Leaside 2

May 22: The Garden Court apartments where I live, complete the City Planner’s wet-dream that is Leaside. The apartments were designed by Forsey Page and Harland Steele, the founding partners of Page and Steele Architects. Both Page and Steele died during the 70’s, but the firm continues to practice today. During the 1950’s, the firm employed Peter Dickinson who was responsible for designing many well-known Toronto landmarks including the O’Keefe (now Hummingbird) Centre, and the Benvenuto Apartments. The firm’s current portfolio contains many, more ambitious high-rise projects including the 60-storey 33 Bay Street and the 50-storey West One in the Railway Lands. Times have certainly changed.

Sharp eyes will have noticed that the Garden Court was an anomalous block on the plan for Leaside. It was a large, square parcel that did not integrate with the road pattern or land use plans laid out in 1913 by Frederick Gage Todd. Where other planned apartment sites along Bayview Avenue and Mallory Crescent extend about a half-block back from the street, Garden Court is substantially larger (at about 6 acres) and clearly a different animal. I have not uncovered the reason for this situation; perhaps it was a separate lot that was not part of the larger Lea / Elgie assembly.

Whatever the reason, the apartments were mostly constructed in 1930 – 31. They are all walk-up 2 and 3 storey buildings (some 4 storeys if you count the few basement apartments). The site plan continues the thinking of the Garden City movement. There is a mix of apartments and townhouses fronting the streets. There is a broad walkway perpendicular to Bayview Avenue connecting through the site to Berney Crescent. In the centre of the site is a courtyard enclosed by the buildings and formal landscaping and tree planting. Residents have direct access to “nature” and some of the ground floor units – like mine – have access to the courtyards from both the front and the back.

What this all means is that we seem to have a nice mix of newcomers and long-term residents. There’s a mix of ages, and possibly incomes, although the units are being renovated as they become vacant so the rent level is obviously rising. The courtyard system means that I frequently run into other residents, and we share news and common interests like gardening in the planters (one woman has done all the planting in our courtyard). The fact that we sit right on Bayview makes this the most convenient place I have ever lived – truly that “urban experience” I was looking for when I left the house. I feel fortunate to be here.

http://gardencourtapartments.info/