Building History
Architect Gundry and Langley designed the building in 1869. J.M. Cowan is considered the subsequent architect/consultant.
Factory Theatre consists of two main buildings. The first is the original 1896 house and the second is the 1910 addition. The building is also known as the John Mulvey House. It was given Heritage Status by the Ontario Heritage board in 1987.
The original house was constructed in a classic Queen Ann Gothic design for the prominent Toronto Merchant John Mulvey in 1869.
It is attributed to architects Gundry & Langley. The house’s architectural features include:
- an asymmetrical façade
- an irregular gabled roof
- a fine buff brickwork with stone sills and hood mouldings
- a Gothic arch entry
In 1909, the property was sold to the Roman Catholic Church, Parish of St. Mary and was used as their Arts and Literary Centre.
The larger addition to the complex was built in 1910 and designed by J.M. Cowan. It includes a church hall set up in theatre style with an overhanging balcony still in use today.
The addition’s main architectural features all face Adelaide Street. They are:
- a distinctive façade
- a central oriel window
- two flanking entrances with arched transoms
Before Factory Theatre occupied the building in 1983, it had been used as a residence, a manse, and a daycare
Read more about this topic: Factory Theatre
Famous quotes containing the words building and/or history:
“Culture is a sham if it is only a sort of Gothic front put on an iron building—like Tower Bridge—or a classical front put on a steel frame—like the Daily Telegraph building in Fleet Street. Culture, if it is to be a real thing and a holy thing, must be the product of what we actually do for a living—not something added, like sugar on a pill.”
—Eric Gill (1882–1940)
“The only history is a mere question of one’s struggle inside oneself. But that is the joy of it. One need neither discover Americas nor conquer nations, and yet one has as great a work as Columbus or Alexander, to do.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)