Slate Shingles Bring New Life to Iconic, Historic Building

The Canary House is the name of the mixed-use condo project that will be adjacent to the former Canary Restaurant (1965-2007) in the Canary District of Toronto (near Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway). The Canary Restaurant building was built in 1857 and has been designated a historical landmark. 

The owners of the Canary Restaurant building replaced the structure’s slate shingles, which had been there since the building was a public school more than 150 years ago. Current building owners contracted AE & Sons Contracting to complete the roof work, and they used North Country Slate Unfading Black shingles for the project.

Roof revitalization

Due to the smooth-textured qualities of North Country Unfading Black slate, it’s frequently installed on historic restoration projects. It is especially sought after in places where the discontinued Peach Bottom, Lehigh, and Northampton counties in Eastern Pennsylvania slates were the benchmark. 

Produced in Saint-Marc-du-Lac-Long, Quebec, Canada by the largest producer of roofing slate in North America, North Country Unfading Black is a premium-quality roofing slate that offers an elegant and lasting roof. 

The rich black slate with a slight luster, which has earned the admiration of architects, contractors, and building owners around the world, is a great color choice for the largely red-brick, three-story building. And it’s an easy color to match, so there are greater design options for the new building being added to the original structure.

A sign of the times

Before the Canary Restaurant established itself as a distinct Toronto landmark, the original building served many different functions, including as one of Toronto’s earliest public schools, a popular hotel, and an industrial building. And because Unfading Black is an easy color to match, there are greater design options for the new building being added to the original structure. Each transformation reflected the changes going on in the community and country. 

Below is a timeline of the significant building changes.  

• 1857 – The City of Toronto decides to transform the vacant property at the corner of Cherry St. and Palace St. (which is now called Front St. E.) into a public school. 
• 1859 – The Palace Street Public School is completed; it’s a single-story building with one room to educate boys and one room to educate girls. 
• 1869 – The city adds a second story to the building in order to keep up with the growing student population. The second story includes two additional classrooms and two galleries.
• 1880’s – The school closes as the neighborhood becomes more industrial.  
• 1890 – The property is sold to Robert Irvine who adds a three-story structure adjacent to the original structure and incorporates the school into the new structure, which will be a 40-room hotel. 
• 1892 – Irvine sells the property to J.J. Darcy who operates the hotel under various names until 1910, at which point the property remained vacant for more than a decade. 
• 1922 – Enamelware producer Thomas Davidson Manufacturing moves into the building and the company adds a three-story warehouse. The company eventually sells the property, and several other commercial entities use the space.
• 1965 – The Canary Restaurant moves their restaurant into the building from its original location.
• 1976 – The City of Toronto designates the building as a historic building. The building becomes the oldest surviving school structure in Toronto.  
• 2007 – The Canary Restaurant closes.  

The building remained vacant until its recent revitalization, which is also a reflection of the neighborhood, because it too is seeing a lot of investment and renewal. The Canary Restaurant will be a commercial property again. This time, however, the addition—the Canary House—is a 13-story tower that features 206 residential units, a rooftop dining room and terrace, fitness studio, theatre room, library, and more. Learn more about the project here. This revitalization project got started with updating the roof shingles to the original structure. 

For more information on North Country Slate natural slate shingles, contact us today and let us help bring your vision to life.