The Paul Kane House is a heritage structure in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[1][2] Paul Kane, an important early Canadian artist, purchased the property in 1853 and built a cottage on the site.
| Paul Kane House | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | House |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Named for | Paul Kane |
On May 29, 1855, a fire broke out in Kane's stables, and spread to neighbouring structures.[3]
He and his heirs later expanded the cottage, and clad it in brick.[1][2] His family owned the property until 1903, after which it served a variety of purposes. It was acquired by a church for the deaf, who constructed a larger structure in front of the house.[4] When a developer demolished the church in the 1970s, it exposed the heritage house, triggering a grass-roots effort to save the house from demolition.[1][5] The house was bought by the city in 1978 and subsequently designated a heritage structure under the Ontario Heritage Act.
In 1984, the Toronto Star published an article about the building, illustrated by photos showing it boarded up, quoting neighbours calling for it to be demolished.[6] In 1985, an architect incorporated the house into a new housing cooperative being built on Isabella Street, the street just north of Wellesley. The design only integrated the sound portions of the house, the rear of the original house being damaged by fire.
The city created a small parkette, at 56 Wellesley Street East in what was once Kane's front yard.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c
"Paul Kane House". LostRivers.ca. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
Kane returned to Toronto in 1848 to stay. In 1853, he purchased this property and built a stucco cottage, which he enlarged in the late 1850s, and again in 1879 with the addition of buff brick and a porch.
- ^ a b
Widmann, David J. (2007-07-09). "Walk and Discover Uptown's Parks". Torontoist. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
Set back from the street behind a small manicured parkette, the house was once owned by Paul Kane, a prominent Toronto artist.
- ^ Robertson, John Ross (1896). Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto: A Collection of Historical Sketches of the Old Town of York from 1792 Until 1837, and of Toronto from 1834 to 1904, Volume 2.
- ^ Fram, Mark; Byrtus, Nancy; McClelland, Michael (2000). East/West: A Guide to Where People Live in Downtown Toronto. Coach House Books. ISBN 9781552450659. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
- ^ "Paul Kane house in sadder days". City of Toronto Archives. 1976. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
- ^ Innell, Reg (1984). "Not a pretty picture". The Toronto Star. via Toronto Reference Library archives. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
- ^
"Paul Kane House Parkette". City of Toronto government. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
A plaque in the centre commemorates Paul Kane, a prominent 19th century Toronto artist whose former home lies off the park.