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Preserving the Robinson Cottages by Daniel Dishaw
ife and Drum subscribers may reMore than 160 years later, a frenzied call reading a January 2005 article Toronto real estate market has threatened F (“Garrison Common History: The the survival of these remaining structures. Robinson Cottages”) observing the reWithin the last few months, two have markable survival of fourteen small cotbeen sold and another two have hit the tages built on the Garrison Common in the market, all with the intention to demol1850s. Commissioned by a private investor ish and redevelop. Hoping to protect as during one of Toronto’s early developmany as possible, a few dedicated Toronto ment booms, thirty-two semi-detached residents have been working to secure a cottages and eight or nine single ones had heritage listing for all of the cottages on been constructed on fairly spacious plots Richmond Street West and Mitchell Avof land purchased from Trinity College in enue (excluding the four that are already 1855. The fourteen surviving cottages (all listed). In getting the properties listed on semi-detached) are now among the oldest the Toronto Heritage Register, the group private residences in the City of Toronto. would be taking the first step towards The fourteen Garrison Common cottages that survive have all been photographed over a period of several years by Patrick Cummins, a skilled recorder of Toronto’s streetscapes for more than two decades. We provide his pictures here for comparison, and to contribute to the ongoing discussion of how these old and special small houses might be conserved.
protecting the cottages from demolition, perhaps with individual heritage designations under the Ontario Heritage Act. At the forefront of this initiative is Dolores Borkowski, who has started a Facebook page (Save the Garrison Common Cottages) to try and rally support for the cause. Visit them on Facebook and show your support for the preservation of these historic homes on the Garrison Common.
703-705 Richmond St. W., Mar. 2010.
753-755 Richmond St. W., Feb. 2014.
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