Take notice that the Council of the Corporation of the City of Guelph intends to designate 2187 Gordon Street as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under section 29, Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter 0.18.
Description of the property
The legal description of the subject property is Part Lot 14, Concession 7, designated as Part 1, Reference Plan 61R-21631, formerly Township of Puslinch, City of Guelph.
Statement of cultural heritage value or interest
2187 Gordon Street is worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act as it meets six of the prescribed criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest, according to Ontario Regulation 9/06. The heritage attributes of 2187 Gordon Street display: design or physical value, historical or associative value, and contextual value.
Design/Physical Value
The Kidd barn at 2187 Gordon Street meets Criterion 1 (design or physical value) as an early and rare example of a stone slot bank barn built by 1842. The stone slot bank barn was constructed using local fieldstone with slots in the walls. This building is now the only one of its kind within the City of Guelph.
The Blair farmhouse at 2187 Gordon Street meets Criterion 1 (design value or physical value) as an early and rare example of a material or construction method using formed concrete for wall construction in a rural residential building.
The Kidd barn at 2187 Gordon Street meets Criterion 2 (design or physical value) as it displays a high degree of craftsmanship that is rarely preserved. The constructors utilized local materials including fieldstone from the immediate vicinity and the implementation of slots was at that time practical while maintaining the structural integrity of the barn.
Historical/Associative Value
The Kidd barn at 2187 Gordon Street meets Criterion 4 (historical or associative value) as it is associated with the Kidd family who occupied the property from the mid to late 19th century. James Kidd settled in the Township of Puslinch in 1830 and contributed to the agricultural community. Agriculture was integral to the local economy during this time and the Kidd and Blair families were active within Puslinch Township.
The Blair farmhouse at 2187 Gordon Street meets Criterion 4 (historical or associative value) as it is connected to the Blair family, early settlers of the Puslinch area. The Blair family emigrated from Scotland in the 1870s and had farms on both sides of Gordon Street and. The family was well known for their extensive orchards.
Contextual Value
The Kidd barn and Blair farmhouse meet Criterion 7 because they are important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of the area. The Kidd Barn and Blair farmhouse help to define the agricultural use and landscape of the surrounding area as it has been for nearly two centuries. The Kidd barn at 2187 Gordon Street meets Criterion 8 because it is historically connected with the adjacent mid to late 19th century property at 2162 Gordon Street, identified as the Marcolongo Farm, a protected cultural heritage landscape. The Kidd Barn is physically, functionally, visually and historically linked to its surroundings in that it was built into the bank and retains its form and function in this specific location in the landscape. The property is associated with the Blair family and represents a rural agricultural grouping along Gordon Street.
The Blair farmhouse at 2187 Gordon Street meets Criterion 8 exhibiting contextual value because it is historically linked to its surroundings. James Blair, a Scottish immigrant to Puslinch Township bought the farm located across the road from the Kidd farm in the 1870s. Blair’s son William G. Blair, purchased the subject property in 1906 and his brother John Blair built the formed concrete house at 2187 Gordon Street in 1907. John and his wife Mina (Hunt) Blair lived in the farmhouse for more than fifty years.
The Kidd barn and Blair farmhouse at 2187 Gordon Street meet Criterion 9 because they are landmarks along Gordon Street as one enters the city from the south on Gordon Street. 2187 Gordon Street has been visible along Gordon Street, formerly Brock Road, for decades. The position of the barn and farmhouse in relation to Gordon Street provides a clear view of the property from the roadway.
Description of heritage attributes
The following elements of the property at 2187 Gordon Street should be considered as heritage attributes in a designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act:
Stone slot bank barn
- Three door openings on the south (lower) wall and the upper door in the south wall.
- Original form of the stone slot bank barn with an end gable roofline and single-storey north wall and 2-storey south wall.
- Location and orientation of the stone slot bank barn to maintain the building as being built across a slope.
- Exterior and interior of all extant stone walls of the slot bank barn.
- All original slot ventilation openings and window and door openings seen in exterior and interior of extant stone walls (west gable wall, east gable interior wall and the two-storey south wall).
Heavy timber bank barn addition
- Original form of the heavy timber bank barn addition with its gable roofline and single-storey north wall and 2-storey south wall.
- Location and orientation of the heavy timber bank barn addition to maintain the building as being built into the slope.
- Vertically oriented exterior wood board cladding
- Extant cutouts in vertical boards of the upper north and south gable walls that create the shape of a Florian cross.
- Original heavy timber framing members – including pole rafters, and hand-hewn posts and beams and original joinery.
- Tape pointed stone wall exterior of lower level.
- Imbrication pattern created by pressed metal sheets cladding the roof.
Blair Farmhouse
- Original 2-storey form of the house with a hip roof and L-plan.
- Exterior walls constructed of formed in place concrete covered with a render that is incised with a pattern that mimics ashlar stone.
It is intended that non-original features may be returned to documented earlier designs or to their documented original without requiring Council to amend the designation bylaw.
A more detailed description of the property’s cultural heritage value may be found in staff’s report to City Council dated October 17, 2023 and at guelph.ca/heritage.
Notice of objection
Any person may send a notice of objection to this proposed designation, before 4 p.m. on November 24, 2023. This notice must be sent by registered mail or delivered to the Clerk of the City of Guelph and must set out the reason for the objection and all relevant facts. If a notice of objection is received, the Council of the City of Guelph shall consider the objection and make a decision whether or not to withdraw the notice of intention to designate the property within 90 days after the end of the 30-day objection period. If Council decides not to withdraw its intention to designate, a heritage designation bylaw must be passed within 120 days after the date of publication of the notice of intention to designate. Council must publish a notice of passing of the designation bylaw which is followed by a 30-day appeal period when appeals of the bylaw may be given to the Ontario Land Tribunal for a hearing and decision.
Stephen O’Brien
City Clerk
City of Guelph
1 Carden Street, Guelph ON N1H 3A1
For more information
Stephen Robinson, Senior Heritage Planner
Planning Services 519-822-1260 x 2496
[email protected]