Charlotte’s Castle

Just a few steps from Norman Gash House (see last post), is this 1906 Edwardian apartment, featured in documentary, Charlotte’s Castle.

The documentary depicts various struggles, tenants vs. landlord, tenants vs. The City of Toronto, preservation vs. renovation / eviction, and its tenant, Charlotte’s inner struggle seeing heartbreaking alteration to her beloved building and home.

Charlotte’s Castle was a new concept to solve an early Canadian housing issue. Early 1900’s, as Toronto’s population grew, spaces for detached, semi-detached or even row houses were running out.

Developers in Toronto adopted a new concept from U.S. and Montreal, called “the apartment”, derived from Italian “appartimento”, literally means a “private suite of rooms”.

Toronto’s first apartments were St. George (1902) & Alexandra (1904). Both have been demolished.

While Sussex Court (1904) is the oldest existing apartment, its condition is degraded, leaving Spadina Garden (1906), the best preserved and 2^nd oldest apartment in Toronto.

The Great Fire of Toronto in 1904 raised awareness in building fire safety. While Sussex Court has an external fire escape, Spadina Garden was the earliest apartment in Toronto with an integrated internal fire escape stairway.

The ad on Realtor.ca calls it a “Manhattan Brownstone” in the Annex. With a mixture of purple, red and brown stones, its beauty is uniquely Toronto.

The curved wrought iron handrail at the entrance is complimented by a pair of craved stone leaflets and dragon moldings.

Look up, the large balconies are supported by white corbel stone brackets. Stretching across the balcony are black ornate iron railings, matched with oval windows and semi-hexagonal bay windows. Above that, the cornice on the roof has an elegant white dental design.

Many important Canadians, according to the documentary, lived at Spadina Garden. It is almost like an architectural and historical Fabergé egg.

41-45 Spadina Road, Toronto