Click on the thumbnail images
for pop-up photos of heritage features
of Brunswick between College and Ulster.

Harbord Village Heritage Conservation District

Harbord Village Heritage Conservation District Phase 1 (Brunswick Avenue south of Ulster and Willcocks Street west of Spadina) was established in April, 2004. HVHCD2 - Robert Street from College to Bloor will soon be established. HVRA hopes that eventually the whole of Harbord Village will become an HCD.

The aim of an HCD is to prevent the demolition of historic homes and buildings and alterations to their street-visible facades that detract from the heritage character and resale value of the district as a whole. The creation of HVHCD1 was triggered in 2003 by the proposed demolition and rebuild of a house on Brunswick Avenue. Thanks to the goodwill of its owners and the skills of its architect, the result was a compromise, a house that harmonizes - up to a point - with its neighbours. It could have been worse. In the words of one of our members:

If the owner of a property wants to pull his house down and replace it with a concrete box, there is nothing his neighbours, the City or anyone can do to stop him - so long as his plan conforms with the zoning by-law.

That was before the passing of the 2005 Ontario Heritage Act, which has somewhat strengthened the ability of the city to preserve its heritage. However, the only way a community can be reasonably sure its homes will not be demolished or disfigured by inappropriate renovations of their facades is to make itself an HCD.

Homeowners who insist they should be left free to repair and renovate their properties in any way they like rarely object when they learn the HCD's aims:

* Prevent demolition of the homes that define a community's character.

* Encourage conservation of the community's historic characters.

* Encourage restoration rather than renovation (when homes need new roofs, doors, windows, porches, garden fences or re-painting.)

* Aim to conserve and restore the neighbourhood that it might regain the dignity and harmony of its appearance when built (in the case of Harbord Village in the 1880s and 1890s, the era that enthusiastically embraced Toronto's defining bay ‘n gable housing style.)

That's it. HCD guidelines do not apply to the backs of houses or their interiors - unless their owners want them to. Homeowners who need advice regarding HCD guidelines, especially if they are contemplating restorations or renovations should contact the Harbord Village Heritage Conservation District Advisory Committee:

Julian Kitchen, Chair, 74 Willcocks Street, 416-935-0757, email: jdkitchen at sympatico.ca

Steve Forchon, 48 Brunswick Avenue, 416-515-1661, email: forchon at responseinnovations.com

Sue Dexter, 97 Willcocks Street, 416-964-9527, email: susan.dexter at rogers.com

Where do I find the information, the expertise, the skills, the products I need to conserve and restore rather than ‘renovate' my home?'

 The Harbord Village Directory for Conservators and Restorers of Heritage Properties is a 52-page booklet that answers this question with respect to every one of a building's street visible elements, from the chimney top to the garden fence (with roofs, windows, doors, porches, railings and paint colours in between.) The Directory also gives advice to those who would restore their interiors and to those who would recreate Victorian gardens in front of their homes. You need to replace an original Victorian door or window repair a piece of stained glass, turn a wood column or know how to discover the original paint colour of your house? The Directory will tell you how to do it yourself or how to find the expert who can do it for you - and much more.

Copies of the Harbord Village Heritage Directory may be obtained - along with a free heritage paint colour chart - direct, for just $5/copy or by mail order for $8 from

Richard Longley, 68 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto, ON M5S 2L7, 416-961-2766, email: longley_fovea at sympatico.ca.

Or, you can download a PDF file of the Directory by clicking here.