The former post office was built in downtown New Toronto in 1935.
A 90-year-old Art Deco-style former post office located at was once the downtown of New Toronto is being designated as a heritage site by City Council.
The building at 2930 Lake Shore Blvd. W., at Islington Avenue, is expected to be deemed historic by a Toronto Preservation Board on January 31.
The New Toronto Post Office was completed in 1935 as part of the Public Works Construction Act of 1934, which saw the construction of 185 public buildings by the Government of Canada between 1934 and 1939.
New Toronto was made a town in 1913 then with 6,000 people and a thriving downtown.
It was designed by Catto and Catto Architects in the Stripped Classical Style with Art Deco elements, the limestone clad structure with polished granite accents has stood as a community landmark at the centre of downtown New Toronto since 1935.
The Board said the former post office is an example of ‘small-scale public building’ constructed as part of the interwar period from 1918 to 1939. The building ‘reflects the transition towards modernism that typifies this period.’
“Its flattened classical details including cornice of contrasting stonework bands, flattened pilasters, and imposing door surround flanked by fluted columns are hallmarks of Stripped Classicism,” according to a City report.
New Toronto was a busy commercial area in the 1913 era (left) and now in this photo.
“…the strong planarity of the contrasting bands of limestone and black granite at the cornice and interior plasterwork of the lobby reflect the influence of Art Deco.”
The City said its scale and high-quality materials, including exterior and interior stonework were introduced by the Department of Public Works in 1936 to reduce costs.
The first Post Office in New Toronto opened in 1892 at 818 Lake Shore Road inside a grocery store operated by Christopher Reid who served as the first postmaster from 1892-1907. In 1908, it was relocated to 131 Sixth Street where it would remain until 1935.
New Toronto was established in 1890 by the Mimico Real Estate Security Company, which registered a subdivision for the lands north of Lake Shore Road between Dwight Avenue to the Grand Trunk Railway corridor.
In 1913, New Toronto was incorporated as a village with a population of 500. At this time a handful of commercial properties existed along Lake Shore Road between Fifth and Seventh Streets. After becoming a town in 1920, New Toronto would continue to grow, achieving a population of 6,000 in 1930.