Notice of intention to designate - 115 Morrison Road

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Statement of cultural heritage value or interest

Design and physical value

The Graham House has design value as a representative example of a Colonial Revival home with Arts and Crafts influences from the early 1900s. Colonial Revival attributes of the home include: the massing of the historic two-and-a-half-storey house; its side gabled roof with dormers; its symmetrical façade with a central entrance; the decorative portico with round wooden columns and decorative frieze; Palladian style windows in gables; panelled front door complemented by sidelights with leaded glass windows; and the porte-cochère with its round wooden columns, frieze board and balustrade. Attributes that were influenced by the Arts and Crafts era include: the mix of materials of stucco, brick, stone and wood; covered porch with round wooden columns and low wooden railings; decorative wooden soffits with boxed cornices and returns; and a mix of types of multi-paned windows and doors. The house exhibits many of the classical, traditional and formal aspects of the Colonial Revival style, which was fitting for an early 20th century estate house in southeast Oakville. It also contains a mix of local materials and elements from the Arts and Crafts era that embody craftsmanship from natural materials. Together, the house is a good example of these styles combined to create a large, charming home for wealthy residents in early 20th century Oakville.

Historical and associative value

The Graham House has cultural heritage value for its association with the theme of development of the local area and mid-sized estates in Oakville in the early 1900s. The property started out as farmland, and the later subject house emerged during an important transition in the areas surrounding the Town of Oakville, when farmland began to be developed into estates and residential subdivisions, which was a significant time during Oakville’s development. The property is also associated with some prominent local citizens and stories, such as the Glassco family of Glassco jams.

Contextual value

The Graham House is important in defining, maintaining, and supporting the character of the local area, which is characterized by large lots, mature trees, and a variety of homes, including several heritage homes like this one which provide visual and historical interest. As the earliest house built on the 1911 subdivision of the Morrison land, it also helps to define the built heritage timeframe of the area to the early 1900s and acts as an important anchor to the neighbourhood’s past. The property is physically and historically linked to its surroundings and still functions as a residential home. It contributes to the understanding of local history, particularly early 1900s Oakville. It documents a time when many areas surrounding the Town of Oakville were transitioning from farmland to estates and residential subdivisions. This subject property is an example of this important shift in Oakville that would later define the town.

Description of heritage attributes

Key heritage attributes of the property at 115 Morrison Road 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 all elevations of the historic two-and-a-half-storey house, include:

The footprint, massing and form of the historic two-and-a-half-storey house, including its one-storey porte-cochère and one-storey enclosed porch;
The side gabled roof with front dormers, projecting eaves, wooden soffits, and boxed cornices with frieze boards, and cornice returns on dormers;
Three brick chimneys;
Traditional textured stucco cladding with wooden corner boards and trim throughout;
Fenestration of windows and doors of all elevations;
The historic wooden windows with wooden storms;
The porte-cochère and the presence of round wooden columns and a low railing on the roof;
The front portico, including the four round wooden columns and decorative wooden entablature;
Panelled front door with leaded glass sidelights and wooden trim;
Covered porch on east elevation with round wooden columns, low wooden railing with wooden pickets, and wooden entablature and trim;
Historic wooden doors and storm doors throughout, including the three sets of double doors in the covered porch;
The presence of a semi-circular driveway that loops through the porte-cochère.

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.