Item - 2021.PB26.1

The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that:

1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 85 Stephen Drive (including entrance addresses at 75 High Street and 120 The Queensway) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, in accordance with the Statement of Significance: 85 Stephen Drive (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 3 to the report (August 12, 2021) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

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.

Loryssa Quattrociocchi, Planner, Heritage Preservation, Urban Design, City Planning gave a presentation on 85 Stephen Drive (The Oculus) - Notice of Intention to Designate a Property Under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

This report recommends that City Council include the property at 85 Stephen Drive (including entrance addresses at 75 High Street and 120 The Queensway) on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register, state its intention to designate the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value for its design and physical, historical and associative, and contextual values.  

The property at 85 Stephen Drive (including entrance addresses at 75 High Street and 120 The Queensway) is located within the South Humber Park, north of the Humber River Recreational Trail. It is bordered by the Humber River to the east, Stonegate Road to the north, Stephen Drive to the west, and The Queensway and the Humber Wastewater Treatment Plant to the south. Known as the South Humber Park Pavilion or "the Oculus," the purpose-built structure was designed in 1958-9 for visitors to the new South Humber Park and was set within the park's expansive picturesque landscape. The park was created in tandem with the adjacent Humber Wastewater Treatment Plant development and as part of citywide activity related to the flood control of ravines and valley lands after the destruction of Hurricane Hazel in 1954.

The city-owned pavilion was designed by the architect Alan Crossley in collaboration with the engineer Laurence George Cazaly. The South Humber Park Pavilion contains three separate but conceptually linked elements which form a singular structure: a trapezoidal ground plane of flagstone pavers, a concrete shelter structure with an oculus to allow sunlight to penetrate, and a rounded washroom building that is faced in stone of varied sizes. The South Humber Park Pavilion is a local landmark, and running south of the structure is the Humber River Recreational Trail, which was installed in the 1980s and increased access to the pavilion. There was also a cairn stone drinking fountain to the side (west) of the structure, which has been removed.

In 2019, The Oculus Revitalization Project, led by Giaimo and the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO) – Toronto (ACO TO), was selected as one of the recipients for Park People's Public Space Incubator Grant (PSI). The grants will be used to transform the South Humber Park Pavilion into a community gathering space including temporary public art installation titled Brighter Days Ahead was installed in October 2020. Additionally City Council awarded a Toronto heritage grant $33,000.00 to the ACO – Toronto (ACO TO) to assist with the pavilion's restoration in 2021 with the condition that the pavilion be designated under Part IV Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in keeping with grant award requirements.  Since the Oculus is a City of Toronto asset, ACO TO and Giaimo have been working closely with Parks, Forestry, and Recreation and Heritage Planning staff throughout the entire project. A related exhibition opened on August 3, 2021.

Following research and evaluation undertaken according to Ontario Regulation 9/06, the provincial criteria prescribed for municipal designation, it has been determined that the property at 85 Stephen Drive merits designation under Part IV Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its design and physical, historical and associative, and contextual value.

Properties on the Heritage Register will be conserved and maintained in accordance with the Official Plan Heritage Policies.