Early estate residences of Baldwin family.
Details of Site Location: On the edge of the escarpment facing down Spadina Road and Avenue, east of Casa Loma.
Boundary History: Boundaries of the Spadina estate lands are huge, reaching from Queen Street north to Lawrence Avenue. The houses, one built upon the site of the earlier one, occupied only a small portion of the estate. The Baldwins’ Spadina houses also had outbuildings, a road leading north from Davenport Road, and a burial ground to the east of the houses. A small archaeological dig has been done in the immediate environs of the present building, but investigation of the area including the outbuildings has not been done. It is estimated that the complete site would occupy some five or six acres surrounding the present building.
Current Use of Property: On precisely the same site as the Baldwin houses is an 1866 house built by James Austin, who demolished Spadina II in order to use the house site and its views of the city.
Historical Description: Dr. William Warren Baldwin, a medical doctor, lawyer, architect, and urban planner, took over lands inherited by his wife, Phoebe Willcocks, and her sister, Maria, from their father, Joseph Willcocks. To these large properties were added the even larger acreages amassed by Peter Russell in his own name and that of his sister, Elizabeth. With property came obligations to use and maintain the lands and adjoining roads. Dr. Baldwin’s business was downtown, but he wanted a country house and in 1818 built Spadina I on the site described above. A large house, it served a large family. While the house was under construction, the Baldwins lived at Davenport, just to the west. In 1835, Spadina I burned down and Dr. Baldwin transferred the property by deed to his son, Robert, and his wife, Eliza. But he built Spadina II by the next year on a smaller scale of 1-1/2 storeys. It was this house that James Austin demolished for the construction of the present building, also called Spadina. As Dr. Baldwin was building the Spadinas, he also designed and built Spadina Avenue as a grand boulevard with gardens and double rows of chestnut trees to give his wife and sister in law a fine view from Spadina to the lake (1820). He was designing Toronto’s first civic square between Toronto and Church Streets, and drew plans for the Provincial Parliament Buildings. With John Ewart and J.G. Chewitt he drew plans for the original section (now East Wing) of Osgoode Hall. In 1829 he built his own law office at Yonge and King. For his sister-in law, Maria, and her flock of geese, he built Goose Walk (later Glen Walk) so that she could comfortably take her flock to the waters of Castle Frank Creek near Spadina. The walk had a bridge, split rail fence, and plantings, and part way along the route he built Glen Cottage of logs with a thatched roof where the family played games. In 1829 he developed the “Great Gates” at Davenport and a road leading from them to Spadina; this road later became the upper stretch of Walmer Road. In the same year, when one of his sons died, he developed St. Martin’s Rood, a family burial ground behind Spadina. He assisted in designing the Bank of Upper Canada at Adelaide and George Streets in 1830, and the next year designed the second St. Lawrence Market (on the site of the present Market). In 1834/35, Dr. Baldwin built a town house of brick at Front and Bay. While doing this design and construction work, he practised law, drafted the first principles of Responsible Government, co founded the Mechanics’ Institute (the beginning of the public library system), and ran a medical clinic for the benefit of the poor. These are only a few of Dr. Baldwin’s accomplishments, but it was his son who is better remembered – if at all – in Canada’s history.
Robert Baldwin, the oldest son of William Warren, became a lawyer and a Reformer like his father. Robert is called, with Hippolvte LaFontaine in Lower Quebec, the Father of Responsible Government. No less an author than Stephen Leacock stated that his work in reforming government set the pattern for the whole British Empire. Robert brought into being the first Municipal Act, abolished the Rule of Primogeniture, and actually accomplished the work of reform through persistence, quiet diplomacy, and his reputation for integrity. His own life was tragic, and when his beloved wife died, he built a mausoleum within St. Martin’s Rood, and then built a cottage, still extant, north of the Spadina House, where he retired to read and write.
Relative Importance: There are few sites in the city that are of as great importance as those associated with the Baldwins, and none as much as their Spadina estate. Both of the Spadina houses have vanished, as have Goose Walk and Glen Cottage and a log cabin lovingly preserved by the Baldwins from the French Regime. The Great Gates have vanished. St. Martin’s Rood, cleared of many of its burials by James Austin, is no longer even identifiable. It is probable that there are still burials there, since there were more than thirty people lying there at one time. As well, Castle Frank Creek with its waterfall has vanished.
Planning Implications: In planning for the area around Spadina, it is essential that full scale archaeological investigation be undertaken, especially in the area of St. Martin’s Rood. The importance of the Baldwins to Toronto and to all of Canada more than merits a major bronze sculpture of William Warren and the Honourable Robert mounted at the edge of the Spadina property overlooking the city and the once grand avenue. The Spadina Steps, built some years ago, do not commemorate the Baldwins but rather the end of the battle over the Spadina Expressway and are not the kind of memorial that the Baldwins deserve. It is also worth commemorating other Baldwins, such as Janet Baldwin, prima ballerina and teacher of dance, who married Boris Volkoff, who brought classical ballet to Canada and trained the dancers who became the nucleus of the National Ballet of Canada.
Reference Sources: Baldwin Papers, Baldwin Room, Toronto Reference Library; Community. History Project files.
Acknowledgements: Clifford Collier, Ontario Genealogical Society; Lawrence and Miriam Adams, Dance Archives Danse [?????]