Notice of intention to designate - 3175 Lakeshore Road West

On April 8, 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:

Cudmore House
3175 Lakeshore Road West
Concession 4 SDS Part lot 32 Plan M257 BLK 78 RP 20R12966 Parts 1 to 3
Town of Oakville

Description of property

The property at 3175 Lakeshore Road West is on an irregular-shaped parcel located on the north side of Lakeshore Road West, between Chalmers Street and Strathcona Avenue near the historic Village of Bronte. The property contains a circa 1920 two-and-a-half-storey brick house.

Statement of cultural heritage value or interest

Design and physical value

The subject house has design and physical value as a representative example of the Dutch Colonial Revival architectural style popular in Ontario in the early to mid-20th century, with its own unique elements influenced by Craftsman design. The building was constructed by 1920 with characteristics of a Dutch Colonial Revival design such as a symmetrical façade with a side-gabled gambrel roof with shed dormers, a brick first and second storey, and matching end-wall chimneys on the gable sides. The dormers have wooden siding with wooden fascia. The building’s upper storey has a stucco and false half-timbering effect on both end walls, which was a common Craftsman feature. It has symmetrical front facade, and a centred door with covered porch supported by six columns arranged in groups of three on the first storey that are also used on the second-storey porch as well to create the illusion of long singular columns. The fenestration of the home uses multi-pane divided light wood windows in varying configurations around the elevations.

Historical and associative value

The subject property has cultural heritage value for its direct associations with the Cudmore family, a significant family in the Bronte area, and specifically William Henry Cudmore (1867-1944), who built the house. He and his family farmed the land and started the Cudmore Market, later the Cudmore Garden Centre, which operated for nearly a century. They were prominent and active community members and business owners in Bronte Village. The house has remained in the Cudmore family for over a century. 

Contextual value

The subject property has cultural heritage value because it is physically, functionally, and historically linked to its surroundings and some of the area’s earliest settlers. The Sovereign family owned the land and established one of the area’s earliest cemeteries and schools nearby. The land was divided over time, but for many years, the Austin and Cudmore families generally kept the lot the same size and continued to farm it. The property is linked to both the Lakeshore Road built in 1915 and the Old Lake Road, the historic thoroughfare, to two centuries of produce farming on the lot and in the surrounding farmland, and the history of roadside produce markets in Trafalgar Township. It is a physical reminder of the long-standing farming history in the area, and as one of the earlier buildings in the neighbourhood, is connected to the origins of the Village of Bronte and its subsequent growth. 

Description of heritage attributes

Key heritage attributes of the property at 3175 Lakeshore Road West that exemplify its cultural heritage value, as they relate to the two-and-a-half-storey structure, include its:

• Symmetrical massing and form of the building, with side gambrel roof with cornice returns;
• Three shed dormers on the south elevation and two on the north elevation; 
• Red metal gambrel roof;
• Two end-wall buff brick chimneys;
• Buff brick cladding with stucco and half timbering in the side wall gables;
• Covered two-storey porch with two sets of six columns in groupings of three set into buff brick piers on the first storey and wood shingle clad wall on the second storey;
• Front entrance, including wood door and sidelights;
• Second storey porch entrance, including door and flanking four pane windows; and
• Fenestration with multi-paned sash windows, brick voussoirs and cement sills.

Any objection to this designation must be filed no later than May 10, 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 Susan Schappert, Heritage Planner at 905-845-6601, ext.3870 (TTY 905-338-4200), or by email at susan.schappert@oakville.ca. 

Issued at the Town of Oakville on April 10, 2024.