Take notice that the Council of the Corporation of the City of Guelph intends to designate 15 and 17 Paisley 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
15 and 17 Paisley Street are part of a mixed-use, residential and commercial block on the northwest side of Paisley Street, with a legal description of Part Lot 638 in Plan 8. The building block continues northeast in the adjacent property of 9 and 13 Paisley Street.
Statement of cultural heritage value or interest
15 and 17 Paisley Street, which forms a part of a historic block with 13 Paisley Street, 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 design and physical value, historical and associative value, and contextual value, as per Ontario Regulation 9/06 as amended by 569/22.
Design/Physical Value
The property meets Criteria 1 as it is a representative example of Confederation era building form constructed in a combination of local limestone with a buff brick front. The building has a rare example of an original arched carriage way that leads through the building to the rear.
The subject property meets Criterion 2 because the building has high physical integrity in that it has retained most of its original architectural design features in limestone, brick and wood and displays a high degree of craftsmanship.
Historical/Associative Value
The subject property meets Criterion 4 because it has direct associations with a theme of historical mixed use involving local stores with housing above – a combination that was conventional in many of Guelph’s residential neighbourhoods since the establishment of the Town and in some cases continuing into the first half of the 20th century.
Contextual Value
The residential and commercial block of 13, 15 and 17 Paisley Street meets Criterion 7 because of its prominent front façade forming an uninterrupted block face on the northwest side of Paisley Street that is a fundamental part of the historic Paisley St streetscape in the downtown area.
Description of heritage attributes
The following elements of the property at 15 and 17 Paisley Street should be considered as heritage attributes in a designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act:
Building form, including:
- Georgian and late-Italianate architectural style
- two-story, side gable roof form with a medium pitched roof
- local limestone with a buff brick front and cut limestone eave stops
- five projecting buff brick pilasters that divide the façade into four bays
- ashlar limestone in the foundation
- wooden cornice between the first and second floor with fretwork denticulation and five eave corbels that include a fleur-de-lis motif
- location and opening shapes of all original front doors and windows
- segmentally arched windows on upper level with cut limestone voussoirs and a projecting keystone, stone sills as part of a continuous band of two courses of corbelled brick
- smooth-faced limestone, flat arch lintels over a window and a former door (bricked in) in first bay of ground floor
- original carriage way entrance in the second bay of the brick façade and the segmentally arched carriage way opening in limestone at rear of building
- three segmentally arched windows with heads of coursed brick in third and fourth bays
It is intended that non-original features may be returned to the documented earlier designs or to their documented original without requiring Council to amend the heritage designation by-law.
A more detailed description of the property’s cultural heritage value may be found in staff’s report to City Council dated April 8, 2025 at www.guelph.ca.
Notice of objection
Any person may send a notice of objection to this proposed designation, before 4 p.m. on Friday, May 16, 2025. 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, MA, CAHP (he/him)
Planning Services 519-837-5616 x 2496
[email protected]