HomeMy WebLinkAbout940 Whitevale Road (PLN 10-16)
CULTURAL HERITAGE PROPERTY
EVALUATION REPORT:
940 Whitevale Road, Pickering, Ontario
SUBMITTED TO:
The City of Pickering
One The Esplanade Pickering, Ontario
L1V 6K7
November 10, 2015
SUBMITTED BY: Laurie Smith Heritage
Consulting
4 Bullock Avenue Ottawa, Ontario
K1S 1G8
613-863-8852 laurie@smithheritage.ca
In partnership with:
Amy Barnes Consulting
and
Chris Uchiyama Heritage
Cultural Heritage Property Evaluation Report Prepared for The City of Pickering 940 Whitevale Road, Pickering ON November 10, 2015
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Table of Contents
1 Introduction to the Site ............................................................................................................................. 1
2 Methodology .............................................................................................................................................. 4
3 Policy Framework ....................................................................................................................................... 5
4 Historical Context ....................................................................................................................................... 7
5 Architecture and Design ........................................................................................................................ 10
5.1 Stone House ......................................................................................................................................... 13
5.1.1 Interior ........................................................................................................................................... 16
5.1.2 Basement ..................................................................................................................................... 20
5.2 Stone Kitchen Tail ................................................................................................................................ 21
5.3 Stone Wood Shed ............................................................................................................................... 22
5.4 Stone Outbuilding ............................................................................................................................... 22
5.5 Wooden Outbuilding ......................................................................................................................... 22
5.6 Cultural Landscape ............................................................................................................................ 23
5.7 Archaeological Resources ................................................................................................................ 24
6 Contextual Background ......................................................................................................................... 25
7 Heritage Evaluation ................................................................................................................................. 26
7.1 Design or Physical Value ................................................................................................................... 26
7.2 Historic/Associative Value ................................................................................................................. 27
7.3 Contextual Value ................................................................................................................................ 29
7.4 Statement of Significance ................................................................................................................ 29
7.4.1 Description of Property .............................................................................................................. 29
7.4.2 Statement of Cultural Heritage Value .................................................................................... 30
7.4.3 Heritage Attributes ..................................................................................................................... 31
8 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 32
9 Sources ...................................................................................................................................................... 33
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List of Figures
Figure 1: 940 Whitevale Road, Location and Boundary of Property Parcel (City of Pickering, 2015)
.............................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Figure 2: 940 Whitevale Road, Context (Base map source: Google Earth Pro, 2015) ......................... 3
Figure 3: Front elevation of 940 Whitevale Road (CU, 2015). ................................................................... 3
Figure 4: 940 Whitevale Road, Current Conditions (Base map source: Google Earth, 2015) ............ 4
Figure 5: 940 Whitevale Road, shown on an excerpt from the 1877 Map of Pickering Township
(Base map source: J.H. Beers & Co., 1877) .................................................................................................. 9
Figure 6: Facade of the stone house at 940 Whitevale Road. (CU, 2015) ........................................... 10
Figure 7: East elevation, with main house, kitchen tail and woodshed. (CU, 2015) .......................... 10
Figure 8: A modern vestibule at the rear of the stone woodshed. (CU, 2015) ................................... 11
Figure 9: West elevation with wood shed, kitchen and house. (CU, 2015).......................................... 11
Figure 10: Stone outbuilding. (CU, 2015) ..................................................................................................... 12
Figure 11: Modern wooden outbuilding. (CU, 2015) ................................................................................ 12
Figure 12: Detail of front door showing transom and sidelights and original wooden door (CU,
2015). ................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Figure 13: Detail of stone quoins, gable roof end with returning eaves (CU, 2015). .......................... 14
Figure 14: Centre gable with Gothic window and ghosting from former portico. (CU, 2015)......... 15
Figure 15: Gothic window from Bentley House in Brougham, Ontario (Parks Canada, 1973) ......... 15
Figure 16: East elevation, with chimney, return eaves and 6/6 windows. (CU, 2015) ....................... 16
Figure 17: 940 Whitevale Road (date unknown), showing former portico (Ancestry.com, 2015). . 16
Figure 18: Detail of balustrade from second level (CU, 2015). ............................................................... 17
Figure 19: Details of interior of original front wooden door (CU, 2015). ................................................ 17
Figure 20: Parlor room showing window casements and fireplace. (CU, 2015) ................................. 18
Figure 21: Interior of Gothic window. (CU, 2015) ....................................................................................... 18
Figure 22: Detail of wooden door casings and threshold to stone kitchen. (CU, 2015) .................... 19
Figure 23: Detail of white washed stone wall of basement interior. (CU, 2015) .................................. 20
Figure 24: Detail of flooring and support beams, basement interior. (CU, 2015) ............................... 20
Figure 25: Interior of kitchen tail, showing eastern entrance. (CU, 2015) ............................................. 21
Figure 26: Stone woodshed as seen from former orchard. (CU, 2015) ................................................ 22
Figure 27: Details of landscape and layout of property in 2005. (Shearer, p. 14) .............................. 23
List of Tables
Table 1: Factors Indicating Archaeological Potential or Lack of Archaeological Potential ........... 24
Table 2 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 940 Whitevale Road as Per
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 1. i., ii., and iii ................................................................................................................ 27
Table 3 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 940 Whitevale Road as Per
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 2. i., ii., and iii ................................................................................................................ 28
Table 4 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 940 Whitevale Road as Per
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 3. i., ii., and iii ................................................................................................................ 29
Cultural Heritage Property Evaluation Report Prepared for The City of Pickering 940 Whitevale Road, Pickering ON November 10, 2015
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1 Introduction to the Site
Laurie Smith Heritage Consulting, in partnership with Amy Barnes Consulting and Chris Uchiyama
Heritage, was retained by the City of Pickering in April, 2015 to undertake a Cultural Heritage
Property Evaluation of the property listed as 940 Whitevale Road in Pickering, Ontario.
The property, also known as the John Major House, is located east of the hamlet of Whitevale,
on the north side of Whitevale Road, in the City of Pickering, Ontario. It is a rectangular
parcel, .56 hectares (1.38 acres) in area, comprising part of Lot 26, Concession V, Pickering
Township (Figure 1). The property is surrounded by agricultural lands to the north and west (Figure
2).
The property includes three buildings: a one-and-a-half storey, stone house built c. 1860, a small
stone outbuilding of unknown date, and a modern, wood-frame, double garage. The house is
built of fieldstone, squared and coursed on the façade and more roughly coursed rubble stone
on the side elevations. It has two extensions at the rear, both built of heavily mortared, roughly
coursed fieldstone: a one-and-a-half-storey kitchen tail and beyond that a one-storey
woodshed (Figure 4). The house has a five-bay, symmetrical facade, a wide, central doorcase
with sidelights and transom, and a side-gable roof. The ostensibly Georgian design is
augmented by two decidedly Gothic touches that reflect its date of construction: an unusually
wide centre gable over the entrance and a wide, elliptically arched window with Gothic tracery
in the gable.
Although it is referred to as the John Major House, the house was most likely built by his grandson,
William Henry Major (1822-1899), around 1860, almost 30 years after John Major’s death. The
property remained in the Major family for more than a hundred years.
The house and outbuildings are surrounded by a grassed lawn and many mature coniferous and
deciduous trees. The house is well set back from the road and is hidden by the many trees and
shrubs. A gravel laneway runs north from Whitevale Road to the wooden outbuilding, along the
east side of the house (Figure 4).
The property is currently owned by the Province of Ontario and is managed by Ontario
Infrastructure and Lands Corporation (“OILC”). It is listed in the City of Pickering Municipal
Heritage Register (2008) and is included in the Whitevale Heritage Conservation District, which
was designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act in 1993 (By-law 4074-92, 1993).
Cultural Heritage Property Evaluation Report Prepared for The City of Pickering 940 Whitevale Road, Pickering ON November 10, 2015
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Figure 1: 940 Whitevale Road, Location and Boundary of Property Parcel (City of Pickering, 2015)
LAURIE SMITH HERITAGE CONSULTING
940 Whitevale Road
CON 5 S PT LOT 26
NOW RP 40R24276 PART 12
PIN: 26386-0113
Cultural Heritage Property Evaluation Report Prepared for The City of Pickering 940 Whitevale Road, Pickering ON November 10, 2015
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Figure 2: 940 Whitevale Road, Context (Base map source: Google Earth Pro, 2015)
Figure 3: Front elevation of 940 Whitevale Road (CU, 2015).
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Figure 4: 940 Whitevale Road, Current Conditions (Base map source: Google Earth, 2015)
2 Methodology
This cultural heritage evaluation was conducted using the criteria in O.Reg. 9/06 under the
Ontario Heritage Act. The evaluation was based on information contained in previous reports on
the site, additional historical research, and a site visit of the property. The City of Pickering
excluded public and stakeholder consultation from the consultant contract, except for the
purposes of historical research.
The heritage value of the property has previously been examined in the following reports (listed
chronologically):
• Unterman McPhail Heritage Resource Consultants, The Hamlet of Whitevale Heritage
Conservation District Study: Background Report. Prepared for the Town of Pickering,
August 1989.
• Hough, Stansbury, Woodland, Naylor, Dance Limited – Prime Consultants, D.R. Poulton &
Associates – Archaeological Assessments and Excavations, André Scheinman – Heritage
Preservation Consultant, Seaton Cultural Heritage Resources Assessment: Technical
Appendix. Report prepared for the Seaton Interim Planning Team, Ministry of Municipal
Affairs and Housing, July 1994.
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• André Scheinman, Seaton Built Heritage Assessment. Prepared for the North Pickering
Land Exchange Team, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Planning and
Development Division, November 2004.
• Contentworks Inc., Thematic Study and Phase 1 Evaluation of ORC Properties in
Pickering. Prepared for Ontario Realty Corporation, March 2009.
• Contentworks Inc., Phase II Evaluation of Residences on Whitevale Road, Pickering.
Report prepared for the Ontario Realty Corporation, March 2009.
• Bray Heritage, Seaton Neighbourhood Planning Background Report: Whitevale Road
Heritage Corridor Review. Report prepared for the City of Pickering, May 2010.
Sources for additional historical research are noted in the “Sources” section at the end of this
document.
An exterior and interior site visit was undertaken on June 16, 2015 by Amy Barnes, M.A. and Chris
Uchiyama, M.A.
3 Policy Framework
In Ontario, the Provincial Policy Statement 2014 (“PPS 2014”), issued under s. 3 of the Planning
Act, provides policy direction on matters of provincial interest related to land use planning and
development.1 Land use planning decisions made by municipalities, planning boards, the
Province, or a commission or agency of the government must be consistent with the PPS 2014.2
The PPS 2014 provides that “significant built heritage resources and significant cultural heritage
landscapes shall be conserved” and “development and site alteration shall not be permitted on
lands containing archaeological resources or areas of archaeological potential unless
significant archaeological resources have been conserved”.3 “Significant” means “resources
that have been determined to have cultural heritage value or interest for the important
contribution they make to our understanding of the history of a place, an event, or a people.”4
These resources and landscapes are conserved through their “identification, protection,
management and use…..in a manner that ensures their cultural heritage value or interest is
retained under the Ontario Heritage Act.”5
Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (“OHA”) permits municipalities to designate individual
properties that are of cultural heritage value or interest, based on criteria set out in Ont. Reg.
9/06.6 Designation is done by by-law and includes a description of the property and a statement
explaining the cultural heritage value or interest of the property and a description of the
heritage attributes of the property. Part V of the OHA permits municipalities to designate
1 PPS 2014, Part I: Preamble.
2 PPS 2014, Part III: How to Read the Provincial Policy Statement.
3 PPS 2014, s. 2.6.1 and 2.6.2.
4 PPS 2014, s. 6.0, Definitions, at p. 49.
5 PPS 2014, s. 6.0, Definitions, at p. 40.
6 OHA, Part IV, s. 29.
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heritage conservation districts consisting of multiple properties, and adopt a district plan for
managing change.7 A property that is included in an area designated as a heritage
conservation district may subsequently be individually designated under Part IV.8 Municipalities
must keep a register of property that is of cultural heritage value or interest. In addition to
designated properties, the register may include other property that the municipality believes to
be of cultural heritage value or interest.9 The OHA provides processes for a municipality to
approve proposed alterations, demolition or removal of resources on designated properties or
within a heritage conservation district, and requires notice be given to a municipality for
proposed alterations, demolition or removal of resources on non-designated properties listed on
the register.10
Part IV OHA (individual property designation by municipalities) and Part V OHA (heritage
conservation district designation) do not apply to property that is owned by the provincial
government or by a prescribed public body.11 OILC is a prescribed public body.12 However,
municipalities are not prevented from including properties owned by the provincial government
or a prescribed public body in the municipal register of non-designated properties.13
Heritage properties owned or occupied by the provincial government or prescribed public
bodies are subject to the Standards & Guidelines for Conservation of Provincial Heritage
Properties (“the provincial S&Gs”), a set of guidelines issued by the Minister of Tourism, Culture
and Sport in 2010.14 The provincial S&Gs require provincial ministries and agencies to establish
and maintain a cultural heritage conservation policy and procedures to identify, manage and
conserve provincial heritage properties.15 Decisions affecting a provincial heritage property
must consider its cultural heritage value and mitigate negative impacts.16 If a provincial heritage
property is to leave government ownership, best efforts should be made to ensure its cultural
heritage value is protected through designation or easement; demolition or removal should be
considered only as a last resort. OILC has followed an internal heritage management process
since 2007. The property at 940 Whitevale Road was recommended as an ORC Heritage
Property in the 2009 Phase II report prepared by Contentworks Inc. for OILC.
The OHA provides that if a property owned by the provincial government or a prescribed public
body is included in a designated heritage conservation district, and there is a conflict between
7 OHA, ss. 41 and 41.1.
8 OHA, s. 41(2).
9 OHA, ss. 27(1.1) and (1.2).
10 OHA, ss. 27 (3), 33, 34 and 42.
11 OHA ss. 25.2 (2), 26.1 (1) and 39.1.1(1).
12 OHA, Ont. Reg. 157/10.
13 OHA, s. 26.1(3).
14 The Provincial S&Gs are available online at http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/publications/Standards_Conservation.pdf
15 S&G, s. A.2, A.2 and A.5.
16 S&G, s. A.3
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a provision of the provincial S&Gs and a provision in Part V as they apply to that property, the
provision in Part V prevails.17
The City of Pickering has adopted a policy to respect and conserve cultural heritage resources
as part of the City of Pickering Official Plan (Edition 6).18 City Council shall identify important
cultural heritage resources from all time periods, and prevent the demolition, destruction or
inappropriate alteration of important cultural heritage resources to the extent possible (s. 8.2).
City Council shall maintain an inventory of heritage resources designated or worthy of
designation under the OHA (s. 8.7). City Council shall encourage the preservation or excavation
of important archaeological sites (s. 8.10). Amendment 22 to the Pickering Official Plan,
approved by the Ontario Municipal Board in 2013, specifically provides that the Seaton Urban
Area shall be planned as a sustainable community, based on seven key sustainability principles,
including to “protect cultural heritage resources and archaeological resources”.
4 Historical Context
The John Major House is located east of the hamlet of Whitevale, on the south part of Lot 26,
Concession V, Pickering Township.
Pickering Township was first surveyed in 1797 and Crown patents were issued shortly afterwards.
The land around Whitevale was not settled until the early 1820s, when United Empire Loyalist
John Major (1768-1831) built a saw mill on the banks of West Duffins Creek. A small settlement,
known as Major Mills or Majorville, began to take shape along Concession V. Major was an Irish
emigrant who had settled first in Vermont, and then fled with his wife Margaret to Nova Scotia
during the American Revolutionary War, becoming a member of the 84th Regiment of the
Loyalist Corps.19 After the War of 1812, he accepted a grant of land in Pickering Township. Major
was a key part of the early community – his home is noted as the location for a meeting of
township officials in 1822.20 The many direct descendants of John Major are credited as being
“among the important constituents of the later population of the township.”21
In 1843, Ira White purchased Major’s sawmill and put his son, Truman P. White, in charge of
operations.22 An ambitious industrialist, T.P. White further leveraged the power of the West Duffins
Creek and developed the milling site to include a flour mill. During the 1850s and 1860s, the
settlement grew into an industrial centre with the addition of: a planing mill (1866); a stave and
heading factory, T.P. White’s wool factory (1867); a sash and door factory; a wagon and steam
carriage factory; and the P.R. Hoover and Co. cheese factory. Commercial enterprises
included: a general store; a butcher shop; Major Hotel; and a tinsmith shop. Anticipating the
17 OHA, s. 39.1.1(2).
18 City of Pickering Official Plan (Edition 6), Chapter Eight – Cultural Heritage.
19 William Wood, Past years in Pickering: Sketches of the History of the Community, (Toronto:
William Briggs, 1911), p. 263.
20 Scheinman, 2004: 10. Major accepted a grant of Lot 18, Concession 5, Pickering Township.
21 Wood, p. 264.
22 Unterman McPhail, 1989: 2-2.
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growth of the community, T.P. White registered two survey plans, one in 1857 and an amended
plan in 1860. The 1869 Ontario Gazetteer and Directory indicates that hamlet’s population was
approximately 300 that year. John Shier’s 1870 plan of subdivision was the first time that
“Whitevale” was used as the name of the community, in honour of T.P. White; although the mills
continued to be called “Majors Mills.”
The Crown patent for Lot 26, Concession V, Pickering Township, comprising 200 acres, was issued
to John Denison, Jr. in November 1825.23 John died seven weeks later, in 1826, and his son,
Colonel George Taylor Denison, sold the 200-acre property to Samuel Major in 1828.24 The
Denisons were among the wealthiest landowners in Canada West,25 and it is extremely unlikely
they ever settled the property during their brief ownership.
The property was owned by the Major family for the next 144 years. Samuel Major sold the
northern 100 acres in 1837 but regained it by 1838. When Samuel died suddenly in 1842 from a
shovel injury, his son William took over the farm.26 The 1851 census records William Major living in
a one-storey, log house with his wife Emma, his daughter Emma and three of his young siblings;
William’s mother died in 1849.27
The stone house was likely built by William and Emma around 1860. The 1861 census records
them living in a one-and-a-half-storey, stone house with their three children. They had seven
children in all; their son William Henry (W.H.) joined his father on the farm. The 1877 Map of
Pickering Township in the Historical Atlas for Ontario County shows the two Williams (W. Major
and W.H. Major) jointly farming the 200-acre lot (Figure 5).28 They were known into the early 20th
century as “well-known and successful” breeders of Shorthorns (cattle) and Clydes (horses).29
The elder William Major died in 1889, his wife Emma in 1888. Five children survived to adulthood:
four daughters married and moved off the farm, leaving William the younger to continue on.
William had no children and never married. In 1927, Williams’s siblings sold the property to
William’s nephew, Isaac Newton Kinley Robinson, suggesting that William had died.30 Isaac
23 Pickering Women’s Institute, 1960
24 LRO# 40, Land Abstract
25 Gagan, David. 1972. George Taylor Denison. Dictionary of Canadian Biography Vol. 10.
University of Toronto/Universite Laval. Accessed online at
http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/denison_george_taylor_1816_73_10E.html
26 According to documents found in the Major home, Samuel was struck in the head with a
shovel by Wallingford Saunders in June 1842 and succumbed to his injuries a week later. William
D. Reid, Death Notices of Ontario (Hunterdon House, 1980)
27 Year: 1851; census place: Pickering, Ontario County, Canada West (Ontario); Schedule : A; Roll: C-11742; Page: 179; Line: 1.
28 “Map of Pickering Township,” in J.H. Beers & Co., Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of
Ontario, Ont., (Toronto: J.H. Beers & Co., 1877), p. 19.
29 Wood, p. 264.
30 Robinson was the only living child of Mary Maude Major, daughter of William Major the elder
and sister of William Major the younger. Mary died in 1926, her husband Rev. Isaac Newton
Robinson died in 1888, and their other six children were all dead by 1926.
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Robinson and his wife raised five children on the property, continuing to farm it until Isaac’s
death in 1969. In 1972, his widow Mildred sold the property to the Crown.31
The date of construction of the “John Major House” is recorded in the Municipal Heritage
Register as 1822. However, both the date of construction and the attribution appear to be in
error. The available evidence suggests that the house was built by John’s grandson William
Major around 1860. John Major never owned this property, and he died almost 30 years before
the house was built. The 1851 census refers to a log house; the 1861 census is the first to refer to a
stone house. The property assessment shows an increase in value between 1858 and 1861,
suggesting the addition of a new building.32 The style and construction of the house, including
the wide, centre gable and the Gothic window point to a post-1850 construction date. The
window in particular is a duplicate of the “Gothicized Palladian” window found in the Bentley
House, at Brougham, Ontario, which was built 1853-55.33
Figure 5: 940 Whitevale Road, shown on an excerpt from the 1877 Map of Pickering Township (Base map source: J.H. Beers & Co., 1877)
31 LRO #40, Abstract for Lot 26, Concession V, Pickering Township.
32 Scheinman, 2004. The Municipal Heritage Register (2008) gives a construction date of 1822, but this is not supported by the census records and the style and construction of the house itself.
33 “Bentley House, 3590 Brock Road, Brougham, Ontario, Canada”, in Canada’s Historic Places
at http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9836
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5 Architecture and Design
There are three buildings on the property: a stone house with a kitchen tail and an attached
stone woodshed; a small, stone outbuilding; and a modern wooden outbuilding.
Figure 6: Facade of the stone house at 940 Whitevale Road. (CU, 2015)
Figure 7: East elevation, with main house, kitchen tail and woodshed. (CU, 2015)
Cultural Heritage Property Evaluation Report Prepared for The City of Pickering 940 Whitevale Road, Pickering ON November 10, 2015
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Figure 8: A modern vestibule at the rear of the stone woodshed. (CU, 2015)
Figure 9: West elevation with wood shed, kitchen and house. (CU, 2015)
Cultural Heritage Property Evaluation Report Prepared for The City of Pickering 940 Whitevale Road, Pickering ON November 10, 2015
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Figure 10: Stone outbuilding. (CU, 2015)
Figure 11: Modern wooden outbuilding. (CU, 2015)
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5.1 Stone House
The one-and-a-half-storey, stone house has a symmetrical, five-bay façade, a wide, central
doorcase with sidelights and transom, and a side-gable roof with returned eaves. This design,
essentially Georgian in its structure, is augmented by two very Gothic touches that are in
keeping with its early Victorian date of construction: an extremely wide centre gable over the
entrance and a wide, elliptically arched window with gothic tracery in the gable.
The extra-wide centre gable is an unusual variation on the Gothic cottage house type of the
mid-19th century, although Cruikshank and Stokes note several examples in the Marysburgh area
of Prince Edward County.34 The window has been described as “gothicized Palladian” although
strictly speaking it lacks the flat-topped side sections typical of the Palladian profile. A window of
the same proportions and design appears on the façade of the Bentley House at Brougham, a
grand two-storey house built in 1853-55 for William Bentley (Figure 15).35 Authors Kim Ondaatje
and Lois McKenzie have suggested that “This Bentley window is a regional style and can be seen
in wood, stone and brick houses in the Brougham-Markham area”.36
The house is built of local fieldstone: the façade is made with cut, field stone that has been
squared, coursed and lightly mortared, with larger quoins at corners and voussoirs above
openings. The side and rear elevations are made with roughly coursed, rubble stone heavily
mortared and with incised lines to suggest ashlar. There are two, red-brick, interior chimneys. The
building is encircled below an overhanging molded cornice with a plain, wide, frieze. It rests on
a rubble stone foundation. Openings are flat-arched with stone voussoirs and wooden lug sills
covered in siding. Window units are 6/6, wood, double sash.
The house has been altered by the addition of storm windows; the boarding over of one of the
façade windows; the addition of an exterior ventilation pipe to the façade; and the
replacement of a rear window unit with a vinyl unit.
Other examples of stone construction in the Whitevale area include: 615 Whitevale Road, 750
Whitevale Road, 1130 Whitevale Road, 1390 Whitevale Road and the rear tail at 3285 Sideline
20.
34 Tom Cruikshank and Peter John Stokes, The Settlers Dream: A Pictorial History of the Older
Buildings of Prince Edward County, (Picton: The Corporation of the County of Prince Edward, 1984).
35 “Bentley House” at http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9836
36 Kim Ondaatje and Lois Mackenzie, Old Ontario Houses, (Gage Publishing, 1977), n.p.
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Figure 12: Detail of front door showing transom and sidelights and original wooden door (CU, 2015).
Figure 13: Detail of stone quoins, gable roof end with returning eaves (CU, 2015).
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Figure 14: Centre gable with Gothic window and ghosting from former portico. (CU, 2015)
Figure 15: Gothic window from Bentley House in Brougham, Ontario (Parks Canada, 1973)37
37 Parks Canada, “Bentley House,” on Canada’s Historic Places, accessed November, 2015 at
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9836&pid=0
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Figure 16: East elevation, with chimney, return eaves and 6/6 windows. (CU, 2015)
Figure 17: 940 Whitevale Road (date unknown), showing former portico (Ancestry.com, 2015).
5.1.1 Interior
The interior follows a centre-hall plan with twelve-foot ceilings. Many interior wood finishes and
trim have been retained, including: the wooden balustrade; wide, pine, plank flooring; deep
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wooden sills with decorative paneling and wide, molded, trim casement; 12-inch baseboards;
door casings; doors; wainscot in the kitchen; and a wooden fireplace mantel with pilastered
architrave and elliptical and circular motifs in relief.
Figure 18: Detail of balustrade from second level (CU, 2015).
Figure 19: Details of interior of original front wooden door (CU, 2015).
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Figure 20: Parlor room showing window casements and fireplace. (CU, 2015)
Figure 21: Interior of Gothic window. (CU, 2015)
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Figure 22: Detail of wooden door casings and threshold to stone kitchen. (CU, 2015)
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5.1.2 Basement The basement is accessed from the main house and extends under the kitchen tail. It is made of
broken-coursed rubble stone, which has been whitewashed on the interior.
Figure 23: Detail of white washed stone wall of basement interior. (CU, 2015)
Figure 24: Detail of flooring and support beams, basement interior. (CU, 2015)
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5.2 Stone Kitchen Tail
A one–and-half–storey, stone kitchen extends from the rear of the house. It is built with heavily
mortared rubble stone with large stone quoins and it sits on a stone foundation. The medium-
pitched roof has overhanging eaves, and a molded cornice and plain frieze continuing from the
main house. All window units are rectangular, 6/6 double sash wood with lug sills and have stone
voussoirs with keystones. The tail has been altered by the insertion of a pedimented gable
dormer on the eastern slope of the roof and an L-shaped porch in the interior corner between
the house and the tail.
The interior of the kitchen tail retains wood finishes and fixtures including: wide, pine, plank
flooring; deep-set window sills with wooden casings; 10”-high, baseboards; and chair rail. A
former cooking hearth, referred to in the Scheinman report, was covered over and not visible
during the site visit. Four metal hooks in the ceiling may have, once been used for hanging
meats.
Figure 25: Interior of kitchen tail, showing eastern entrance. (CU, 2015)
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5.3 Stone Wood Shed
A one–storey, stone, wood shed extends from the rear of the kitchen tail. It has three entrances:
through the kitchen; through a newly added rear entrance; and through an entrance on the
west elevation. The building is made of roughly coursed rubble stone, heavily mortared
(especially on the western elevation), with large, cut-stone quoins at the rear corners. The wood
shed has a gable roof and 6/6, double sash, window units. A modern bay window has been
added to the eastern elevation. The interior is paneled and has 7-inch baseboards.
Figure 26: Stone woodshed as seen from former orchard. (CU, 2015)
5.4 Stone Outbuilding
The one-storey stone outbuilding is made of uncoursed, heavily mortared, rubble stone with a
shed roof. The original function is unknown. The board-and-batten breezeway that connected
the outbuilding to the house, noted by Scheinman in 2004, is no longer evident. The interior was
not accessed.
5.5 Wooden Outbuilding
There is a one and half storey barn made of board and batten with a shingle gable roof and
overhanging eaves. There are two garage doors and a second storey casement style wooden
opening. There is also an access door on the west elevation. The building is current being used
as a garage and replaced a timber frame carriage shed and barn complex38.
38 Scheinman, 2004
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5.6 Cultural Landscape
The property follows a traditional farmstead pattern, with the house set on an elevated site, and
the gravel drive leading from the road, past the house, to the former farm work area. The barn
has been demolished, but heavily overgrown fencerow suggests the original configuration39.
The grassed lawn is surrounded by a number of mature trees, including Red Maple, Ash, Spruce
and Cedar. The remains of an orchard with apple, cherry, and pear trees are located west of
the house40.
Some of the traditional pathways from the farmstead to the farm land remain visible. A path
through the northwest section of the property leads to the fields and former orchard. A path on
the west side of the wood outbuilding leads to the fields at the north end of the property.
Figure 27: Details of landscape and layout of property in 2005. (Shearer, p. 14)
39 Shearer, p. 13.
40 Shearer, p. 14.
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5.7 Archaeological Resources
Although the archaeological potential of the general area in and around the property is well
documented41 the archaeological potential of the property, itself, will be addressed in this
section.
Archaeological potential determination is based on a number of factors related to the
attractiveness of a site for either temporary or permanent human occupation. Archaeological
features that are considered when determining potential are generally related to basic
necessities of survival (e.g., proximity to water), access to transportation (e.g., historic
transportation routes, trails, and navigable watercourses), or access to resources (e.g., raw
materials for tool making or construction, or food resources).
The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport lists in its 2010 Standards and Guidelines for
Consultant Archaeologists42 a series of features that are considered, in Ontario, to be related to
archaeological potential, or removal of archaeological potential as summarised in Table 1.
Table 1: Factors Indicating Archaeological Potential or Lack of Archaeological Potential
Archaeological Feature 940 Whitevale Rd. (y/n)
Previously identified archaeological sites Y
Water sources:
Primary water sources (lakes, rivers, streams, creeks) N
Secondary water sources (intermittent streams, creeks, marshes) N
Features indicating past water sources (e.g., glacial lake shorelines, relic
river or stream channels) Y
Accessible or inaccessible shoreline N
Elevated topography (e.g. eskers, drumlins, plateau) Y
Pockets of well-drained sandy soil, especially near areas of heavy soil or rocky
ground Not assessed
Distinctive land formations that might have been special or spiritual places
such as waterfalls, rock outcrops, caverns, mounds and promontories and their bases. N
Resource areas:
Food or medicinal plants Not assessed
Scarce raw materials N
Early Euro-Canadian industry (e.g., fur trade, logging, prospecting,
mining) N
Areas of early Euro-Canadian settlement Y
Early historical transportation routes Y
41 See Hough Stansbury Woodland Naylor Dance Limited et. al., 1994 and Scheinman, 2004 for an overview of archaeological research in the area.
42 Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Standards and Guideline for Consultant Archaeologists.
2011: 17-18.
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Archaeological Feature 940 Whitevale Rd. (y/n)
Property listed on a municipal register or designated under the Ontario
Heritage Act or that is a federal, provincial or municipal historic landmark or
site
Y
Property that local histories or informants have identified with possible
archaeological sites, historical events, activities, or occupants N
Archaeological potential can be determined not to be present if the site has
been subject to modern extensive and deep land alterations such as: quarrying; sewage and infrastructure development; building footprints; or
major landscaping involving grading.
N
Based on a review of these factors, the property at 940 Whitevale Road exhibits archaeological
potential.
6 Contextual Background
The John Major House is located east of the hamlet of Whitevale, on the north side of Whitevale
Road. The property is surrounded by agricultural lands to the north, east and west. A 19th century
farmstead is located immediately south of the property: the Hugh Pugh House at 3185 Sideline
26. The Whitevale Cemetery, established in 1832 on land donated by Henry Major, is situated
approximately 650 meters west of the property.
The John Major House is included within the boundaries of the Whitevale Heritage Conservation
District (HCD) and has historical links with other resources in the HCD, including the Henry Major
House at 615 Whitevale Road and the Whitevale Cemetery. The property reinforces the rural
character of the HCD, described as follows:
The hamlet of Whitevale is located in a scenic river valley along the banks of
West Duffins Creek in the City of Pickering. Dominated by its rural setting and
modest vernacular buildings, the hamlet has not changed significantly in
character since the late nineteenth century. It had a small but thriving
industrial centre until the 1870's, when a disastrous fire effectively destroyed
most of the mill buildings except for the feed mill. With the depopulation of
rural Ontario during the late 1800s and early 1900s Whitevale's role as a small
service centre for the local farming community waned, resulting in the
complete disappearance of its commercial enterprises on Main Street with
the exception of the general store and the mill.
The building style in Whitevale is a mixture of typical rural Ontario vernacular
architecture combined with Victorian influences and materials in common
usage at the time of construction. The result is a distinctive cohesiveness of
scale, mass, decorative detailing and building materials. Although many
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individual buildings and properties have been altered over the decades, the
overall nineteenth century village character has been retained.
Most of the existing nineteenth century buildings have wood frame structures,
and siding ranging from clapboard, shiplap to vertical board and batten. The
majority of structures are one-and-a-half storeys in height with a three bay
front facade and centre gable.
The rural character of Whitevale, with its narrow tree-lined streets, scenic
views over the surrounding agricultural lands and the West Duffins Creek and
its steep river valley, provides a distinctive context and setting for its buildings.
The community has a rich and diverse character within a relatively small
area. Archaeological remains located in and around Whitevale attest to its
enduring attractiveness as a settlement area.43
More specifically, the John Major House reinforces the rural and historic nature of the Whitevale
Road corridor.
7 Heritage Evaluation
The property and associated resources have been evaluated for Cultural Heritage Value or
Interest (CHVI) under Ontario Regulation 9/06 Criteria for Determining Cultural Heritage Value or
Interest under the Ontario Heritage Act. A summary of the evaluation based on the criteria is
presented in Tables 2, 3 and 4 below.
7.1 Design or Physical Value
The one-and-a-half-storey house nicely illustrates the transition between the Georgian or Loyalist
tradition that was favoured in Upper Canada in the 1830s and 1840s, and the Gothic Revival
style which began to influence building design in the 1850s. The essential design of the house,
and many of its details, are Georgian, including: the low-pitched gable roof, the five-bay,
symmetrical façade; the wide, central doorcase with transom and sidelights; the heavily molded
door; Classical detailing such as the overhanging molded cornice, plain, wide frieze, and
returned eaves; and a central, Palladian window.
The Gothic influence is introduced through the use of a centre gable with a window, and the
Gothic tracery of the window. In typical Georgian fashion, though, the gable is flattened and
wide, rather than tall and narrow, and the window has a Palladian, tripartite form, set in an
elliptical arch. Both the centre gable and window are unusual features, and may reflect
regional preferences. A duplicate of the window is found at the Bentley House, Brougham. Their
application to a typically Georgian house reflects the development of housing design during this
period.
43 City of Pickering. Whitevale Heritage Conservation District Guide, 2013: 5.
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Although most houses in Whitevale HCD exhibit later styles, there are at least three comparable
five-bay examples: 615 Whitevale Road; 750 Whitevale Road and 1130 Whitevale Road (1835-
40).
The house provides a good illustration of local stone construction in the late1850s and early1860s,
including the use of local fieldstone, the coursed, cut-stone treatment of the façade, quoins at
corners, voussoirs over openings and the roughly coursed rubble stone at the rear and side
elevations. Other examples of stone construction are evident at 615 Whitevale, 750 Whitevale,
1130 Whitevale and 1390 Whitevale.
Table 2 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 940 Whitevale Road as Per O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 1. i., ii., and iii
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria Criteria Met (y/n) Justification
1. The property has design
value or physical value
because it,
i. is a rare, unique,
representative or early example of a style,
type, expression,
material, or
construction method,
Y
The house is a representative example of a
Georgian style dwelling with Gothic features,
reflecting the transition between the two styles in the mid-19th century. Standard Georgian
features such as the five-bay symmetrical
façade, central door with transom and side-
lights, and Classical detailing, are included.
The house is a rare example of two features
that combine Georgian and Gothic design:
the extra-wide gable, and the Palladian
window with Gothic tracery, both unusual features that may reflect regional preferences.
The house provides a representative example
of stone construction in the late 1850s and early 1860s, including the use of cut stone, rubble stone, quoins and voussoirs.
ii. displays a high degree of craftsmanship or
artistic merit, or
N The building does not display a high degree of
craftsmanship or artistic merit.
iii. demonstrates a high
degree of technical or
scientific achievement.
N The building does not demonstrate a high
degree of technical or scientific achievement.
The property at 940 Whitevale Road meets the criteria for design or physical value under O.Reg.
9/06.
7.2 Historic/Associative Value
The property is associated with the development of local agriculture in the mid-19th century. The
house was built by William Major, c. 1860, replacing an earlier log dwelling on the site. Major was
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a well-known cattle and horse breeder, and was descended from John Major, one of the
community’s first settlers. The current property is a remnant of the 200-acre farm that was owned
and farmed by members of the Major family from 1828 until government acquisition in 1972, a
span of 144 years. The property retains a few remnants of this agricultural use by the Major
family, including the stone outbuilding, pathways to former fields, the gravel drive and remnants
of the orchard.
940 Whitevale Road also exhibits archaeological potential, given its proximity to a number of
archaeological features outlined in the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports Standards
and Guidelines for Consultant Archaeologists,44 including: a secondary water course, elevated
topography, known pre-contact and Euro-Canadian archaeological sites, an early historical
transportation route, and as a property listed on the Municipal Heritage Register (2008) and
designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. The property has also not undergone any
recent or extensive ground disturbances which might indicate the removal of archaeological
potential. As a result, the property has the potential to yield information that contributes to an
understanding of a community or culture.
Table 3 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 940 Whitevale Road as Per O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 2. i., ii., and iii
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria Criteria Met (y/n) Justification
2. The property has historical
value or associative value
because it,
i. has direct associations
with a theme, event, belief, person, activity,
organization or
institution that is
significant to a community,
Y
The property has direct associations with the
theme of the development of local agriculture. The property is a remnant of the 200-acre farm
that was owned and farmed by descendants
of John Major for 144 years, from 1828 until
1972.The house was built c.1860 by William Major, a well-known cattle and horse breeder.
ii. yields, or has the potential to yield
information that
contributes to an
understanding of a community or culture,
or
Y
Given that the property surrounding the
farmhouse has not been recently and
significantly altered, it has the potential to yield
information that contributes to the understanding of the community or a pre-
contact culture.
iii. demonstrates or
reflects the work or
ideas of an architect, artist, builder, designer
N Designer or builder unknown.
44 Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Standards and Guideline for Consultant Archaeologists.
2011: 17-18.
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O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria Criteria Met (y/n) Justification
or theorist who is
significant to a community.
The property at 940 Whitevale Road meets the criteria for historical or associative value under
O.Reg. 9/06.
7.3 Contextual Value
The property is located within the Whitevale HCD. Its rural nature and Georgian/Gothic style are
important in defining and maintaining the heritage character of the district and in supporting
the rural nature of the Whitevale Road corridor within the HCD.
The property is visually and historically linked to the surrounding agricultural fields which were
farmed by members of the Major family for 144 years, to the Hugh Pugh House at 3185 Sideline
26 and to the Whitevale Cemetery.
Table 4 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 940 Whitevale Road as Per O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 3. i., ii., and iii
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria Criteria Met (y/n) Justification
3. The property has
contextual value because it,
i. is important in defining, maintaining
or supporting the
character of an area,
Y
The property is important in defining and maintaining the heritage character of the
Whitevale HCD and of the Whitevale Road
corridor within the HCD.
ii. is physically,
functionally, visually or
historically linked to its surroundings, or Y
The property is visually and historically linked to
the surrounding agricultural fields which were
farmed by the Major family for 144 years. It is also visually and historically linked to the
Whitevale Cemetery and to nearby
19thcentury farmsteads including the Hugh Pugh House at 3185 Sideline 26.
iii. is a landmark. N 940 Whitevale Road is not a landmark.
The property at 940 Whitevale Road meets the criteria for contextual value under O.Reg. 9/06.
7.4 Statement of Significance
7.4.1 Description of Property The property at 940 Whitevale Road is located east of the hamlet of Whitevale, on the north side
of Whitevale Road, in the City of Pickering Ontario. It is a rectangular parcel, .56 hectares (1.38
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acres) in area, comprising part of Lot 26, Concession V, Pickering Township. The property is
surrounded by agricultural lands and 19th century farmsteads.
The key resource on the property is a one-and-a-half-storey, stone house with a stone kitchen tail
and a stone woodshed attached at the rear. The property also includes a stone outbuilding,
and a modern wood-frame garage, although these do not contribute to heritage value. The
house combines features of the Georgian Classical and Gothic Revival traditions, including: a
five-bay, symmetrical façade; a wide, central doorcase with transom and sidelights; a low-pitch
gable roof; and an extra-wide centre gable with a Gothic-style Palladian window. The house
and outbuildings are set back from the road and surrounded by a grassed lawn and mature
coniferous and deciduous trees. A gravel laneway runs from the road to the outbuildings.
The property is within the Whitevale Heritage Conservation District (By-law 4074-92).
The property is owned the Province of Ontario and managed by Ontario Infrastructure and
Lands Corporation.
7.4.2 Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The stone house is a representative example of the transition between the Georgian or Loyalist
tradition of the 1840s and the Gothic Revival style introduced in the 1850s. The essential design of
the house and many of its details is Georgian, including: the low-pitched gable roof, the five-bay
façade; symmetrically arranged openings throughout; the wide, central doorcase with transom
and sidelights; the heavily molded door; Classical detailing; and the central Palladian window.
The Gothic style is introduced through the centre gable and the Gothic tracery of the window,
although the form and proportions of both features are more Georgian than Gothic. Both the
centre gable and window are unusual variations, and may reflect regional preferences: the
window is also found in the Bentley House in Brougham.
The house provides a representative example of stone construction in the late 1850s and early
1860s, including the use of coursed, cut stone on the façade, large quoins at corners, voussoirs
over openings, and uncoursed rubblestone on the side and rear elevations and the kitchen and
woodshed.
The property is associated with the development of local agriculture in the mid-19th century. The
house was built by William Major, c. 1860, replacing an earlier log dwelling on the site. Major was
a well-known cattle and horse breeder, and was descended from John Major, one of the
community’s first settlers. The current property is a remnant of the 200-acre farm that was owned
and farmed by members of the Major family from 1828 until government acquisition in 1972, a
span of 144 years. The property retains a few remnants of this agricultural use by the Major
family.
Given that the property surrounding the farmhouse has not been recently and significantly
altered, it has the potential to yield information that contributes to the understanding of the
community or a pre-contact culture.
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The property is located within the Whitevale HCD, and is important in defining and maintaining
the heritage character of the district and the Whitevale Road corridor within the district.
The property is visually and historically linked to the surrounding agricultural fields which were
farmed by members of the Major family for 144 years, to nearby 19th century farmsteads
including the Hugh Pugh House at 3185 Sideline 26, and to the Whitevale Cemetery.
7.4.3 Heritage Attributes
The heritage attribute essential to the cultural heritage value of the property is the one-and-a-
half-storey, stone house with its kitchen tail and attached woodshed.
Key elements of the house include:
• its form and proportions, including the T-shaped placement of house, kitchen tail and
woodshed; the one-and-a-half-storey height of the house and kitchen tail; and the one-
storey height of the woodshed;
• the Georgian Classical style of house, tail and woodshed, including: low-pitched gable
roofs; symmetrically arranged openings; centre-hall plan; five-bay façade; wide, central
door and doorcase; and Classical detailing;
• Classical detailing, including the wide, plain frieze, molded cornice and eave returns;
• the wide, central door and doorcase with: its glazed transom; fine, single-panel sidelights;
and heavily molded door
• its Gothic Revival elements, including the wide, low-pitch, centre gable and the
elliptically arched gable window with its Gothic tracery;
• its stone construction using local fieldstone, including coursed, cut stone on the façade,
large quoins at corners, voussoirs over openings, and random-coursed rubblestone on
the side and rear elevations and the kitchen and woodshed
• brick chimneys with corbelled tops;
• surviving multi-pane, double-hung window sash;
• surviving interior wood features, including: pine flooring; baseboards; window and door
casings; and stair balustrade; and
• surviving interior hearths and hardware.
Key elements of the property as a whole include:
• Its relationship to the surrounding agricultural fields, including driveways, pathways and
views; and
• The stone outbuilding.
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8 Recommendations
As outlined above, the property at 940 Whitevale Road meets the criteria for determining
cultural heritage value or interest under Ontario Regulation 9/06; specifically criteria 1.i, 2.i, 2.ii,
3.i., and 3.ii. While the property remains in Crown ownership, the municipality should consider
updating the property listing on the Pickering Heritage Registry to include the Statement of
Significance. The results of this evaluation should be shared with the province, along with a
request that the property be managed in compliance with the Standards & Guidelines for
Conservation of Provincial Heritage Properties.
If the property passes out of Crown ownership, the municipality should consider individual
designation of the property under S. 29 OHA. The municipality may decide as a matter of policy
not to include the interior features of the house in any s. 29 designation.
As outlined above, the property exhibits archaeological potential. Future cultural heritage policy
decisions regarding this property should consider this potential for previously undiscovered
archaeological sites or resources and a Stages 1 and 2 Archaeological Assessment should be
carried out by a licenced professional archaeologist prior to any below-grade construction
activities.
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9 Sources
Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada)
Public Member contribution. found online at
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/982750/person/-2010003654/fact/-1534664280
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/7415900/person/-1098283192/facts/sources
Our family Tree: Major and Adele Robinson. Created December 18th, 2001 by Easy Tree.
Accessed online at http://www.sentex.net/~major/Robinson_Tree/WC_TOC.htm/
“Bentley House, 3590 Brock Road, Brougham, Ontario, Canada”, in Canada’s Historic Places at
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9836
Bray Heritage, Seaton Neighbourhood Planning Background Report: Whitevale Road Heritage
Corridor Review, Report prepared for the City of Pickering, May 2010.
City of Pickering. Whitevale Heritage Conservation District Guide, 2013: 5.
Official Plan. (Edition 6), Chapter Eight – Cultural Heritage
Contentworks, Phase II Evaluation of Residences on Whitevale Road, Pickering. Report prepared
for the Ontario Realty Corporation, March 2009.
Cruikshank, Tom and John de Visser, Old Ontario Houses: Traditions in Local Architecture,
(Willowdale: Firefly Books, 2000).
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the Older Buildings of Prince Edward County, (Picton: Corporation of the County of Prince
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Library and Archives Canada
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Parks Canada. 2010. Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in
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web2.pdf
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House, showing the belvedere crowning the house with glazed, arched openings and
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Pickering-Ajax Digital Archives. 2003. Accessed online at http://www.pada.ca/.
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