Notice of intention to designate 128 Reynolds Street

On September 24, 2024, 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:

Kenney House (South)
128 Reynolds Street
Part Lot F, Block 25, Plan 1, Part 1 & 2, 20R5611; Oakville

Description of Property

The property at 128 Reynolds Street is located on the west side of Reynolds Street between Randall Street and Church Street in downtown Oakville. The property contains a two-storey house known as the Kenney House (South). 

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

Design and Physical Value

The Kenney House (South) has design and physical value as a representative example of vernacular Gothic Revival architecture. The house retains heritage features such as: its two-storey form with gable roof; brick façade with dogtooth brick design and low brick plinth along the base of the building; horizontal cladding; fenestration on the east elevation; one-over-one segmental arch wooden windows with brick voussoirs, stone sills and wooden louvered shutters; projecting bay window with wooden frieze and brackets; and front entrance with wooden front door and wooden door surround, including entablature with brackets, decorative frieze and pilasters.

Historical and Associative Value

The Kenney House (South) has historical significance as being built by David Kenney around 1890 from the remnants of the Oakville Roller Skating Rink that he built on the same lot circa 1885. Of four similar houses built on the lot, 128 and 132 Reynolds are the only remaining houses. The house has historical significance for the role it played in both the commercial and residential development of downtown Oakville in the late 19th and early 20th century. This was a significant period for the town, as it transitioned from a small harbour village that had undergone an economic depression in the 1860s to a bustling lakeside town by the 1900s. In the 1890s, while some businesses still struggled, much work was being done in the Town to make it an appealing locale for upper class Toronto and Hamilton families to build summer homes and estates, and their presence helped to revitalize Oakville’s businesses and downtown.

Contextual Value

The Kenney House (South) has cultural heritage value because it is physically, functionally, visually, and historically linked to its surroundings in downtown Oakville. The house is one of four originally built from the Oakville Roller Skating Rink that previously stood on the same lot. The subject property is one of several historical buildings of note still standing that reference the early built history of the neighbourhood.  The area is comprised of adapted former residential buildings whose historical occupants were closely associated with nearby commercial and industrial enterprises, such as the former Blakelock Lumber Mill and the William Whitaker and Sons Carriage Works. The building’s small scale and historic architectural style highlights the history of downtown Oakville.

Description of Heritage Attributes

Key attributes of the property at 128 Reynolds Street that exemplify its cultural heritage value as a vernacular Gothic Revival structure, as they relate to the east, north and south elevations of the original two-storey house, include: 

• The massing and form of the two-storey gable roofed building;
• Brick cladding on east elevation with brick voussoirs above windows, dogtooth brick design on bay window and brick plinth along the base of the wall;
• The presence of horizontal cladding on the north and south elevations;
• Fenestration of the door and windows on the east elevation;
• Wooden one-over-one segmental arch sash windows with arched brick voussoirs, stone sills and wooden louvered shutters;
• Projecting bay window on east elevation with wooden frieze and brackets;
• Front entrance with wooden front door and wooden door surround, including entablature with brackets, decorative frieze and pilasters.

Any objection to this designation must be filed no later than October 28, 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 September 27, 2024.