Downtown Heritage Conservation District
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback throughout the project.
About the project
In 2021, Council approved the recommendations of the Cultural Heritage Action Plan which included: For Old Downtown, undertake a comprehensive strategy, including community consultation, to direct future cultural heritage conservation efforts and planned change.
The provincial government’s More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, significantly changed the structure of municipal heritage registers. As a result, all properties currently listed on the Municipal Register of Cultural Heritage Properties must be removed by January 1, 2025 (revised deadline January 1, 2027). About 1,700 properties will lose protections. 120 of these properties located in downtown Guelph.
Please note: This project began in an older version of our website. Some of the tools and information may appear different than originally designed.
Who's Listening
Imogen Goldie, Project Manager, Heritage
Rebecca Sciarra, Project Manager, ASI
Phases
Character mapping
The first phase of the study included:
- Heritage Guelph presentation
- Public open house
- Downtown Guelph Heritage focus group
The community also participated online.
- We also the community to contribute to a Community Character map to identify special buildings, sites, spaces, parks or street views within or near the project study area. the resulting map is shown below.
- We also asked the community to share stories with us. One story was submitted here.
Myths, Stories and Legends of Downtown Guelph
The history of this area extends from time immemorial to present day. Nestled within the banks of the Speed River, downtown Guelph was impacted by Indigenous communities, Guelph's founder John Galt and settler families. Downtown Guelph was a center for commerce, agriculture and hospitality from its inception. As part of this project, we want to gain a stronger understanding of the stories associated with downtown Guelph - the good, the bad or the myth. If you have a connection to this area, we invite you to share it here. Anonymous responses are welcome, and if you would like to share your story privately, please contact a member of the project team to share your story. These stories are integral to the historical significance of the downtown, and will form a significant part of our HCD Study.
History or Heritage Story
One of Guelph's pre-eminent historians was Ross Irwin. He loved to research HISTORY, and did not like to hear me tell "stories". He spent a long time researching the exact site of the tree that Galt cut down to found our city, and felt the black plaque on the railway bridge support was entirely in the wrong place.
Another story/myth is about the way Galt planned the city. The story is that Galt (or another of the group with him for the tree cutting) put his hand on the trunk of the fallen tree and said this will be the city plan, with the five fingers being the streets and the spaces between the fingers being the squares (St. George's, Trafalgar, etc.).
This image is etched on the Copper Wall sculpture in the RiverRun lobby.
According to Gil Stelter, the real planning document is in (I think) a museum in Buffalo, and that Galt based Guelph's plan on that one. There is also the story of the mix up with Goderich's wheel plan.
Great stories! who cares about the facts??
Submitted on Have Your Say by 'susarat'.
37 issues
Events
Past events
Event date: October 8th, 2023 from 8:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
Event date: February 20th, 2024 from 9:30 PM to 11:30 PM.
Guelph City Hall
Event date: January 29th, 2025 from 9:30 PM to 11:30 PM.
Event date: May 7th, 2025 from 9:00 PM to 9:30 PM.
Guelph City Hall
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