Notice of intention to designate - 329 Douglas Avenue
Thursday, July 13, 2023
On July 10, 2023 Oakville Town Council resolved to pass a Notice of Intention to Designate the following property under Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.18, as amended, as a property of cultural heritage value and interest:
Guess House
329 Douglas Avenue
Lots 170 and 171, Plan 113; Town of Oakville
Description of Property
The property at 329 Douglas Avenue is located on the east side of Douglas Avenue, between Macdonald Road and Galt Avenue in the Brantwood neighbourhood. The property contains the circa 1910 two-and-a-half storey brick and half-timbered house.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest
Design and Physical Value
The Guess House has design and physical value as a representative example of a Tudor Revival house with Craftsman style architectural influences. The house was built around 1910 and includes characteristics of Tudor Revival design such as: exposed eaves, recessed entry, a brick first storey with a rough-clad and timbered second and third (half) storey, diamond- and rectangular-patterned leaded-glass casement windows, an asymmetrical façade, and a multi-sloped roof made with multiple heights and dormers on each side. The lakestone knee wall along Douglas Avenue supports the Arts & Crafts style character of the property. This house is a unique and elaborate example of popular buildings styles in in Ontario in the 1910s.
Historical and Associative Value
The Guess House has cultural heritage value for its direct associations with the development of the local residential area known as ‘Brantwood’, an early 20th century subdivision of Oakville. It was one of the earliest buildings constructed in the Brantwood subdivision and was used as an impressive example of the type of architecture that was being promoted in the area by its developers. The house still retains exterior heritage aspects that have lent to the neighbourhood’s character over the last 100 years and its presence contributes to the relatively intact historic development of Brantwood.
Contextual Value
The subject property has contextual value because it supports and maintains the historical residential character of the Brantwood neighbourhood. It is physically, functionally, visually, and historically linked to the surrounding residential neighbourhood and places the Brantwood area’s origins in a specific timeframe. The house was built as an early representation of what the community could be and remains a significant marker within the area’s streetscape.
Description of Heritage Attributes
Key heritage attributes of the property at 329 Douglas Avenue that exemplify its cultural heritage value, as they relate to the historic two-and-a-half storey house, include:
The massing and form of the two-and-a-half storey building with its asymmetrical façade with sloped roofs, and the shape of the multi-sloped roofs, gables, and dormers on all four elevations;
Brick cladding with running bond pattern on the first storey;
Half timbering cladding, including stucco and wood elements, on the second and third storeys;
Recessed front entry under exposed beams;
Flared eaves on the dormers and recessed entry;
Fenestration of the north, west, and south elevations;
Casement style windows with diamond- and rectangular-patterned glass panes;
Wood window sills and wood window trim, and
Two brick chimneys with stone caps.
Key heritage attributes of the property at 329 Douglas Avenue that exemplify its cultural heritage value, as they relate to the property, include:
Low lakestone knee wall and lakestone columns along Douglas Avenue
The detached two-car garage and the two-storey stucco-clad rear addition are not considered to be of cultural heritage value.
Any objection to this designation must be filed no later than August 14, 2023. Objections should be directed to the Town Clerk, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario L6H 0H3.
Further information respecting this proposed designation is available from the Town of Oakville. Any inquiries may be directed to Carolyn Van Sligtenhorst, heritage planner at 905-845-6601, ext.3875 (TTY 905-338-4200), or by email at carolyn.van@oakville.ca.
The last date to file a notice of objection is August 14, 2023.
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