Annesley Hall National Historic Site of Canada

Toronto, Ontario
General view of Annesley Hall showing the richly coloured and textured materials including the red-brick exterior facing with stone trim, 1994. © Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, J Butterill, 1994.
red-brick exterior facing with stone trim
© Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, J Butterill, 1994.
Detail view of Annesley Hall, showing the steeply pitched roof punctuated by prominent Flemish gables and dormers, 1994. © Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, J Butterill, 1994.Detail view of Annesley Hall showing the finishes and decoration illustrating Tudor-Revival-style decor, 1994. © Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, J Butterill, 1994.General view of Annesley Hall showing the richly coloured and textured materials including the red-brick exterior facing with stone trim, 1994. © Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, J Butterill, 1994.
Address : 95 Queen's Park Crescent, Toronto, Ontario

Recognition Statute: Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date: 1990-11-16
Dates:
  • 1902 to 1903 (Construction)

Other Name(s):
  • Annesley Hall  (Designation Name)
Research Report Number: Queen Anne Revival - 1990-SUB

Plaque(s)


Existing plaque: on post in front of buildling 95 Queen's Park Crescent, Toronto, Ontario

Inspired by English colleges, this women's residence is a fine example of Queen Anne Revival architecture in Canada. A welcoming, home-like setting is conveyed through the harmony of an irregularly massed composition, many bay windows, and shaped Flemish gables atop the wings and dormers. This domestic grandeur was believed proper for young women students in the early 20th century. Designed by George M. Miller and completed in 1903, this early women's residence at Victoria College in the University of Toronto eloquently marks the achievement of women's access to higher education.

Description of Historic Place

Annesley Hall is a handsome red-brick student residence on the campus of the University of Toronto located in downtown Toronto, Ontario. The building embodies the qualities of the Queen Anne Revival style as it was expressed in institutional design, in which bold compositions of steep roofs, prominent gables, richly coloured and textured materials, and a wide variety of historicist details are used to lend charm and domestic warmth to large, institutional structures. The designation refers to the building on its legal lot as of 1990.

Heritage Value

Annesley Hall was designated a national historic site because it is a particularly good example of the Queen Anne Revival style, as expressed in institutional architecture.

Designed by architect G. M. Miller, and built in 1902-1903, Annesley Hall was the first purpose-built womens’ residence on a Canadian university campus. The building continues in its original use, having been renovated in 1988.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, November 1990.

Character-Defining Elements

Aspects of this site which contribute to its heritage values include: those elements which speak to the Queen Anne Revival style as manifest in institutional architecture, namely the richly coloured and textured materials including the red-brick exterior facing with stone trim; the irregular composition featuring an asymmetrical elevation, steeply pitched roof punctuated by prominent Flemish gables and dormers, varied fenestration including banks of Tudor-style windows - all features used to create a domestic air to institutional purposes; evidence of the original interior layout, finishes and decoration as they illustrate Tudor-Revival-style decor, particularly in major public areas such as the dining hall and entry foyer.