Notice of intention to designate - 311-313 Macdonald Road

On January 22, 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:

Snyder House
311-313 Macdonald Road
Part Block A, Plan 121, as in 399529; T/W 399529; Oakville

Description of Property

The property at 311-313 Macdonald Road is located on the north side of Macdonald Road between Reynolds and Allan Streets in the Brantwood Annex neighbourhood. The property contains a two-and-a-half storey red brick and wood shingle-clad Bungalow style home with Queen Anne, Edwardian and Period Revival style influences. The house was built in 1911 and is known as the Snyder House.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

Design and Physical Value

The Snyder House has design and physical value as a representative and early example of a Bungalow style home with Queen Anne, Edwardian and Period Revival style influences. Built in 1911 during the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 1900s, the house reflects the movement’s commitment to informality and the use of rustic and natural building materials. Architectural elements typical of the era include its: two-and-a-half storey ground-hugging massing, broad and gently-pitched side gable roof covering an expansive porch, red brick and wood shingle cladding, and a mix of window designs and sizes. The Queen Anne style influence can be seen in the building’s asymmetry and its shingle-clad oriel window. Edwardian influence can be seen in the extensive use of brick cladding, heavy brick pillars on the front porch, and the large stone sills and lintels throughout. The ornate stone porte-cochère is influenced by Period Revival architecture with its unique stone arch and buttresses, more commonly found on stately Tudor manor homes.

Historical and Associative Value

The Snyder House property has cultural heritage value for its direct associations with the theme of development of the early 20th century subdivision known as ‘Brantwood Annex’, along with neighbouring subdivisions Brantwood and Tuxedo Park. Its presence contributes to the story of Oakville’s early 20th century residential development, which was defined by large lots with well-designed Arts and Crafts era homes built by well-to-do families. The property also has cultural heritage value for its direct associations with Mary Sophia and Louis Philip Snyder who were responsible for two of Oakville’s early 20th century subdivision development projects; and with Caroline May and Edward Barringham whose business ventures provided tax revenue and employment to countless Oakville residents, and whose name lives on in the local street Barringham Drive.

Contextual Value

The Snyder House property has cultural heritage value because it is important in maintaining and supporting the historic residential character of the Brantwood Annex subdivision, as well as the neighbouring Tuxedo Park subdivision and Brantwood subdivision. The property is physically, visually, and historically linked to its surroundings. As one of the first houses on the street and within Brantwood Annex the house places the area’s origins within a specific period, helping to tell the larger story of Oakville and its development in the early 20th century. As an anchor point in the neighbourhood, this house helps to define the original aesthetic of Tuxedo Park and Brantwood and continues to support and maintain the character of the neighbourhoods.

Description of Heritage Attributes

Key heritage attributes of the property at 311-313 Macdonald Road that exemplify its cultural heritage value as a Bungalow style house, with influences from the Queen Anne, Edwardian and Period Revival styles, include its:

• The massing and form of the original two-and-a-half storey building with its broad, gently-pitched side gable roof, including the second storey shed dormers, the expansive front porch, the southeast porch (now enclosed) and the second storey oriel window on the south elevation;
• Red brick cladding in a running bond pattern;
• Wood shingle cladding on the upper storeys;
• Remaining wood soffits, fascia and trim work;
• Stone sills and lintels;
• Fenestration of the windows and doors on all elevations, excluding the contemporary first storey window on the north elevation and the contemporary windows in the southeast enclosed porch;
• Open front porch with deep overhang, wood beams and large square brick columns;
• Porte-cochère with gable roof, arched wood beams with stone sills, and ornate stone structure with battlement parapet, large arch and buttresses; 
• The presence of multi-paned windows in the Arts and Crafts style with wood trim; and
• Two red brick chimneys.

Any objection to this designation must be filed no later than February 26, 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 January 25, 2024.