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The bay-and-gable is a distinct residential
architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...
that is ubiquitous with the older portions of
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada. The most prominent feature of the style is a large
bay window A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room. Types Bay window is a generic term for all protruding window constructions, regardless of whether they are curved or angular, or r ...
that usually covers more than half the front façade of the home, surmounted by a
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
roof. The bay window typically extends from the ground level towards the roof, although a variant of the housing form exists where the bay window fronts only the first level; known as a ''half-bay-and-gable''. The housing form may be built as a stand-alone structure, although it is more often built as a
semi-detached A semi-detached house (often abbreviated to semi) is a single family duplex dwelling house that shares one common wall with the next house. The name distinguishes this style of house from detached houses, with no shared walls, and terraced house ...
, or as
terraced house In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...
s. The form emerged during the 1860s, with architects adopting elements commonly associated with English villas and Gothic-styled buildings due to their popularity with local residents during that period. As the city underwent significant population growth in the latter half of the 19th century, scaled versions of the bay-and-gable design were built by developers as they proved to be efficient housing forms that could be built at a pace that kept up with Toronto's population growth. The housing form was also popular amongst homeowners who sought more ornamentations on their homes, with the gables and large windows providing areas that could be decorated with minimal investment. A large number of bay-and-gable homes were built until the late 1890s when it was supplanted by other housing styles. The housing form re-emerged in the late 20th and early 21st century, with several residential developments within the city and the
Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...
being infilled with bay-and-gable variants.


Description

The
bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
-and-
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
design was first employed on freestanding, detached homes in Toronto, although the design was later adopted with semi-detached homes. From the mid-to-late 19th century, the semi-detached bay-and-gable design became a popular residential style with developers and residents in Toronto. The design was widely adopted for several reasons; due to its efficient use of spaces and windows and local building materials, the design's ability to be easily mass-produced, and because it could be adapted for stand-alone buildings, semi-detached, or as
terrace houses In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...
. Bay-and-gable homes were viewed by its occupants as a home whose façade could be improved and somewhat individualized with minimal investment. Most homes were further decorated by homeowners to some degree with additional bargeboards with detailing, terracotta tiles, or stained-glass windows. Conversely, the housing form was viewed by property developers as particularly cheap and efficient buildings to build, as well as scale down on narrow properties. The housing form were typically built to take advantage of the length of a narrow property, with the length of some bay-and-gable homes extending in length. The average lot for most bay-and-gables are . Most 19th-century bay-and-gables have the lines of the two-storey bay window aligned with the crowning gable of the home, the bay window often times taking up more than half the front of the façade of the house; resulting in most bay-and-gables to appear skinny, but tall. The use of large bay windows are necessary in order to allow natural light to reach the depths of narrow lots, and to allow air to circulate; a necessity for 19th-century homes that had coal-burning fireplaces. In order to allow light into the home, many bay-and-gables had their kitchen wings narrowed compared to the front of the home, allowing for windows to be placed in the rear. Windows were also placed on top of the front door in order to further increase the amount of natural light that entered the building. However, variants of the style exist, where the bay window only fronts the first level of the building. The ''half-bay-and-gable'' variant is typically used to allow for a balcony to extend along the frontage of the second level. The variant is also used for smaller lots, with the two-storey bay window variant requiring a larger lot size. The front façade of most bay and gables also typically feature carved gable boards, supporting brackets, and
Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...
and Gothic architectural ornamentation. Many semi-detached and terraced bay-and-gable homes in Toronto had polychromatic brickwork around its windows and gables, a common element of
High Victorian Gothic High Victorian Gothic was an eclectic architectural style and movement during the mid-late 19th century. It is seen by architectural historians as either a sub-style of the broader Gothic Revival style, or a separate style in its own right. Prom ...
architecture. The bay-and-gable design has proliferated throughout Toronto, becoming a ubiquitous style found in many of the city's neighbourhoods. The term ''bay-and-gable'' was first coined by historian Patricia McHugh, in her 1985 book ''Toronto: A City Guide''.


Semi-detached

Semi-detached bay-and-gables from the mid-to-late 19th century typically featured a two-and-one-half-storey façade clad in brick; with a ground floor bay window fronting the principal room and its entrance sheltered by a small porch. The second level is typically flat with two or three windows aligned with the bay window and doorway on the level below it. The gabled roof is centred over the bay windows on the ground level. Although these architects sought to replicate early Elizabethan and Gothic designs, the interior of many of these structures was based on Georgian-styled terrace houses that were common in Toronto during the period. This resulted in a Tudor-like structure with Gothic elements, that was "overlaid onto a common Georgian mews house plan". However, the arrangements of the interior were dependent on the budget and the width of the property lot; the width of most late-19th century semi-detached bay-and-gables ranging from . Semi-detached bay-and-gables built on narrower properties typically only had windows on two sides of the structure; although older variants of the design built on larger properties were afforded windows on three sides of the structure. The interior ground level of a semi-detached bay-and-gable unit typically included a side hall opening into two small or one large room, with an offset kitchen wing in the rear of the house. In the narrowest semi-detached bay-and-gables, a flight of stairs providing access to the second level of the unit is typically placed in the front section of the hall.


History


Background

Architects based in Toronto in the 19th century were largely influenced by the architectural literary works published in that period, including
Andrew Jackson Downing Andrew Jackson Downing (October 31, 1815 – July 28, 1852) was an American landscape designer, horticulturist, and writer, a prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival in the United States, and editor of ''The Horticulturist'' magazine (1846–5 ...
's ''Architecture of Country Houses'', Francis Goodwin's ''Rural Architecture'',
John Claudius Loudon John Claudius Loudon (8 April 1783 – 14 December 1843) was a Scottish botanist, garden designer and author. He was the first to use the term arboretum in writing to refer to a garden of plants, especially trees, collected for the purpose of ...
's ''Encyclopedia of Cottage, Farm and Villa Architecture'', and
Robert Lugar Robert Lugar (1773 – 23 June 1855), was a British architect and engineer in the Industrial Revolution. Although born in Colchester, England, Lugar carried out much of his most important work in Scotland and Wales, where he was employed by s ...
's ''Architectural Sketches for Cottages, Rural Dwellings, and Villas, in the Grecian, Gothic, and Fancy Styles''. The English Antique/
Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...
and Gothic architectural styles described in these works served as the foundations for the development of bay-and-gable; namely the symmetrical arrangement of twin gables, cross-gabled roofs, and a central entrance. The adoption of Elizabethan and Gothic elements into the bay-and-gable design is largely credited to the emergence of an upwardly mobile middle class in Toronto, and their desire to replicate the styling commonly associated with "
old money Old money is "the inherited wealth of established upper-class families (i.e. gentry, patriciate)" or "a person, family, or lineage possessing inherited wealth". The term typically describes a social class of the rich who have been able to ma ...
" country homes; as opposed to adopting Neoclassical designs commonly associated with "
new money ''Nouveau riche'' (; ) is a term used, usually in a derogatory way, to describe those whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. The equivalent English term is the "new rich" or "new money" ( ...
" during that period. In particular, the descendants of the
United Empire Loyalists United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America duri ...
in
Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...
also favoured adopting architectural styles that were popular in the United Kingdom, over architectural styles that were common in the United States during the 19th century, like
Greek Revival architecture The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...
. Most residences in Toronto during the early 19th century were two-or-three-storey Georgian-styled homes, although a small number of English-styled villas were also built in the city, such as the two-gabled wing Berkeley House. However, the larger adoption of other architectural styles in Toronto only emerged after William Thomas moved from the UK to Toronto in 1841, and became the city's third working architect. Thomas quickly built his own home in Toronto, the symmetrical English-styled
Oakham House Oakham House is a historic building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The house is located at the southwest corner of Gould and Church streets. It was designed by architect William Thomas as his own residence and office, and completed in 1848. Today, i ...
. The stylings of these English villas were later appropriated by local developers for mass-produced bay-and-gable homes in the mid-to-late 19th century; with the earliest bay-and-gable built retaining the
massing Massing is a term in architecture which refers to the perception of the general shape and form as well as size of a building. Massing in architectural theory Massing refers to the structure in three dimensions (form), not just its outline from ...
of an Elizabethan villa, its gabled peaks, and Gothic ornaments throughout the buildings. However, the interiors of most bay-and-gables primarily copied the layouts of Georgian-styled terrace homes in Toronto, as opposed to the layout of an English villa.


19th century models

The earliest known example of the bay-and-gable design is the Blaikie and Alexander houses at 404
Jarvis Street Jarvis Street is a north-south thoroughfare in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, passing through some of the oldest developed areas in the city. Its alignment extends from Queens Quay East in the south to Bloor Street in the north. The segment s ...
, designed by architectural firm Gundry and
Langley Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...
and built-in 1863. However, early examples of bay-and-gables, like the Blaikie and Alexander houses, retained more elements of an English villa than later bay-and-gable homes built in later decades. Developers like Gundry and Langley later produced a substantial number of detached one-and-a-half storey bay-and-gables during the 1870s; with many of these homes based in Cabbagetown,
The Annex The Annex is a neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The traditional boundaries of the neighbourhood are north to Dupont Street, south to Bloor Street, west to Bathurst Street and east to Avenue Road. The City of Toronto recognizes ...
, and Yorkville. Many of these homes were built for the upper-middle class, and were designed to be customized for their occupants. The earliest semi-detached bay-and-gable was built on 33-35 Elm Street in 1871. Many of these homes were later used as models for mass-produced terraced bay-and-gables built for the working class during the late 19th century given the design's inexpensive but expressive facades. Earlier homes were influenced by a mix of Italianate and Gothic Revival elements, such as round-headed windows, angled bays, and steep gables. During the latter half of the 19th century, Toronto underwent large population growth, resulting in a significant housing shortage in the city. The resulting shortage and demand for housing led to speculative developers building out rows of bay-and-gables in the city. The bay-and-gable style was selected by developers in Toronto as the design could be scaled to fit narrow lots, and could therefore be built in quantities that could keep pace with the population boom. These developments largely benefited from local investors, with housing developments being viewed as a safe investment in the midst of the recession caused by the
Panic of 1857 The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph by Samuel F. Morse in 1844, the Panic of 1857 was ...
. Areas near the periphery of urbanized Toronto, like Cabbagetown, were viewed as ideal places to develop housing for Toronto's growing migrant population, leading to these areas to be developed in large piecemeal fashion by speculative developers. During the building boom in the 1880s, nearly half of the 3,000 homes built in Cabbagetown were bay-and-gables, with many of these homes initially owned by a select number of speculative developers. Many mass-produced 19th century units only bricked the building's façade, with the building's largely being built on mass-produced timbers filled with furring strips, lath and stucco, or veneer. Mass-produced timber frames were used to speed up the construction of units without compromising the stability of the buildings; with developers having expected the eventual homeowners to brick the remaining portions when they could afford it. Many later opted to cover the wood siding with fake brick known as Insulbrick. Although early bay-and-gables were symmetrical and were built as mirrored pairs; by 1878, rows of identical semi-detached bay-and-gable units were built. By the 1880s, some developers replaced the English villa elements with elements associated with Queen Anne style. Many of Toronto's 19th century bay-and-gables were fronted using either red or white bricks. The use of bright colours in Victorian-era homes was an attempt to offset the industrialized "grey soot" of the 19th century. During this period, new bay-and-gable models were built on narrower lots as the rapid development and speculation caused real estate prices in these former periphery areas to rise; resulting in the diminishment of the lot's width. By 1895, most developers in Toronto had ceased to build mass-produced bay-and-gables; with several homeowners of the style making their own substantial changes to these structures. Some bay-and-gable homes were demolished in
downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Stre ...
to make way for new developments during the 1960s. A number of homes were also modified or reworked by the 1970s. However bay-and-gable homes remain common throughout the residential areas of downtown Toronto. In particular, Cabbagetown retained many bay-and-gable homes as local public housing authorities had used those homes during that period. Local appreciation for the bay-and-gable housing type did not emerge until several heritage conservation districts were established in the late 20th century; encouraging the restoration of the local streetscapes and the façade of these buildings.


Contemporary variants

During the late 20th century, the façade format of the bay-and-gable style remerged with new infill construction in the city, as it underwent another period of densification. These modern bay-and-gable variants are typically more tightly packed onto their lots than even traditional bay-and-gable homes; and feature square bay windows, use of a palette of contemporary building materials, and a flatter roof with a walkout. During the early 21st century, in the northeastern suburb of
Markham Markham may refer to: It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873. Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * ...
, subdivisions were filled with bay-and-gable houses modified to incorporate a two-car
garage A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...
.


See also

*
Architecture of Toronto The architecture of Toronto is an eclectic combination of architectural styles, ranging from 19th century Georgian architecture to 21st century postmodern architecture and beyond. Initially, the city was on the periphery of the architectural w ...
* Annex style house *
Gablefront house A gablefront house, also known as a gable front house or front gable house, is a vernacular (or "folk") house type in which the gable is facing the street or entrance side of the house. They were built in large numbers throughout the United States ...


References


Further reading

*


External link

* {{Portal bar, Architecture, Housing, Canada * House types Canadian architectural styles Victorian architecture Edwardian architecture Culture of Toronto