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After years of concern over the fate of the former home of John Bayne Maclean, founder of Maclean’s magazine, Heritage Toronto unveiled a plaque commemorating the now restored house at 7 Austin Terrace in the city's tony Casa Loma neighbourhood. Constructed in 1910, the house was recently the subject of a notable heritage conflict between the property owner and the surrounding community.
John Bayne Maclean (1862-1950) was a newspaper editor for the Toronto Mail and teacher until he established a series of trade magazines including Canadian Grocer and Dry Goods Review. He established his own publishing company and in 1905 he bought The Business Magazine, which was renamed Maclean’s in 1911. At its peak, Maclean’s magazine empire became the largest of its kind in the British Commonwealth, featuring such titles as Chatelaine and The Financial Post.
Designed by renowned architect John Lyle, who also designed Union Station and the Royal Alexandra Theatre, 7 Austin Terrace was completed in 1910. The Georgian Revival style building was unique in that the main entrance was offset from the windows above, which also varied in width, making the building deliberately asymmetrical. Originally intended as the gatehouse of a larger estate that was never built, Maclean moved to the residence in 1911 and lived there until his death in 1950. After his death, the house was sold and divided into apartment units.
1626829 Ontario Ltd. purchased the site in 2008 and sought demolition in order to replace the home with an eight-unit townhouse complex and a six-unit rental building. In 2009, many of the important heritage features including the windows as well as the portico were stripped from the front facade in preparation for demolition. Although the property was not designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, the City then signified its intention to do so, granting them the legal authority to interfere with its demolition. To stop further tampering with the building, the City asked the province to issue a stop-work order. In December 2009, for only the second time in Ontario’s history, a stop-work order was granted and further demolition was prevented. One month later, the City designated the property under the Ontario Heritage Act, meaning that demolition would now require City Council approval. Although it seemed the building was saved from demolition, the interior and front facade had still been gutted and there was no legal way for the City to force the owner to reverse this damage.
The site sat empty and the community wondered what the ultimate fate of the house would be until Renaissance Fine Homes bought the property in 2011. The 1940s addition to the house was demolished in favour of a new pair of semi-detached units and one single-family dwelling while the main house was divided into three units. With the help of E.R.A. Architects, the demolished features of the front facade were replaced and the house was restored.
On May 12, the community joined Heritage Toronto in celebrating the restoration of the now designated building, signifying the end of a turbulent few years. With many century-old buildings being lost recently, the restoration of the Maclean House is the good news heritage story Toronto just may have needed.
Units in the building are now for sale by the builders. Interior photos of the centre unit, starting at $2.35 million, are available here in our thread for the project, or to view yet more photos and floor plans of the building, you can visit the official website.
Were you familiar with the neighbourhood controversy or eventual restoration of the house? Leave a comment below to let us know, or join the conversation in the thread linked above.
