Buildings

Maple Leaf School

Address:251 McIvor Avenue
Use:Educational
Original Use:Educational
Constructed:1961 (as an addition to a now–demolished school from 1956)
Other Work:Large addition in 1975 and 1999
Architects:Ward and Macdonald
Firms:Ward and Macdonald
Contractors:Columbia Construction (1975)

Design Characteristics

Suburb:River East
  • This is a mostly one-storey elementary school; it has a south-facing facade that cheerfully integrates the older section with the newer additions, the two tied together under an arched entranceway lettered with its patriotic name, Maple Leaf School
  • The earliest portion of the school, dating from 1956, has not survived but the east section across the front, opened in 1961, is extant beneath its layers of stucco; later sections were covered in a red brick facing with abundant contrasting pale trim
  • From this smaller scale facing the street, the school grows considerably larger as one proceeds further in, with an intimate stepped and carpeted 'pit' area near the centre of the school, surviving from the open-air era
  • The yard is fairly large and attractive; there is a portable classroom on the rear of the school