Notice of intention to designate 1314 Lakeshore Road East

On November 25, 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:

Dane MacKendrick House
1314 Lakeshore Road East
ON 4 SDS PT LOTS 7 and 8 RP 20R8669 Parts 1, 2, 3; Town of Oakville

Description of property

The property at 1314 Lakeshore Road East is located on the south side of Lakeshore Road, between Gairloch Gardens and Ennisclare Drive West. The property contains a circa 1929 one-and-a-half-storey Tudor Revival style frame house known as the Dane MacKendrick House.

Statement of cultural heritage value or interest

Design and physical value

The Dane MacKendrick House has design and physical value as a representative example of a Tudor Revival house design and construction with Arts and Crafts influences. The house was built around 1929 with Tudor Revival elements such as its: asymmetrical and irregular massing and form with steep bellcast roof; mix of wooden shingles and stucco cladding; wooden soffits and fascia with exposed wooden eaves; west elevation porch with flagstone; presence of a panelled wooden front door; fenestration of the windows on the west and south elevations, including bay windows on the west and south elevations; the use of multi-paned wood windows in the Arts and Crafts style with wood trim; and the red brick chimney.

Historical and associative value

The Dane MacKendrick House has direct associations with the MacKendrick family and specifically Dane and Madeleine MacKendrick, and William Gould Armstrong, the architect. The MacKendricks built the estate that is now Gairloch Gardens, and Colonel W.G. MacKendrick was a notable local and provincial figure. Dane was the son of W.G. MacKendrick, who built today’s Gairloch Gardens as his country estate Chestnut Point. Dane then designed and built the subject property on his family’s subdivided estate lands. Colonel W.G. MacKendrick was a notable local and provincial figure. The house was purchased by William Gould Armstrong and Ruth Armstrong. W.G. Armstrong was a well-known architect who worked for his father’s architectural firm in Toronto, as well as designing buildings in Oakville and Mississauga. He was the architect of the Studio, the designated structure now in Gairloch Gardens. 

Contextual value

The Dane MacKendrick House is important in defining, and supporting the character The house stands on what was historically the same property as the nearby estate Chestnut Point (now Gairloch Gardens). Being built by the same family who designed and built the estate, the presence of the subject Arts and Crafts house helps to support the nearby historic character. The subject property is physically, functionally, visually, and historically linked to its surroundings. An early owner of the property, Colonel W.G. MacKendrick, subdivided the land for houses and one is the subject property. Its presence defines one of the early purposes of the land as an estate for the MacKendrick family and supports the surrounding character that is still present in Gairloch Gardens, much of which was designed and built by Colonel W.G. MacKendrick.

Description of heritage attributes

Key heritage attributes of the property at 1314 Lakeshore Road East that exemplify its cultural heritage value as a 1920s Tudor Revival style house, as they relate to the north, west and south elevations of the historic one-and-a-half-storey house, include:

• The asymmetrical and irregular massing and form of the one-and-a-half-storey building with steep bellcast roof;
• Stucco and wooden shingle cladding;
• Wooden soffits and fascia with exposed wooden eaves;
• Front porch with flagstone floor and steps;
• Fenestration of the windows on the west, north and south elevations, including bay windows on the west and south elevations;
• The presence of narrow multi-paned wooden windows in the Arts and Crafts style with wooden trim;
• The presence of a paneled wooden front door in the Arts and Crafts style; and
• Brick chimney.

Any objection to this designation must be filed no later than January 2, 2025. 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 November 27, 2024.