Brampton Heritage Board Item L3 for February 21, 2012 Heritag… · In keeping with settlement trends, ... foundation, roof and roof trim, all doors, windows, other structural openings

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Heritage Report: Reasons for Heritage Designation

Robert McClure Farmhouse

8678 Chinguacousy Road

December 2011

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Profile of Subject Property

Municipal Address 8678 Chinguacousy Road

PIN Number 1408-61231

Roll Number 10-08-0-011-06400-0000

Legal Description CON 3 WHS PT LOT 4 AND RP 43R32136 PARTS 6 8 AND 10

Ward Number 6

Property Name Robert McClure Farmhouse

Current Owner Atra Reality Holdings Ltd.

Owner Concurrence Yes

Current Zoning Residential

Current Use(s) Residential

Construction Date Circa 1865

Notable Owners or Occupants

McClure family, Early family

Heritage Resources on Subject Property

Building; mature vegetation

Relevant Council Resolutions

Additional Information

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1. Introduction

The property at 8678 Chinguacousy Road is worthy of designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value or interest. The property meets the criteria for designation prescribed by the Province of Ontario under Ontario Heritage Act, Regulation 9/06 for the categories of design/physical value, historical/associative value, and contextual value.

2. Description of Property

The Robert McClure Farmhouse at 8678 Chinguacousy Road is a 1 ¾ storey masonry farmhouse located on Chinguacousy Road south of Queen Street West. The house is a three bay, 1 ¾ storey masonry structure. The plan of the principle structure is a simple “L” shape. The farmstead’s frontage is screened by a roadside planting of Northern Catalpa trees interspersed with oak, Norway spruce, walnut, and vegetation.

3. Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

Design/Physical Value:

The cultural heritage value of the Robert McClure Farmhouse on 8678 Chinguacousy Road is related to its design or physical value as a well-built masonry farmhouse. Although the house reflects multiple architectural influences, the façade of the house primarily reflects the High Victorian Gothic style as it was interpreted in rural Central Ontario. The High Victorian Gothic style, a sub-category of the Gothic Revival style, became popular in the mid-late 19th century when it was often applied to masonry farmhouses. The front façade of the house contains contrasting brick colours of rusty red and buff, which were typical to the style. A diamond-cut hood-mould over the front entrance demonstrates the decorative aspect of High Victorian Gothic architecture. A mix of pointed arches on the front façade evokes the broader Gothic Revival style, while rounded segmental arches evoke the Italianate style.

The rear portion of the house exhibits details characteristic of the Georgian style, which was popular up until the 1860s. Elements of the subject property that are reflective of the Georgian style include a simple cornice with returns at the gable ends, and small-paned two-over-two double hung square and rectangular windows. The front door, complete with a transom, sidelights and panelled door with small fanlight are also remnants of the style. Also of note is a bell cage on top of the garage extension which, acts as a simple ‘picturesque’ addition to the dwelling

Historical/Associative Value:

The cultural heritage value also lies in its association with Brampton’s early settlers, particularly the McClure and Early families. The Crown patent for 200 acres in Lot 4, Concession 3, west of Hurontario, was issues to Edward Defield in 1822. That same year, the house was sold to Timothy Street, founder of Streetsville. Street sold the east

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half of the lot to Margaret Whitney in 1825 and the west half to Alexander Hutton in 1836. Tremaine’s map of the County of Peel (1858) shows the east half of the 100-acre farm as being owned by Richard Whitney. According to an 1851 Census, Whitney lived with his family in a one-storey log cabin that has since disappeared.

In 1860, the lot was purchased by David McClure. The 1861 Census of Canada shows that David McClure lived in a one-and-a-half storey brick house with his wife and nine children. In keeping with settlement trends, the house was a brick “starter home” that eventually formed the back part of the fancier brick construction at the front façade. The front portion of the house was built by Robert McClure, David and Jane’s son, who acquired the farm in 1871. The front facade is marked by a date stone that reads “A.D. 1877”. The McClure family is well known in the Brampton area. In fact, there are five other McClure family related properties in the area. All of the McClure properties are located in Ward 6, located at Creditview Road, Heritage Road, Highway 7 and Mississauga Road.

The farm stayed with the McClure family until 1951, when Janet McClure sold the eastern half of Lot 4, Concession 3 WHS to Eleanor and Frank Early as joint tenants. The Early family eventually subdivided the land until the brick farmhouse resided on a lot less than 8 acres in size. In 1986, the property was granted to Francis Early, who subsequently sold it to Horatio and Maria Domingos in 1992.

Contextual Value:

The property also holds contextual value, as it is directly associated with Brampton’s rich agricultural history. The farmstead is a remnant of a 100-acre pioneer farm associated with a branch of the McClure family. According to Pope’s 1877 map of Chinguacousy, the area was a “first-class agricultural township.” The land was noted for being prosperous since farms were usually in a high state of cultivation. In the late 19th

century, the township experienced an economic boom much like its neighbouring township, the Toronto Gore. At this time, the shift from log to brick farmhouses represented the agricultural prosperity that prevailed in Brampton. As a masonry farmhouse constructed in the late 19th century, the McClure Farmhouse is a token of an important phase in the growth of Brampton.

The farmhouse is also associated with a broader historical context as it is located within close proximity to several other heritage resources. The Bowstring Arch Bridge, carrying Creditview Road over the Credit River, Creditdale Farm (8028 Creditview Road), and Camp Naivelt (8596 Creditview Road) have been designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. Bonnie Braes, located southwest to the property at 8675 Creditview Road, and Springbrook Valley School, located at 1030 Queen Street West, have been listed on the Municipal Heritage Register. The Churchville Conservation District is located approximately 3.3 km to the southeast, and the historic village of Springbrook is located about 1.5 km to the west of 8678 Chinguacousy Road.

4. Description of Heritage Attributes

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Unless otherwise indicated, the reason for designation apply generally to all exterior elevations, facades, foundation, roof and roof trim, all doors, windows, other structural openings and associated trim, all architectural detailing, construction materials of wood, stone, brick, plaster parging, metal and glazing and related building techniques, fencing, all trees, shrubs, hedgerows, other vegetation and the grounds and vistas generally.

To ensure that the cultural heritage value of this property is conserved, certain heritage attributes that contribute to its value have been identified specifically and they include:

Dichromatic brickwork including rusty red and buff brick colours Curved radiating voussoirs Pointed arch window under smaller gable Quoins, band, and lozenge One storey bay Double-sash wood windows with louvered shutters Diamond-cut hood mould over front entrance Authentic wood storm over double-sash window with tooled stone sill Date stone on front gable that reads “A.D. 1877” Transom and sidelights around front door Return cornice on second storey of rear extension Bell cage above garage portion of rear extension Mature trees

5. Alteration History and Heritage Integrity

5.1 Alteration History

The following are the known alterations to the subject property:

Alterations have been made to the front porch

5.2 Recommended Restoration Measures

The following recommendations for future restoration and conservation are included for information purposes only. They are provided for the benefit of present and future property owners. These recommendations are non-binding, and property owners are under no obligation to restore any lost or missing attributes or features.

Brick repointing is needed in a few places on the front facade where mortar has deteriorated.

Cracks, brick spalling and missing modillion brackets have been detected on the front entrance

Dampness at the foundation wall of the farmhouse’s south wall needs to be repaired

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The condition of the house has slightly deteriorated since being rented out in 2002, as a result, a more thorough structural investigation is recommended

6. Archaeological Potential

The subject property has no known archaeological value.

7. Policy Framework

In the context of land use planning, the Province of Ontario has declared that the wise use and management of Ontario’s cultural heritage resources is a key provincial interest.

A set of Provincial Policy Statements (PPS) provides planning policy direction on matters of provincial interest in Ontario. These statements set the policy framework for regulating the development and use of land. The current set of policies was last reviewed in 2005. At that time, the cultural heritage policies were strengthened considerably.

The relevant heritage policy statement is PPS 2.6.1, which states that “significant built heritage resources and significant cultural heritage landscapes shall be conserved”.

PPS 2.6.1 is tied to Section 3 of the Ontario Planning Act which stipulates that land use planning decisions by municipalities “shall be consistent with” the Provincial Policy Statements.

The policy is also integrated with the Ontario Heritage Act. This piece of legislation grants municipalities powers to preserve locally significant cultural heritage resources through heritage designation. Decisions as to whether a property should be designated heritage or not is based solely on its inherent cultural heritage value or interest.

City Council prefers to designate heritage properties with the support of property owners. However, Council will designate a property proactively, without the concurrence of a property owner as required. These principles are reflected in Brampton’s Official Plan. The relevant policies are as follows:

4.9.1.3: All significant heritage resources shall be designated as being of cultural heritage value or interest in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act to help ensure effective protection and their continuing maintenance, conservation and restoration.

4.9.1.5: Priority will be given to designating all heritage cemeteries and all Class A heritage resources in the Cultural Heritage Resources Register under the Ontario Heritage Act.

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4.9.1.6: The City will give immediate consideration to the designation of any heritage resource under the Ontario Heritage Act if that resource is threatened with demolition, significant alterations or other potentially adverse impacts.

These principles are also guided by recognized best practices in the field of heritage conservation.

8. Acknowledgments

Dilse, Paul. Heritage Impact Assessment of the Farmstead at 8678 Chinguacousy Road, Brampton (Part of the East half of Lot 4, Concession 3, West of Hurontario Street, Chinguacousy Township). August 2010.

Popert, L. Heritage Impact Assessment: Chinguacousy Road Widening Project, 8678 Chinguacousy Road, Part of Lot 4, Concession 3, West of Hurontario Street, Regional Municipality of Peel, Brampton, Ontario. April 2007.

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9. Appendix

Figure 1: Parcel fabric map showing 8678 Chinguacousy Rd.

Figure 2: Aerial map of subject property

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Figure 3: Map from J.H. Pope’s Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of Peel, Ont. showing the former Chinguacousy Township with Robert McClure as the owner of the east half of the original 200 acre lot.

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Figure 4: Proposed Draft Plan of Subdivision showing the location of the retained heritage farmhouse at 8678 Chinguacousy Road (Glen Schnarr & Associates Inc., Dec. 2011)

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Figure 5: Robert McClure (date unknown) (William Perkins Bull Collection, Region of Peel Archives)

Figure 6: Front façade with dichromatic brickwork, arched windows with radiating voussoirs, bay window, stone sills, louvered shutters, and pointed gable, transom and sidelights around front entrance (2007)

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Figure 7: Southeast elevation (2007)

Figure 8: Northwest elevation (2007)

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Figure 9: Front entrance with transom, sidelights, and diamond-cut hood mould (2007)

Figure 10: Diamond-cut hood-mould (2007)

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Figure 11: Authentic wood storm over double-sash window with tooled stone sill, louvered wood shutters, and radiating brick voussoir (2007)

Figure 12: Bay window with panels of raised and moulded brick below each of the three sashes (2007)

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Figure 13: Front gable with data stone that reads “A.D. 1877” (2007)

Figure 14: North elevation of the house with pitched gable roof and arched windows (2007)

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Figure 15: Pointed window under smaller gable (2007)

Figure 16: Farmhouse’s north and rear elevations as seen from backyard (2007)

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Figure 17: Less decorative back and middle sections of the house (2007)

Figure 18: Second storey of the rear extension, details of return cornice and windows (2007)

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Figure 19: Bell cage built on garage portion of rear extension (2007)

Figure 20: Front façade of the house (June 2011)

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Figure 21: Extended view of the property revealing deep setback, and mature trees (2011)

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