Heritage Conservation Districts in the Annex

As explained on the City of Toronto website “The Ontario Heritage Act enables a municipality to designate the whole or any part of an area as a heritage conservation district (HCD). This allows City Council to administer guidelines designed to protect and enhance the special character of groups of properties in an area as redevelopment proceeds. The character is established by the overall heritage quality of buildings, streets and open spaces as seen together.”

Because the intention of an HCD is to maintain the heritage character of the streetscape, alterations to the façade or other exterior elements of the buildings that are more complex than simple maintenance must be studied and approved by the City’s Heritage Planning. However, to help owners to maintain the authentic heritage attributes of their buildings, heritage grants and heritage tax rebates are available. You can find more information about heritage preservation and planning in the City of Toronto, including heritage tax rebates and grants, on the City's website. 

East Annex HCD

One of the first to be designated in the City, the East Annex HCD was officially enshrined in 1994. This district covers roughly the area extending east from Bedford Road to Avenue Road, and north from Prince Arthur to just below Dupont. The full report is available here. 

West Annex HCD

In 2004 at the behest of the ARA, City Council approved the study of the West Annex -- the area stretching roughly from Bedford Road over to Bathurst and bound by Bloor to the south, Dupont to the north. Given its scope, the project was broken into distinct phases with Madison Avenue chosen as the first section to be studied. Approved by City Council in 2015, Madison's heritage status finally came into force after an LPAT settlement in 2019. 

A research project to collect data for the rest of the West Annex is now in progress. A collaboration between the ARA and the heritage consultants at ASI, the outcome will be a heritage survey of those remaining properties and landscapes in the West Annex district together with the production of an historical context statement. Click here to read the completed Madison Avenue Study and approved plan. Information on the current West Annex Heritage Project is available here. 

To read about architecture in the Annex in general, click here.