Notice of intention to amend designation by-law 1993-055

On September 28, 2026, Oakville Town Council resolved to pass a Notice of Intention to Amend Designation By-Law 1993-055, “A bylaw to designate The Old Maple Grove School (original building) located at 288 Maple Grove Drive as a property of historic, architectural and contextual value and interest” for 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:

Maple Grove School
A portion of 288 Maple Grove Drive
Part of Lot 6, Concession 3 Trafalgar SDS, designated as Part 1 on Plan 20R-23283
PIN: 24798-0049

Purpose and effect of proposed amendment

The proposed amendment of By-law 1993-055, “A bylaw to designate The Old Maple Grove School (original building) located at 288 Maple Grove Drive as a property of historic, architectural and contextual value and interest” is to include the 1934 portion of the school, clarify the statement explaining the property’s cultural heritage value or interest and the description of the property’s heritage attributes, and to revise the language of the by-law to make it consistent with the requirements of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Description of property

The subject property is located on the west side of Maple Grove Drive, between Devon Road and Oakhill Drive. The property contains Maple Grove Public School, an elementary school that was constructed in several stages beginning in 1872 with the one-room schoolhouse. The historic portions of Maple Grove School include the 1872 schoolhouse and the 1934 addition by noted architect, George Molesworth. These are the only two portions of the property that are already included and to be included in the designation, as per the R-Plan 20R-23283.

Statement of cultural heritage value or interest

Design/physical value

Maple Grove School has design value for two of its built components: the original 1872 one-room schoolhouse and the 1934 addition by noted architect, George Molesworth.

The original building at Maple Grove School was built in 1872 as a one-room schoolhouse, according to the design recommended by Superintendent of Education, Egerton Ryerson. It has physical value as a rare remaining example of the once common one-room schoolhouses that were built in communities across Ontario.

The one-room schoolhouse as it exists today is a small frame structure covered in stucco with a medium pitched roof. The three window openings on the south facade and one on the north facade are original. The original 6-over-6 windows have been replaced several times over the decades with multi-pane windows of similar style. The roof was originally clad in wood shingles but has been asphalt shingles for many years. The original chimney remains but appears to have been rebuilt using more modern bricks. The simple rear elevation remains intact. The front elevation with its two windows and projecting entry was removed when the 1934 Molesworth addition was constructed.

The 1934 addition designed by Molesworth has design value for its restrained interpretation of the Georgian Revival style. Located at the front of the original one-room schoolhouse, it forms the principal elevation and the most publicly prominent portion of Maple Grove School. The Georgian Revival style is exhibited through features such as the ornamental entrance with transom and sidelights, the hip roof, and brick construction with modest detailing. Subtle Tudor Revival influences are evident in the small octagonal window and the multi-paned six-over-nine and eight-over-twelve window patterns. 

Historic/associative value

The one-room schoolhouse has historical value in its association with an integral part of Canadian education history: the development of standards for the public education system through the 1871 School Law Improvement Act in Ontario.

The first school in Trafalgar Township was originally located at the southeast corner of what is now Ennisclare Drive and Lakeshore Road East. It was a small frame building. The second Township school, known as Hardy's School, was located on Ninth Line above Lower Middle Road.

In 1871, the School Law Improvement Act in Ontario was passed. Free elementary schooling in government-inspected schools was to be provided for all. “Common schools” were renamed as “public schools” and attendance became mandatory for children between the ages of eight and fourteen. Schools were required to accommodate no less than 50 students and many of the first schools could not meet these requirements, including the two Trafalgar schools. New buildings had to be erected. Local farmers raised $100 for one acre of land and in 1872 this land was purchased from farmer and innkeeper Barnet Griggs. This one-room schoolhouse was built soon afterward and remains part of the school to this day.

Originally known as the Ninth Line School, inside the single room were double desks facing a large blackboard. In the centre of the room stood a large woodburning box stove and a stove pipe ran across to the west wall chimney for extra heat in the winter. At the rear of the school there was a woodshed. By the turn of the century, the school was heated by coal, although no additions had been made to the original building.

In 1930, a non-resident tax was levied on people whose children attended school in Oakville but lived in Trafalgar Township. This resulted in increased enrollment at Maple Grove and resulting pressures on space and staff. Additional staff were hired and the tiny front porch was fitted with a stove and blackboard so that one teacher could carry on a class there. However, this was a temporary arrangement until a new addition could be constructed. The time of the one-room schoolhouse in Oakville was coming to an end.

In 1934, the front porch was removed from the one-room schoolhouse and a new room with a basement and washrooms was built at the front of the schoolhouse at a cost of $14,000. This addition was designed by George Molesworth, an architect whose practice was based in Toronto but who lived in Oakville. The 1934 addition has historic value in its association with Molesworth, who is known for at least a dozen commissions in the Oakville area, including residential homes (The Acacias, 573 Lakeshore Road West and the Lambert-Smye Estate, 17 Lambert Common) and other institutions (additions to Linbrook Public School and Oakville Trafalgar High School).

Molesworth—who apprenticed for Eden Smith, one of Canada’s most prolific Arts and Crafts influenced architects—founded his own Toronto-based architectural firm in 1913. The firm, which evolved through several partners and then passed to Molesworth’s son, David, eventually becoming Armstrong, Molesworth and Shepherd.

Although Maple Grove School has undergone substantial changes over the decades with new additions in 1952, 1955, 1957, 1986 and 2011, the portions of the school that have cultural heritage value meeting the threshold for designation are the one-room schoolhouse and the 1934 Molesworth addition. 

Contextual value

Maple Grove School has been physically, historically and visually linked with this location in southeast Oakville for over 150 years. While the school has significantly changed since its days as a one-room schoolhouse, it has cultural heritage value due to its retention of the one-room schoolhouse and the prominent 1934 Molesworth addition that faces Maple Grove Drive.

Maple Grove School is a landmark in southeast Oakville and is well-known to generations of students and staff.

Description of heritage attributes

Key attributes of the 1872 one-room schoolhouse at 288 Maple Grove Drive that reflect its design/physical value include the following:

• Stucco-clad exterior walls;
• Three original window openings on the south elevation and one on the north elevation;
• Gable end roof;
• Simple design; and
• Plain rear elevation.

Key attributes of the 1934 addition designed in a simple Georgian Revival style at 288 Maple Grove Drive that reflect its design/physical value and reflects the work of a prominent local architect, George Molesworth, include the following:

• Red brick exterior walls, including brick foundation detailing and straight voussoirs;
• Medium pitch hipped roof;
• Entranceway, including decorative wood surround, sidelights and transom and wood ‘cross and book’ panel door;
• Wood fascia and soffits;
• Chimney; and
• Square vented wood cupola.

The addition also has several Tudor Revival attributes:

• Small octagonal window on east elevation; and
• Historic fenestration, including the 6-over-9 and 8-over-12 window patterns.

Any objection to this designation must be filed no later than November 2, 2026. 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 Kristen McLaughlin, Heritage Planner, at 905-845-6601, ext.3908 (TTY 905-338-4200), or by email at kristen.mclaughlin@oakville.ca.

Issued at the Town of Oakville on October 2, 2026.