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Heritage Designation Project

Overview:

In November 2022, the Government of Ontario passed Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act. The bill included several changes to the Ontario Heritage Act, including a two-year time limit for properties to remain on municipal non-designated listed properties.

Listed properties are properties that have been identified as having cultural heritage value but have not yet been designated. In Prince Edward County, this change means that the existing listed properties will be removed as of December 31, 2024.

View the Non-Designated Listed Properties.

To undertake this work, Council has established the Heritage Designation Working Group through the Built & Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee to review the existing listed properties for potential designation.

Working Group Members:

  • Ward 9 South Marysburgh Councillor John Hirsch
  • Michael Miller
  • Graeme Phillips
  • Janice Gibbins
  • Liz Driver

Process:

Throughout 2023 and 2024, the Heritage Designation Working Group, with County staff, will research and evaluate the listed properties for potential designation under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Recommendations of the Heritage Designation Working Group will be reviewed at Built & Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee meetings and ratified at Council meetings. For each property, Council will decide whether or not to proceed with designation.

Property owners of these listed properties will be contacted throughout the evaluation and designation process.

What heritage designation means:

Designation ensures that heritage properties are managed for future generations and that important buildings and landscapes in the County are protected. Designation is not meant to prevent change, but to help manage it to protect the County’s character and uniqueness of place. Heritage designation helps reduce waste by re-using and conserving existing structures and employs local crafts and tradespeople who maintain these important sites.

Each individual heritage property has a designation by-law that identifies the property’s heritage features. In most cases, these features are limited to the exterior of the building. Owners of heritage properties need a heritage permit before making changes to these heritage features. 

Benefits of heritage designation:

The benefits of designation under the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) include:

  • Recognizing heritage value – We value the historical, architectural, cultural and natural heritage of our communities. In order to tangibly recognize this value, properties are designated and a register of designated properties is kept by the County.
  • Preserving heritage characteristics – Designation helps to preserve the property so that it may be appreciated and enjoyed by future generations.
  • Gaining local, provincial and national recognition of the heritage property – Every designated property is registered with the Ontario Ministry of Culture and is entered into the Ontario Heritage Properties Database which is fully accessible by the public. In addition, every designated property is eligible for inclusion in the Government of Canada’s Canadian Register of Historic Places. 
  • Accessing financial assistance – Only designated heritage properties will be able to access government programs of financial assistance for preservation and restoration purposes. 

As a designated heritage property owner, you will:

  • Be part of a thriving heritage community in the County with over 90 individually designated properties and over 100 properties protected through the Picton Heritage Conservation District.
  • Have access to access to the County’s Heritage Property Grant Program, a matching grant program that helps cover the cost of eligible restoration and repair projects for designated heritage properties.
  • Help conserve the cultural heritage of your neighbourhood for future generations.
  • Receive a plaque to display on the designated heritage building or property.

Get Involved

The Heritage Designation Working Group would like to gather feedback and information from property owners of each property listed on the non-designated heritage inventory. If you are interested in participating in the exploration of heritage designation by contacting by emailing clerks@pecounty.on.ca or by phone 613.476.2148 extension 1020.

Recommendations of the Heritage Designation Working Group will be reviewed at Built & Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee meetings and ratified at Council meetings. For each property, Council will decide whether or not to proceed with designation.

Visit the County’s Council & Committee Meetings page on ways to participate.

Notice of Intent to Designate

Before passage of a designating By-Law, the County provides a Notice of Intent to Designate a property as being of cultural heritage value or interest to the owner of the property, and to the Ontario Heritage Trust, and publishes it in a newspaper having general circulation in the municipality, providing the public with the opportunity for comment or objection. 

For further information, please email clerks@pecounty.on.ca or call 613.476.2148 extension 1020.

Recent Designations

Council of the County of Prince Edward designated the Blizzmax Barn and Mennacher House located at 3069 and 3071 County Road 13, under Part IV Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, as being a property of cultural heritage value. Read the full report here.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

The Blizzmax Barn and Mennacher House have been identified as a cultural heritage asset based on their physical, associative, and contextual value. The barn is a heavy-timber framed, almost square building that sits on a rubblestone
foundation. The barn has wood siding, a tall gambrel roof, and a large north addition. The principal frame members of the barn structure show no signs of adzed marks or of being salvaged or altered, which suggests construction later in the 19th century when gambrel roofs were used to provide large capacity for winter feed for cattle.

On the west side of the barn is a patented concrete stave feed silo manufactured by the Ribstone Silo Company of Elgin, Illinois.

The Mennacher House is a three-storey structure with an open concept living-dining-kitchen space and a separate study on the ground floor, three bedrooms with bathroom and office on the second floor, and a master bedroom with ensuite bathroom on the third floor.
The second and third floors are contained within the space of the steep gable-ended roof. The architectural features of the simple house form show the influence of the Modern Movement, a German-inspired architectural style that dominated Western architecture
between the 1930s and the 1960s, which was characterized by a functional approach determining the appearance of a building.

Description of Heritage Attributes

Blizzmax Barn

• Form and massing of the barn
• Heavy-timber interior structural framing
• Peter Mennacher’s Blizzmax logo on the south elevation
• The north addition and its interior conversion from milking stalls to an exhibit space and
artist studio of the Blizzmax Gallery

Feed Silo

• Form and massing of the silo
• The “Ribstone” Concrete stave construction with steel hoops”
• Domed metal roof

Mennacher House

• The traditional residential form and massing
• The symmetrical composition of window openings in the elevations
• The vertical emphasis of the roof slopes, window openings, and siding
• The unusual triangular geometry of the entrance porch and sunroom
• The Modernist expression of traditional materials, including in the wood siding
• The elements of the Trombe wall integrated into the south elevation
• The triangular window opening in the apex of each of the three gables
• The exposed heavy-timber beams and posts in the ground floor interior

Council of the County of Prince Edward designated the Prince Edward Point Lighthouse (Point Traverse Lighthouse) located at 6147 Traverse Lane, under Part IV Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, as being a property of cultural heritage value. Read the full report here.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

Prince Edward Point Lighthouse has been identified as a cultural heritage asset based on its physical, historical and contextual value. The Lighthouse was built in 1881 and is representative of the change from stone cylindrical towers to wood-framed rectilinear structures. It is comprised of three parts, all constructed in wood, on a rubble
stone foundation: a square-plan, tapered, wood-framed tower, with an attached 1½-storey,
gable-ended structure with tapered walls that are contiguous with the tower and of the same
angle; and a single-storey, lean-to structure with a mono-pitch roof, attached to the gable end. 

Description of Heritage Attributes

• Original location and orientation at Prince Edward Point
• Visual prominence in relation to the water and the landscape
• Wood-framed structure in three parts: tower, with heavy timber corner posts; the
attached 1½-storey, gable-ended structure; and the single-storey, lean-to structure with
a mono-pitch roof
• Square-plan, tapered form of tower
• Square gallery supported by wooden brackets
• Form and proportion of the structure’s three parts (tower, 1½-storey structure, lean-to
structure) and their relationship to each other
• Form and proportion of the interior dwelling spaces on the ground floor (main room,
room within tower’s footprint, lean-to kitchen) and the second floor (second floor
landing, attic space)
• Enclosed staircase connecting ground and second floors
• Ordered arrangement, size and shape of the two exterior door openings (main door and
lean-to door), dormer window openings, gable window opening, and window openings
in lean-to structure
• Pediments capping the main door and dormer windows
• Surviving rubble stone foundation

Council of the County of Prince Edward designated Church House located at 1676 County Road 13, under Part IV Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, as being a property of cultural heritage value. Read the full report here.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

Church House has been identified as a cultural heritage asset based on its physical, historical and contextual value. The property is developed with a Loyalist-style dwelling and exhibits a simple design with a low-pitched roof. The property was owned by Oliver Church, a farmer and hotelkeeper until his death when it was inherited by his sons.

Description of Heritage Attributes

  • Size and massing of the house
  • Low-pitched roof
  • Symmetrical arrangement of the original window and door openings on the front façade
  • Central door with sidelights and cornice
  • Eaves returns
  • Location and orientation of the farmhouse, set far back from the road, facing Prince Edward Bay

Council of the County of Prince Edward designated Cooper House located at 89 Colliers Road, under Part IV Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, as being a property of cultural heritage value. Read the full report here.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

Cooper House features a one-and-a-half storey brick dwelling with a wide central entrance and transom, exhibiting a style that was popular in the County during the 1860s. The property is also developed with a woodshed and summer kitchen which are attached to the dwelling. The property was developed by James and William Cooper, both traders that used the property as a port.

Description of Heritage Attributes

  • Size and massing of the house, summer kitchen, and woodshed
  • One-and-a-half-storey brick house in a symmetrical plan
  • Wood-clad summer kitchen and woodshed
  • Brickwork in the Flemish Bond pattern
  • Brick chimney at each gable end of house
  • Wide central entrance comprised of door screen with sidelights and transom
  • Arrangement and openings of the surviving windows and doors
  • Pairs of unusually large double-sash windows imitating casements, located on the front façade and one gable end
  • Triangular dormer windows over the summer kitchen
  • Orientation of the house facing South Bay

Council of the County of Prince Edward designated Joseph Clapp House located at 1327 Royal Road, under Part IV Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, as being a property of cultural heritage value. Read the full report here.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

Joseph Clapp House is located in proximity to numerous historical buildings along Royal Road including the Cheese Factory. The property is developed with a wood-clad farmhouse and driveshed, these having been constructed by the son of Joseph Clapp who constructed the first mill in Milford.

Description of Heritage Attributes

House:

  •  Size and massing of the main house and additions
  • Orientation of the house, facing Royal Road and with a narrow setback from the road, and the relationship of house and driveshed
  • Location as part of a linear village along Royal Road
  • Wood frame and wood cladding
  • Chimney at each gable end of the main house
  • Pilastered doorcase
  • Squared bay window and verandah
  • Small second-floor window at the west gable end

Driveshed:

  • Location and orientation: near the house, and close to, and facing, the road
  • Pair of round-headed doors, creating an arched opening

Council of the County of Prince Edward designated Welbanks House  located at 1972 County Road 13, under Part IV Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, as being a property of cultural heritage value. Read the full report here.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

Welbanks House property features a dwelling as well as numerous barns and other agricultural buildings. The dwelling was constructed in stages, portions of which were constructed circa 1824, 1850 and 1880. A large Italianate addition constructed in 1880 constitutes the majority of the dwelling’s floor area. The Italianate addition includes an entrance bay with twin verandahs on either side, a feature that is common in various areas of the County. The original dwelling was constructed by Thomas Welbanks, a member of the United Empire Loyalists with the Italianate addition having been constructed by Thomas Welbanks Jr., the son of Thomas Welbanks.

Description of Heritage Attributes

  • Complex of domestic and agricultural buildings
  • Location of the agricultural buildings in relation to the farmhouse
  • Location and orientation of the house, above and facing South Bay
  • Size, massing, and alignment of the three parts of the house: original c. 1824 structure and two later additions

c. 1824 house:

  • Post-and-plank construction
  • Wide floor planks

c. 1850 addition to house:

  • Brick construction
  • boxed-in winder staircase
  • Dormer
  • Verandah

c. 1880 Italianate addition to house:

  • Two-storey wood frame structure
  • Two-storey entrance bay projecting from the centre of the façade
  • Twin verandahs on each side of the entrance bay
  •  Arrangement and openings of the windows and doors on the front façade, entrance bay, and side elevations
  • Pair of windows above vestibule
  • Bay window on southwest facade
  • Pedimented trim over the windows and doors
  • Double front doors with transom light
  • Panelled cornice and paired brackets
  • Two stepped brick chimneys

Interior of c. 1880 Italianate addition:

  • Original trims and wooden floors
  • Victorian doors and faux wood graining

FAQ

The Ontario Heritage Act requires every municipality in the province keep a publicly-accessible list of heritage properties. This list is called a “heritage register” and includes all properties designated under Part IV (individual designation) and Part V (district designation) of the OHA. Municipality also include non-designated properties on their heritage registry. This process is commonly known as “listing.”

Listing differs from designation in the following ways:

  • Designated properties have a heritage designation by-law registered on title. 
  • Designated properties require a permit prior to work that may alter their appearance. 
  • Council can control the demolition of a designated heritage property. Listed properties are only subject to a 60-day notice of demolition. 

Including listed properties on a heritage register provides a municipality with a means to identify and monitor all properties of potential heritage value – not just those that have already been designated under the OHA. 

In the County, listed properties include houses, commercial buildings, farms, public buildings, and industrial buildings. These are properties that all demonstrate potential for heritage value or interest. This determination is made by evaluating the property using an official set of criteria known as Ontario Regulation 9/06. All decisions to list a property must be endorsed by the Built & Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee and approved by Council.

The primary implication of being listed on the heritage register relates to the ability to demolish buildings or structures. Under Ontario’s Building Code Act, owners of listed properties are required to give the Council of the municipality at least 60 days’ notice of their intention to demolish or remove a building or structure. This timeframe provides the municipality with the time necessary to determine whether the property is deserving of designation under the OHA.

When a property is listed, it does not necessarily mean that it will be subsequently “designated.”

If you do not want your property to be designated, you may provide your objection to the Clerk’s Office by email clerks@pecounty.on.ca or by calling 613-476-2148 ext. 1026.

Council, in consultation with the Built & Cultural Heritage Committee, will consider the objection.

Staff Contact

Emily Overholt
Planner I

Phone: 613.476.2148 ext. 2006
Fax: 613.471-2051

Ben Thornton
Council and Committee Clerk

Phone: 613.476.2148
Fax: 613.476-5727