Replacing the Lost Railway Stations of West Toronto

  

What’s Our Proposal?

In earlier times, Toronto’s West Toronto – Davenport – Parkdale area was home to at least nine railway depots. None of these have survived as working or heritage structures.

Metrolinx is currently planning new rail stations in some of these same locations – St. Clair/Keele, Bloor/Lansdowne, and Liberty Village/Parkdale – to support the planned new GO-RER and SmartTrack services.

There is an opportunity to design and construct these new stations using the architectural template of former railway depots in this area. This will restore this heritage element to the community.

Since the new buildings will be working transit facilities, no new funding is required to achieve this. Once constructed, these heritage relevant structures will have longevity in these communities. Their future role is aligned to their original purpose. Proper ongoing maintenance and security is assured.

 

Lost Depots

CP West Toronto – Dupont/Dundas, constructed 1911, demolished 1982

CN West Toronto – Old Weston Road/Junction Road, constructed 1907, demolished 1999

CN St Clair Ave – St Clair/Caledonia, constructed 1931, Designated 1994, destroyed by fire 1997

CN Davenport – Davenport/Caledonia, Constructed 1860, closed 1932

Toronto Suburban Railway – Keele St/St Clair – Constructed 1925, demolished 197?

CP Parkdale – Queen/Dufferin – constructed 1910, demolished 1969?

CN Parkdale – Queen/Dufferin – constructed 1882, relocated to Queen/Roncesvalles for preservation, destroyed by fire 1977

CN Sunnyside – Queen/Roncesvalles, Constructed 1912, demolished c. 1969

GTR South Parkdale Station – Jameson Ave, c. 1870, demolished 1910

 

Heritage Connections and Value

•  Railway stations in this area were busy facilities which saw heavy use
• In earlier times, railway stations were effectively a community’s “front door” as they were the point of arrival for travellers
• The number of these stations speaks to their role in commuting and intercity travel, originating at a time when these communities were separate and distinct districts, which grew and were absorbed into the growing Toronto city.
• The Barrie-Davenport line, which is slated for significant change, was in fact Toronto’s first railway, dating to 1853
• The Parkdale area housed major rail yards and shop facilities including those of the Toronto Grey Bruce Railway, a very early rail line
• The Junction area owes its existence in part to the railways’ choice of this area to locate railway yards and shops
• The industrial corridor running from West Toronto Junction to Strachan Avenue was one of Toronto’s most intensive industrial zones. The wide, multi-track rail corridor, and the large industrial buildings with extensive sidings which lined this route, were defining features of this area of the City.
• “Suburban” railway depots at Parkdale and at West Toronto were an integral feature of this corridor and reflected the considerable role of this corridor in transportation within the city.

 

Style Features of the Lost Depots

• Distinctive rooflines
• Wide eaves, designed to provide shelter to railway workers and waiting passengers
• Long horizontal profiles, whose perspective is formed by the railway lines themselves, as well as the depot and ancillary structures
• Bay windows used to provide visibility of approaching trains
• Distinctive and decorative arches, windows and doorways
• Various styles of wood, brick, and stone construction
• A variety of waiting shelters, lighting fixtures, and platform styles,
• Distinctive related outbuildings and railway appliances (baggage and express sheds, signal towers, crossing watchman towers and sheds, semaphore and train order signals)

 

 

The Opportunity

• None of the depots built and occupied by the railways in the Parkdale – Davenport – West Toronto area have been preserved.
• New structures, drawing on the architecture of these former depots, will restore the presence of these structures
• Use of traditional architecture will complement the prevailing architecture of dwellings and businesses in these areas and prevent the mismatching of 2016 architecture into the public space at these locations
• Corrects the past – at least one of these depots was demolished in an era when Heritage Preservation legislation was weak or nonexistent. Others were slated for preservation, but sat vacant in the absence of a proper preservation plan, leading to their destruction by fire.
• Absent this approach, maximum value will not be obtained from the money invested in new facilities – this is an opportunity for win-win between transportation planning and heritage conservation.

 

Locations know to be under consideration

Metrolinx has concluded a comprehensive review of potential new station locations. The recommended station locations, to be presented to the Metrolinx Board in June 2016, include:

Lansdowne/Bloor – A new GO station has been proposed to connect the current Barrie GO service and the planned GO RER lines to the TTC Line 2 Subway.

St Clair Avenue at Keele – This location has also been proposed as a station location for the Barrie GO/RER service

Liberty Village/Parkdale – A stop at this location has been proposed as an addition to current GO service, and in relation to future GO RER and SmartTrack services on the Milton, Kitchener, and/or Barrie corridors

Further opportunities may also arise should station changes be proposed in connection with the Waterfront Transit Restart study, or other emerging needs.

 

Stakeholders and potential sources of support

 Community Heritage Preservation Panels

• Toronto Preservation Board
• Toronto City Community Councils
• Toronto Railway Historical Association
• Community Associations
• City of Toronto Design Review Panel
• Metrolinx Design Review Panel