Description of Historic Place

The imposing 3½-storey red brick Winchester Hotel with a 2½-storey red brick south wing, and the adjoining two-storey red brick Winchester Hall are located on the southeast corner of Parliament Street and Winchester Street in the Toronto neighbourhood of Cabbagetown.

The property is recognized for its heritage value by City of Toronto By-law 539-95.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of this establishment lies in its recognition as a well-known local hotel noted for its distinctive Second Empire style and well-appointed interiors previously renovated to reflect the Art Moderne style.

The property contains two buildings: Winchester Hall, built in 1880 and originally known as the Lake View Hotel, and the adjoining Winchester Hotel, constructed in 1888 in two sections and designed by the noted architectural firm of Kennedy and Holland. In 1941, architect Benjamin Swartz oversaw alterations to the site, including the addition of the current hotel sign and the Art Moderne interior.

The Winchester Hotel and Winchester Hall are local landmarks that form part of the important collection of intact Victorian buildings in Cabbagetown.

Source: Designation By-law #1995-0539

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that relate to the distinctive Second Empire style of the Winchester Hotel include:
-pilasters, stringcourses and cornices
-slate-clad mansard roofs with gabled dormers and round-headed window openings
-corner tower with dome that provided the base for a lantern (the lantern has been removed)
-regular pattern of fenestration with stone lintels and sills
-two-storey bay window on the Winchester Street elevation
-ground-floor storefronts with entrances on Winchester Street and Parliament Street

Key elements that relate to the complementary design of the Winchester Hall include:
-the gable roof with bracketed eaves
-the entrances in the first floor
-the segmental-arched window openings with brick voussoirs and stone sills
-the interior elements including the second-floor Laurentian Room

Key elements that reflect the Art Moderne style of the 1941 Benjamin Swartz alterations include:
-the distinctive two-storey hotel sign and clock of the Winchester Hotel
-interior elements of the Winchester Hotel, including the lobby floor and staircase
-interior elements of the Winchester Hall, including the second-floor Laurentian Room

Key elements that reflect the contribution of the buildings to the Cabbagetown neighbourhood include:
-the 3½- and 2½-storey red-brick facades of the Winchester Hotel and the 2½-storey red-brick facades of Winchester Hall
- the orientation of the buildings on a corner lot, providing multiple entrances and storefronts on the primary elevations of Winchester Street and Parliament Street -brick clad facades of the Winchester Hotel