Notice of intention to designate: 331 Clair Road East

Take notice that the Council of the Corporation of the City of Guelph intends to designate 331 Clair Road East 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 CON 8 REAR PT LOT 11; City of Guelph.

Statement of cultural heritage value or interest

The subject property is worthy of designation under section 29, Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act because it meets four of the prescribed criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest, according to Ontario Regulation 9/06 as amended by 569/22. The heritage attributes of 331 Clair Road East display: design or physical, historical or associative, and contextual value.

The subject property meets Criterion 1 because it is a representative example of the nineteenth-century Ontario farmhouse form and style.

The subject property meets Criterion 2 because it exhibits a high degree of craftsmanship in the execution of its original stonework and exterior wood trim. The farmhouse was built using coursed limestone and granite fieldstone with roughly squared stone quoins cut stone window and door heads and sills with bush hammer and margined finishes.

The subject property meets Criterion 4 because of its direct ties to the Hanlon family, an important settler family of Puslinch Township and what is now the City of Guelph. The Hanlon family has a long history in the area and the farmhouse is tied to three generations of the Hanlon family. James Hanlon built the stone farmhouse on the subject property in 1864.

The subject property meets Criterion 7 because it is important in defining, maintaining, and supporting the historical character of the Clair Road East streetscape and as a vestige of the early farming landscapes of Puslinch Township and what is now Guelph.

Description of heritage attributes

The following elements of the property at 331 Clair Road East should be considered as heritage attributes in a designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act:

  • Vernacular one-and-a-half storey fieldstone farmhouse with rectangular plan
  • 3-bay façade with rectangular window openings and central door opening
  • Central door opening, including sidelights and transom
  • All original window and door openings
  • All stone sill and lintels at window and door openings
  • Side-gabled roof with overhang/return eaves, original wood soffits and fascia with large paired dentil design
  • Paired stone chimneys above the roofline at the east and west elevations
  • Central moderately-pitched front gable with arched stone lintel
  • Stone construction with parging and pointing to resemble cut stone blocks
  • Large stone quoins at all corners of the main portion of the building

It is intended that non-original features may be returned to the documented earlier designs or to their documented original without requiring City Council permission for an alteration to the design.

A more detailed description of the property’s cultural heritage value may be found in staff’s report to City Council dated November 21, 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 ­­­Friday December 22, 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

Jack Mallon, Heritage Planner
Planning Services 519-822-1260 x 3872
[email protected].

Notice date: November 23, 2023