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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBy-law 3461/90 THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF PICKERING BY-LAW NUMBER 3461/90 Being a by-law to amend By-law 2123/85 redesignating property owned by the Altona Mennonite Church and Cemetery in the hamlet of Altona to include the interior as being of architectural and historical value or interest WHEREAS on December 16, 1985, the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Pickering passed By-law 2123/85 to designate property owned by the Altona Mennonite Church and Cemetery in the hamlet of Altona as being of architectural and historical value or interest; and WHEREAS it is deemed expedient to amend By-law 2123/85 to include the architectural and historical value of the interior of the Altona Mennonite Church and the cemetery grounds in the Reasons for Designation; NOW THEREFORE the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Pickering hereby enacts as follows: 1. By-law 2123/85 is hereby amended to include in the Reasons for Designation the architectural and historical value of the interior of the Altona Mennonite Church and the cemetery grounds more particularly described in Schedule "A" attached hereto. 2. The municipal Solicitor is hereby authorized to cause a copy of this by-law to be registered against the property described in Schedule "A" hereto in the proper land registry office. 3. The Clerk is hereby authorized to cause a copy of this by-law to be served on the owner of the aforesaid property and on the Ontario Heritage Foundation and to cause notice of the passing of this by-law to be published in the same newspaper having general circulation in the municipality once for each of three consecutive weeks. BY-LAW READ a first, second and third time and PASSED this 7th day of May 1990. Wayne Arth~s, Mayor ~Bruce Taylor, Town Clerk SCHEDULE "A" TO BY-LAW 3461/90 ALL AND SINGULAR that certain parcel or tract of lands and premises situate, lying and being in the Town of Pickering, in the Regional Municipality of Durham and Province of Ontario and being North Part Lot 30, Concession 9 SCHEDULE "A" TO BY-LAW 3461/90 REASONS FOR REDESIGNATION INTERIOR OF THE ALTONA MENNONITE CHURCH The furnishings in the meeting house of the Altona Mennonite church are well preserved and of great value and importance. There area total of twenty-one pine church pews (with three having spruce backs and one having a basswood back), fifteen being original to the date of construction of the building in 1852 and six which were added at a slightly later date. The pews are constructed of unfinished pine and have single plank seats measuring 13" deep by l-l/2" thick. Most have a two board, tongue and groove back (two have very wide single board backs). Midway along each pew, the back is supported by a single 4" wide pine brace. Each pew has a third support leg centred under the length of the seat. The ends of each pew are l-l/2" wide, while the middle leg support is l" wide. All but four have two book racks on the pack of the pew. The pews measure in length from the shortest, 7' 4", to the longest, 12' l". The original pews are constructed with cut nails and mortis and tenon construction. Four of the later added pews have been constructed of old benches and two were constructed to conform to the original design. The pews made up from benches are almost as old as the original ones. There are four unfinished pine benches of various types. In the front entry is a large 11' 9" long by 16" wide one plank bench that is 1-1/4" thick. It has six legs that have been fashioned with a draw-knife and are not uniform in diameter. The legs fit through, level with the top surface of the bench. The legs are made of maple. In the back entry is a smaller 8'5" long by ll-1/2" wide bench, that is l-l/2" thick. It has two legs and has morris and tenon construction. There are no nails used. In front of the pulpit, in the main room sits a third bench, approximately 6' long by 12" wide by 1" thick. It has a single board top and cut nail construction. It has a skirt down from the seat on both sides of the bench. On the pulpit platform sits the fourth bench. The back for this bench is a wide pine board nailed to the wall. The bench is 7'6 1-1/2" long by 17" wide by l" thick. It is an old extended top that sits on the original plank seat that is 1-1/2" thick by 16-1/2" wide. There is a small back board with curved ends that is attached to the bench. The pulpit sits on a platform of four boards, 4'2-1/2" by 6' 8" long. There is a step at each end of the platform. The front of the pulpit is six boards wide and 3' 7-1/2" high from the platform. It has a slanted top and a cut-out front section. The six front boards are tongue and groove construction and are pine, painted white on the front (exterior) side only. There is one shelf in the interior of the pulpit. It is unfinished pine and runs the width of the pulpit. At the floor level, there is quarter round molding. The floor of the church is pine plank flooring that has never had any finish applied to it. The boards range in width from 7" to 8". The baseboard is 9-1/2" high with quarter round molding at the base and a half round top with a groove. The baseboard is painted white. -2- The one wall dividing the entry rooms from the main room is l-l/4" thick, tongue and groove constructed pine that had been left natural until approximately 50 years ago, when it was painted white, along with the pulpit, doors and baseboard. There are two hat racks suspended from the ceiling on the right side Ithe men's side) of the building. There are also hooks on the walls behind the pulpit and the two last pews on that side of the main room. The entry way is on the left side Ithe women's side) of the church and both walls in the entry have coat hooks, with one also having an upper shelf. The Mennonite denomination places particular emphasis on simplicity. The furnishings of the Altona meeting house are basic and simple in design. They serve their purpose and are not ornate or elaborate. The interior of the building is plaster over wood lathe and painted white. The trim around the doorways is a straight piece of pine 3-1/2" wide by l" thick on each side of the doorway, painted white. The two interior doors are pine, painted white. They are solid, with one having a four panel design and the other having a five panel design. Each door has a thumb latch. The furnishings are in very good condition. They are reminders of the simplicity that goes hand in hand with Mennonite beliefs.