1-Final CHER Gordonville Bridge, Township Wellington North Umca
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
APPENDIX E CULTURAL HERITAGE EVALUATION REPORT CULTURAL HERITAGE EVALUATION REPORT GORDONVILE BRIDGE COUNTY SITE No. B14005 (LOT 1, CONCESSION 7 GEOGRAPHIC TOWNSHIP OF WEST LUTHER & LOT 18, CONCESSION 1 GEOGRAPHIC TOWNSHIP OF ARTHUR) WELLINGTON ROAD No. 14 TOWNSHIP OF WELLINGTON NORTH COUNTY OF WELLINGTON, ONTARIO May 2017 Revised October 2017 Prepared for: WSP Canada Group Limited Prepared by: GORDONVILE BRIDGE COUNTY SITE No. B14005 (LOT 1, CONCESSION 7 GEOGRAPHIC TOWNSHIP OF WEST LUTHER & LOT 18, CONCESSION 1 GEOGRAPHIC TOWNSHIP OF ARTHUR) WELLINGTON ROAD No. 14 TOWNSHIP OF WELLINGTON NORTH COUNTY OF WELLINGTON May 2017 Revised October 2017 Prepared for: WSP Canada Group Limited 610 Chartwell Road Suite 300 Oakville, ON, L6J 4A5 Prepared by: Unterman McPhail Associates Heritage Resource Management Consultants 540 Runnymede Road Toronto, ON, M6S 2Z7 Tel: 416-766-7333 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Project Description 1 1.2 Heritage Recognition 2 2.0 HISTORICAL SUMMARY 3 2.1 Introduction 3 2.2 Arthur Township 3 2.3 West Luther Township 5 2.3.1 Hamlet of Gordonville 7 2.4 Gordonville Bridge, County Bridge No. B14005 7 2.5 Structure Type: Concrete T-Beam 11 2.6 Bridge Designer/Builder 13 3.0 CULTURAL HERITAGE LANDSCAPE DESCRIPTION 16 3.1 Area Context 16 3.2 Site Description 17 4.0 BUILT HERITAGE RESOURCE DESCRIPTION 18 4.1 Gordonville Bridge, County No. B14005 19 4.1.1 Modifications 21 4.2 Comparative Analysis 21 4.2.1 Conclusion 23 5.0 CULTURAL HERITAGE RESOURCE EVALUATION 24 5.1 Introduction 24 5.2 Evaluation 25 5.3 Summary of Cultural Heritage Value 27 5.3.1 Statement of Cultural Heritage Value 27 5.3.2 Description of Heritage Attributes 28 6.0 CONCLUSION 28 SOURCES APPENDIX A: Gordonville Bridge, MCEA Heritage Bridge Checklist, February 23, 2016 APPENDIX B: Historical Maps and Drawings APPENDIX C: Gordonville Bridge, Survey Form APPENDIX D: List of Comparative T-Beam Bridge Structures with the County of Wellington Inventory APPENDIX E: List of Projects, Bowman & Connor Engineering Consultants, A.W. Connor and Charles Mattaini LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Evaluation under “Criteria for Determining Cultural Heritage Value or Interest”, Ontario Regulation 9/06. 25 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. The Gordonville Bridge is situated on WR 14 at Four Mile Creek in the Township of Wellington North. [Corporation of the County of Wellington, 2016]. 1 Figure 2. This section of the 1919 Bowman and Connor drawing of the Gordonville Bridge shows part of the original handrail detailing [WCMA, MAP 371, as adapted]. 10 Figure 3. This view shows the west elevation of the Gordonville Bridge c1980 and the concrete handrail system that was installed in 1955 [WCMA, WC448, A2013.155, File 14. 1980]. 10 Figure 4. An annotated aerial photograph depicts the cultural heritage landscape in proximity to the Gordonville Bridge [Google 2017]. 17 Figure 5. This view looks south on WR 14 towards the Gordonville Bridge. Note the sign for the hamlet of Gordonville. The Gordonville St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at 8952 WR 14 and the 19th century residence at 8949 WR 14 are clearly visible on a slight rise of land in the background. 18 Figure 6. This view shows the west elevation of the Gordonville Bridge and the original design intent of two arched spans. 19 Figure 7. This cross-section shows the existing Gordonville Bridge in 1994 before rehabilitation work [WCMA, No. 0550, Contract for repairs to Structure No. B14005 Gordonville Bridge, 1994, as adapted]. 20 Figure 8. This cross-section shows the Gordonville Bridge in 1919 [WCMA, MAP 371, Arthur, West Luther Twps. Townline, plan for Gordonville cantilever bridge, Concession 7, Arthur- West Luther Townline, 1919, as adapted]. 20 Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report: Gordonville Bridge, County Bridge No. B14005 Page 1 (Lot 1, Con. 7, Geographic Township of West Luther & Lot 18, Con. 1 Geographic Township of Arthur) Wellington Road 14, Township of Wellington North County of Wellington, Ontario 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Description WSP Canada Group Limited retained Unterman McPhail Associates, Heritage Resource Management Consultants, to undertake a Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report (CHER) on behalf of the County of Wellington for the Gordonville Bridge, Municipal County Bridge No. B14005. The Gordonville Bridge comprises a concrete T-beam structure constructed in 1919. It is located on WR 14 over Four Mile Creek, a tributary of the Conestogo River, approximately 0.2 km north of the 6th line and 8.5 km north of Highway 6 (Figure 1). A Municipal Heritage Bridges Cultural, Heritage and Archaeological Resources Assessment Checklist (Revised April 11, 2014) was completed in February 2016. A bridge inspection in 2015 found the Gordonville Bridge to be in an advanced state of deterioration. The County of Wellington has commenced a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study (Class E), which is being conducted as a Schedule “B” project in accordance with Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) of the Municipal Engineers Association (2007, 2011 and 2015) to address existing structural deficiencies of the subject bridge. Figure 1. The Gordonville Bridge is situated on WR 14 at Four Mile Creek, in the Township of Wellington North. [Corporation of the County of Wellington, 2016]. Unterman McPhail Associates May 2017 Heritage Resource Management Consultants Revised October 2017 Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report: Gordonville Bridge, County Bridge No. B14005 Page 2 (Lot 1, Con. 7, Geographic Township of West Luther & Lot 18, Con. 1 Geographic Township of Arthur) Wellington Road 14, Township of Wellington North County of Wellington, Ontario This Cultural Heritage Resource Evaluation Report (CHER) includes a historical summary of the bridge, a description of the bridge and its setting, an evaluation of the cultural heritage value of the bridge, a summary of cultural heritage value and recommendations. The site was evaluated using the criteria set out under Ontario Regulation 9/06, which was developed for the purpose of identifying and evaluating the cultural heritage value or interest of a property proposed for protection under Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA). Ontario Regulation 9/06 describes the three criteria as design value or physical value, historical value or associative value, and contextual value. Appendix A contains the MCEA the Municipal Heritage Bridges Cultural, Heritage and Archaeological Resources Assessment Checklist (Revised April 11, 2014) for the subject bridge. Historical maps, photographs and drawings are in Appendix B and Appendix C contains a bridge survey form with current photographs of the structure and it’s setting. Appendix D includes a list of projects for Bowman & Connor Engineering Consultants, A.W. Connor and Charles Mattaini. 1.2 Heritage Recognition Municipal The Township of Wellington North has not recognized the Gordonville Bridge as a registered property or as a municipally designated property on a municipal heritage register under Part IV or Part V of the OHA. The bridge is not the subject of a municipal heritage easement. Grand River Conservation Authority The Grand River Conservation Authority is responsible for the management of The Grand River, a Canadian Heritage River. The federal, provincial and territorial governments in order to recognize outstanding rivers and ensure protection of significant heritage values established the Canadian Heritage Rivers system. The Gordonville Bridge is identified as a heritage resource in the publication Arch, Truss & Beam: The Grand River Heritage Bridge Inventory (March 2013). Provincial and Federal The subject bridge is not provincially-owned, and therefore, is not identified as a provincial heritage property. It is also not recognized provincially through an Ontario Heritage Trust easement or commemorative plaque. The Gordonville Bridge is included within the Grand River Watershed, which was designated as a Canadian Heritage River in 1994. The Canadian Register of Historic Places (CRHP) is a federal, provincial and territorial effort and provides a single source of information about all historic places recognized for Unterman McPhail Associates May 2017 Heritage Resource Management Consultants Revised October 2017 Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report: Gordonville Bridge, County Bridge No. B14005 Page 3 (Lot 1, Con. 7, Geographic Township of West Luther & Lot 18, Con. 1 Geographic Township of Arthur) Wellington Road 14, Township of Wellington North County of Wellington, Ontario their heritage value at the local, provincial, territorial and national levels throughout Canada. The Register does not contain any Ontario examples of concrete T-beam bridges as heritage resources. The subject bridge is not recognized federally as a heritage resource, i.e., national historic site or federal heritage property. 2.0 HISTORICAL SUMMARY 2.1 Introduction The District of Wellington became a separate administration unit in 1838. The United Counties of Waterloo, Wellington and Grey was formed in 1852 from the district and Wellington County separated from Waterloo County in 1853. Named after the First Duke of Wellington, the county held its first council meeting on January 23, 1854. At the time it included the Townships and Towns of Amaranth, Arthur, Eramosa, Erin, Guelph, Guelph (Town), Garafraxa, Maryborough, Nichol, Peel, Pilkington, and Puslinch. Luther and Arthur Townships joined Wellington County in 1857. In 1999, amalgamation within the County structure resulted in the formation of the Township of Wellington North that included the Town of Mount Forest, the Village of Arthur and the Townships of West Luther and Arthur. 2.1 Arthur Township Authority was given by Order in Council on April 13, 1837 to conduct an exploratory survey for a road from Oakville to Owen Sound. Charles Rankin, Deputy Land Surveyor, was allowed to choose the route and lay out a town site for Sydenham (now Owen Sound). Starting the survey in Owen Sound, Rankin ran a line to Garafraxa Township at Arthur Village before he was forced to stop work due to the Rebellion of 1837-38.