Government building.

Details of Site Location: Douglas Drive and Roxborough Drive.

Boundary History: 14 acres in North Rosedale, looking southeast across the Don Valley.  This irregularly shaped property is approximately 700′ by 600′.

Current Use of Property: A public park with many trees and paths. No playground.

Historical Description: After the government decided to move Government House, the home of the Lieutenant Governor, away from downtown King Street, a number of sites were considered: Bloor Street East, Bathurst Street, Davenport Road. Following a competition, a design was chosen for the Bloor Street site; however, the provincial  architect, F.R. Heakes, felt it would be too expensive to build. The decision to build in Rosedale was very controversial, as it was felt that it was too secluded for a government building. However, Mr. Heakes went ahead. The exterior design was based on the drawings that architect John Lynn had submitted for the competition, in the style of the French Renaissance chateaux of the Loire Valley – very much like the railway and the federal government national style, both in its picturesque character and in its reference to the early French history.  The house was constructed of grey Credit Valley stone with a red tile roof. The front hall was a skylighted three-storey space surrounded by galleries and decorated in marble and Caen limestone. A grand ballroom featured gilt chandeliers and a domed glass ceiling, while a Jacobean state dining room was panelled in fumed oak. All the main reception rooms had a view of the Don Valley. The surrounding gardens were designed by an American, C.W. Levitt of New York. They included a formal layout in front, a rusticated concrete bridge, and many raised terraces.

The house took four years to complete (1916) and cost over a million dollars. The expenses in maintaining it became a political issue early in the 1920s, and with the Depression the government decided to close it in 1937. The house became a military hospital until 1956, and in 1959 was demolished. Only the bridge remains.

Relative Importance: This was a beautiful house, a government building, that should be remembered.

Planning Implications: A plaque with a picture should be placed in the park. The site might also be interesting for student archaeology.

Reference Sources: William Dendy, Lost Toronto; City of Toronto Archives; photographs, Metro Library.