palace arms
Sitting on the northeast corner of King St W and Strachan Ave, the Palace Arms at 950 King Street West has been a Toronto landmark for 130 years, with the first phase constructed in 1890 as a hotel, and recently used as a rooming house. The buildings are recognized as having characteristics of Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque styles, and are constructed of red brick with sandstone and wood detailing. Giaimo Architects was retained as heritage consultants by Greenwin Inc, Intentional Capital, and Windsor Private Capital for the redevelopment of Palace Arms at 950 King Street West, 938-944 King Street West, and 95-99 Strachan Avenue – the original hotel, and subsequent townhouse additions, respectively. The approach maintains the cultural heritage value of the site and attributes of the property, while facilitating its redevelopment for a new mixed-use, multi-unit 14-storey residential building with affordable housing.
Client
Greenwin and Intentional Capital
Location
Toronto, Ontario
Start Date
2021
Status
Construction
Type
Multi-unit residential
Affordable housing
Team
Sweeny&Co Architects – Prime Architect
Giaimo – Heritage Architect
HERITAGE
The building is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act and is on the City of Toronto’s Heritage Register, requiring coordination with and approvals from the City of Toronto’s Heritage Planning department. The conservation strategy was developed in consultation with the city, and with reference to the Parks Canada Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places, and the Ministry of Culture’s Ontario Heritage Tool Kit Procedures. Investigations into the condition of the building revealed that the majority of the physical material could not be conserved, due to advanced deterioration. The approach taken commemorates the existing building via a reconstruction of the facade with salvaged stone elements and new brick to match the original. This reconstruction will be achieved through the careful digital documentation of the existing facade, and detailed reconstruction documents which describe the unique brick and stonework of the building. These efforts will be directed towards the primary south facades and west façades, along with 4.5 metre returns adjacent to these, along with the existing roofline and chimneys.
Throughout this work, Giaimo has provided a Conservation Plan; Reconstruction Plan; Heritage Signage, Lighting, and Interpretation and Commemoration Plan; General Heritage Consulting; and is currently in the Construction Documents phase.
