Take notice that the Council of the Corporation of the City of Guelph intends to designate 65 McTague 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 is Lot 32, Plan 105, Guelph and the property identification number (PIN) is 71299-0118.
Statement of cultural heritage value or interest
The residential dwelling at 65 McTague Street is worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act because it meets five of the nine prescribed criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest, according to Ontario Regulation 9/06. The subject building at 65 McTague Street has design and physical value as well as contextual value.
Design/Physical Value
The subject property meets Criterion 1 because it is representative and rare expression of Queen Anne Revival architectural style of the late 19th century in Guelph. The subject property meets Criterion 2 because it displays a high degree of craftsmanship in its construction shown in the many architectural features retained from its original construction.
Historical/Associative Value
The subject property meets Criterion 4 because the building is associated with the Kilgour family, a prominent family in Guelph who established homes along McTague Street in the mid to late 19th century.
Contextual Value
The subject property meets Criterion 7 because it maintains the low-rise, residential character of the neighbourhood and because it is important in defining, maintaining and supporting the character of the McTague Street streetscape in the historic Exhibition Park neighbourhood identified as a candidate cultural heritage landscape in the City of Guelph Cultural Heritage Action Plan.
The subject property meets Criterion 8 because it is historically linked to other buildings on McTague Street built as homes of the Kilgour family.
Description of heritage attributes
The following elements of the property at 65 McTague Street should be considered as heritage attributes in a designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act:
Exterior
- Original 2-storey, red brick house form with complex roof and projecting bays on front and driveway side elevations
- Square front bay with large attic gable with a top that projects above the front attic windows and is supported by paired brackets over mirrored and curvilinear sunburst motifs in the bottom corners of the gable
- Second floor of the square front bay is a large, tripled window with a large centre sash flanked by two narrow sashes and separated by red brick mullions. Each window is under a large, rock-faced limestone lintel with margins and all three share a rock-faced margined limestone sill that continues in a projecting band of corbelled red brick
- Corners of the square front bay are supported by paired corbels with the curvilinear sunburst motif over the octagonal main floor bay below
- Front of the octagonal front bay with two large, coupled sashes (each with stained and painted glass transoms) and smaller side windows. These windows all have a rock-faced limestone lintel and lug sill with margins.
- Original red brick exterior wall and the rock-faced and margined limestone lintel of the second floor exterior door retained inside the enclosure over the front porch
- Original two-leaf front doors with raised wooden panels, glazed upper panels and original brass hardware. The front door opening has a large rock-faced limestone lintel with margins.
- Window of the main stair landing (to the left of the front door) with a square Queen Anne sash, stained glass perimeter panes and a rock-faced limestone lintel and lug sill with margins.
- 2-storey, red brick side bay (facing the driveway) with a large attic gable over a coved cornice that projects over the bay below supported by paired corbels with the curvilinear sunburst motif and a drop spindle.
- Side bay contains the red brick chimney of the original dining room fireplace with the original oval window opening and what is possibly its original translucent, patterned glass pane. The chimney wall window has a protruding red brick frame with a beveled brick drip mold, a soldier course head and a rock-faced limestone sill with margins. The dining room fireplace chimney continues up through the cornice and the tympanum of the attic gable where it is flanked by two wooden, mirrored, curvilinear motifs.
Interior
- Front vestibule and hall, the main staircase (with two landings), curving bannisters, newel posts and turned balusters continuing to second floor stair railing with large arches and chamfered posts.
- Two leaded, stained glass transom windows each with a hand-painted bird and flowers (in front room on main floor)
- Original wooden fireplace mantel with cast iron and ceramic tile facings (on side wall of front room on main floor)
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 staffs report to City Council dated June 9, 2026, and at guelph.ca.
Notice of objection
Any person may send a notice of objection to this proposed designation, before 4 p.m. on Monday, July 20, 2026. 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.
Dylan McMahon
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]
Notice date: June 18, 2026
