137 Bond Street - Notice of Intention to Designate a Property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act

The property, fondly known as O'Keefe House (OKH) by Toronto Metropolitan University students, was initially the residence of William Mathers, a lawyer, and Agnes Mathers, his wife. Named for its association with a subsequent occupant, the prominent brewer Eugene O'Keefe, founding partner and president of the O'Keefe Brewing Company, one of the most successful breweries in Ontario. O'Keefe purchased the property in 1879 and lived there until his death in 1913. He oversaw a series of additions that adapted the building from its original Georgian design into a representative example of the Queen Anne Revival architectural style, which was popular in Toronto in the late-19th century. Successfully adapted into a multi-unit student residence in 1964, O'Keefe House along with Oakham House (1848) located at 35 Gould Street, were two of the primary student residences until the construction of Pitman Hall in 1991. Over the years, this collection of low-rise pre-Confederation era buildings along Gould Street developed into the heart of the TMU campus, and "O'Keefe House" provided a valuable residential centre where students could build a community and fully participate in campus life. The subject property at 137 Bond Street was included on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties (now known as the Heritage Register) on March 5th, 1984. In December 2022, the City received a Site Plan Approval application related to a proposed redevelopment of the subject property to be used as a Student Wellness Centre for the Toronto Metropolitan University with an eight-storey rear addition to the existing three-storey historic building that would involve retention of portions of the structure in situ. The proposed interior space includes multiple floors of examination rooms and office spaces anchored by a central spiral stair and a ground floor lobby waiting area (22 237820 STE 13 SA). In February 2023, the City received a Zoning Review application and a Minor Variance application in April 2023, both related to the same proposed redevelopment as described above (22 242103 STE 13 OZ and 23 131626 STE 13 MV). A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) is required for all development applications that affect listed and designated properties and will be considered when determining how a heritage property is to be conserved. An Heritage Impact Assessment for 137 Bond Street prepared by EVOQ Architecture and dated April 11, 2023, was submitted to the City to support the application. On November 28, 2022, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23) received Royal Assent. Schedule 6 of the More Homes Built Faster Act which amended the Ontario Heritage Act and came into effect on January 1, 2023. A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets two or more of the nine criteria. Staff have completed the Research and Evaluation Report for the property at 137 Bond Street and determined that the property meets Ontario Regulation 9/06, the criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act under design and physical, historical and associative, and contextual values. As such, the property is a significant built heritage resource. Designation enables City Council to review proposed alterations or demolitions to the property and enforce heritage property standards and maintenance.

2. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.