Take notice that the Council of the Corporation of the City of Guelph intends to designate 22 James Street 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
Part Lot A, Plan 302, designated as Part 3, Reference Plan 61R-5259 and Part Lot A, Plan 302, as in RO799193, City of Guelph.
Statement of cultural heritage value or interest
The subject property is worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act because it meets four of the nine prescribed criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest, according to Ontario Regulation 9/06 as amended by Ontario Regulation 569/22. The heritage attributes of 22 James St E display: design/physical, historical/associative, and contextual value.
Design/Physical Value
The subject property meets criterion 1 because it is a rare example of the functional Beaux-Arts style in Guelph and a rare extant example of a building associated with the Toronto Suburban Railway.
Historical/Associative Value
The subject property meets criterion 4 because it is directly associated with the Toronto Suburban Railway and architect George Carruthers Briggs. Initially intended as a substation, the structure was adapted for use as a railcar barn for the Toronto Suburban Railway. The Toronto Suburban Railway provided a vital service to Guelph residents between 1917 and 1931. The structure was designed by George Carruthers Briggs, a significant Canadian architect who served as the superintending architect for the Canadian National Railway from 1920 until his death.
The subject property meets criterion 5 because it yields information about the history of the Toronto Suburban Railway in Guelph, a significant transportation project in the City of Guelph.
Contextual Value
The subject property meets Criterion 8 because it is physically and historically linked to the extant railbed that is now used as the Guelph Radial Line Trail.
Description of heritage attributes
The following elements of the property at 22 James Street East should be considered as heritage attributes in a designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act:
- Building form, including:
- Two-storey building with rectangular footprint
- Hipped roof
- Symmetrical facade
- Brick exterior walls, including:
- Paired, monumental, brick pilasters topped with sheet metal Tuscan capitals on either side of the entrance
- Brick pilasters topped with Tuscan capitals on each corner of the building
- Sheet metal cornice surrounding the whole building
- All original window and door openings
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 13, 2024 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 20, 2024. 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 by-law which is followed by a 30-day appeal period when appeals of the by-law 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 21, 2024