Culutral Heritage Assessment
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
CULUTRAL HERITAGE ASSESSMENT 2015 – George Moore House South and East Elevations GEORGE MOORE FARM 21634 LESLIE STREET TOWN OF EAST GWILLIMBURY, ONTARIO December 2015 Prepared for: Development Services Department Town of East Gwillimbury Prepared by: WAYNE MORGAN HERITAGE PLANNER CULTURAL HERITAGE ASSESSMENT GEORGE MOORE FARM 21634 LESLIE STREET TOWN OF EAST GWILLIMBURY, ONTARIO December 2015 Prepared for: Development Services Department Town of East Gwillimbury Prepared by: Wayne Morgan, Heritage Planner PO Box 1203, 21 Land’s End Sutton West, Ontario L0E 1R0 Telephone: 905-722-5398 E-mail [email protected] Cultural Heritage Assessment Page i George Moore Farm, 21634 Leslie Street East Gwillimbury, Ontario EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The property owner of 21634 Leslie Street has applied to demolish the House which is listed in the Town’s Register of Heritage Properties. The Ontario Heritage Act requires an owner of a registered property, that has not been designated, give the municipal council 60 days notice of the intent to demolish which must be accompanied by any required information, in this instance, a Cultural Heritage Assessment (CHA). The Town retained Wayne Morgan, Heritage Planner, to prepare this CHA which identifies, evaluates and assesses the heritage values of the property and makes recommendations based on the assessment. This property contains the George Moore Rental House. This 1 ½ storey frame residence, clad in modern synthetic siding, has a gable roof with a centre gable and a random coursed, rubble stone foundation. The front elevation has a symmetrically arranged centre door flanked by two windows and a round headed window in the centre gable and a hip roofed modern one storey porch. The House has a 1 ½ to 1 storey tail wing clad in modern board and batten siding. The foundation of the main section of the tail wing could not be determined. The House, built between 1875 and 1878, is a vernacular interpretation of the Gothic Revival or ‘Ontario Cottage’ architectural style. It has undergone many alterations including the addition of several layers of cladding and the loss of the front veranda, window sash, exterior doors, chimneys, any decorative trim and much of the interior detailing except for window and front door casings and some upper floor baseboards. The tail wing is an early 20th century addition. A small modern garage is the only other structure. The land around the House does not exhibit any early landscape design features with the exception of the farm lane. The property was acquired by a number of absentee owners until the Moore family began securing an interest in 1856. George Moore, a local area farmer who fought in the 1837 rebellion, acquired the property in 1868 as an extension of his farm on the east side of Leslie Street. Between 1875 and 1878 he had the House built for tenants or farm help. Moore never lived on the property. In 1887 he sold it to George Wright, a Queensville merchant, who used the House for tenants or his farm help. In 1906, following Wright’s death, Kemp Thompson, the first owner/resident acquired the property. He owned it until 1919 when it was acquired by George Richardson and then William Dew in 1929 who owned it until 1949. The current owner acquired the property in 1991. As of 2015, the House was vacant. The property, including the House, was evaluated using Provincial criteria established under the Act. The House and landscape do not have significant design or associative/ historical value with the limited exception of contextual values. Like any older farm house, it does have some contextual value. The condition of the House is good. However, it has undergone numerous alterations that compromise its heritage integrity. The farm landscape around the House is not an important designed landscape. The property was also assessed to see if it is a Cultural Heritage Landscape. Based on this analysis it was determined that this House and its landscape do not have sufficient cultural heritage value to warrant conservation and designation under the Act. This CHA recommends: 1. That East Gwillimbury Council give its consent under the Ontario Heritage Act for the owner to demolish the house on the property at 21634 Leslie Street; and 2. This report be considered an adequate record of the George Moore Rental House and landscape at 21634 Leslie Street and that no further documentation be required. Wayne Morgan December 2015 Heritage Planner Cultural Heritage Assessment Page ii George Moore Farm, 21634 Leslie Street East Gwillimbury, Ontario PROJECT PERSONNEL Wayne Morgan Heritage Planner Member, Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals Member, Canadian Institute of Planner Member, Ontario Professional Planners Institute President, Community Heritage Ontario Wayne Morgan December 2015 Heritage Planner Cultural Heritage Assessment Page iii George Moore Farm, 21634 Leslie Street East Gwillimbury, Ontario TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY AND ITS CONTEXT 2 2.1 Location 2 2.2 Ownership and Legal Description 3 2.3 Area Character and Physiography 3 2.4 Context – General Character 5 2.5 Municipal Heritage Status of the Subject Property 5 4.0 HISTORICAL SUMMARY 6 4.1 Development of the Area 7 4.2 The Subject Property in the 19th Century 11 4.3 The Subject Property in the 20th and 21st Centuries 15 5.0 BUILT AND LANDSCAPE RESOURCE DESCRIPTION 19 5.1 George Moore Rental House Exterior 19 5.2 George Moore Rental House Interior 23 5.4 Subject Property - Landscape Elements 24 6.0 HERITAGE EVALUATION OF THE RESOURCES 25 6.1 Introduction 25 6.2 Application of Provincial Criteria 25 6.2.1 Design or Physical Value 25 6.2.2 Historical or Associative Value 28 6.2.3 Contextual Value 29 6.2.4 Summary of Cultural Heritage Values 30 6.3 Condition Assessment 30 6.4 Heritage Integrity 31 6.5 Cultural Heritage Landscape Considerations 31 6.6 Overall Evaluation Summary 33 6.7 Statement of Cultural Heritage Value 34 7.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 35 7.1 Conclusions 35 7.2 Recommendations 36 SOURCES CONSULTED 37 Wayne Morgan December 2015 Heritage Planner Cultural Heritage Assessment Page iv George Moore Farm, 21634 Leslie Street East Gwillimbury, Ontario TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page APPENDICIES A Property Fabric Maps B Photographs – Context C Maps D Aerial Photographs E George Moore Rental House Exterior Photographs F George Moore Rental House Floor Plan Sketches G George Moore Rental Interior Photographs H George Moore Farm Landscape Photographs I Property Ownership and Assessment/Collector Roll History J Ontario Heritage Act, Regulation 9/06 K Curriculum Vitae – Wayne Morgan LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 General Location Map [Source: York Maps, 2015]. 2 Figure 2.2 Subject Site and its Context [Source: York Maps, 2015]. 2 Figure 2.3 The Area in 1946 [Source: National Airphoto Library, Photo A10207-28]. 4 Figure 4.1 Historical Development of East Gwillimbury Township to 1970. [Source: Region of York]. 9 Figure 4.2 The Queens Hotel, Queensville [Source: Rollings, 122]. 10 Figure 5.1 George Moore Rental House c 1980, South and east elevations [Source: Town of East Gwillimbury Development Services Department] 19 Figure 5.2 View of the George Moore Rental House and Landscape from Leslie Street 24 Wayne Morgan December 2015 Heritage Planner Cultural Heritage Assessment Page v George Moore Farm, 21634 Leslie Street East Gwillimbury, Ontario LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 1871 Census of Canada (nominal), East Gwillimbury Township. 14 Table 4.2 1891 Census of Canada (nominal), East Gwillimbury Township. 15 Table 4.3 1901 Census of Canada (Schedules 1 & 2), East Gwillimbury Township. 16 Table 4.4 1911 Census of Canada (Schedule 1), East Gwillimbury Township 17 Table 4.5 1921 Census of Canada (Form 1), East Gwillimbury Township 17 Table 6.1 Heritage Evaluation of Built and Landscape Components of the George Moore Farm, 21634 Leslie Street (Lot 28, Con 2) 26 Wayne Morgan December 2015 Heritage Planner Cultural Heritage Assessment Page 1 George Moore Farm, 21634 Leslie Street Town of East Gwillimbury, Ontario 1.0 INTRODUCTION The owner of the property at 21634 Leslie Street has applied to demolish the residential structure on the property. The property is listed in the Town of East Gwillimbury Register of Heritage Properties established under section 27 of the Ontario Heritage Act. The Act specifies that the owner of a property in the Register that has not been designated under the Act must give the municipal council 60 days notice of the intention to demolish and the notice must be accompanied by such information as required by the council. In this instance, a Cultural Heritage Assessment is required. Wayne Morgan, Heritage Planner was retained by the Town to prepare this report, which is intended to fulfill the Town’s requirement for a Cultural Heritage Assessment. A curriculum vitae for Wayne Morgan is attached as Appendix K. The property contains lands and a building within the north half of lot 28 in the second concession in the Town of East Gwillimbury. It is located on the west side of Leslie Street north of Holborn Road, north of the community of Queensville. Wayne Morgan December 2015 Heritage Planner Cultural Heritage Assessment Page 2 George Moore Farm, 21634 Leslie Street Town of East Gwillimbury, Ontario 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY AND ITS CONTEXT 2.1 Location The property is located in the Town (formerly Township) of East Gwillimbury in the Regional Municipality (formerly County) of York and includes part of the north half Lot 28 in the Second Concession on the west side of Leslie Street between Boag and Holborn Roads, north-east of the community of Queensville (Figures 2.1 and 2.2).