What Ernescliffe Co-op, one of the city’s oldest apartment buildings and once home to influential Canadian poet Charles G.D. Roberts, the first Canadian to be knighted for literature.
Where 467 Sherbourne, at Wellesley
Why Heritage Toronto celebrates the 100th anniversary of the apartment complex with the unveiling of three bronze commemorative plaques Saturday (May 23) at 1 pm. According to this history, the three apartment buildings that make up the complex were constructed between 1914 and 1916. They were included in the city’s inventory of heritage property’s in 1995, shortly after occupancy dipped below 60 per cent and the buildings went into receivership and were taken over by a trust company. It became a housing co-operative shortly after that.
Distinguishing features Archways on the side fronting Wellesley, Ionic columns and stone detailing around the windows. The city’s records do not indicate a builder or architect. But the Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada lists George Denman Redmond as the buildings’ designer. Redmond was a draftsman in the city’s architectural department. He had no formal training in architecture but along with Neil Beggs, another city employee, set up their own firm. Ernescliffe was one of numerous multi-storey apartment blocks designed by their firm in Toronto. At the time it was built, the Ernescliffe was the largest apartment complex in the city. The firm’s other noteworthy commissions include the former Parkview Theatre in Roncesvalles.
