Notice of intention to designate - 2038 Lakeshore Road East

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Statement of cultural heritage value or interest

Design and physical value

The MacKendrick House has design value as a representative example of a vernacular Colonial Revival style home with Arts and Crafts influences from the early 1900s. While the building has evolved over time and has had numerous additions constructed onto the main house, it still retains the main Colonial Revival structure and many of its original features. Heritage attributes that define the Colonial Revival style include: the massing of the historic two-storey portion of the house; the gable roof with minimal roof overhang; the use of 6/6 and 8/8 sash windows; and the front entrance with detailed roof overhang and decorative door surround with Colonial style pilasters. Heritage attributes that define the Arts and Crafts era include: the mix of stone veneer and wood cladding; the original stone chimneys; the mix of windows including bay windows, sash windows and stained glass windows; and the back porch that was once open air with its stone construction and arched windows. Together these architectural elements contribute to a good example of a 1930s estate house with an elegant but modest aesthetic.

Historical and associative value

The MacKendrick House has cultural heritage value for its associations with some of the early wealthy families of the Oakville and Trafalgar Township area. The original estate started out as farmland, and the later subject house is important in Oakville’s history as the property transitioned from a larger farm into a lakeshore estate, a significant theme of development in Oakville in the late 1800s into the mid-1900s. Estates along the lakeshore, including the MacKendrick House, shaped many physical aspects of Oakville today. The town’s unindustrialized lakeshore can be linked to the existence of these significant and wealthy estates extending to the waterfront. The property also has cultural heritage value for its direct associations with its notable Oakville residents, such Harry and VeNorma MacKendrick, who not only contributed to the property and surrounding area, but to the development of the town as well.

Contextual value

The MacKendrick House is important in defining, maintaining and supporting the character of the local area. The property is one of the few remaining historic estates located on Lakeshore Road along the waterfront and contributes to the streetscape along this part of Lakeshore Road, which is characterized by large lots and homes and significant vegetation. The property is physically, functionally, visually, and historically linked to its surroundings. This house was built in the early 1900s as the area was transitioning from a farming region to more of a wealthy lakeside estate component of Trafalgar Township and the Town of Oakville. Well to-do businesspeople from Toronto and abroad were purchasing pieces of land near Oakville on the lakeshore and transitioning them from farmland to estates. This subject property is an example of this important shift in Oakville; these families and the related tourism became economic drivers in Oakville. While the other older estate houses on this historic Lot 5 have been demolished, this house is likely the last remaining one and is an important anchor point to the history of the area.

Description of heritage attributes

Key heritage attributes of the property at 2038 Lakeshore Road East that exemplify its cultural heritage value as a representative example of an early 1900s Colonial Revival home with Arts and Crafts influences, as they relate to the historic two-storey house, include:

The massing, footprint and form of the house, including the front bay window and one-storey bump-out on north elevation;
Historic stone cladding and chimneys;
The presence of horizontal wood siding;
The fenestration of windows and doors on the north and west elevation;
The presence of multi-paned sash windows in the Arts and Crafts era style;
Front entrance, including the wooden panelled Dutch door with leaded-glass windows, the porch roof with decorative brackets, the wooden panels and decorative trim, and the wooden pilasters;
Remaining wooden window trim;
The footprint and first floor structure of the back porch that was once open air, including its stone materials and arched window openings; and
The metal posts with horse heads as landscape features.

Any objection to this designation must be filed no later than April 5, 2024. Objections must be directed to the Town Clerk at townclerk@oakville.ca or 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario L6H 0H3. The objection must include the reasons for the objection and all relevant facts.

Further information respecting this proposed designation is available from the Town of Oakville. Any inquiries may be directed to Carolyn Van Sligtenhorst, Supervisor of Heritage Conservation at 905-845-6601, ext.3875 (TTY 905-338-4200), or by email at carolyn.van@oakville.ca.

Issued at the Town of Oakville on March 6, 2024