HERITAGE REPORT: REASONS FOR HERITAGE DESIGNATION. 37 Church Street East. Prepared By:

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1 L Brampton Heritage Board Date: February 15, 2011 HERITAGE REPORT: REASONS FOR HERITAGE DESIGNATION 37 Church Street East Prepared By: Prepared by: Antonietta Minichillo, Heritage Coordinator Planning, Design & Development Urban Design Section Corporation of the City of Brampton, City Hall 2 Wellington Street West Brampton, Ontario L6Y 4R2

2 L PROFILE OF SUBJECT PROPERTY: ROLL NUMBER PIN NUMBER MUNICIPAL ADDRESS 37 Church Street East WARD NUMBER 1 LEGAL DESCRIPTION PLAN BR 13 PT BLK L SECONDARY PLAN PROPERTY NAME The Jennings House CURRENT OWNER Paul Kiss CRITERIA GRADE A CURRENT ZONING OWNER CONCURRENCE? Yes / No CURRENT USES AND FUNCTIONS PREVIOUS OWNERS AND OCCUPANTS CONSTRUCTION OR CREATION DATE RESOURCES ON SUBJECT PROPERTY INCLUDED IN DESIGNATION (circle) RELEVANT COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS Residential The Jennings Family c Building Cemetery-Burial site Structure-object Historic site Cultural heritage landscape Council Resolution HB : that the development of a proactive strategy to ensure heritage designation of all Category A heritage resources be endorsed.

3 L REASONS FOR HERITAGE DESIGNATION: The property at 37 Church Street East is worthy of designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value or interest. The property meets the criteria for designation prescribed by Province of Ontario (Ontario Heritage Act, Regulation 9/06) under the three categories of design or physical value, historical value and contextual value. 1.1 STATEMENT EXPLAINING THE CULTURAL HERITAGE VALUE OR INTEREST OF THE PROPERTY The cultural heritage value of 37 Church Street East is related to its design or physical value as a residential structure from the building boom. It is a unique example of Italianate architecture, reflecting a high degree of craftsmanship. Italianate architecture became popular in the mid-nineteenth century. It combined elements of Tuscan architecture and traditional classical methods. The style often incorporated decorated paired eave brackets, tall and narrow windows, paired windows, moulded window surrounds, quoins, wide overhanging eaves, and belvederes. In terms of form, houses were usually symmetrical, aside from the door which was positioned to one side. Italianate architecture also incorporated various decorative details that enhanced the exterior of the houses. The property also has historical or associative value as it reflects the work of Richard Jennings, a famous resident of Brampton. Richard Jennings was born in England in 1845, and immigrated to the United States in He moved to Canada in 1876 and settled in Brampton. His wife was Elizabeth Pratley. In 1878, Jennings opened a market garden business on the Etobicoke Creek flats near the southeast corner of Church Street East and Union Street. Within a few years, he specialized in flower culture, erecting greenhouses and producing award-winning chrysanthemums, carnations, violets, and other flower varieties. The Jennings residence, located on the southeast corner of Union Street (BR-13, Part Block L), is believed to have been built in the early 1880s. The Collector s Rolls (1887) note Richard Jennings as the owner of 5 1 /2 acres of Block L valued at $ The Census Return (1891) notes florist Richard Jennings, wife Elizabeth and eight children as the residents of a brick house. The Assessment Roll (1893) notes Richard Jennings, florist, and Harry B. Jennings, florist, on Block L, Church Street. The Census Return (1901) notes Richard and Elizabeth Jennings and four daughters as the occupants of a seven room brick house located on 8 acres of land in part Lot 6 and 7, Church Street, Block L. As well as the house, there were 19 outbuildings (greenhouses) on the property. Originally, the Jennings house overlooked Jennings greenhouses. Jennings set aside and then maintained about 6 acres of his property for an athletic field, which became the nucleus of Rosalea Park in Richard Jennings died in 1922, and his wife Elizabeth in The family of Bert Jennings sold the greenhouse property to Mr. and Mrs. Russell who operated the Russell Conservatories. The Russells sold the land to Decar Developments in 1961, and shortly after, the Parkside Apartments were built to the southeast on the greenhouse site.

4 L Jennings was known as one of the province s most prominent horticulturists in the early 1900s. He received the Timothy Eaton Chrysanthemum Trophy permanently in 1905 from the Ontario Horticulture and Honey Exhibition for winning the award three years in a row. Along with other Bramptonians such as Harry Dale, T. W. Duggan, William Fendley, Walter E. Calvert and others, Richard Jennings helped establish Brampton s reputation as The Flower Town of Canada in the early 1900s. Richard Jennings also established Rosalea Park, which was considered one of the most beautiful athletic parks in Ontario. Due to his contributions to the history and physical landscape of Brampton, Jennings can be considered an important early figure in the city s development. The cultural heritage value of the property is also connected to its contextual value as it maintains, supports, and defines the character of Church Street East. The property once overlooked a row of greenhouses, where an apartment building now resides. Therefore, the house is a link to Brampton s prosperous horticultural past. The statement explaining the cultural heritage value or interest of the property, including a description of the heritage attributes of the property along with all other components of the Heritage Report: Statement of Reasons for Heritage Designation, constitute the "reason for heritage designation" required under the Ontario Heritage Act. 1.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE HERITAGE ATTRIBUTES OF THE PROPERTY: Unless otherwise indicated, the reason for designation apply generally to all exterior elevations, facades, foundation, roof and roof trim, all doors, windows, other structural openings and associated trim, all architectural detailing, construction materials of wood, stone, brick, plaster parging, metal and glazing and related building techniques, fencing, all trees, shrubs, hedgerows, other vegetation and the grounds and vistas generally. To ensure that the cultural heritage value of this property is conserved, certain heritage attributes that contribute to its value have been identified specifically and they include: Design / Physical Value: Appears to be in good condition with only minor repairs needed Archival photographs indicate that the house has been minimally altered since it was been built A unique example of an Italianate style house Front façade has a regal pediment, enhanced by dentils, arched window trim and a significant porch Brackets under cornice of bay window Roof has a truncated hip shape Segmented window with radiating voussoirs Decorative brickwork Open side verandah

5 L Historical / Associative Value: Built by Richard Jennings, a prominent figure in Brampton s past Jennings established several greenhouses in Brampton, thereby contributing to its reputation as The Flower City Associated with the housing boom of Contextual Value: The house is associated with Brampton s reputation as the Flower City 2.0 GENERAL PROPERTY DESCRIPTION: The subject property is within the Peel Plain physiographic region of Southern Ontario (Chapman and Putnam, 1984: ). The land surface of the plain is generally characterized by relatively level topography, within a consistent, gradual slope toward Lake Ontario. The property is situated in the former Toronto Township, surveyed in Valley land, designated as open space, is situated just to the north-east of the subject property. The lot is rectangular shaped. The house covers 7650 square feet. The plan of the principle structure is a simple rectangular-shape. The principle elevation (main façade) is emphasized by the following elements: Patterned, high-quality brickwork Truncated hip-shaped roof Decorative dentils and brackets Enclosed verandah Landscaping elements include: House is surrounded by bushes and tall trees Adjacent property features include: Corner lot of Church Street St. Andrews Church located across the street, to the North Apartment buildings located to the East 3.0 HERITAGE EVALUATION / CRITERIA NOTE: The subject property meets the criteria for designation prescribed by the Province of Ontario under the Ontario Heritage Act, Regulation 9/06.

6 L The property was listed in the Municipal Register of Cultural Heritage Resources in the 1980s. It was rated a Category A. 4.0 POLICY FRAMEWORK In the context of land use planning, the Province of Ontario has declared that the wise use and management of Ontario s cultural heritage resources is a key provincial interest. A set of Provincial Policy Statements (PPS) provides planning policy direction on matters of provincial interest in Ontario. These statements set the policy framework for regulating the development and use of land. The current set of policies was last reviewed in At that time the cultural heritage policies were strengthened considerably. The relevant heritage policy statement is PPS 2.6.1, which states that: significant built heritage resources and significant cultural heritage landscapes shall be conserved. PPS is tied to Section 3 of the Ontario Planning Act which stipulates that land use planning decisions by municipalities shall be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statements. The policy is also integrated with the Ontario Heritage Act. This piece of legislation grants municipalities powers to preserve locally significant cultural heritage resources through heritage designation. Decisions as to whether a property should be designated heritage or not is based solely on its inherent cultural heritage value or interest. City Council prefers to designate heritage properties with the support of property owners. However, Council will designate a property proactively, without the concurrence of a property owner as required. These principles are reflected in Brampton s Official Plan. The relevant policies are as follows: : All significant heritage resources shall be designated as being of cultural heritage value or interest in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act to help ensure effective protection and their continuing maintenance, conservation and restoration : Priority will be given to designating all heritage cemeteries and all Class A heritage resources in the Cultural Heritage Resources Register under the Ontario Heritage Act : The City will give immediate consideration to the designation of any heritage resource under the Ontario Heritage Act if that resource is threatened with demolition, significant alterations or other potentially adverse impacts. These principles are also guided by recognized best practices in the field of heritage conservation in Ontario and in Brampton s Heritage Program.

7 L Council Resolution HB : The following recommendation from the Brampton Heritage Board Meeting of April 19, 2005 was approved by Planning, Design and Development Committee on May 2, 2005 and by Council on May 9, 2005: that the development of a proactive strategy to ensure heritage designation of all Category A heritage resources be endorsed. 5.0 ALTERATION HISTORYAND HERITAGE INTEGRITY NOTE: 5.1 Recommended Restoration Measures: There are no recommendations for future restoration and conservation at this time. 6.0 RARITY NOTE: None 7.0 NOTE ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL POTENTIAL: An archaeological assessment was conducted in the area from Church Street East to Nelson Street East by Archworks Inc. No archaeological remains were encountered and the study area was considered clear of further concern. 8.0 EXCLUSIONS: The reasons for designation apply generally to all exterior elevations, facades, foundation, roof and roof trim, all entrances, windows, structural openings and associated trim, all architectural detailing, construction materials of wood, stone, brick, plaster parging, metal and glazing, their related building techniques, all interior spaces detailing and finishes, along with all contextual and landscaping features as cited. There are no exclusions to the scope of designation. 9.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Assessment Rolls, Brampton, North Ward, Campbell, Jacy. Jennings Was Prominent Name, The Daily Times (Brampton), 1 May 1973, p.5 Census Return, Brampton, 1891 [A-2, p. 14; and 1901 [Div. 2, p. 8]. Charters, C.V., et. al, Brampton s 100th Anniversary as an Incorporated Town, Brampton: Town of Brampton, Chinguacousy Township Cemetery No. 16, Brampton Cemetery, Brampton, Ont. Halton-Peel Ontario Genealogical Society, 1973, rev

8 L The Conservator Anniversary Number, The Conservator (Brampton), 19 August 1915, p. 32. Collector s Rolls, Brampton, North Ward, Quinton, Cathy. Building Images: An Architectural Review of Brampton Past. Brampton: Brampton Heritage Board, 1983.

9 L LOCATION MAPS: 37 Church Street East 37 Church Street East

10 L Church Street East Figure 1: Aerial photograph of central Brampton (1947) 37 Church Street East Figure 2: Township Plan (Source: Historical Atlas of Peel County: 1877)

11 L IMAGES: Figure 3: Archival image of the interior of R. Jennings Conservatory Figure 4: Archival image of R. Jennings Conservatories

12 L 1-12 Figure 5: Archival image of the Jennings Residence (greenhouses visible to the left) Figure 6: Sketch of the Jennings House, illustrated by C. Erny (Source: Quiton, 1983) 12

13 L 1-13 Figure 7: View from Church Street East Figure 8: Front façade 13

14 L Figure 9: Bay window with decorative brackets and radiating voussoirs Figure 10: Regal pediment

15 L Figure 11: Open side verandah Figure 12: Decorative dentils

16 L Figure 13: Arched window trim Figure 16: Truncated hip-shaped roof

17 L Figure 17: House surrounded by bushes and tall trees