foot lot of land on Carlaw from A. Barthelmes for $25,000.[i] Goldsmiths Stock Company were their exclusive selling agents from 1900 to 1922.

Their factory was at 345 Carlaw Avenue at the north east corner of Dundas Street and Carlaw Avenue, the site of “The Carlaw” condominium. Dundas Street was not completed through the East End until 1957. Before Dundas Street existed a short laneway ran east off Carlaw just south of the Roden Brothers factory. Their plant sat between the Wrigley Building on the south and the Barthelmes Building on the north. Just to the east of their factory was a buried watercourse known as Holly or Heward Creek. A rail spur allowed them to ship their products across Canada and cheap access to electricity from Niagara Falls powered their machinery and the industrial boom along Carlaw Avenue in the early Twentieth Century. The much-loathed power lines we see on photos were symbols of progress and economic growth at the time. Like others in the Canadian Manufacturing Association (CMA), Thomas and Frank Roden were strong supporters of the by-law that created Toronto Hydro.[1] Carlaw was a dark, dirty industrial street with smoking chimneys, but, in its heyday its plants produced some of those beautiful and desirable products ever made in Canada.

[1] Globe, Dec. 20, 1907

This photo from 1948 shows the Roden factory, a red brick and concrete three-storey structure on the right. Across the street sets Harrold’s coal yard. The street on the left is is Dickens. The white building on the right is the Barthelmes Building where pianos were made.

This photo from Condo.ca shows the same scene today. The street has changed radically. However, some things, including the position of fire hydrants do not change much, if at all. Find the fire hydrant in both pictures and you will be looking at exactly the same view.

Who were the Rodens and how did they leave their mark on Toronto?

The family was from Birmingham, England. Thomas and Frank’s father, George (1822-1887), was a grocer and provision dealer who became a very successful “commercial traveller” or sales person for one of Birmingham’s chemical factories. Their mother, Susannah Ryland, came from a prominent family that was listed in Burke’s Peerage. Their grandfather William Roden was a currier, a specialist in the tanning of leather.

Like others in the Canadian Manufacturing Association (CMA), Thomas Roden (1859-1929) and Frank Roden (1863-1928) were strong supporters of the by-law that created Toronto Hydro.[3] Carlaw was a dark, dirty industrial street with smoking chimneys, but, in its heyday its plants produced some of those beautiful and desirable products ever made in Canada.

The Roden brothers and their family left more than silver marks in Toronto. They, like many others who had climbed out of Birmingham through their skills, they were committed to the welfare of others, leaving a mark on Toronto’s social fabric that may outlast their silverware. They were Methodists and conservative in their politics, but progressive in many ways.

Throughout their lives both Thomas Roden and his son Alfred were deeply involved in both the CMA and a housing company, the Toronto Housing Company, formed to provide affordable decent housing for working families. The Toronto CMA chapter worked with organized labour, the Toronto of Trade and the Great War Veterans Association (the forerunner of the Canadian Legion) to set up the Ontario Housing Committee. Out of this grew the Toronto Housing Company.  Their motives were not entirely altruistic.

“The formation of the Ontario Housing committee and the Winnipeg housing survey were in themselves indications of growing public demand for government-assisted housing construction. Thomas Roden had warned his colleagues in the Canadian Manufacturers’ Association that “the indifference of the guiding classes” in Canada to housing problems was encouraging “that condition that brought about the downfall of Russia” [in the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution]. Following Roden’s advice, the Toronto chapter of the CMA resolved that Canadian housing problems posed a “menace” to the “industrial, social and political welfare of the whole country.”[4]

The Rodens were also very involved in the Associated Charities, a forerunner of the United Way[5]. Frank Roden was particularly interested in good cars and roads, both of which he, apparently loved. He was one of the founders of the Good Roads Association in Ontario, as well as the Ontario Motor League and the Canadian Motor League.[6] Frank Roden died in 1928; brother Thomas followed him a year later. Thomas’ son, Alfred J. Roden (1884-1947) led the company after the brothers died.

 

What exactly did the factory at 234 Carlaw Avenue make?

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“Roden Brothers, Ltd., Toronto, 1891-1956: Roden Bothers manufactured superior sterling silver teaware, flatware, toiletware, baby items, trophies, shields and novelties, as well as jewellery; they also manufactured silverplate, Sheffield reproductions, and “Pompeian Glass.”[7]

During both World Wars they produced military badges.

Royal Flying Corps Cap Badges were made in two types. Officer’s cap badges were made either in bronze or of a deeply “pickled” brass which made them deep bronze in colour. The enlisted cap badges, while essentially identical in form, were made from brass or other light golden metallic variations. Examples have been found made in UK and marked “Gaunt” while there have also been examples made in Canada and marked either “Roden Bros” and “Roden Toronto”. There are also many unmarked examples. There is considerable variety in the finish and material colour of these badges. Identical to the cap badge are a smaller version in both bronze and brass for officers and enlisted men which were worn on the raised collars of the “Maternity” smock and later on the lapel of the field uniform. In approximately 1915, an “economy badge” was produced for enlisted men and this differed from the regular badge by not being voided between the letters RFC.

http://www.worldofmilitarywings.com/wingpage/uk/rfccaps.html

 

Their glass is from that style known as “Canadian Brilliant Period Cut Glass”. Today their cut glass is hard to identify as many of their pieces of cut glass were not signed. They competed with such Cut Glass Companies as Gundy-Clapperton, Gowans-Kent and Birks who was also their main competitor for the silver consumer market.

A few unique items that Roden Bros. Ltd. produced were a gold rose bowl with the royal route across Canada engraved on it for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939 and, a tea service for Princess Elizabeth’s wedding in 1947.

They put out a special sport trophies catalogue which marketed their medals, trophy cups and other similar items, such as plaques and shields, belt buckles, charms, silver trowels for special events, etc. They advertised in their 1929 catalogue that they had produced “some iconic Canadian trophies” such as the Brier Tankard, the coveted curling trophy. They also produced trophies for hockey, baseball, football, motorcycle racing, curling, track and field, etc.[8]

 

 

“On Dec. 4, 1909, at Toronto’s Rosedale Field, a crowd of 3,807 mostly exuberant fans — the average ticket price was 70 cents — watched the University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club by a score of 26-6. Unfortunately, Earl Grey and his staff had been tardy ordering the cup from Birks Jewelers (at a cost of $48), and it took another three months for the inaugural awarding of the Grey Cup to the victorious Blues.” Allan Levine, “History of the Grey Cup” in the National Post. See http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/allan-levine-history-of-the-grey-cup

What about the Stanley Cup?

Many attribute the Roden Brothers with helping to produce both the Stanley Cup and the Grey Cup.[9] Although I have found no evidence that they actually made either, it is quite probable that they were involved in the alterations over the years, including the adding of the many rings on both cups, various repairs and replacements. The original Stanley Cup consisted of just the bowl and cost $48.67 in 1892. It was made of silver and was 7.28 inches in high and 11.42 inches in diameter. Today’s Stanley Cup has a copy of the fragile, aged original bowl. It is made of a silver and nickel alloy; it is 35.25 inches tall and weighs 34.5 pounds.

On Saturday, February 8, 1947 the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins 5-2. One of the rising new stars that night was a rookie just recently called up from the minors. His name was Bill Barilko.

 

Alfred Roden, a die-hard hockey fan, watched the game in Maple Leaf Gardens. On his way home to Grenadier Gardens in Swansea he suffered a fatal heart attacks. This Leafs fan gave special silver spoons to the stars of all the games at Maple Leaf Gardens.

On April 19, 1947 the Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadians 2-1 winning the Stanley Cup.

On August 26, 1951 (age 24), Bill Barilko died in a plane crash in the bush near Timmins. His body was not found until 1962. The Leafs won the Stanley Cup that year – the first time since Barilko disappeared 11 years before.

Birks took over Roden Bros. Ltd. in 1953, but continued production on Carlaw until about 1956.[10]

After the Roden Bros. Ltd. left, 345 Carlaw became a printing factory for a while and then a textile company, Larks, until it went under in 1988.  Then it became a warehouse and housed a number of different small manufacturers over the next two decades, sharing the general decline of Carlaw Avenue as industries left or went out of business. The street was a sad shadow of itself when I moved here in the early 1980s.

 

The Carlaw

In September, 2011, Streetcar Developments (formerly Dundee Realty) began advertising “The Carlaw” as a “midrise condo with 1- and 2-bedroom lofts” at prices “from the low $200,000s”. Amenities would include a 24-hour concierge, guest suites, a fitness centre, a rooftop party room and a terrace for barbecues, a courtyard garden and even a pet spa. Occupancy was expected in December 2014, but sales began in October, 2011. [11]

In 2013 the City of Toronto approved the building of a 12-storey condominium tower and three-storey stacked townhouses, with a total of 313 units, on the site of the Roden factory. There were conditions for amending the zoning by law to allow Streetcar Develops the increased density and a 12-storey building. One of the City’s conditions was that the new complex would house a theatre company such as Crow’s Theatre.  Another was that, although the Roden Building would be torn down, the Barthelmes Building to the north would be kept. The Carlaw and its neighbour, the Taylor, were completed in the fall of 2015. Tact Architecture designed both buildings.[12]

If there is a ghost in 345 Carlaw, it is probably waiting for the Leaf’s to win the Stanley Cup and the people who live in The Carlaw to invite that spectre to the party. He knows they have a great party space and there’s a lot of Leaf fans on Carlaw.

[1] http://www.passionforthepastantiques.com/store/products/item/categories/semi-precious/products/roden-bros-amethyst-marcasite-ster-earrings-c-1900-10/?tt_products%5Bbegin_at%5D=10&cHash=d6dc57942c8031ea192c00c4b258b5f7

[2] Globe, Feb. 22, 1908

[3] Globe, Dec. 20, 1907

[4] John Christopher Bacher, Keeping to the marketplace: the evolution of Canadian housing policy, University of Toronto Press, 1984, pp. 56-57.

[5] Who’s Who in Canada, 1922

[6] Globe, October 16, 1912

[7] http://www.costumejewelrycollectors.com/2014/08/01/early-canadian-sterling-enamel-souvenir-jewelry-patricia-gostick-cjci/

[8] http://www3.sympatico.ca/norman4/SelectAntiques.htm

[9] Unterman McPhail Associates, Heritage Analysis Report: Carlaw and Dundas District Landscape and Public Realm Improvements, City of Toronto, Ontario. Appendix D.

[10] see also http://www.silvercollection.it/AMERICANSILVERMARKSRDUE.html  and http://www.justinteeantiques.com/news.html

[11] Toronto Star, Sept. 24, 2011

[12] http://urbantoronto.ca/database/projects/carlaw

[i] Toronto Star Dec. 17, 1912

One’s destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things. – Henry Miller

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The Red Rocket, Presidents’ Conference Committee Car. T.T.C., 1966

View of original Eaton’s store and Old City Hall at Yonge and Queen Street June 15 1971

View of front of Simpson’s with holiday decorations, Yonge and Queen Street West, November 22, 1973

View of Queen Street East at Yonge St Jan. 30, 1982

View of Eaton’s Queen Street store, April 5, 1977

View of Queen Street East at Church Street, looking east, June 2, 1981

View of Queen Street East at Jarvis Street, looking east, July 9, 1977

Sherbourne and Queen, looking east,  June 6, 1981

View of Queen Street East, view east at Parliament Street, July 9, 1977

View of Queen Street East at Parliament Street, June 6, 1981

From Tracy  Street looking East towards River Street and the Don Bridge, July 9, 1977

View of Queen Street East, looking east to Don bridge, May 11, 1977

View of Dominion Breweries on Queen Street East, June 6, 1981

View of old streetcar on Queen Street East. December 14, 1978 just west of River Street.

View of Queen Street East, looking east from the Don bridge June 2, 1981

View of intersection of Baseball Place and Queen Street East, May 11, 1977

Baseball Place, May 11, 1977

View of the north-west corner of Broadview and Queen Street, the Victoria Hotel, July 11, 1977

View of Queen Street East, looking east across McGee Street, June 6, 1981

Postal Station ‘G’ Queen Street East & Winnifred July 1986 Toronto Public Library

Leslie Grove playground (Mosquito Park) 1986 Toronto Public Library

View of Queen Street East at Jones Avenue, June 6, 1981

Jones & Queen St. 1986 Toronto Public Library

 

A HAPPY ENDING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you had stood at the corner of Queen and Carlaw in 1910, you wouldn’t see many factories except Phillips Manufacturing Co. Ltd. on the west side. The land on the east side was owned by wealthy brickyard owner John Russell. A City Alderman, he somehow failed to pay his municipal property taxes. The City of Toronto seized and sold his land between Carlaw and Boston. Russell fought back, but lost at the Privy Council in London, England, the last court of appeal in those days. In 1912 the City of Toronto used that land to develop Carlaw as an industrial artery in the East End. Manufacturers quickly seized the opportunity.

By 1921 factories with belching smokestacks dominated Carlaw. Labourers filled Carlaw, coming to work to the sound of factory whistles and going home at shift change. In the minds of residents, the noise, pollutions and jobs naturally went together and were welcome. Not that people did not want higher wages and better working conditions.

The birth of the new factory involved some “hard labour” as the ironworkers and plasterers went out on strike and the other union men, bricklayers, plumbers and electricians, walked out in sympathy. A general strike would have threatened Toronto’s building boom.

So let’s stand back and take a good long look at this building. While this is a metaphor and I hope you enjoy this article, going to Carlaw and actually looking is even better.

Basic Form

The original 1913 factory consisted of two storeys on a raised base. The Rolph-Clark-Stone Building’s ferro-concrete frame dictated a basic box form, but allowed architects to use classical details for decoration. Toronto’s fine red brick clads the walls and the trim is brick and cast stone (artificial stone made with cement). The post and beam construction meant that the columns and bricks were non-structural, no longer load-bearing. The longest side of the structure fronts onto Carlaw Avenue and the back side fronts onto Boston Avenue.

Edwardian Classicism

The Rolph-Clark-Stone Building is identifiable as an Edwardian Classicist design by its front façade’s symmetrical massing, regular arrangement of windows and monumental central front entrance or frontispiece. Rolph-Clark-Stone, like other Edwardian Classicist factories, has a simple, balanced design, a straight roofline and sparse detailing compared to its predecessors. The cornice is simple. Most doors and windows have flat cast stone lintels. The walls are smooth and have many windows. For more info about Edwardian Classicism in Ontario see:

http://www.ontarioarchitecture.com/Edwardian.htm

For some examples of Edwardian Classicist industrial design walk up Carlaw Avenue but also see this slideshow:

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A Grand Entrance 

The Carlaw street façade is organized into three sections with an elevated frontispiece in the centre. The façade on the west side dominates the passerby with its scale and design. Everything is meant to impress. This façade is the face of the building the one that the public sees. The centrally placed frontispiece is meant to convey the beauty, but also the importance of the lithography company and the art itself. The frontispiece is a three-bay structure separated by four two-storey fluted “engaged columns”. These columns are attached to the wall so that only part of the columns projects from the wall.  Corinthian capitals crown the columns, drawing on Classical Greek and Roman architecture. These ornate capitals or column heads have a design with ancient design based on acanthus leaves, a design familiar to any educated gentleman of the day. At the base of the principal façade with its doorways and columns are three round arches with cast stone surrounds (mouldings).

If this is all Greek to you, you’re right – a lot of our architectural terms come from the ancient Greeks. For an explanation of terms, go to Buffalo’s great architectural dictionary:

http://www.buffaloah.com/a/DCTNRY/vocab.html#e

Guests entered the Rolph-Clark-Stone Building through the main door at the centre arch. Inside they found an equally impressive entrance lobby marked by more Classical detailing, vaulted ceilings and with what can only be described as a magnificent wooden grand staircase that climbs in two beautiful spirals. There are two more doors on the Carlaw side of the building — at the north and south ends, and, while they are handsome, they were for more day-to-day use.

The three tall flat-headed windows in the second storey are huge and inspired by Roman designs.  The west façade also has 18 bays on either side of the frontispiece with many large steel sash windows. The whole building speaks of balance and symmetry. The flat-headed windows on the north and south sections of the western façade have cast stone sills. Concrete band courses unify the building, carrying your eyes across the window heads. There are large windows in the north and south sections of the west façade as well.

The frontispiece is topped by an entablature, the horizontal superstructure supported by giant, over-sized engaged Corinthian piers. The frieze is usually decorated with sculpture, but, in this case, is decorated with ghosted lettering spelling: ROLPH CLARK STONE.

The cornice of the Rolph-Clark-Stone Limited Building has a cast stone coping. This top course forms a protective cap against the weather and stretches along the Carlaw street wall and wraps around the south side of the building. As with the Kent-McClain Building, the cornice is important. While the pedestal or base of the building grounds it; the cornice acts as a stop, giving visual completion to the building. These elements say, “Here I begin and here I end” like a punctuation mark at the finish of a sentence. Edwardian cornices were much simpler than the late Victorian ones in this advertisement from 1898:

Many older buildings are missing their cornices and the loss is like an amputation. While passersby might not be able to say just why the building “doesn’t look right”, they can spot ugly.

The band of concrete across the lintels of the ground floor not only unifies the building by leading the eye horizontally along the brick-faced façade. It is also a subtle reference to the concrete floor of the second storey, articulated the interior on the exterior.

Saw Tooths

The factory incorporates a row of “saw tooth” on its roof. This roof design is most commonly seen on older factories.

The saw toothed windows faced north. They filtered the soft northern light and avoided glare, perfect for a graphic design firm like Rolph-Clark-Stone Ltd.

What the Building Was Trying to Say

201 Carlaw Avenue communicated the stability of Rolph-Clark-Stone Limited and the firm’s aesthetic sense. The design speaks of orderliness and authority.  The Rolph-Clark-Stone Limited Building says, “We are rational, solid, secure and modern and we are here to stay.”

But it wasn’t true. Rolph-Clark-Stone Ltd. is gone, but the factory remained.

 

Printing Factory Lofts

The Printing Factory Lofts were built over the old Rolph-Clark-Stone Building. The Printing Factory Lofts project preserves three façades and incorporates significant portions of the original factory building into the project including the classical main entrance portico that opens to a grand wooden staircase. The land was purchased in 2004 for eight million dollars. The City of Toronto approved the construction of the Development in 2006. The prices ranged from $179,900 to $510,900 when the condo units first went on the market in October 2006 in pre-construction sales. The City of Toronto designated 201 Carlaw as a Heritage Building in 2007, one of only two on Carlaw — the other is the Toronto Hydro Transformer Building. Construction of the Printing House Lofts ended on May 12, 2010.

Although the front doors were replaced, much of the original entrance was kept.

It’s extraordinarily ornate, it’s all original…It’s going to be one of the nicest entranceways and lobbies of any condominium in Canada.

Brad Lamb, Brad J. Lamb Realty Inc., quoted in The Globe and Mail, November 3, 2006

They not only maintained the façade but also incorporated the old factory’s sawtooth roof with skylights into the two storey loft units with their exposed concrete ceilings, polished concrete floors, exposed metal ductwork and brick walls. The builders removed the centre portion of the factory, tearing down 65 per cent of the original factory. In its place they build an eight-storey glass tower, two garden courts and a series of townhouses that face Boston Avenue to the east. 

 

Beaverbrook Homes (now Averton Homes) developed the old abandoned factory into an upscale condominium with lofts. The architectural firm was Chandler Graham / Montgomery Sisam Architects. The structural engineer firm was Blackwell Bowick Engineering and the mechanical engineer firm was Novatrend Engineering Group Ltd. The architects removed the centre part of the factory to create an eight storey glass tower, two garden courts and townhouses facing Boston Avenue. Brad Lamb was the realtor that marketed the newly created condominium project. This brought 254 new housing units to what was in the 1990s a brownfield of abandoned buildings and lost jobs.

The Printing Factory Lofts received the Paul Oberman Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Architecture and Design at the 2011 Pug Awards – the 7th Annual People’s Choice Awards for Architecture. The Printing Factory Lofts also won a 2011 Toronto Urban Design Awards honorable mention.

To see what the Printing Factory Lofts look like today go to:

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/201+Carlaw+Ave,+Toronto,+ON+M4M+2S3/@43.6624079,-79.3406196,3a,75y,76h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sFe0NnAFTrGm–yFzYD-0Wg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DFe0NnAFTrGm–yFzYD-0Wg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dsearch.TACTILE.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D86%26h%3D86%26yaw%3D76.143875%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x89d4cb772e1be547:0x6a4bb0e819c182ed!8m2!3d43.6624787!4d-79.3402214!6m1!1e1?hl=en&authuser=0

For more about the architecture of the Printing Factory Lofts see:

http://www.archdaily.com/148969/

Loss and Profit

Standing here in 2016, I juggle in my mind and heart, the loss to the East End that the adaptive reuse of Carlaw Avenue’s industrial buildings signifies and the profit to our community.

Remember the industrial Carlaw of early days and all the lost blue collar jobs. In my mind I am still standing at my work station, hearing the roar of the machinery in spite of my ear plugs and smelling the inks and breathing in the paper dust. My muscles were strong from moving box after box of flyers, maps, booklets and newsletters.  I remember the ache of standing on a concrete floor for eight hours or the many hours of a double shift.

We can argue that talented architects, creative designers, and flexible and sophisticated developers have profited Leslieville by repurposing empty, run-down factories, like this, into upscale condominium lofts. The City Plan only allows mid-rises like the Rolph-Clark-Stone Building so that a vibrant street life is fostered and glass towers don’t overshadow Leslieville. According to City Planners “a mid-rise building is generally taller than four storeys, but no taller than the width of the adjacent street right-of-way (i.e. typically between 5 and 11 storeys).” For more info see

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=4c06968dea37e410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

These condos draw in a vibrant new population of young, affluent people while respecting the history of the neighbourhood. These newcomers fuel the booming businesses along Queen Street, driving Leslieville’s Renaissance and firing up the real estate market for detached homes and duplexes on the surrounding streets. Property values have soared with real estate prices and the cost of a Leslieville cup of java.

A Landmark Building

We have a love-hate relationships with factories which may explain why so few are recognized as Heritage Buildings or have plaques. Carlaw Avenue is a street of such lost lovelies. I love this street and this building, but I hate how it is changing so quickly that I hardly recognize the old neighbourhood.

The Rolph-Clark-Stone Building, over a century old, existed in a grimy but elegant harmony with its industrial neighbours such as the Palmolive and Wrigley factories. Carlaw was a rundown “brown field” of empty buildings in the 1980s when I moved here. I share the Old East End’s blue collar history.

It is easy to argue that the Rolph-Clark-Stone reuse as the Printing Factory Lofts maintains the visual integrity necessary for it to convey its significance and heritage value. Yet many of us still remember those who waited in long lines at the unemployment insurance office. Pogie, no matter how much, never replaced the vanished jobs on Leslieville’s main industrial drag. Leslieville’s renaissance has brought new jobs, high paying jobs for some, minimum wage service industry (often part-time) jobs for others.

The bricks are no longer coated with decades of coal dust and industrial grime.The greasy spoons are disappearing, replaced by cafes with armchairs and baristas. We will continue our walk up Carlaw in our “time machine” and I hope you will follow us.

Your comments, memories and stories are welcome here, just email to the Leslieville Historical Society at:

leslievillehistory@gmail.com

The Heritage Analysis Report: Carlaw and District Landscape and Public Realm Improvements, March 2016, prepared for the City of Toronto by Unterman McPhail Associates can be downloaded here as a pdf:

http://www.carlawdundas.ca/sites/carlawdundas.ca/files/user/documents/Heritage%20Analysis%20Report%20Carlaw-Dundas%20District%20Landscape%20and%20Public%20Realm%20Improvements%2C%20Toronto%203.16.18.pdf

 

For more about proposals for the future of Carlaw Avenue, see:

https://www1.toronto.ca/City%20Of%20Toronto/City%20Planning/Community%20Planning/Files/pdf/C/Carlaw%20-%20Dundas%20Community%20Initiative%20-%20Oct%2024,%202013%20presentation.pdf

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2014/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-72579.pdf

http://www.carlawdundas.ca/document/carlaw-dundas-heritage-analysis-report-march-2016

 

For more information on the architecture of this building go to:

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2007/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-1048.pdf

http://www.archdaily.com/148969/

http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2011/06/pugs-reward-torontonians-favourite-new-buildings

http://app.toronto.ca/HeritagePreservation/details.do?folderRsn=2434016&propertyRsn=242328

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