Ward West HCD open house 2 survey

A heritage conservation district is a planning tool used to guide change in an area valued for its cultural heritage resources. An area that may be protected as a heritage conservation district will tell a story about the place and has features and land patterns that contribute to a cohesive sense of time and place.

The heritage conservation district study sets out the understanding of the area through a Statement of Significance. The Statement of Significance summarizes what is valued about the area and lists the features, characteristics, and qualities within the area that show that value.
If Council decides that a heritage conservation plan should be developed, the plan will set direction on how change should be guided. The plan provides policies and guidelines that explain how existing buildings may be conserved and how new buildings may fit into the area. In general, a heritage conservation district plan will not prevent or stop changes from happening, will not require property owners to restore their property or re-imagine it being from a particular time period, and will not regulate building interiors.

The objectives of a heritage conservation district will help guide how conservation and change are envisioned in a future district, and will inform the development of the district plan and guidelines. 

Rivers and Lowlands

St. George’s drumlin, the confluence of the Speed and Eramosa rivers, and resulting high and low lands contributed to how, where and when phases of development occurred. 

Mid 19th Century Surveys Shaped by Water and Rail

Much of the existing road network and block pattern between the two rivers and present-day Huron Street was shaped in the second half of the 19th century by the Grand Trunk Railway (1856) and a series of registered plans of subdivisions (1855-1896).

Industry and Housing

The earliest industrial buildings in the Ward developed along the Speed River in the 19th century. The earliest phases of residential development occurred in close proximity. Houses were built as vernacular expressions of common residential forms typical of the time.

Guelph Junction Railway and Building Boom

In the 1880s, the Guelph Junction Railway encouraged a building boom that continued into the first few decades of the 20th century. The residential properties are densely packed with narrow lots and limited space between buildings resulting in compact streetscapes and a prevalence of semi-detached and rowhouses. 

Affordability and Proximity

The area was prone to flooding and registered plans of subdivision created smaller than standard lots. These conditions made this place comparatively affordable. Many people who lived in the area also worked in close proximity at jobs in nearby industries.

Industry Intensifies

The Guelph Junction Railway and its spur line, availability of undeveloped land, and generally flat topography that allowed for large floorplates brought manufacturing and increased industries in the area.

Adaptive Community

In the early to mid-20th century, the area’s diverse population began to convert residences into shops and businesses. Streetscapes evolved and local economies and a self-sustaining community emerged. This tradition of adaptation and ingenuity continues today

Heritage attributes are the features, characteristics, context and appearance that contribute to the cultural heritage values of the district.

Physiography and Landscape

• Location at the confluence of the Speed and Eramosa rivers.
• Situated within the lowlands of glacial spillways.
• Topography of the drumlin forming St. George’s Hill that provides a natural divide between the historical wards
• Notable trees including the row of silver maples that form a canopy on York Road and the mature white elm on Alice Street as well as the dense tree canopy in the rear yards of residential properties throughout the area.

Public Realm

• General layout of streets defined by 1855 registered plans and resulting in angled streets that form a non-gridded road network and irregular block and lot patterns.
• Neeve, Arthur, Ontario and Toronto streets as significant angled streets.
• Significant place-making nodes at: Neeve and Ontario streets, Neeve and Toronto streets, Arthur Street South and Cross Street, Huron and Alice streets, and Ontario Street, Arthur Street South and Manitoba Street.
• The Guelph Junction Railway, spur line, and level crossings.
• Concentration of narrow streets. 
• Open spaces that serve social and recreational functions.
• The ‘100 Steps’.

Built Form and Streetscapes

• Mid-19th-century properties associated with the early development of the district. 
• Late-19th- and early-20th-century residential properties related to the boom in construction that occurred in the 1880s.
• Collection of late-19th- and early 20thcentury buildings reflecting representative vernacular expressions of architectural styles and building typologies.
• Buildings designed to accommodate wedge-shaped parcels where angled roads intersect.
• Industrial building typologies that represent the prevalence of industrial operations in the district from the late 19th century to the mid20th century.
• Commercial storefronts and institutional buildings that relate to the development of services and social supports.

What is a Heritage Conservation Boundary?

The boundary defines the area that should be managed through heritage policies and guidelines but it does not define the limits of a neighbourhood. 

How is a boundary determined? 

First a study area is determined and then the study area is reviewed in detail. The history of the area, streetscape and individual property surveys of what exists today, and public input are analyzed. Through this analysis during the study,  a boundary is determined. Sometimes it is different than the study area.

What are common characteristics of heritage districts?

Although each district is unique, many share a common set of characteristics. These may include:

• A framework of structured elements including:
  • Major natural features such as topography, land form, landscapes and water courses.
  • Built form such as pathways and street patterns, landmarks, nodes or intersections, approaches and edges.
• A distinctiveness which enables districts to be recognized and distinguishable from their surroundings or from neighbouring areas.
• A concentration of heritage buildings, sites, structures; designed landscapes, natural landscapes that are linked by aesthetic, historical and socio-cultural contexts or use.
• A sense of visual coherence through the use of such elements as building scale, mass, height, material, proportion, colour, etc. that convey a distinct sense of time and place.

 This study recommends that:

• Council proceed to establish a Heritage Conservation District in the west part of the Ward.
• The recommended boundary is from the Speed and Eramosa rivers, north to St. George’s Hill and east to Huron and Morris streets.

For a more detailed description of how the boundaries for Ward West were chosen review the Boundary Information.