Toronto House

Rehabilitated and updated to include office, retail, health club, and residential use, the restored heritage façade of the former Southam Press Building at 19 Duncan Street anchors the new development “Toronto House” at the corner of Adelaide St and Duncan St.

One of the earliest warehouses in the area, it is recognized as a fine example of a tall Edwardian commercial building type. Constructed in 1908, it was designed by the Toronto-based partnership Sproatt & Rolph Architects.

Throughout its history, the Southam Press Building has housed an array of tenants such as Southam Press Ltd, Canadian General Electric Co. Ltd and Canadian Lithographic Institute.

ERA served as heritage architect for the project with partners Hariri Pontarini Architects and Jablonsky, Ast and Partners Consulting Engineers. ERA worked to rehabilitate and conserve the 5.5 storey north, west and partial south facades. Using archival photographs of the building, four arched brick parapets, lost over time, were restored.  Additionally, a section of the south elevation was restored with salvaged bricks to match the original bond pattern. The facades were restored and washed, highlighting the original red brick masonry and limestone detailing.

A new concrete support structure was installed, bringing a modern interior aesthetic to complement the historic exterior. On the ground floor, new glazed storefronts were strategically located to bring natural light and activate the frontage with entrances to the office, retail and health club functions. The second to the fifth floors are used for offices, maintaining their original use. The original window openings at these levels are retained with new double glazed wood windows matching the original were installed for improved energy efficiency.