Committee of Adjustment hearing (deferred on Feb. 23, 2021) regarding 182 Queens Ave., Mimico, will now take place on March 23, 2021. Deadline for letters (PDF format): March 16 at 4:30 pm.

Update: Correction: 182 Queens Ave. in Mimico was built in 1902, new evidence indicates, not around 1898 as earlier noted.

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A recent post about the house in question, which is facing demolition, is entitled:

182 Queens Ave. is an 1898 historic house in Mimico now facing demolition

A previously scheduled Feb. 23, 2021 Etobicoke York Committee of Adjustment virtual meeting, regarding 182 Queens Ave., has been deferred until March 23, 2021.

The deferral is in response to technical issues related to information requested by Engineering and Construction Services as noted at a Feb. 3, 2021 report:

PLN-CA ECS Report – FEB 3 2021

As well, Heritage Preservation Services has requested a six month deferral to allow time to investigate the heritage status of the house. This request came after the deadline for comments, and was a topic of contention at the Feb. 23rd meeting, at which only the applicant’s agent was allowed to speak. (I would note in passing that I am not aware of what the outcome of the Heritage Preservation Services request may be.)

Eight people, who had signed up to speak, waited online for over two and half hours until the file came up at the virtual meeting.

The deferred public hearing is scheduled for 3:oo pm on Tuesday, March 23, 2021.

Letters can be emailed to coaey@toronto.ca no later than 4:30 pm, Tuesday, March 16, 2021. It’s our understanding that letters sent previously (for Feb. 23, 2021) will remain on file for the March 23, 2021 meeting.

PLEASE NOTE: The letter must be sent in PDF format. If you need help in converting your email to PDF please contact me at jpill@preservedstories.com and I will help with the process.

Please share this message as soon as possible with others who are in your circle of contacts, so that they too may have the opportunity to send letters.

Registration to speak at the Webex virtual public hearing must be completed by 4:30 pm on Friday, March 19, 2021. To register, send a message to coaey@toronto.ca indicating you wish to speak at the public hearing related to 182 Queens Ave. A confirmation message and instructions will be sent March 22nd.

Here’s a link for your reference: 182 Queens Ave. 182 Queens Ave. – Application Details

It may be noted that CoA staff have not responded, to date, to recent questions from residents; however, the Development Application Details link indicates that a new Consent Application Notice dated February 28, 2021 provides the new dates and times for comments, registering to speak, and viewing of the March 23rd virtual hearing.

Coordination of presentations

A previous post offers thoughts about how to achieve close coordination of such presentations: How to prepare a 5-minute presentation to the Committee of Adjustment.

Applications related to 182 Queens Ave

Several claims have been made by the applicant’s agent; such claims warrant refutation.

1. It has been claimed that it was unfair that Heritage Preservation Services was only now requesting a six month deferral, when this application had originally been filed in April 2020.

Comment:  Given that the applicant did not at once communicate with the neighbours, there was no chance for the heritage status to be investigated earlier. In addition, the original application provided incorrect information which claimed that 182 Queens Ave. was built in 1940.

2. It has been asserted that the application had been made in April 2020 and that neighbours had received hand-delivered letters.

Comment: The letters were hand-delivered on Feb. 8, 2021 after the official notifications had been sent out leaving neighbours only a week to respond, not ten months as has been implied.

3. Residents have been accused of a lack of transparency.

Comment: The residents have noted that they have indeed been transparent, including by filing, with the Committee of Adjustment, the letters that were delivered to houses in the neighbourhood.

4. It has been claimed that the original owner of the house actually lived at 282 Queens Ave.

Comment: There has been a single erroneous online reference (stemming from a typo) to 282 Queens Ave. The error has since been corrected. The link below has the correct address; a previous online entry incorrectly spoke of William Samuel Herod as having lived at 282 Queens Ave. There is no such address.

The corrected address is at this link:

CANADIAN VIRTUAL WAR MEMORIAL – William Samuel Herod – September 3, 1918

Born on March 26, 1890, William Samuel Herod, who lived at 182 Queens Ave., is commemorated on Page 428 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.

YouTube video: Feb. 23, 2021 CoA meeting

In the interests of openness and transparency, site visitors can see the proceedings and judge for themselves by going to YouTube: https://youtu.be/s1UvoOipSSs?t=7790 (the link should start at the correct point, but in case it doesn’t, skip to: 2h 9m 50s).

To access details about the applications, enter “182 Queens Ave.” at this link. Note that there are three separate applications; you have to use the little navigation arrows in the top bar of the pop-up to see all of them.

History related to 182 Queens Ave.

An application has been made to the city regarding 182 Queens Ave. which the current owners wish to demolish and then sever the lot.

The first inhabitants of the house were Robert Murray Herod, a bricklayer, and his wife Martha Jane Herod. Robert Herod, born in Hagersville, Ontario in 1855, was the son of William Herod and Ann Murray.

Robert Herod first appears in the Toronto City Directory on the west side of Queens Avenue, Mimico in 1899. Given his occupation he most likely built the house himself.

The information for the 1899 Directory would have been assembled in late 1898. The 1899 date is confirmed as Robert Herod and his family were living in the house and enumerated there on the 1901 Canadian Census.

William Herod, the son of the original inhabitants, was killed in the First World War on September 3, 1918. His name appears on the Vimy War Memorial which contains the names of over 11,000 Canadian soldiers who were posted as ‘missing, presumed dead’ in France.

James Herod, who as we understand lived nearby on the same street, is buried in Oakville. He also served in the First World War. He was shot in the left arm.

We have been in touch with Krista Herod of Medicine Hat, Alberta, whose family supports the current efforts to preserve the house at 182 Queens Ave. Krista Herod’s father is the Great Grandson of Robert Murray Herod, and his children, and grandchildren are, in turn, the Great Great and Great Great Great grandchildren of Robert Murray Herod, who built and lived his entire life at this house.

Krista Herod notes, in a recent email, that the two sons of Robert Murray Herod fought in the First World War and his son William Samuel Herod died at Vimy Ridge, France.

“My family,” Krista Herod adds, “feels this historic house not only is historic because of its age but the history and stories it holds within the walls of the house. We feel this well built historical house is worth preserving. It is a piece of history and a piece of our family history.”

Additional details about the house including the relevant 1901 census data are available at a previous post.

History related to house next door, 180 Queens Avenue

Of related interest is the following post about the history of the house next door to 182 Queens Ave.:

Archibald Herod House – 180 Queens Avenue

An excerpt reads:

On December 24, 1912 Robert Murray Herod sold Lot 163, and the new house he had just built on it, to his son Archibald Herod for $400 as well as assumption of the mortgage to William Jackson of $1,500. This discounted price for a house must have been a Christmas gift to his newly married son.

Archibald and his father would form the Herod Construction Company a few years later which built many homes and other buildings in Mimico and the surrounding district.

At the same History of the Town of Mimico website at which the above-noted details are available, you can also find a comprehensive overview of the history related to 182 Queens Ave.

Robert Herod House – 182 Queens Avenue – Under Threat

An excerpt reads:

This rather plain house at 182 Queens Avenue was built circa 1898 for Robert Murray Herod a bricklayer and was one of the earliest houses in Mimico, and on this stretch of the street. Given his occupation as a bricklayer and builder he most likely built it himself.

Mimico has a rich and varied history, as the following links highlight. As well, as noted at the end of this section, many resources are available, for restoration of heritage houses in Ontario.

Another historic building, at 98 Superior Ave. not far from 182 Queens Ave. has recently been demolished.

Still another historic house, at 58 Wheatfield Road in Mimico, has been saved from demolition and restored to first-rate shape thanks to the care and enthusiasm of its new owners.

Previous posts highlight the early history of Mimico including in connection with 58 Wheatfield Road.

Mimico has a rich and varied history:

Mimico 20/20 Revitalization Heritage Resource Assessment

Click here for previous posts about Mimico >

Also, of note:

Many resources are available for the restoration of heritage properties